Wednesday 4 November 2015

Need - Joelle Charbonneau

Need 
Joelle Charbonneau
HMH Books for Young Readers
ISBN 9780544416697
ASIN B00QPIJG3S

I have read a few books by Joelle Charbonneau, and to be honest have liked them all. But this book was amazing. Of the 110 books I have read to date this year it is one of the best! I had a really hard time putting it down. The premise is rather intriguing, but the plot and characters are incredibly well done. The big questions is how far will you go to get something you want or think you need. 

The students at Nottawa High School in Wisconsin are drawn into a complicated plot. A new social networking site has popped up called 'Need' and you simply make a request. If it is a want you will be given a task and you will get what you requested. If it is a need the system will notify you that it is being worked on. But the stakes quickly rise. The first few members only needed to invite members to the site. Soon the tasks and consequences get much, much higher. 

Most teenagers have complicated lives, school, friends, cliques, work, family and more. But for Kaylee it is even more so, her brother is sick, her father has disappeared, and she has alienated most people in town trying to get them tested to see if they match her brother. 

As the requirements to get your request escalate life in this small town starts changing. So there are bodies, and Kaylee seems to be the only one making the connection. And then her life is threatened. Can she solve the riddle and figure out who is behind Need or will she become another statistic in the escalating experiment? 

This story takes a look at the darkest facets of human nature, and of social medial with anonymity mask what you are doing. There is an old saying "No one gets something for nothing. We all should know better." And the students in Nottawa are manipulated into a devastating high stakes game.

This is a dark gripping tale and I had a really hard time putting it down and reflected upon the story for days afterwards. Another excellent read by Joelle!

Books by Joelle Charbonneau:
Need
Time Bomb

Dividing Eden:
0.5 Into the Garden
1.0 Dividing Eden
2.0 Eden Conquered 
2.5 Forbidden Fruit 

The Testing:
The Testing Guide - Short Story Prequel
The Testing - The Testing Book #1
Independent Study - The Testing Book #2
Graduation Day - The Testing Book #3

The Skating Series:
Skating on the Edge
Skating Over the Line
Skating Around the Law
Skating Under the Wire

The Glee Club Series:
Murder for Choir
End Me A Tenor
A Chorus Lineup


Contributed to:
Among The Shadows: 13 Stories of Darkness & Light
Terminal Damage: A Do Some Damage Collection
Collateral Damage: A Do Some Damage Collection
Crime Factory Issue 7


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