Review: I Take You

Summary: Meet Lily Wilder: New Yorker, lawyer extraordinaire, blushing bride. And totally incapable of being faithful to one man.

Lily’s fiancé Will is a brilliant, handsome archaeologist. Lily is sassy, impulsive, fond of a good drink (or five) and has no business getting married. Lily likes Will, but does she love him? Will loves Lily, but does he know her? As the wedding approaches, Lily’s nights—and mornings, and afternoons—of booze, laughter and questionable decisions become a growing reminder that the happiest day of her life might turn out to be her worst mistake yet.

Unapologetically sexy with the ribald humor of Bridesmaids, this joyously provocative debut introduces a self-assured protagonist you won’t soon forget. -- Crown

I TAKE YOU by Eliza Kennedy was generating a lot of buzz a few weeks ago. Entertainment Weekly, one of my go-to sources for books, called it "the first big beach read of the season." Since I haven't exactly been tearing up the reading scene lately, I thought I'd try something a little lighter... and hopefully more fun. I TAKE YOU was exactly what I needed!

I TAKE YOU stars Lily Wilder, a New York lawyer and and bride-to-be. She's also one of the craziest characters I've ever encountered in fiction. Seriously, she is a mess... or at the very least, someone who shouldn't be getting married. Lily is engaged to Will, a very sweet archaeologist; and she's pretty sure she loves him. The problem is that Will might not really know the true Lily -- the one who likes to drink and flirt with other men... and sometimes do more than just flirt!

As Lily heads to Florida in preparation for the wedding, she begins to question if it's a good idea to settle down and get married. Is she really marriage material? Does she really love Will? Does Will really understand what makes Lily tick? And even, is Will really who she thinks he is?

I thought I TAKE YOU was so much fun! Lily is quite the character and she's also laugh out loud funny. The story is told in her voice and she's not like any protagonist I've encountered. She really does have a different moral compass than most of us, and I couldn't help but shake my head at most of her actions. Having said that, I was most like giggling as I shook my head!

I can't say that I was entirely shocked by the direction this novel went, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. There were a few small entertaining twists from some other characters in the story, but I most appreciated how Lily changed (and didn't change) throughout the course of the story. At first, I assumed that she was just a shallow (and sex crazy) woman; however, as the story progressed, I began to see a different side of her.

One thing I appreciated about I TAKE YOU was the relationship between Lily and her father and her assortment of stepmothers. Lily goes to show that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Her father was an interesting character too with whom Lily shared more than a few traits... namely a lack of respect for marital vows. However, I loved her stepmoms! They were all friendly with each other and very different. I loved their words of advice and how they interacted not only with each other, but also with Lily's father!

I found I TAKE YOU to be a hilarious look at a very special character who brings the term "pre-wedding jitters" to a whole new level. Highly recommended to fans of chick lit and women's fiction. If you are looking for a fun book to take to the beach, look no further -- I TAKE YOU is perfect!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.