Dare Me: A Novel | 
pickYet another Megan Abbott novel about mean teenage girls. The girls in this one were especially beastly. I cringe when I read how horrible they can be, esp. when I have a daughter of the same age. Still, this may be my favorite of Abbott‘s so far. I have some criticisms, but it was a wild ride.
pick4 stars for this clever, vivid tale of murder, manipulation, love and power struggles amongst a squad of talented cheerleader/gymnasts. I put it down for a bit in the middle because the power-hungry athletes & their icy coach were a bit off-putting, but it drew me back. I watched an episode of the Netflix show. Protagonist Addy seemed sweeter, but book is smarter. Narrator was good, appropriately scheming and vulnerable. #murder #power #cheer
pickDare Me offers you what most Megan Abbott books do- a gritty, mean girls, noir-ish thriller that‘s propulsive reading. Abbott is on form here, as always, in her depiction of the dramatic, egocentric, manipulative minds and social interactions of teenage girlhood. I found that there were of course, moments where this novel didn‘t seem entirely realistic, especially in its portrayal of adults. But let‘s be honest, that‘s not what we‘re here for.
so-soThere were parts of this that I really related to, having played high level sports for most of my teens/early twenties, but it was also kind of hard to want to finish. Everyone in this is AWFUL!
Saw this on a list of best thrillers in the last few years, so I‘m going to give it a try.
pickMegan Abbott has the remarkable ability to write complex, dark, rather despicable characters that really work, since they seem so real. This one is set in the world of high school cheerleading with toxic friendships, wildly inappropriate relationships between students and their coach, lots of smoke in mirrors and more I didn‘t want to look away from.
Gonna read this next by Megan Abbott
So happy!!! This came into my local library. Cant wait to dive into it. #meganabbott #dareme
so-soI was a little disappointed in this book. I read it because I was intrigued with the premise, not to mention the commercials for the show caught my attention. Addy did not seem likeable to me; she's kind of a pushover and lets Beth control her decisions. I also felt that the characters were not given enough time to develop as well. I will say, the show is really good and the characters seemed to have more backstory as you watch.
Photo: Amazon
panTo be fair, I put this one down before finishing. Just as I had put down several other Abbott books that had received positive notices. My conclusion is that I respect Abbott‘s taste, but find her prose dull and derivative.
so-soConfused how this is a psychological thriller 😏 Not enough happened for me, it wasn't terrible just abit boring, I like more grit in a book.
My third Megan Abbott book. The first one was good but the next two have been so-so and for that reason I won't be rushing back to her books. I gave her a chance 🙄
pan1/5⭐️ i really didn‘t like this one I hated all of the characters which I‘m sure was supposed to be the case for the most part but I genuinely still have no clue whether we were supposed to root for the main character at least but I just didn‘t care. Also I know they‘re cheerleaders and everything so their bodies would be a big part of it but it felt like I was hearing the same passage about ‘tight bodies‘ over and over again.
Since I‘ve been so into crocheting lately I think audiobooks may be my go to for a bit #audiobook #audiocrochet #crochet
Well, first week of #bookfitnesschallenge done!
I met my fitness target of 10 miles this week, yay! I actually had to tag an extra 0.7 mile run on last night to get there!! 😂
Miles for week: 10.1 out of 10 target
Books for challenge: 1 out of 6 total
@wanderinglynn
Started off #BookFitnessChallenge with a 10K race this morning! No medal but a coaster, plus free water and bananas afterwards. Plus the added bonus of cake (long since eaten by the time I took the picture) and beers supplied by someone in my running club celebrating a birthday! 🏃♀️🍺 Now to chill and hopefully get some reading done!
@wanderinglynn
No of miles: 6.25 (course slightly long)
3.75 more needed this week to reach target
pickThe writing crackled. If I‘d had this book in high school I‘d have read it to tatters.
Book mail :) I really enjoyed You Will Know Me so I ordered a couple more of Megan Abbott's novels. This is the first to arrive.
I had last minute change of plans and can now participate in the @DeweysReadathon tomorrow! This is my quickly cobbled together #tbr because I love options? Since there‘s been no planning I‘m really only hoping to hit 16 hrs but excited anyway! #readathon
pickNothing like Megan Abbott to get me through when I feel a slump coming. The style in this one made me go a little slower than I often do in thrillers; it had some great turns of phrase and I wasn't surprised to find her early inspiration was a teen queen Richard III. Some continuity errors took me out of it, but I really loved the take on toxic friendships, I def experienced them at that age.
Couldn't resist starting this any longer! I went on a Megan Abbott tear last year and it's been driving me crazy that I still haven't read this one. Love this cover, too!
Girl thank you so much for all these amazing gifts! Those reading socks are to die for, the dip mixes smell awesome and that hot chocolate is such a treat. I love the mug, bookmarks, and of course I can‘t wait to read the books and eat the chocolate. What a wonderful swap! Thanks lady! Wishing you a wonderful Christmas 🥰🎄
#christmasbookswap
Thanks so much for organizing @MyBookSwapClub
pick#audiobook #libby
Gesh, those are not the kinds of things I remember about high school and cheerleading. This one will take you into the inner lives of the cheerleaders who make up those insane pyramids. “Obsession, competition, and jealousy”...my best 3 word description.
pickI don't outright hate mean girls or cheerleaders, but an hour or two in the audio I wasn't sure I‘d continue. And yet, I so wanted to see it through and I'm glad I did.
Chapter by chapter the pretty veneer was rubbed clean off and the reality of these cheerleaders & their new coach consumed/overtook what at first seemed like a shallow book topped with petty teenage girl drama. By the time I realized where Abbott was taking me, I was totally rapt.
pickTeen cheerleaders+no apparent parental supervision+ weirdly bad influence of coach+ teenage obsession= one heck of a book.
Just arrived from Amazon. I am going to a book talk in 10 days by her, so let‘s see if I can finish this before I ask her to sign it.
#bookmail
Thanks to the lovely @DeborahSmall for today‘s books 😁 just wow!!! Thank you so much - email update in the week 💕
Bar just cleared out, figured I‘d try to get some reading in. 🍻🤓
#cheerleader #fiercefeb
Apparently this is a twisted tale containing cheerleaders!! It has not sold itself to me so I don‘t think I‘ll be reading anytime soon.
This today with my 4 and a half from yesterday means I managed 12 hours. Good luck to everyone going for the full 24!
#24in48
pick“There‘s something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls” never a truer quote! At times the metaphor on metaphor bothered me as did the utter lack of any sort of sensible adult role model (where were their parents!) but overall I loved how this captured and exacerbated the emotions of the teenage years. It‘s dark and not a fluffy read but I am glad I read it!
Started this morning, and now I only have an hour left on he audiobook. Works been busy, but quiet.... so the headphones go back in. 🙌
pickThe arrival of a new cheerleading coach sets in motion an escalating chain of events. Abbott details the insecurities & jealousies of suburban life. I'm tempted to describe this as Mean Girls as told by Chuck Palahniuk, but that's frankly a disservice to Abbott. Highly recommend this book, full of hidden agendas & simmering violence.
This is the first Megan Abbott I have read & I'm loving it. Not just the damaged & sinister underside of suburbia, but how naive & wise the teenagers are. Too often they're portrayed as either one or the other. I think Abbott really nails it. I laugh at their feigned indifference & almost childlike innocence. It's admirable,yet heartbreaking, the ability of teenagers to see through the facade of adults having their shit together.
No one told me! This book is soooo addictive. I keep snatching moments to read it -- I love it when a book runs away with you like that.
so-soThis book had such good reviews from my Litsy friends I thought I'd give it a try. You almost hate every character, every situation they put themselves in, but you end up searching for answers and flipping the pages faster and faster for more. I thought the ending dragged a little and felt like she wrapped it up too nicely, it seemed a little obvious for awhile. A fun, quick read.
pick
A noirish crime story of sorts set against the backdrop of the peculiar world of high school cheerleading. More than a crime novel though, it's more an exploration of the obsessions, rivalries and jealousies of its main characters. If I'm being honest I would have to say this was one I admired more than I really loved. Perhaps my own distance from the world it depicts has something to do with that. I suspect others might enjoy it more than I did.
