REVIEW : Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Nerve - Jeanne Ryan
Publisher : Dial Books
Release Date : September 13th 2012
Genres : YA, Thriller
Pages : 304
Rating : ★★★☆☆

A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly

When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. 

They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. 

At first it's exhilarating--Vee and Ian's fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they're directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they're playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?

Debut author Jeanne Ryan delivers an un-putdownable suspense thriller.

"People who like to win will always play."
Imagine the dress or the pair of shoes you've had your eyes on for a while. Imagine the first edition of your favourite book or even better : Imagine your dream come true. Tempting, right ? NERVE can give you that... If you complete some dares. Some of them are harmless but others are... Well you have to earn your prizes, right ?

When I saw the trailer, I was hooked and I had to get my hands on the book. NERVE is the creepiest game I've ever seen. I was on edge the entire time I was reading it. I loved it.

The main character, Vee, is the kind of girl you don't usually notice. She's in the shadow of her best friend and her crush friendzoned her. She hasn't the "profile" to do anything daring. And that's exactly why she started playing NERVE. No more staying out of the spotlights, she wants to be acknoledged and for once do something other people wouldn't expect her to.

I've read reviews saying "NERVE is just about stupid kids doing stupid stuff" but I think it's way more than that. It's a real psychological thriller. How far are we ready to go to have what we want ? Is being in the spotlight a good thing ? How much do we value our privacy ?
question trick question

See ? It's very deep. Jeanne Ryan made me think about those things. Her characters have different motives to play and some of them are ready to go as far as they need. As long as they have their prize, it's all good. I wish I knew more of their backstories though. I really wanted to understand them and how they became like this.

Then, there is the big event that made Vee's parents ground her for months. I have to admit, I was disappointed when I found out why. I expected something more or at least more developed. Saying they overreacted is the least I could say. Especially since it's not like she had a previous experience like this or anything. Anyway, if you've read it, tell me what you thought of that.

Overall, I really liked it. NERVE plays with the human nature. I think I enjoyed it that much because I'm not the kind of person capable of doing any of their challenges. They were intense and daunting but I wish they were more of them. I need a sequel.