Dare Me

A Novel

Fiction - Audiobook
304 Pages
Reviewed on 08/08/2012
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

Colette French was the replacement coach for the cheer leaders. At first they resented her high expectations and regimented ideas. The girls were curious about her but she held them at arm’s length at first. Slowly she let them into her life. All the girls loved her, except Beth Cassidy. Addy and Beth had long been best friends but that changed when the new coach came to town. The coach and Addy developed a special relationship making Beth extremely jealous and a jealous Beth could be dangerous. A mysterious death affects the coach and the squad.

This is a review of the audio version of "Dare Me" by Megan Abbott. The characters are realistic but not particularly likeable. Colette was an adult and coach and yet she provided the girls with alcohol and a place to drink. She shared inappropriate discussions with Addy. She neglected her daughter and had an adulteress affair. The coach was certainly not a good role model for the cheering squad. Beth was a bully, vicious and mean. Addy had bullying tendencies. The parents were neglectful. The school officials were negligent. I became disgusted with the behaviors of all of the characters. Readers witness a power struggle between the members of the squad. Each member exhibits strong ambition, lack of self-confidence and the desire for acceptance and praise. Most of the characters in this book are multidimensional. When I have to remind myself that this is a book and the characters are not real I know I have found an author who excels at character development. The author deals with the feelings of homosexuality in a tasteful manner; the author shows Addy and Beth’s feelings without being blatant about it. "Dare Me" is a suspense-filled psychological thriller.