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The Take
- Author
- Kelly Yang
- Narrator
- Emily Woo Zeller
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
- Publish Date
- 14 April 2026
- Run Time
- 10 hours 35 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
'A juicy, twisty take on aging, success, and race . . . sure to be one of the hottest books of spring' MARIE CLAIRE
----------------
THERE ARE ONLY TWO WAYS TO GET AHEAD IN THIS WORLD -
YOU EITHER MAKE SOMETHING OR TAKE SOMETHING.
Maggie Wang, a broke young Asian American writer, needs a lifeline. Ingrid Parker, a veteran white Hollywood producer with her career on the edge, offers an irresistible deal: $3 million for ten experimental medical sessions to reverse aging, using Maggie as a transfusion partner.
For Ingrid, it's a chance to recapture her youth and save her fading career. For Maggie, it's freedom - money to support her parents and the connections to finally get her novel published.
What starts as a professional transaction, quickly becomes a complex psychological dance. As Maggie gains unprecedented access to Ingrid's hard-earned wisdom, Ingrid sees in Maggie a weapon against an industry that's been trying to sideline her.
As their relationship intensifies, the rules around aging begin to shift. So does the balance of power between the two women, leaving both questioning who holds the upper hand and what they're willing to sacrifice to succeed.
----------------
'Thrilling and chilling - I never wanted this book to end' CELIA WALDEN
'A tale about what can happen in a world where youth can be bought - but at what cost?' HEAT
Critics Review
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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
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The Substance meets Yellowface
People
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A tale about what can happen in a world where youth can be bought - but at what cost?
Heat
-
Icicle-sharp, thrilling and chilling - I never wanted this book to end
Celia Walden, author of PAYDAY
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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A successful Hollywood film producer and a struggling writer take part in an experimental reverse-aging treatment in this clever satire . . . It's a hoot
Publishers Weekly
-
Wellness horror meets capitalism noir in Kelly Yang's vicious send-off of the lies we tell to those we exploit
Crime Reads
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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 . . . a provocative work that will appeal to readers of literary thrillers and socially engaged fiction
Booklist
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I am blown away . . . 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, author of DIAL A FOR AUNTIES
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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 THE ORIGINAL DAUGHTER
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Kelly Yang is a creative force!
Chanel Miller, New York Times bestselling author of KNOW MY NAME
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An exhilarating read . . . fast-paced, fun and fantastically unhinged!
Eve J. Chung, author of DAUGHTERS OF SHANDONG
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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
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A propulsive interrogation of privilege, systemic barriers, and white feminism
Qian Julie Wang, New York Times bestselling author of BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Kelly Yang
- Narrator
- Emily Woo Zeller
- Duration
- 10 hours 35 minutes
- Release Date
- 14 April 2026
- ISBN
- 9781405564243
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Narrative theme: diversity, equity, equality, inclusion
Synopsis
'The Substance meets Yellowface' PEOPLE'A juicy, twisty take on aging, success, and race . . . sure to be one of the hottest books of spring' MARIE CLAIRE----------------THERE ARE ONLY TWO WAYS TO GET AHEAD IN THIS WORLD -YOU EITHER MAKE SOMETHING OR TAKE SOMETHING.Maggie Wang, a broke young Asian American writer, needs a lifeline. Ingrid Parker, a veteran white Hollywood producer with her career on the edge, offers an irresistible deal: $3 million for ten experimental medical sessions to reverse aging, using Maggie as a transfusion partner. For Ingrid, it's a chance to recapture her youth and save her fading career. For Maggie, it's freedom - money to support her parents and the connections to finally get her novel published. What starts as a professional transaction, quickly becomes a complex psychological dance. As Maggie gains unprecedented access to Ingrid's hard-earned wisdom, Ingrid sees in Maggie a weapon against an industry that's been trying to sideline her.As their relationship intensifies, the rules around aging begin to shift. So does the balance of power between the two women, leaving both questioning who holds the upper hand and what they're willing to sacrifice to succeed.----------------'Thrilling and chilling - I never wanted this book to end' CELIA WALDEN'A tale about what can happen in a world where youth can be bought - but at what cost?' HEAT
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