Nerve by Jeanne Ryan: Book Review

This month, my book review is Nerve by Jeanne Ryan, a YA book with a great concept and a lot of moral dilemmas for the characters. Read on for my thoughts on Nerve.

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Blurb from the Back Cover

Are you playing the game or is the game playing you?

Vee doesn’t know if she has the guts to play Nerve, an online game of high stakes dares. But whoever’s behind the game knows exactly what she wants, enticing her with lust worthy prizes and a super hot partner.

With Ian on her team, it’s easy to agree to another dare. And another. And another.

At first, it’s thrilling, as the manipulative audience, or Watchers, cheer them on to riskier challenges. But things quickly get out of hand.

Will Vee and Ian risk their lives for the grand prize dare? Or will they lose their nerve?

My Thoughts on the Book

I really enjoyed Nerve. It’s written well and pulls you straight into the story, and even if you don’t agree with the choices Vee makes, you can’t help but understand what motivates her to make them, and you can’t help but root for her.

I’ve seen people say the plot is far fetched, that no one would play this game. But is it really? People do dangerous stuff, crazy stuff and dares etc. just to get views on YouTube. Is it really hard to imagine them doing the same stuff to get the prizes they most want?

I could honestly see this game being played by thousands of people if it was a reality, and that’s what makes the concept a little chilling.

Nerve is an easy read with a fast moving plot that will keep you hooked until the very last page.

Conclusion and Rating

Nerve is a great picture of how people can succumb to social pressure and take risks they normally wouldn’t consider when they have enough people rooting for them to do something. It shows the thought processes behind Vee’s decisions well and shows just how easy it would be to get into something like this and feel there was no way to get out of it but to keep playing the game. 5/5

Get your copy of Nerve here.

Have you read Nerve? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments 🙂

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