Currently Reading: Dare Me
Have you met a teenage girl? They're not all lollipops and lip gloss. They're some of the scariest people on Earth. Megan Abbott captures that ferocity, that intensity, that darkness in Dare Me.
Addy and Beth have been best friends forever. Beth is in charge and Addy is her lieutenant. They are varsity cheerleaders, making them untouchable. However, that dynamic begins to shift when their new Coach arrives on the scene. Coach undermines Beth's authority while also befriending Addy, leading to a chasm in the girls' relationship.
A death in their small community rocks their world. Addy tries to discover the truth about what happened while being dangerously pulled between, and possibly manipulated by, Coach and Beth.
This book takes a look at the much darker side of the life of a teenage girl. It deals with the commonplace eating disorders, the power and danger that your body yields, and the sexuality you discover within yourself. It's written in almost a voyeuristic sense, focusing so much on the girls' bodies and the mind games that they play.
As I read this book, it felt as if I was watching each scene in slow motion or through a haze of some sort. The overall tone of the novel is dark and ominous, as if danger lurks around every corner. And as a former teenage girl I know that it can and it does. It also explores the complexities of female friendships and how they can mean everything.
Sidenote: If you want to friend me on Goodreads - I'm here.
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