(113)Dare Me by Megan Abbott

Dare Me

by Megan Abbott

@meganabbott

Pages: 304

Publication Date: July 31, 2012

Buy it Here!

There is NOT enough money in this world to make me want to be in High School again. No thank you.  Megan Abbott explores the world of high school cheerleaders in her new, scary, novel, Dare Me. 

Addy Hanlon has always been second in command to Beth Cassidy. In Cheerleading and in all social settings.  Their new cheerleading coach, Colette French, sees Beth for the scheming, controlling "Mean Girl" that she is and refuses to let her be the one in control.  Beth is furious when her former minions slowly turn their hero worship to the Coach.  Soon the line between adult and students becomes very blurred, the girls are hanging out at her house, drinking wine and discussing school, life, boys and of course cheerleading. For some reason Coach has chosen Addy to be her prodigy and friend.  She pulls Addy into an adult world with adult circumstances and adult situations.   It is not long before Addy is in way over her head and as the truth starts to come out, she realizes that Coach has not been the only one manipulating her and the rest of the girls.  Will the truth fully come out and with what consequence?

I think that it has been a long time since I read a novel with a bitch as big as Beth.  She is a "Mean Girl" in every sense of the world and the way she treats the girls that he considers friends is so despicable that more than once I wanted to reach through the pages and slap her silly.  But, for as big a bitch as Beth, I think the worst character of the story goes to Coach.  This woman doesn't just cross boundaries, she shatters them in unspeakable ways.  She is in a position of authority, a role model for these girls to look up to, and she abused her power in such grotesque ways.  Sigh.  Kinda gets me fired up thinking about it, weird, huh?

Bottom line, Dare Me, at the core is a mystery novel.  Beyond that it is a dark novel that almost reminds me of the old movie Heathers starring Winona Ryder & Christian Slater.  The teen angst is out of control, yet it sucks you in such a way that you will not be able to put this book down.  If you have a teen daughter on the Cheer squad you may (or may not) want to read about how far the influence of the Coach could possibly go.  Yeah.  Good luck with that.    

P.S. - Tell me what you think!