Dare Me
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3.5 • 154 Ratings
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
Shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger
Dark, dangerous and compulsively readable, Dare Me by Megan Abbott is a gripping exploration of the teenage psyche.
There's something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls. Coach said that once. She said it like she knew, and understood.
When Colette French arrives at school one fall and takes charge of the cheer squad, she brings a hint of threat. Sleek, remote and careless, she transforms the girls into warriors - and rivals. Addy and Beth find that for the first time they have secrets from one another. But their mentor is playing her own deadly game, and there is everything to lose.
'Tense, dark and beautifully written' Gillian Flynn
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
After putting out stunning novels that bridge YA and crime fiction, Megan Abbott is destined for her moment in the sun. We recommend getting to know the American author’s work with 2012’s Dare Me. This impulsive, razor-sharp crime thriller explores the twisted machinations of a high school cheerleading squad. It perfectly illustrates Abbott’s gift for creating dark, intriguing portraits of American teens.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Edgar Award-winner Abbott dives into a gut-churning tale of revenge, power, desire, and friendship in the insular world of high school cheerleading, in her latest (after The End of Everything). Addy Hanlon, 16, has always been second lieutenant, "fidus Achates," to her best friend Beth, who's pep squad captain. But when a new coach flippantly removes Beth from power and takes Abby as her confidante, Beth turns vengeful. The new coach transforms the squad, changing it from a costumed clique to a competitive team and earning the cheerleaders' adulation, but the squad's development has a darker side: eating disorders, rivalries, cruelty, and the blurring of lines between student and adult. The coach has a darker side, too, and Abby is drawn into her secrets, including a troubled marriage. A shocking turn sends everyone spiraling wildly and traps Abby in the middle. Abbott's writing in her sixth novel is deliciously slick and dark, matching her characters' threatening circumstances, and the plot is tight and intense, building a world in which even the perky flip of a cheerleader's skirt holds menace. "There's something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls," one character says. Indeed.
Customer Reviews
Megan abbout it
Really good 😊
Not the best
I started reading thinking it would be a good book, but in the end it is just an easy not that captivanting reading. If you really do not have what to read then give it a try.
Do not dare to read
When first presented with this title by iBooks I was in two minds whether to read it or not. It did not appeal to me as the subject matter was American cheerleading but the it was described as a tense thriller in this world. Well in truth I know nothing of this cheerleading scene but nonetheless the plot had as much tension as overstretched elastic.
It appeared to be written by a juvenile for juvenile. The text was jerky with no fluid movement. The plot was unbelievable because it involved a supposed adult in a position of authority and responsibility socialising with teenage girls at her home drinking and smoking. As this scenario was unbelievable it made the rest of it impossible to accept.
In short even as a free book this was too expensive and a waste of time reading.
Chris Phillips