Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Dare Me by Eric Devine - NO

Devine, Eric Dare Me, 334 pgs. Running Press, 2013. Language - R (388 swears, 80 "f"), Sexual Content - R; Violence - R; 

Senior year everyone wants to be remembered, and being remembered as legends would be the best possible outcome. Ben and John buy into this argument when Ricky proposes that they complete one death-defying dare every month--video-recorded and posted onto YouTube, of course. But the thrill and freedom of this plan turns into horror and a contract as truths are revealed and the dares start to impact more than the three of them. Life is hard and complicated--especially in high school--that is loud and clear. 

The reality of Ben's and his friends's problems are relatable, but that didn't help me enjoy this book. I cringed at how idiotic the boys were being and how out of hand everything got. I wanted to scream at the boys for being so irresponsible and for scaring me with their stunts while still hoping things would work out well without any idea of how it could possibly turn out okay. I wanted to put this book down because I could not stomach what Ben and his friends were doing to themselves and to those around them--loved ones and enemies alike. Furthermore, the language, sexual content, and violence got out of hand. All three of those aspects made me even more uncomfortable reading Dare Me. Find yourself and who you want to become, but not like the kids in this book. 

HS - NO. Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

No comments: