Nerve

Big Brother meets The Hunger Games in Nerve by Jeanne Ryan.

I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program in the hopes that I would leave an honest review.

This book completely sucked me in. Like I was legit supposed to be proofreading a book, but I put it off for a day just so I could plow through Nerve. And I needed that. Reading was starting to feel way too much like a chore and this book renewed me.

The story was intense and exciting, which is strange because the dares weren't really that dangerous, at least not at first. Like they are absolutely the kinds of things that I would agree to do when drinking and playing truth or dare with my friends. But I was so deep in Vee's head that her emotions were my emotions. It helped some that Vee is an introverted wallflower type, much like me. Still, I was just as nervous as Vee was about dumping a cup of water over my head in the middle of a coffee shop (yeah, that was really one of the dares.)

When Vee reached the finals, things got more intense and felt more dangerous. The addition of five more players contributed to the intensity greatly. There was much more animosity from the new players than we'd been exposed to up to that point, and the situation started to feel legitimately dangerous.

I was also totally shipping Vee and Ian for most of the story, although that made me feel a bit sorry for Tommy, but only for a minute. There are a few reasons why I don't feel too sorry for Tommy. The least of which is that I'm working on not expecting women to date guys just because they're nice to them, even fictional women.

Overall I give Nerve 5 out of 5 stars.

MY THOUGHTS
This book was very fast-paced with a very dark plot! I really enjoyed reading this book!

Vee is not usually the kind of girl who does daring things, her best friend is the one who usually is in the spotlight. One day Vee decides to not be herself and does a dare for NERVE, and online daring game. Her dare ends in a disaster and she vows not to do it again, but when they offer up prizes for doing more dares, she can't resist. She begins to do dare after dare, but as the prizes get more interesting, the game gets deadlier. The game is affecting her relationships, but it also may take her life.

This book is one of those books that are so very uncomfortable to read. If you're like me, you cringe whenever a character has an embarrassing moment. Read a book where a character has to complete dares and you'll cringe the whole way. Yet, I kept reading. I knew that things were going to go so very very wrong, but I had to watch. This book is very interesting in that way. At first the dares just seem ridiculous, then the dares escalate, from dumping water on herself to possible death. While I knew it would get to that point, when we got to the end I was shocked at how horrible things were! Right along with Vee!

I think this book also tells us a lot about our society. In the game, when it gets bad, Vee tries to tell people to call 911 (her dares are being filmed!), but everyone assumes or part of the game or just don't care! It ridiculous! But people aren't going to believe it. Also, Vee's fellow players are more than willing to do whatever it takes to get their prizes. Honestly, Vee was like that up to a point. It brings up the idea on what are you willing to risk for prizes? It sucks to admit, but many people would risk a lot for some stuff.

There is some romance. It won't be a surprise that Ian and Vee get together. You read the synopsis and you know that's what will happen. I was very meh on the romance. This book takes place in a short period of time, so I didn't really see how they could be so close so fast. Bonding other dares? Anyway, it wasn't to bothersome as it didn't distract from the plot, I just wasn't that wild about it.

Lastly, the ending. Fair warning: this book has an open-ended ending.

IN CONCLUSION
I'm aware that my review is a mess and I'm sorry for that. Overall, I thought this book was very fast-paced with very interesting elements! This book was very nerve-wracking (har har) and I felt like I was doing the dares along with Vee. The romance was meh and the ending was just too open, but I overall enjoyed this book!

***If you have teenage children you need to read this book, your teens need to read this book, and you need to talk about it.***

I normally read for entertainment purposes. I don't look for underlying social commentary. This book could easily be reality in 2 to 5 years.

Vee is a normal shy teen that takes backstage to her theater star best friend Syd. When she tries to get the attention of a boy she enters a game called NERVE. The idea is you do silly dares to get prizes, the dare is broadcast over the internet and "watchers" vote on if they like you. The more watchers like you, the more dares you are offered and the more prizes you win.

The dares start small and silly, with a pair of boots as a prize. The prizes get bigger as the dares get more extreme and more dangerous. All these dares lead up to one live event that is designed to torture the player and dangle life changing prizes in front of their nose.

I sat with a nervous pit in my stomach for the entire book, experiencing either teenage angst through Vee's eyes or the fear of the dare. You clearly see how one can see something small and rationalize how the next dare isn't that bad because it is a tiny bit more than the last.

The company that runs NERVE knows EVERYTHING about the players. Things that they post on their ThisIsMe page, which is like Facebook, NERVE knows. Every time Vee went to a shopping site and liked or wished for an item, NERVE knows. It is just like what we do at the store, or when we go to the grocery store and they scan our "member" card. All that information is on computers. NERVE has access to any and all information that is on computers, including Vee's psychiatric records. The company that runs NERVE is a "ghost" corporation. They can't be found, they can't be sued, they can basically do what ever they want, and they let the players know that. There are companies that are overseas specifically to avoid legal action.

Teens need to read this to see the dangers of freely sharing information. They need to see how even a good well behaved teen can make bad decisions. There are real consequences for behavior that happens online.

This book is very well written and the story is entertaining as well as eye opening.

Vee is usually happy to hide behind the scenes. She literally works there during stage productions for her high school while her best friend and crush perform center stage. On the spur of the moment, she decides to try out for NERVE, a game dares broadcasted online, by humiliating herself at a local coffee shop. Because of an unforeseen reveal, she finds herself in the next round with a prize being dangled in front of her. After discovering her crush likes her best friend, Vee decides to be someone she's not and go through with the game. The Watchers, viewers who can watch either in person or on the internet, love her and she becomes and internet sensation. As the dares get riskier and the stakes higher, the game becomes dangerous, even life threatening. Can Vee beat NERVE with her family and friends intact?

Nerve isn't really what I expected, but it wasn't horrible. The concept is interesting. Teens perform a series of dares that increase in difficulty for money and prizes specifically tailored to what they want. Over time, it becomes clear that the NERVE company knows about every dirty secret they have to manipulate and motivate them. The book has a good commentary on consumerism and entertainment. How far would you go to get what you want? These people do some embarrassing things and hurt the people they love in order to get some prizes, money, and fame. They justified it to themselves in order to gloss over how bad things really were. People can get caught up in consumerism and forget about what really matters. Nerve explores how entertainment can mean people getting hurt and their privacy being violated. The contestants on the show have their deepest, darkest secrets laid bare for millions of people to watch. They only do those humiliating and hurtful things because there is a market and an audience to watch, This perspective might make somebody think twice before they watch a horrible and exploitative reality TV show.

I have a few problems with the book. When I saw the cover of Nerve and read the premise, I expected life threatening, dangerous situations for money and prizes like the film Would You Rather. It even says it's for fans of The Hunger Games, which it doesn't resemble in any way at all. It only turns deadly at the very end and not very impressively. The dares are a bit underwhelming. The lack of character development and the use of instalove is annoying. I didn't really connect to the characters at all. Vee's best friend also struck me as pretty horrible, humiliating her friend in front of millions for 15 seconds of fame. At the very end, my suspension of disbelief hit its wall and the story went into the realm of ridiculous.

Overall, Nerve is a plot driven novel that explores relevant issues on entertainment and consumerism. The writing did suck me in and I read the book almost in one sitting because I was curious about where it was going to go.

What an awesome read! Nerve by author Jeanne Ryan is definitely a must-read for the year of 2012. It's fast-paced, romantic, dangerous, and laugh out loud hilarious. What could be better than that? I constantly found myself wanting more than anything to put the story down and to do something else--but I just couldn't. Something about Nerve made me compelled to read on. Maybe it's because of the novel's unique characters, imaginative setting, and the intriguing plot?

Nerve is about main character Vee who lives in a slightly futuristic world where each month, a new reality show called Nerve takes in videos of teenagers playing an intense game of truth or dare... without the truth and only the dares. These submission videos are qualified for the live rounds where players are given extreme dares to compete for grand prizes beyond their wildest dreams. Everybody assumes that Nerve is safe and that the producers for the show are watching those competing closely and carefully, assessing every single danger and risk that might take place during a dare.

It doesn't take long for Vee to discover that Nerve is far more dangerous than any of the Watchers believe. As a character, Vee can easily be described as a mousy teenage girl who spends her time as a stage manager for her high school musicals and plays. Vee is constantly left out of the spotlight and watches her best friend Sydney take center stage as the star of the shows. Vee doesn't seem to have the spine to be a competitor in Nerve and yet, when she finds herself heartbroken and tired of Sydney's stardom--Vee completes a terribly embarrassing dare. In doing so, Vee finds herself swept up in Nerve with her partner Ian as the two characters complete dares together in the live rounds.

At the start of Nerve, we see the end product of being on the reality game show Nerve. We see that the character has been followed and stalked by paparazzi and Watchers and that entering the game has impacted their life greatly. I personally felt that that was a great way to show what actual celebrities goes through when it comes to the annoyance and fright that comes from having people you don't even know surrounding you and trying to learn the newest details of your life.

Nerve moves into how Vee ended up in the game and introduces us to some of the characters in her life including her friend Tommy and her parents who have been on edge since Vee almost killed herself through car fumes. When we meet Ian, it's safe to say that he's the cliché perfect male specimen with the sculpted build and the sensitive yet intelligent personality. Somehow he and Vee have an instant connection and quickly build a relationship that is very... affectionate.

I loved the scene between Vee and Ian during their second dare in the live rounds, I don't want to spoil too much but I can say that (like most of the Nerve dares) it's embarrassing and thanks to Ryan's writing style holds an amount of hilarity to keep the story from getting too serious. When we enter the grand prize rounds, we meet Vee's fellow competitors and learn that Nerve is more dangerous than anybody could have imagined. When they reach a room where Nerve tells them to pull juvenile stunts and to use handguns, it's not hard to notice that Nerve isn't what any of the players imagined.

However, the prizes that the other players were offered drives some of them to extremes to keep their prizes in their grasp. My only real complaint about the novel might have been the romance and how in a matter of hours, people who were complete and total strangers are suddenly in relationships. I like to keep a grasp on realism and have to admit that that single flaw did bug me a bit.

Nerve is a thrilling read that will keep readers on the edge of their seats at the idea of what was once a simple game turning into something life threatening. It was nothing short of just damn awesome.

When starting Nerve you really have no idea what is going on. You are thrown into a scene and just kind of assume that it will explain itself. When you dive deeper into Nerve though, you start to forget the beginning of the book. There is a scene that happens well into the book that you don't really think anything about it till you get to the end. I know this sounds vague, but I am not giving anything away with how crazy things get.

While reading Nerve I started to feel just as paranoid as Vee does. It made me feel paranoia towards other characters and I was questioning everything and everyone. The actual game of Nerve was just a huge mind twist. I still can't wrap my head around the things it knew about the contestants. Also in my opinion it was really sick what the game put the contestants through for their own pleasure. Some of the dares were just deranged. It is interesting what the characters were willing to do for their prizes. Some dares were just kind of a "lets embarrass the contestants", but it seemed like the game was not afraid to put people in real danger. I can't go into much detail about the dares, but I will just say, "Are you kidding me, that is insane!"

In the beginning of Nerve it seemed like Vee almost didn't have a backbone. She was fine behind the scenes and not getting any attention. It was really great though to see her blossom throughout the book. I think one good thing the game gave her was a voice. You also learn about this back story Vee has and the way that the game used it against her was just appalling. I can't believe how her friends acted towards the game and some of the betraying that went on.I was really upset with some of the choices her friends had made.

Ian was a character I could not figure out. I am not sure if it was the paranoia I felt from Vee or what. I wanted to like him, but I couldn't tell if I should or not. He did have a sad story, but of course in the back of my mind I didn't know if he was saying those things to make Vee trust him or if he was being genuine. How his story plays out is intriguing though, I will say that much.

I think that Nerve almost showed this underlying thought on how people handle addiction and peer pressure. There were times in the book that the characters knew it was a good time to step away from the game, but they kept going. The addiction to the high the game gave you could end up deadly for anyone. Also the peer pressure was intense in Nerve. You have all these people begging, cheering, and almost threaten you to continue. You see the characters kind of lose focus on what they want to do because of this. Nerve really shows that people were willing to do anything when it came to things they want.

One thing I didn't like in Nerve was that some characters took things to far. I figure that of course they were going to do anything for their prizes, but it got a little out of control sometimes. I could not stand Micki as well as a few characters in the final round of the game. Micki though seemed to irritate me the most and really took away from the story. Even though some characters were irritating in the final game it did show how different people react to different tasks and under pressure.

Holy crap the ending of Nerve was so mind blowing. I had to keep tell myself to breath because I couldn't comprehend what had just happened and how it tied into everything. Seriously go read Nerve, get to the end, and I bet you will the exact feeling. I had no idea what was coming and it was all just so trippy.

NERVE was awesome. Both the book and the game. At first I really wanted to play! Sounds like so much fun! I'm a bit of a dare devil. Vee feels constantly upstaged by her beautiful best friend who stars in the school play. When her crush mentions that little Vee would never do something like a dare to enter into NERVE, Vee decides to go for it. A simple dare that I would honestly do for like five bucks. lol Her friend Tommy records it and Vee is a bit shy but goes through with it. After it going a bit disastrous she has hundreds of comments on her video and is invited to continue to play.

People will do anything for money and I fully admit I mean me as well! The prizes dangled in front of Vee to continue were just too good to quit. I know I wouldn't have. NERVE knew exactly what to dangle in front of you to get you to play along. Not to mention she is paired up with a hot partner. And it really was some funny dares at first like asking for condoms from a purity promises group or singing in public. With shows like Fear Factor we know people go to extremes for money and fame. Vee enjoyed the ride until things got more and more personal. I will gladly make a fool of myself in front of strangers but pulling family and friends into a dare would be more difficult. The adrenalin continued to carry Vee. She just kept thinking just one more but then a new prize was offered and it was hard to know when to stop.

Vee loved spending time with her partner, Ian, and they seemed to help each other out but I wondered if it was all part of the dare. Vee seemed to trust him too easily. I didn't feel like I got to know him enough. The book was more about the action plot than the characters or romance. As the game continued some of the dares seemed really dangerous but I was thinking this is a TV show right? And it is all set up? Or is it not? You would think there are rules how far a show could go with minors? But it starts to feel like a psychology experiment gone wrong. A group of kids all thrown together forcing each other to continue on with dangerous dares. No one can quit or they all lose. It leads to peer pressure and makes people do things they wouldn't normally do. So was it all a game or something more sinister?! It was a fun, exciting, ride that held my attention. I felt nervous, pumped, and greedy right alongside Vee!

---
"Maybe the game is altering my risk-taking DNA somehow."

"Thanks nerdboy, but the game is called NERVE, not CANDY A$$."

"The panel across from me blinks quickly PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO WIN WILL ALWAYS PLAY. A dark corner of my brain knows this is true, no matter how badly I want it not to be. Look what I've done tonight in the hopes of winning fashion school tuition."
---

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

The prologue made this book sound like it would be amazing but ended up not being part of the book at all. The main character, Vee, was grounded, turns out because her parents thought she had tried to commit suicide. Yeah, that's a great message. Ha. The "love interest" had just a hint of background story, but it was never drawn out and it was just frustrating. The ending was a bit of a letdown, anticlimactic and ending fairly abruptly.
I hear the movie actually was better, which is crazy, since you literally almost NEVER hear that. I have not seen the movie yet, so I cannot say for myself.

[Possible spoilers!]

NERVE constructed an interesting concept and was fairly well-written, especially for a debut. The characters were also detailed and had substantial enough depth to make you invested in what happened to them. But I disagree with a lot of the reviews that praise this book for its suspense. I didn't feel like I was on the edge of my seat. I knew everyone was going to make it out alive and nothing bad was going to happen. There were some pretty amusing scenarios that Nerve put them in (especially the dare that they got physically thrown out of). I could definitely see how some situations COULD have been suspenseful. But the way it was handled, I wasn't sitting there biting my nails hoping that everyone survived the scenarios they were tossed into. After a few of the tamer beginning dares wound up with everything being okay, I figured that the story was going to stick to this pattern, and it did. If Ryan had taken a few more risks and gone a little bit darker or grittier, I would have probably fallen over that edge and been sucked in. Still, I'm not sorry I read it, as it was enjoyable and fun, and I will definitely try the next book by this author! Would recommend this for fans of thriller/suspense in early high school, especially for female readers.

***ARC received by publisher for review***

"Dear Abigail-The game isn't over until we say it is."

Vee has always been the "backstage" type of person. She is constantly upstaged by her best friend who is the center of attention, the star in the school plays and the girl all the guys want meanwhile Vee watches from the background. Vee and her crush are talking about the game show Nerve, which is basically like a dare show where the contestants get to win awesome prizes. They are open for castings and when This guy tells her that she would never go through with a dare, Vee decides to do it. The dare is super easy and simple but when a little mistakes leaves Vee....exposed, she suddenly has hundreds of followers. Nerve immediately takes notice and invites her to do another dare in exchange for a prize. Although this dare is also kind of silly, at least she gets to meet the smoking hot Ian who is her partner for the dare. After completing this dare, her and Ian are invited to compete in the live rounds of the game. Vee swears this will be the last dare but before she can quit, she is offered another great prize if she completes more dares. Things quickly get out of hand...

Vee and Ian end up making it to the final rounds where they are competing for a grand prize. Each time a dare was announced, it sounded way too easy and simple, but there was always an unexpected twist that ended up making the dare very dangerous. Just how far are Vee and Ian willing to go for the prizes? It might not matter anyway because Nerve is not planning on letting the, off the hook so easily.

One word to describe this book is INTENSE! The action starts off with a bang and does not stop or slow down one bit. You will be at the edge of your seat, biting your nails trying to figure what dare they will do next and just how bad it will affect their future. The concept of the game show Nerve is genius and not something that seems so far off. (sadly) The idea that these anonymous people know so much about the private details of your life and are able to control so many aspects of it honestly freaked me out!

One thing that I thought was weird was that there were no chapters. I was reading an e-ARC so this might be different for the finished version. The story was so intense that I felt at times like I had to take a little break from it but it was almost impossible to find a goos stopping point. Maybe that was the point of it. Overall, I really enjoyed Nerve! It was very unique and the story line was unique and action packed. Vee was a great lead character who we get to see grow into herself and her slow friendship/relationship with Ian was perfect since is was hot but didn't distract me from the overall storyline. Reserve a couple of hours to devote to this book because it will demand your undivided attention!

4 out of 5 sparkly stars!

Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Nerve:
-"Why should I pay to watch when I can be paid to play? I've had enough watching in my life."

-I exhale loudly. "Fine. I guess we both lose. Unless your dare was to be a jerk."

-"I honestly thought I was done with the game, but they offered me this one and it was too juicy to resist." I move toward the door.
His face bunches up. "If this is what you call juicy, you aren't the girl I thought you were."
I'm not the girl I thought I was either. I don't know what I am.

-It's as if Nerve knows us both intimately. Why should that surprise me? Another text flashes:
Are you in or out? Your audience is waiting.
***
Read more of my reviews and author interviews at:
Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan slowly digs its hooks in you until you cannot possibly let go. The action continues to ramp up as the book continues, and it does really stop until the very last page. Vee decides that she has had enough of being in her best friend Sydney's shadow, and decides to do one of the entry dares into the new and exciting game Nerve. Nerve is a twisted reality web show that tries to see how far contestants will go, and if they have the "nerve" to face their greatest fears. After completing the first dare, Vee is teamed up with hot and sexy Ian. Vee decides that teaming up Ian is going to make the dares a lot more fun.

At first Nerve seems like a harmless game of dares and the prizes are just too good to pass up. When Vee and Ian are invited to compete in the Grand Prize round, they just cannot pass up the opportunity to make their dreams come true. The problem is that what they may have to do to make their dreams come true may not be worth it.

Vee is a somewhat shy behind the scenes girl until she starts competing for Nerve. I really liked seeing her evolve for shy to risk taking, and how that plays into her relationship with Ian. Vee really does grow into her own skin in the short time frame of Nerve, but even under pressure, she does not really lose herself. The one thing I think Nerve is trying to accomplish, to find out how much pressure and money it takes someone to go against everything they believe in. I was unsure of Ian in the beginning, but as time went on, he started to grow on me.

The suspense of Nerve had me hanging on my seat, and I could not wait to find out what was going to happen next. I happened to read this while on vacation, and I knew I had plans and had to be up by six A.M. Once I started Nerve all concept of time went out the window, and I still do not regret the time amount of sleep I got that night. Nerve was worth every single minute! In other words, clear your schedule before picking up Nerve.

**Unabridged Bookshelf received an ARC of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review**

The synopsis of Nerve alone made me know that this book would be one of my new favorites! It's like a reality show kicked up a notch! Imagine a site somewhat like YouTube or UStream meshed with Fear Factor! The site lists dares, to do the game you just film and upload yourself completing a dare and if it's popular enough, you might just proceed to the next level. Complete the levels and you can win prizes.

Vee's not the typical kind of person that would play Nerve. She's your average girl and doesn't really mind that all too much, but when it comes clear everyone thinks she's shy she decides to give it a try. It's just one dare, after all and no one will likely see it! When it goes viral, she is offered the chance to advance. Her prize? A pair of shoes she really wants.

As the book progresses, Vee and her new partner-in-crime, Ian, complete dare after dare - each a bit worse than the last. Each prize more and more appealing. Ian is charming and pretty much the guy of Vee's dreams. She doesn't want to part from him to stop playing.

The entire concept behind Nerve is so realistic! We live in a society where people will do anything for attention and one in which a phone can record and upload videos in little time! It's scary if you think about it. Prizes are chosen from Vee's ThisIsMe page, which is basically a fictional version of Facebook.

Nerve is such a page-turner! It's fast-paced so you can't help but wonder what is going to happen next. As I neared the final few pages, I wanted to sleep but couldn't stop reading until I figured out all of the secrets.

I received my copy of Nerve in exchange for my honest opinion.

What an amazingly, suspenseful, fascinating and morbid book! I had no idea what I was getting into when I started Nerve, but it reminded me of a combination of The Hunger Games, Matched and One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt. Weird combination, I know, but read it and you'll understand.

What dare would you perform if your prize was something you always wanted? Vee sees herself as the privileged sidekick to her popular and beautiful friend Sydney and subconsciously wants someone (Matthew) to notice her. When Matthew, the flirty male lead in the play she is fashion director for tells her she should be more daring, she challenges herself to complete a dare for the online reality show NERVE. What she doesn't know yet is that NERVE uses baby steps to get you to agree to more dangerous dares. They also have unlimited access to all your personal information which they use to both bribe you and threaten you with to continue.

Once Vee experiences the thrill of completing the first dare and is bribed into completing another with the promise of winning a pair of drool-worthy shoes she has had her eye on, she is sucked into the world of NERVE where EVERYTHING is in their control. NERVE is like a reality show where Watchers are the paparazzi and are paid in prizes to get the best shots of the contestants performing their dares. The Watchers are careless and dangerous, but necessary to get the audiences approval ratings. Vee finds herself behaving in a very different way than her friends would believe in order to win her prizes and to win the respect of her friends who are paying to watch her.

At first, it is fun, and working with Ian is better than she could have imagined as they share some chemistry, but the dares start to get scary and dangerous and even life threatening. It becomes all Lord of the flies and sadistic entertainment and she finds herself desperate for her old life back.

This was really well written being creepy, suspenseful and poignant, but also realistic, romantic, and fun (at least at first). It is a book you think about even when it is over as it has a lot to do with privacy and what we are willing to put on line for people to see and potentially use against us. Fascinating!

There is occasional language especially towards the end when the dares get more dangerous (b-word, f-word, a-hole), no sex, some kissing, underage drinking, a lesbian couple, and very dangerous situations.

Would I/Did I buy it? Yes (ARC $8.00)
Would I read it again? Yes
Would I recommend it to friends? Yes!

Compared to the movie, the book is different. This book is about a game similar to truth or dare without the truth. One difference from the movie and the book that I enjoyed was that instead of the prizes being money like in the movie, the book had the prizes be objects that the game knew the player wanted. Another difference was the beginning of the book,while the book started at a school play, the movie was different. Another big difference was the setting, in the movie the story took place in New York, but the book took place in Seattle. There are also many more differences in the book then mentioned, for example the ending. I would recommend Nerve for anyone interested in reading it

I was extremely displeased with this book. The movie was great, but the book was not so much. Here's a warning... NOTHING IN THE MOVIE HAPPENS IN THE BOOK, so if you saw the movie and are thinking about the book, or saw the trailer but want to read this first, don't even bother. Ian the guy main character is so mysterious, but you never figure it out. He also has no opinions of his own, they're based solely on Vee's opinions. And Vee is just so annoying she is constantly complaining about something, and is just seems to change her mind a lot, very easily too, making her character just SO predictable. The idea, did keep me reading the whole way through, and the story would've been a lot better with personality change, overall, the story was just really not that great and I didn't love it, the movie was awesome though.

A quick read, NERVE is a fictional YA (young adult) novel that takes a look at the issue of privacy and what price we’ll pay for entertainment. Considering the popularity of reality shows in today’s culture, the novel’s message isn’t just for young adults… but for adults as well…

If you enjoyed the games part of The Hunger Games you'll enjoy this book. YA psychological thriller that also offers a subtle commentary on modern society's "share and steam everything for likes" mentality

NERVE is the game that everyone's playing--the game of truth or dare without truth as a choice. Vee's friends think she isn't the type of person to do that kind of thing, and Vee herself questions her ability too. But when Vee takes a simple dare, she aces it and can't wait to do the next one. Not to mention, somehow NERVE knows what she wants, and all Vee needs to do to get everything she ever wanted is take the dares. Paired with Ian, Vee knows she must not lose NERVE. But what if the game has a dark side to it...and what if by the time Vee and Ian discover that dark side, it's already too late?

The concept of NERVE seemed very appealing to me, but I had many problems with its execution. First of all, the plot is very predictable and unevenly paced. We already know that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to NERVE, and Jeanne Ryan spends too much time hinting at it when we already know. As a result, there's not much tension or suspense throughout the novel--except when it reaches its climax. I also didn't enjoy the characters in the novel. Vee is an extremely weak heroine at times and Ian feels like he's only there for the sake of having a romantic interest in the book. Both don't undergo any character development throughout the book, which was my biggest disappointment. Lastly, the ending left too many questions unanswered. Jeanne Ryan's debut had some good moments here and there, but this is not a book I would recommend to anyone.

Interesting story, especially with this day-in-age. I would never want people following me around with cameras. Kind of creepy. The ending kind of surprised me a little. Wasn't really expecting it to be that bad...

High school junior "Little" Vee is the one who hides behind the curtain designing costumes and applying makeup to others. Matthew challenges her to audition at a prelim Dare for a spot on the popular Nerve reality show that fans pay a fee to watch. Deciding to enter, she pours cold water on her T-shirt; her friend Tommy sends her Dare to the show.

Now she, Ian and several other chosen ones team up and back stab as they begin taking on challenges with coveted customized prizes as their rewards. The stunts increasingly turn dangerous as each participant debases themselves in the not so friendly competition.

Nerve is an unnerving thriller as Jeanne Ryan asks readers how far someone will go for fame and fortune. The storyline is frantically-paced as Vee and the other contestants seemingly answer that question with anything though psychologically what motivates each of them is not very clear. With a nod to Chuck Barris's Gong Show and Andy Warhol's wry comment "In the future everyone will have their fifteen minutes of fame", fans will relish this insightful look at the contestants inside the coliseum.

Harriet Klausner

Interesting story, especially with this day-in-age. I would never want people following me around with cameras. Kind of creepy. The ending kind of surprised me a little. Wasn't really expecting it to be that bad...

High school junior "Little" Vee is the one who hides behind the curtain designing costumes and applying makeup to others. Matthew challenges her to audition at a prelim Dare for a spot on the popular Nerve reality show that fans pay a fee to watch. Deciding to enter, she pours cold water on her T-shirt; her friend Tommy sends her Dare to the show.

Now she, Ian and several other chosen ones team up and back stab as they begin taking on challenges with coveted customized prizes as their rewards. The stunts increasingly turn dangerous as each participant debases themselves in the not so friendly competition.

Nerve is an unnerving thriller as Jeanne Ryan asks readers how far someone will go for fame and fortune. The storyline is frantically-paced as Vee and the other contestants seemingly answer that question with anything though psychologically what motivates each of them is not very clear. With a nod to Chuck Barris's Gong Show and Andy Warhol's wry comment "In the future everyone will have their fifteen minutes of fame", fans will relish this insightful look at the contestants inside the coliseum.

Harriet Klausner

I was really excited about this book - the premise sounded awesome. The book itself was actually really boring - very little happened, the 'Dares' weren't that interesting. The protagonist was whiny...

Great idea, but would have loved to see it written for an older audience. The thriller / voyeur elements could have really been played up, as could the danger. Shame!

'Nerve' is a taut young adult thriller that follows Vee, our heroine, as she enters the newest online game called NERVE. Seduced by promises of amazing prizes for doing crazy and embarrassing dares and posting them online, Vee takes the plunge - deciding to do something out of character for once. Soon she is sucked into the game and is partnered with the sexy Ian. The pair makes it to the grand prize round, where things become a bit too sadistic and real for Vee's liking. Is NERVE really just a game? How far will the producers go to entertain the Watchers? Will Vee and Ian make it out alive?

After reading 'Nerve', it's hard to believe that this is Jeanne Ryan's debut novel. It is full of twists, mystery, suspense and a bit of romance tossed in for good measure. The idea of NERVE, an online game composed of players doing dares, is a creepy one - especially because it could happen in today's culture. The characters are all very likable and honest, which made them easy to identify with. Vee is the perfect heroine for the book. She is down to earth, honest, and struggles with things in her life that almost all readers have had to go through. I found myself immediately on her side and rooting for her the whole time.

The book is incredibly well written and fast-paced, with the suspense and twists making it a real page turner. The descriptions were detailed and I found it really easy to immerse myself into the narrative - it felt almost like I was playing NERVE right along with Vee and Ian. Speaking of them - the romance between them in the book isn't overly done, which I liked. It was subtle and sweet, which added just the right amount of lightness to the story to help balance out all the craziness going on around them. Overall, I think that this book is an engaging addition to the genre and one that you won't want to miss. I will definitely be reading more of Jeanne's books in the future!

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.