Justine's Thoughts: Take Me There by Carolee Dean

Take Me There
By Carolee Dean

Source: Library
Pages: 325
Book Description:

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, and a deadly mistake soon forces him to hit the road and leave his dreams behind. He’s on the run and in search of answers--answers to questions he wishes he’d never asked.

A quote:

How far can you go down the wrong path before you can’t get back on the right one?

Any thoughts:

I never thought I would like this one because of the first person male narrative, which I always find different and difficult to relate to. But the truth is, I really loved it that I believe it deserves five full stars.

The transitions between the past and the present in the first part of the novel were perfectly established. It starts out with Dylan, our main character, and his best friend Wade driving and escaping from something that has happened, which is unknown to us yet. The flashbacks provide the flow to the present, easing the amount of information so we can put it all together and solve the mystery.

But what mystery? Dylan’s on a quest to find out about his dad and he is willing to go through anything to get the information. He tries to piece together the past and the reasons why his dad is where he is, only to meet people in Texas that give him more struggles.

The thing about Dylan is that he’s poetic. Words form in his mind that produce such wonderful poetry, especially when he meets a girl with “sea green eyes”. The only problem is, it takes a whole lot of patience for Dylan to read and write. In other words, Dylan is illiterate. We can’t help but feel sympathy for him, not only because he can’t read but because he has been through so many hardships. He is also a sweet, caring guy although you may not see it at first glance.

Carolee Dean has done a brilliant job with the story -- with the relationships between characters, the pacing of the plot, the writing, and the suspense. It builds up all until the end, where there is an emotional release, where I cried. It has a great ending that has left me wanting for more...or at least a sequel.