The Take

Praise for The Take

“Dark and clever.”
—People

“One part The Substance, another part The Devil Wears Prada, The Take is a juicy, twisty take on aging, success, and race. Told in a sharp and hilarious voice, The Take is sure to be one of the hottest books of spring.”
—Marie Claire

“Kelly Yang is a creative force!”
—Chanel Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Know My Name

“Grown-ups of those who grew up reading Kelly Yang’s Front Desk series will love this book geared towards them! She offers her powerful perspective in exploring struggle, power, and assortment of dynamics, and life itself. A brilliant portrayal characters who strive to be heard, to be seen. Kelly Yang is astonishing in her ability to make readers feel seen, and The Take continues this truth through Maggie Wang and Ingrid Parker. The Take belongs on your bookshelves!”
—Mychal Threets, host of Reading Rainbow

“Breathlessly plotted and fearlessly told, The Take is a timely, incisive examination of ambition, aging, and who gets to tell whose stories in Hollywood.”
—Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief

“A propulsive interrogation of privilege, systemic barriers, and white feminism.”
—Qian Julie Wang, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Country

“I am blown away! Who knew the breadth that Kelly Yang has? She can write it all—children’s books, YA, and now she’s exploding onto the adult scene with the most intense, breathtaking book. With a wholly original, fresh concept, Yang takes on tough topics like race and socioeconomic discrepancies. Thought-provoking and brilliant.”
—Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

“An exhilarating read about literal and figurative succubuses that sucks you into the dysfunctional spiral of two women who are desperate to change their lives—fast-paced, fun and fantastically unhinged!”
—Eve J. Chung, bestselling author of Daughters of Shandong

“Industry drama, naive ambition, a devil’s bargain, and the ever-seductive lure of youth and its illusory trappings drive this propulsive, thrilling romp of a novel. I finished it in one sitting.”
—Jemimah Wei, author of GMA book club pick The Original Daughter

“[A] clever satire.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Yang’s adult debut novel blends psychological suspense with sharp social commentary….brilliantly explores privilege, the commodification of youth, and the marginalization of BIPOC and AAPI voices in the arts while also addressing sex work, infidelity, and creative exploitation….a provocative work that will appeal to readers of literary thrillers and socially engaged fiction.”
—Booklist

“Yang makes her adult debut with a powerful and revealing novel about ambition, age, and feminism and isn’t afraid to populate it with polarizing characters. A good suggestion for readers who were enthralled by the 2024 movie The Substance.”
—Library Journal

“Wellness horror meets capitalism noir in Kelly Yang’s vicious send-off of the lies we tell to those we exploit.”
—Crime Reads

“Yang has written something that sticks with you long after the last page — a sharp, necessary read about what women are expected to sacrifice, and the price of refusing to.”
—The Everygirl