Review: ‘Nerve’ by Jeanne Ryan

I loved reading ‘Nerve’ by Jeanne Ryan- so I thought I would share a full review of this fast-paced thriller.

‘Nerve’ by Jeanne Ryan plot synopsis

‘Nerve’ is about a young woman, Vee, who helps out at school theatre productions behind the scenes, putting lots of effort into the make-up of the stars- and yet never getting the fame and glory of her perfect actor friend, Sydney.

So one day she decides to do a dare for the online game NERVE, which many people are playing. It’s known for its dangerous dares, where the contestants ‘appear’ to be in real danger. Until Vee gets swept into the NERVE world, she doesn’t realise that the danger is very real.

After doing one low-key dare for the game, she gets recruited to do more, tempted to risk her life (and dignity) for amazing prizes, such as scholarships and designer clothes. Finally, she is offered the chance to compete with her dare partner, Ian, in the live rounds- where the creepy ‘Watchers’ can watch the contestants complete life-threatening dares.

Vee soon goes from having fun to realising the reality of the game, and she and Ian have to stick together throughout the game.

My thoughts on ‘Nerve’ by Jeanne Ryan

I really enjoyed this book!

I was furiously angry with the NERVE game, and I could feel myself getting more and more angry as I read how the game messed with Vee, Ian and the other contestants. I could really picture young people doing crazy things like this for stupid prizes, such as a college scholarship.

I think Ryan really exaggerated how, if this was a real game, many people in our society would love to watch others squirm and put themselves in danger.

Despite this, I liked reading about the different dares of the contestants. For example, one of Vee’s qualifying dares is to go to a rough part of town and act as a prostitute, not doing anything, just trying to find someone willing to pay $100.

I thought this was an interesting dare, and the imagination behind the dares certainly made them worse.

I read this book so quickly, and it was definitely a fast-paced thriller. Towards the end, my heart was beating so fast and I was crouched right over the book! There was definitely a lot of suspense at the end as the pace quickened.

I also really liked the ending of this book. It was open enough to leave me wanting more- but at the same time, it neatly tied up a few loose ends.

Did I enjoy ‘Nerve’ by Jeanne Ryan?

Although I really enjoyed this book, there were some aspects I didn’t enjoy.

I didn’t really like Vee, and for me, this is always a disappointment in a book. I always try to like the main character in a book, and for me, this is essential to sympathising with them. I found Vee a bit annoying and self-centred, so I wasn’t rooting for her.

I also didn’t like Ian. I wanted to like him so much but I thought his character seemed a bit flat.

However, overall I really enjoyed reading this thriller. It was imaginative and engaging- and the story really pulled me in. I would recommend this book to anyone in a reading slump who wants a book that is impossible to put down.

The film version of this book is very different, but also worth checking out if you enjoy a thrilling, gripping watch.

What do you think of my review of ‘Nerve’ by Jeanne Ryan? Did you enjoy this book and would you watch the film? Have you read anything good this year?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comment section below 🙂

Happy reading x

Picture credits here