I Take You

by Eliza Kennedy

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553417821
Publisher:	Crown/Archetype
Publication date:	05/05/2015
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

ELIZA KENNEDY attended the University of Iowa and Harvard Law School, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. After graduation she served as a law clerk for a federal judge, then practiced litigation for several years at a prestigious Manhattan law firm. She lives in New York with her husband and son. This is her first novel.

Read an Excerpt

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Excerpted from "I Take You"
by .
Copyright © 2016 Eliza Kennedy.
Excerpted by permission of Crown/Archetype.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Reading Group Guide

Guide written by Amy Clements

1. What were your first impressions of Lily as you read about her steamy tryst with Phillip, followed by romantic comforting from Will? When is she powerful? What makes her vulnerable?

2. Does Will possess the qualities of your ideal man? What makes him the kind of guy women should want?

3. How did Anita (Will’s mom) shape his image of women? If you were Anita, would you go to great lengths to get Lily out of the picture, or would you welcome a free spirit?

4. Which of Lily’s “mothers” would you want to have in your life? Henry’s ex-wife club includes Lily’s mother, Katherine; down-to-earth Ana; and society queen Jane. Gran is also a strong mother figure in Lily’s life. Would you be happy in the shoes of Trina, Henry’s much younger current wife?

5. Is Lily’s appetite for men just a quest for good sex, or is she craving something else, like the thrill of deception?

6. As Lily navigates the deposition of Peter Hoffman, what does she learn about herself? What do the EnerGreen case and her career, in general, really mean to her? As a role model, what does Gran inspire Lily to be?

7. Who is your Freddy? What is the best advice a friend could give to someone in Lily’s position?

8. How does the tragic history of Teddy and Lee affect Lily as an adult? What motivated the three teens? How does Lily’s reunion with Teddy change the way she feels about the incident, and about her past?

9. How does Lily's dad influence her expectations of men? Is he a good father?

10. In chapter 18, Lily considers why she said yes to Will. How is he different from the other guys she's dated? Why isn't he enough?

11. Lily’s character is a twist on the stereotype of the hot, commitment-phobe bachelor who has serious second thoughts on the way to the altar.  Are Lily’s fears equally common in men and women?

12. Did Will’s disclosure to Lily in chapter 21 surprise you? Did you think her reaction was justified?

13. How did you react to Will’s lengthy e-mail that unfolds in chapters 23 and 24? Is he right about human nature and monogamy?

14. In most romantic novels, marriage is the happy reward at the end of the story. I Take You turns that storyline on its head, introducing a character who is already engaged to the perfect man—and struggling to feel happy about it. What makes this a refreshing approach to romantic fiction? Do you and Lily share any of the same attitudes about commitment, sex, and relationships? Ultimately, what does I Take You say about the ingredients for a good marriage?

15. What do you predict for Lily’s future, and for Will’s?

Editorial Reviews

…a salty, lively first novel…Lily is someone who says and does exactly what she wants precisely when she wants to do it, and Kennedy's first-person narration is frenetic and funny as it bounces along with Lily's scattered thoughts…The book's dialogue is crackling, bawdy and modern…

The New York Times Book Review - Stephanie Clifford

03/02/2015
Kennedy’s debut novel sparkles with candor and wit as one woman counts down the week before her wedding. Lily Wilder is working at a Manhattan law firm and planning her Key West wedding and a deposition there. Her fiance, Will, is an archaeologist, whom she truly loves. There’s just one problem—Lily believes that she is incapable of being faithful. She has repeatedly cheated on him during the time they have been together and continues to cheat while in the Keys in the days leading up to her wedding. She sees the relationships of her father with his ex-wives as foretelling her own issues with fidelity. Yet Lily doesn’t regret anything about her past behavior until her future mother-in-law threatens to reveal skeletons from Lily’s closet that could possibly destroy her relationship with Will and end her law career. Kennedy’s ribald story is both engaging and atypical, the perfect combination for a new voice in women’s fiction. (May)

Publishers Weekly

In the first big beach read of the season, New York lawyer and bride-to-be Lily Wilder has a hard time staying faithful to her perfect fiancé- but that won’t stop this hilarious debut novel from winning you over and warming your heart.”—Entertainment Weekly

"It's the smartest, sexiest, funniest (like, hilarious) beach read on the shelves right now." —Huffington Post 

"Lily Wilder is a young lawyer who compulsively drinks, swears and sleeps with random strangers-even as she prepares to wed her fiancé in just a few days. But she grows on you. This debut novel's take on modern gender roles is aggressively provocative, with graphic sex. It's also funny and, eventually, wise." —People

“[Kennedy's] snappy comedy of mis-manners delights in subverting expectation... I Take You, as salty-sweet as a margarita, will appeal to fans of Seating Arrangements, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, and, looking further back, Laurie Colwin’s Happy All the Time, though it’s far more ribald. Kennedy’s novel, tailored for summer wedding season, is a sassy paean to pleasure and romantic love that may well leave you singing that classic Gershwin line, ‘Better call the calling-off off.’”  —Heller McAlpin, NPR.org

“Kennedy’s debut novel sparkles with candor and wit…[her] ribald story is both engaging and atypical, the perfect combination for a new voice in women’s fiction.”
—Publisher’s Weekly

“I have not laughed this hard or this much at a book since Bridget Jones's Diary. I Take You is wickedly smart, hilariously funny, sexy, clever, and stupidly accomplished for a first novel. In short, the most enjoyable read I have had in YEARS. I completely loved it.”
—JANE GREEN, New York Times bestselling author of Tempting Fate
 
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I Take You is the funniest book I've read all year. I drank four bottles of chardonnay by myself because I couldn't get to a book club fast enough. Eliza Kennedy makes infidelity sexy again!”
—GARY SHTEYNGART, New York Times bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story
 
“I Take You is sexy and smart in equal measure—Eliza Kennedy’s heroine Lily Wilder is great fun to be around, even if she’s not always sure who she’s taking to bed. Kennedy’s witty and brash voice will win you over by the end of the first page.”
—EMMA STRAUB, New York Times bestselling author of The Vacationers
 
“This fun, warmhearted novel is the rare great read about love and marriage that doesn’t tacitly promote a set of dated ideas about how women should feel, think and behave. Instead, it romps along merrily while being subtly revolutionary about sexual politics—no small feat, as anyone who’s tried to romp merrily while revolting can attest.”
—EMILY GOULD, author of Friendship: A Novel 

"In this whirlwind story, which reads not unlike a quickie engagement, the ultimate question is whether one can be both promiscuous and in love. Lily, basking in the glow of Key West's free-love attitude, is guided toward yes. This book has the effect of three Bloody Marys at brunch: it'll leave you flushed, giddy, and prepared to embrace your wild side." 
—Kirkus Reviews

“What appears at the outset to be standard chick-lit fare turns into a smart and challenging examination of gender politics and the meaning of marriage in the twenty-first century. While Kennedy’s compulsively readable debut is sure to be controversial, it should also ignite productive conversations about traditional gender roles and stereotypes.”
– Booklist, starred review

“A whip-smart debut.”
– Harper’s Bazaar 

From the Publisher

12/01/2014
Pitched as a debut to equal Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones, this racy title stars New York lawyer Lily Wilder, who's getting married in six days to one very hot guy but still cannot resist the lure of other men. Is she really ready for the altar? The 12 countries that rushed to buy it after it buzzed about the Frankfurt Book Fair can't all be wrong.

Library Journal

2015-03-05
Lily Wilder is getting married in six days to a man who really lights her fire, but she still has one big decision to make: does she actually want to get married? Lily is a lawyer who loves her job, enough to be excited about working a huge environmental case the week of her wedding in Key West. But prepping a witness is only one of many distractions keeping Lily from figuring out her true feelings: "Do I want to call this off?...Do I love Will?" Is she capable of being faithful, and does she even want to be? Will is a sexy nerd who speaks multiple languages and works as a curator at the Met in New York. He's essentially perfect. But as Lily's mom reminds her, "You're such a…a free spirit!" That's putting it mildly. Lily's comfortable downing vodka for breakfast. She gives her wedding planner—who is a special kind of kooky—hell just for her own amusement. And she'll find a hot stranger to make out with within five minutes of being left alone. But, despite a difficult past and the judgment of her peers, she likes who she is. There are plenty of examples—say, The Good Wife or Susan Rieger's The Divorce Papers—of female lawyers forging their own paths, but in Kennedy's debut, career takes a back seat to exploring the benefits of an unconventional love life. At times, Lily's carefree attitude goes from endearing to preachy: "there's not always some ulterior motive....Sometimes, we just want sex." In this whirlwind story, which reads not unlike a quickie engagement, the ultimate question is whether one can be both promiscuous and in love. Lily, basking in the glow of Key West's free-love attitude, is guided toward yes. This book has the effect of three Bloody Marys at brunch: it'll leave you flushed, giddy, and prepared to embrace your wild side.

Kirkus Reviews

Meet Lily Wilder, an up-and-coming NYC lawyer, a week before she’s about to marry the love of her life, Will Field, a geeky archaeologist. In a soft voice, narrator Julia Whelan recounts Lily’s various adventures, mostly sexual, as she struggles with the ideas of fidelity and marriage. Whelan differentiates the female characters using subtle accents and shifts in tone, and there are lots of women, including Lily’s mother, three stepmothers, and a mother-in-law, as well as all Lily’s friends. The men’s voices are warm and sexy but poorly differentiated. Should Lily marry Will if she’s still interested in sleeping with other people—lots of others? Whelan performs this madcap story of Lily’s sexual escapades, relationships, and convoluted thoughts on marriage without missing a beat. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2015 - AudioFile