Take Her Down by Lauren Emily Whalen

Release: March 15, 2022
Format: Paperback, eBook
Publisher: Independant
Source: Suzy approved Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle

In this queer YA retelling of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, stakes at Augustus Magnet School are cutthroat, scheming is creative, and loyalty is ever-changing.

Overnight, Bronwyn St. James goes from junior class queen to daughter of an imprisoned felon, and she lands in the care of her aunt and younger cousin Cass, a competitive cheerleader who Bronwyn barely knows. Life gets worse when her ex-best friend, the always-cool Jude Cuthbert, ostracizes Bronwyn from the queer social elite for dating a boy, Porter Kendrick.

Bronwyn and Jude are both running for student body president, and that means war. But after Bronwyn, Porter, and Cass share a video of Jude in a compromising position, Jude suddenly goes missing. No one has seen her for weeks and it might be all Bronwyn’s fault.

Will Jude ever be found? Or will Bronwyn finally have to reckon with what she’s won―and what she’s lost?

Content Advisory: Depictions of sexual assault

About the Author:

Lauren Emily Whalen is the author of two books for young adults: the novel Satellite (2017) and the nonfiction book Dealing with Drama (2021). Her queer YA short story “I Saw Her Again” appears in the holiday ghost anthology Link by Link (2020). Lauren is a freelance writer, professional performer, and very amateur aerialist who graduated from Catholic school and is an unabashed devotee of the Bard. She lives in Chicago with her cat, Versace, and an apartment full of books.

Take her Down Review:

“Take Her Down” turned out to be an entertaining retelling of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and I enjoyed it a lot.

The book is very different from what I usually read because of the subject. While I have read a few of Shakespeare’s works, Julius Caesar was not one of them. Yet, I feel tempted to read the play after reading this book because the storyline was just so juicy. It has all the teen drama elements with a touch of mystery.

Firstly, I enjoyed the LGBTQ representation and how fluid many characters are in their preferences. The author also nicely writes the characters’ dynamics, and I enjoyed Bronwyn, Cass, Jude, and Porter a lot. Even the character growth is admirable, and moments that stood out were when Bronwyn rationalizes over her guilt or

Secondly, I liked how the author wrote the story, in the form of acts, as if we were reading Shakespeare’s plays. Moreover, we get snippets from Porter’s diary and other inserts that gave the book a personal touch. Some moments also made me laugh, like how the incidents take a toll between Bronwyn and Porter.

Perhaps the only criticism of the story is how it took time to set off. Nothing much happens in the first act except the introduction of the characters, and the story only got exciting when Jude came into the picture in the second half. Nevertheless, some moments shocked me, like when Antonia comes back to school or Cass films at the party. There were even moments that made me laugh, like Bronwyn’s representation of Little House on the Prairie.

Overall, “Take Her Down” is a unique and entertaining Young Adult book that is worth checking out, especially if you love Shakespeare’s works.