DNF Review: The Taking of Jake Livingston by by Ryan Douglass

Title: The Taking of Jake Livingston

Author: Ryan Douglass

Publisher: Putnam
Rating: 1/5 Stars (DNF)
Hardcover, 308 Pages
Publication Date: July 13th, 2021

Summary: Jake Livingston is one of the only Black kids at St. Clair Prep, one of the others being his infinitely more popular older brother. It’s hard enough fitting in but to make matters worse and definitely more complicated, Jake can see the dead. In fact he sees the dead around him all the time. Most are harmless. Stuck in their death loops as they relive their deaths over and over again, they don’t interact often with people. But then Jake meets Sawyer. A troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school last year before taking his own life. Now a powerful, vengeful ghost, he has plans for his afterlife–plans that include Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about ghosts and the rules to life itself go out the window as Sawyer begins haunting him and bodies turn up in his neighborhood. High school soon becomes a survival game–one Jake is not sure he’s going to win.

I received an ARC of THE TAKING OF JAKE LIVINGSTON in exchange for an honest review. When we first found out about this 2021 debut, we were super intrigued, because even though I'm a huge contemporary romance reader, there have been some thrillers and paranormal stories that I've liked in the past. So first and foremost, thank you Putnam for sending me a copy to review! 

As the summary explains, the story follows Jake Livingston, one of the only Black kids at his local prep school -- but that's not the only thing that makes him stand out. He can also see the dead -- particularly, the ghost of a high school shooter who begins haunting him. It's an interesting premise that caught my eye, and it adds a fresh spin on paranormal thrillers in a way that I wasn't expecting.

Unfortunately, I just wasn't really able to get into this book. It was a bit confusing for me in the beginning, when the info about Jake's ghost-seeing powers is explained, and it isn't quite clear what things are actually happening in real life, what are visions, what are dreams, etc. I muddled through the beginning of this book feeling very confused. I also just had a hard time getting into it, but I think that's because I may not have been in the right headspace to dive into a super dark, deep paranormal thriller at the moment. I had just gotten over being really sick and found myself in a nastier reading slump than I had expected. So even though I wasn't able to get into/finish this book right now, maybe one day down the line when I find myself craving a thriller, I'll pick this one up! But for now, it just wasn't the right fit for me.

I just want to stress that while THE TAKING OF JAKE LIVINGSTON may not have been the right fit for me, that doesn't mean that someone else won't enjoy it! So if you were excited about reading this book, please do not let my review deter you. I'm simply sharing my own thoughts on why I was unable to finish the book -- but you might pick it up and decide that it's the perfect cup of tea that you've been waiting for! If you're into paranormal thrillers, I definitely encourage you to pick up this book and tell me what you think.

Did you have similar thoughts about THE TAKING OF JAKE LIVINGSTON? Did you love it? Want to read it? Comment down below and let me know all of your thoughts!