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A review by katykelly
Need by Joelle Charbonneau
4.0
"Is what you thought you needed worth this?"
It seems too good to be true. Students at Nottawa High School in Wisconsin receive invitations to a social networking site that asks them what they 'need' and promises to give it to them. The catch? They must do something in order for their need request to be granted...
What starts (and seems like) pranks quickly escalate to dangerous and deadly acts.
Kaylee has been desperately searching for a potential kidney donor for her little brother for months, unsuccessfully. Can NEED provide the answer for her?
We soon see that most teenagers aren't as noble as Kaylee, as requests for electronic equipment, money, concert tickets are agreed on - for a price. While the students start by being able to justify their small 'jokes', the story cleverly shows us that apparently unconnected actions (writing out a receipt, delivering cookies, digging a hole in a garden) are all building to a horrifying picture.
I had trouble to start with keeping track of all the characters, as we see NEED from each of their perspectives. Mostly though, Kaylee is our narrator, and her fellow students' stories form part of hers.
It's a little heavy-handed on the moral, though it turns into more of a thriller by the end as Kaylee tries to work out the secrets behind the NEED website. I quite like the conclusion, and I must admit, seeing greedy teenagers get their comeuppance had a certain schadenfreude quality to it, though it's also horrifying.
There is violence though nothing graphic. No sexual content. It's an intriguing idea and really does hammer home the idea that 'needing' something is a concept we should consider very carefully, as well as what we are willing to do to get what we desire.
There's a little teen romance in here that I found distracting, but I loved the concept - the use of social media in the story is excellent, and it's a great one to recommend to ages 12-17.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
It seems too good to be true. Students at Nottawa High School in Wisconsin receive invitations to a social networking site that asks them what they 'need' and promises to give it to them. The catch? They must do something in order for their need request to be granted...
What starts (and seems like) pranks quickly escalate to dangerous and deadly acts.
Kaylee has been desperately searching for a potential kidney donor for her little brother for months, unsuccessfully. Can NEED provide the answer for her?
We soon see that most teenagers aren't as noble as Kaylee, as requests for electronic equipment, money, concert tickets are agreed on - for a price. While the students start by being able to justify their small 'jokes', the story cleverly shows us that apparently unconnected actions (writing out a receipt, delivering cookies, digging a hole in a garden) are all building to a horrifying picture.
I had trouble to start with keeping track of all the characters, as we see NEED from each of their perspectives. Mostly though, Kaylee is our narrator, and her fellow students' stories form part of hers.
It's a little heavy-handed on the moral, though it turns into more of a thriller by the end as Kaylee tries to work out the secrets behind the NEED website. I quite like the conclusion, and I must admit, seeing greedy teenagers get their comeuppance had a certain schadenfreude quality to it, though it's also horrifying.
There is violence though nothing graphic. No sexual content. It's an intriguing idea and really does hammer home the idea that 'needing' something is a concept we should consider very carefully, as well as what we are willing to do to get what we desire.
There's a little teen romance in here that I found distracting, but I loved the concept - the use of social media in the story is excellent, and it's a great one to recommend to ages 12-17.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.