25th out of 139 books
—
1,238 voters
Take Me There
by
Carolee Dean (Goodreads Author)
Dylan has a bad-boy past and a criminal record. He knows that rich, beautiful Jess is way too good for him—but she has always been the one person who sees through his tough exterior and straight to his heart, and he has been hopelessly in love with her from the first time they met. He would change his life for a chance with her.
But trouble follows Dylan wherever he goes, a...more
But trouble follows Dylan wherever he goes, a...more
Paperback, 325 pages
Published
July 20th 2010
by Simon Pulse
(first published July 1st 2010)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
The cover of this book caught my attention, it's a really good cover, and next, the title. I though: Susan’s Colasanti Take Me There? I picked up the book and read the summary. Long Summary Short: Bad 'gang boy' fall for pretty 'it' girl. And then I though: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles! So I immediately bought the book, considering I’m a big fan of Colasanti’s and Elkele’s work, I assumed it would be a story like Perfect Chemistry, with the light bubbly factor of Take Me There.
You guessed...more
You guessed...more
Where do I begin with this book? Is it enough for me to say, just go read it? Probably not, huh? Take Me There was sent to us a couple of months ago, and has been sitting on my shelf ever since (while I try to tackle this never-ending TBR pile). It looked, from the cover, like a cute little fluff book. A romance that might be fun to read sometime. Let me just tell you, DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER!! (Have you heard that before?) This book was NOT fluff!
So many things happened and so many is...more
So many things happened and so many is...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The summary and the cover of this book do not do this book justice at all. Take Me There is much more than just romance. It deals with friendship, crime/law, family and the choices that we make in life.
I sympathised with our protagonist, Dylan, he tries so hard to do the right thing, make the right choices but at the end circumstances made it difficult for him. With so much going on in Dylan’s life, it was hard to understand some of the things he did but I still liked him as the narrator. Dylan...more
I sympathised with our protagonist, Dylan, he tries so hard to do the right thing, make the right choices but at the end circumstances made it difficult for him. With so much going on in Dylan’s life, it was hard to understand some of the things he did but I still liked him as the narrator. Dylan...more
I probably shouldn't even write a review of this book, because I didn't finish it. But that says a lot about this book. I always finish what I'm reading, no matter how bad it is. I saw the cover and I read the back of the book. It sounded like the perfect book for me. It sounded like a romantic story with a little drama in it. WRONG, so very wrong.
This book has nothing to do with the romance between Jess and Dylan. The entire book is about how Dylan and his friend Wade are on the run. Jess comes...more
This book has nothing to do with the romance between Jess and Dylan. The entire book is about how Dylan and his friend Wade are on the run. Jess comes...more
Okay. You see the cover. its flawless. Amazing. it shows Dylan and Jess in the middle of the road in a romantic position. You see the title with direction arrows and you think,
"Oh okay, this is probably going to be sort of a love story with adventure and excitement."
Then your read the blurb. The blurb is two paragraphs. One about Dylan and Jess and the other about Dylan finding answers. Honestly, Dylan's grandmother was in the book more than Jess. Wade had more dialogs than Jess. It was almost...more
"Oh okay, this is probably going to be sort of a love story with adventure and excitement."
Then your read the blurb. The blurb is two paragraphs. One about Dylan and Jess and the other about Dylan finding answers. Honestly, Dylan's grandmother was in the book more than Jess. Wade had more dialogs than Jess. It was almost...more
Words can't even begin to describe how emotionally connected I felt to this book. I don't know why it got to me so much, but it did. Dylans struggles got through and sunk into me so deeply it hurt. I almost regret reading it because I found myself afterward having nightmares about dating a guy that had to go through the things Dylan did. The epilogue was what killed me. Before I spoil the ending , I recommend this book to the fullest. If you cry in books, get your box of tissues out for this one...more
I liked this book. I did. I just didn't completely connect with it. I loved Dylan's character and Wade's. There just two guys trying to stay out of the tough life that they were raised into. THe love aspect really left me wanting something. The whole "romance" takes place within the span of about a week and honestly I didn't really feel it. It was really rushed and kind of random. If the author had let Dylan and Jess take the time to get to know eachother, the love aspect could have been good. H...more
Nov 30, 2011
02chelseac
added it
What really got me hooked onto this book was the fact that i could relate to the situation of having a guy with a bad past being a part of my life. I knew it would help me to better understand the thoughts he has and how he reacts to different situations. The way Dylan went on living his life and toughing it out through the hard times stuck to me the most. He has pure dedication to making hi life better.
At times it was hard to read jsut because of the fact that he had to deal with so much bagg...more
At times it was hard to read jsut because of the fact that he had to deal with so much bagg...more
I so wanted to give this book 5 stars. I loved the main character, Dylan. He had a horrible life and he always wanted to make the right choices, but trouble seems to follow him. Dylan Dawson's narration goes back and forth in time. Dylan's father is in jail, Dylan was six when his father went to jail and is on death row for killing a police officer who was also his friend. Dylan's father was selling drugs on the side and since he went to jail any information he wanted about his father was not pr...more
Take Me There was a story about a 17 year old boy who grew up without a father because his father was states away in prison. Growing up, noone talked to him about his father or why his dad was locked away. He grew up knowing nothing about his family's past. As he travels down the "bad" road, winding up in juvie and struggling to break out of the gang crowd, he makes a last ditch effort to figure out who he is by running to meet his father who is waiting his execution date just two weeks off. Hal...more
At first, I thought this book was just one of those chick lit, young adult novels about bad boys turned good because of a certain girl, blah blah blah. But boy, I am so ready to admit that I AM SO WRONG!
Take Me There is more than just meets the eye. The cover didn't do the book any justice. This isn't a cute love story where the hero falls in love with the heroine and then they live happily ever after. This is a story about love that encompasses a lot of things. A love deeper than anything else...more
Take Me There is more than just meets the eye. The cover didn't do the book any justice. This isn't a cute love story where the hero falls in love with the heroine and then they live happily ever after. This is a story about love that encompasses a lot of things. A love deeper than anything else...more
People luk at me and wok akros the street.
So tired of the suspishus eyes
On all the faces that I meet
And tell me, if I try
To be a difrent guy,
Will you be the girl
To rearrange my wirld?
You take me up,
You take me down,
Take me to the sky,
Take me to the ground.
I'd go anywhere
If you would take me there.
Dylan Dawson was trouble, no matter how hard he tried to stay away from it's path, trouble will come knocking down his doors. He believed he inherited the trait from his dad, who was sentenced to a...more
So tired of the suspishus eyes
On all the faces that I meet
And tell me, if I try
To be a difrent guy,
Will you be the girl
To rearrange my wirld?
You take me up,
You take me down,
Take me to the sky,
Take me to the ground.
I'd go anywhere
If you would take me there.
Dylan Dawson was trouble, no matter how hard he tried to stay away from it's path, trouble will come knocking down his doors. He believed he inherited the trait from his dad, who was sentenced to a...more
May 25, 2011
Courtney
added it
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
17 year old Dylan Dawson is on the run. Running from the law, from other people, and even from himself. The only thing that seems to keep him grounded is Jess. Jess is the one person Dylan has known all his life, and the one he'll love for the rest of his life. He tries to hide his past from her as best as he can, but things start to slip. Dylan realizes some things are too good to be true. Then there is Wade. Wade is Dylan's sidekick and his best friend. It's a love-hate relationship between th...more
Take Me There is brilliant! I love the way the book is set up and that the book is narrated from a boy’s point of view. There are poems at the beginning of most chapters. I don’t want to give away the reason for the poems, but it’s a good one. I can tell you that thes poems are written by Dylan and it shows he has a sensitive side that’s really sweet, but he doesn’t even know it. Even though his mom is depressed, he is still that good son who doesn’t want to disappoint her.
Dylan tries so hard t...more
Dylan tries so hard t...more
Take Me There is a story that leaves a lasting impression on you days after you read it. It's one of those books that really makes you think. What Carolee presents in Take Me There is an important message about illiteracy and the limited options illiteracy presents. It's also about choices, as the choices that are made today can and will determine where we end up a few months from now, to years from now.
Take Me There is the story of Dylan, our broken, illiterate boy who tries to do the right thi...more
Take Me There is the story of Dylan, our broken, illiterate boy who tries to do the right thi...more
If I were creative (which I'm not), there will be a pic of a heart in a blender on this review.
If I were wordy (which I'm not), this review will be filled with words describing how wonderful this book is from A to Z.
If I were smart (which I'm not), I will stay away from these kind of books that rips my heart into pieces (I cannot).
You take a boy, normal boy.
Mom is alive (she lives in a bottle).
Dad is alive (he lives in prison).
He can't read, can barely write.
He's doing his best and is turnin...more
If I were wordy (which I'm not), this review will be filled with words describing how wonderful this book is from A to Z.
If I were smart (which I'm not), I will stay away from these kind of books that rips my heart into pieces (I cannot).
You take a boy, normal boy.
Mom is alive (she lives in a bottle).
Dad is alive (he lives in prison).
He can't read, can barely write.
He's doing his best and is turnin...more
I wasn't quite sure how I felt about this book for the first 80 or so pages, but once I was in the thick of it all, it caught my attention. It was an intense read once Dylan reaches Texas and starts digging up the past. From one theory to the next, I was kept on my toes--finding out right along with Dylan.
I loved the alternating between poems, book excerpts, and Dylan's narration--it added more depth and meaning to the book. The characters were great--Dylan was so endearing. He has this shitty p...more
I loved the alternating between poems, book excerpts, and Dylan's narration--it added more depth and meaning to the book. The characters were great--Dylan was so endearing. He has this shitty p...more
I picked up this book because the back page summary reminded me of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. Usually I don't like books that are similar but I wanted something a little edgy, a little sweet and totally romantic.
This book was far from that.
Take Me There is not a bad book. It has a male narrator, that automatically gives it a plus in my book. Those, especially in what seems to be presented as a romance books, are pretty rare. Only a few come to mind, and those few are my favorite.
Dyla...more
This book was far from that.
Take Me There is not a bad book. It has a male narrator, that automatically gives it a plus in my book. Those, especially in what seems to be presented as a romance books, are pretty rare. Only a few come to mind, and those few are my favorite.
Dyla...more
Did grandma Levida remind anyone else of Slappy Squirrel from anaimanics? No? Prob just me because Im weird like that.

I really enjoyed this book. There was a lot of reasons I prob shouldnt have enjoyed it. The romance,Jess and the cover pretty much have nothing to do with this book. I really enjoyed Jess and Dylan together and was kinda upset that she was only in the the very first half. I think the book would have been great if it would have been split into two. The first book could have been...more

I really enjoyed this book. There was a lot of reasons I prob shouldnt have enjoyed it. The romance,Jess and the cover pretty much have nothing to do with this book. I really enjoyed Jess and Dylan together and was kinda upset that she was only in the the very first half. I think the book would have been great if it would have been split into two. The first book could have been...more
I knew that when I started reading thing book that I was going to enjoy it. Boy, what an understatement! Dylan, the main character, has had a tough life. His father being in prison since he was six years, his mother who never told him about him unless she was drunk, being illiterate and having a criminal record at just seventeen. I felt for Dylan, he tries his best to become a better person and stay out of trouble and yet it followed him. He met Wade in Juvie and since then Dylan was taken him u...more
This is the story of Dylan Dawson; the huge footprint his parents' past made upon his soul; and the love and loyalty among that family in spite of everything. It is also about friendship – how far you should go for a friend versus the cost of not staying true to yourself. And very tangentially, there is a girl Dylan loves, Jess, who has about a 2% role in this story. But mostly, I would say, it’s about the bad luck that can happen from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, even if you were...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I really liked this book a lot, the begginig was confusing but after I realized how the book was written I started enjoying it very much.
The main character is a guy with a rough exterior but soft heart, I loved discovering about the little pieces in his life that turned to be very big and important influences in him growing up. The story about him runing away for a unfornunate mistake && having to leave his dreams and one true love behind is heart touching. He finds out where his dad is...more
The main character is a guy with a rough exterior but soft heart, I loved discovering about the little pieces in his life that turned to be very big and important influences in him growing up. The story about him runing away for a unfornunate mistake && having to leave his dreams and one true love behind is heart touching. He finds out where his dad is...more
Take Me There by Carolee Dean is about facing the good and the bad, Heaven and Hell. Dylan Dawson has known trouble all his life. He gets into trouble everywhere he goes but when he falls for a girl named Jess it’s a whole new Dylan. This story is about fighting time and understanding the horrors of life. Dylan is faced with many choices throughout the story as he makes his way to Texas. In this story, I learned that in life you have to take the good with the bad, and you have to face the conseq...more
Take Me There is brilliant! I love the way the book is set up and that the book is narrated from a boy’s point of view. There are poems at the beginning of most chapters. I don’t want to give away the reason for the poems, but it’s a good one. I can tell you that thes poems are written by Dylan and it shows he has a sensitive side that’s really sweet, but he doesn’t even know it. Even though his mom is depressed, he is still that good son who doesn’t want to disappoint her.
Dylan tries so hard t...more
Dylan tries so hard t...more
Take Me There was a wonderful story with a powerful message that will leave you thinking about it for several days after you finish reading it. It took me a while to try to write my review and be able to put my feelings about it into words. I really enjoyed the journey that Dylan takes, it took a little bit to get into it but once I got there I couldn't put it down and I wanted to know how Dylan would end up. The whole book is told from Dylan's point of view with a few of his poems in between ch...more
I gave this book a 4 out of 5 because unlike most books, I actually liked this one. And somehow, I was able to relate to it. . . But from the opposite way of Dylan. Dylan was a teenage boy that had always thought he was useless. Dylan also had a history with getting in trouble with the law. . . Until he met a girl named Jess, someone he was willing to change for if he could not be enough reason himself. I was able to relate to this because of a young lad I met in middle school that was just like...more
I thought this was gonna be a fluffy, cute romance story, between a 'bad boy' trying to be good for the girl he thinks he doesn't deserve.Well its about alot more tha that. Dylan is trying to go 'legit' after being in Juvi for a while. But everything seem to want to drag him back to the old ways of being a gang member, a drunk and a junkie. He is a misunderstood, closet poet, who can't read.
So he starts wondering if he can ever be a good person or if the bad person is impregnated in his blood?...more
So he starts wondering if he can ever be a good person or if the bad person is impregnated in his blood?...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YA Golden Book Hunt: Take Me There: 4/3 | 32 | 6 | Apr 07, 2013 04:13pm | |
| Young Adult Conte...: #25: Take Me There by Carolee Dean (Mar 11 - 17) | 16 | 44 | Mar 20, 2013 08:24pm |
Share This Book
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
“Don't try to bullshit a bullshitter.”
—
55 people liked it
“As long as you're breathing, there's still hope.”
—
54 people liked it
More quotes…

Loading...

























Feb 24, 2013 07:31pm
Thank You! I real...more
Feb 24, 2013 09:51pm