Review: Take Me To The Cat by Bryant A Loney

"His favourite part of life was that not even he knew what was to come next"

I received this Advanced Reading Copy from Verona Booksellers in exchange for an honest review.

Take Me To The Cat is an exciting, fast paced psychological thriller by young adult author Bryant A Loney. The theme of feeling nostalgia for the past while being thrust into a new future is relatable to all teens about to graduate as Michael and his friend Troy are, but on a roadtrip back to Michael's hometown, the pair discover that sometimes it's best to leave the past alone.

This is more than a thriller. It's an eclectic mix of a coming of age story, featuring issues that are important to young people today such as feminism and LGBT rights, set against the backdrop of a town with strange disappearances and a past that may not be the same as Michael remembers. The story builds towards the thrilling scenes, which adds to the suspension as the shocks are unexpected and the twists and turns become more dramatic as the story progresses. Loney is very skilled at writing plot twists, keeping readers on the edge of their seats throughout the entire book. Once you think you've figured it out and you know where the story is heading, he throws another spanner in the works to shock you once again.

The character of Michael and his best friend Troy have an interesting dynamic that adds more life to the story, although perhaps Troy and his credit cards are more there for plot convenience at times. Michael is seemingly an average teen heading off to college and struggling with choices for the future, but it's only when he begins to dig up the past that he discovers his life is perhaps not all it has seemed. Troy is an openly gay, life loving teen in a town too small for his big personality. Readers will admire his courage and positive attitude and when the story gets dark, Troy is always there to add an element of comedy. Their differing personalities make their car ride in the infamous Big Nasty entertaining enough to keep turning the page.

The cast of characters was so large that occasionally it was difficult to keep track of them all. However, everyone brought something unique to the story. What is possibly most attractive to YA readers about this story is the interesting mix of average teen life and the problems faced by modern teenagers with a psychologically thrilling plot line which does at times become quite disturbing. It could be described as a bold attempt at mixing the writing styles of John Green and David Levithan with Stephen King. Whether Loney pulls off this feat must be up to you as a reader, but I would recommend this to anybody interested in both YA and thrillers as this combines the two genres quite well. 

7/10

Take Me to the Cat releases on June 27th, 2017 in print, audio, and eBook formats via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and more. Loney is also the author of YA novel To Hear the Ocean Sigh and novella Exodus in Confluence.