The Takedown by Corrie Wang-- a total ME book

The Takedown

Kyla Cheng has everything going her way-- cute "maybe" boyfriend, top grades in her elite/private school, group of popular friends who rule the senior class.  Then, she becomes the target of a takedown.

A video is posted of Kyla having sex with her teacher... only problem is, it's NOT her.  In a future world where your digital footprint follows you every where you turn, Kyle knows she has to figure out who did this, and how.  She follows every lead, ventures into the world of hackers and computer geniuses, all the while having no one really believe her.  After all, it REALLY REALLY looks like her....

You know how every now and again you start reading a book, and right from the start you can tell it is a "you" book??  Those reading moments are so special, and if you're anything like me, they only come along once in a while.  This book was a breath of fresh air for me.  Sure, I've read books recently that I've really loved, but none of them were completely perfect for me.  This one was!!

THE TAKEDOWN was a cross of BEFORE I FALL with THE THOUSANDTH FLOOR.  It was high school dynamics/drama and a mystery set in a future world-- and I think the future part of this book was my favorite part.  I loved reading about the technology and the way New York changed.  I even loved the slang that the future teens used (I usually hate made up slang, but I thought it worked here).

Kyla is just a typical straight A, popular girl until a sex video of her and a teacher is put on her school's website!!  Except IT ISN'T HER!!  It looks like her, exactly like her, but she swears it isn't her.  Proving it will also force Kyla to find out exactly WHO hates her enough to make such a sophisticated fake.  Is it a friend?  A known enemy?  Someone lurking in the shadows?  And how can she make anyone believe her while the video views climb higher and higher?

It was page-turning going on the journey with Kyla.  Her friends are all suspects, her enemies are many, and the futuristic technology made everything so invasive and creepy!!  I just loved the hell out of this story.

Kyla Cheng was the perfect main character to carry a book like this.  She's a little naive, a little bit innocent, but also completely responsible for some bad behavior and unlikable in her own ways.  I am nothing like Kyla as a person, she's very type A and not a risk taker, but I totally found myself relating to her and wanting her to persevere.  I know that's good writing because type A goody-goodies are usually not my jam.

My fave parts: The family and friend dynamics.  I really liked how close Kyla's family was, but that she was still feeling a disconnect from her mom and how that was effecting her despite everything she had going on.  Kyla's friends were horrible but also not??  Thats where I was getting the BEFORE I FALL vibes.  And the love interest was cute, but also a little too good to be true in my opinion.

OVERALL: YES!!  1 million times YES!!!  I could read a book like this every day of the year and never get bored.  It's hard to even think of who to recommend this to because it was such a ME book, but I think all YA fans should like this.

Date Published: 4/11/2017
How I got this book: I bought it
Publisher: Freeform/Disney


Add it to your To-Read List!!

My Rating: 5/5

Character: Sharma
Book: Screen Queens by Lori Goldstein

• Sharma is the boss hacker-girl in THE TAKEDOWN, and I think she'd like reading about these 3 girls trying to be the first all-female team to win the tech competition.