DARE ME by Megan Abbott

Winner announced HERE!

Dare Me

Megan Abbott

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I love this quote from the book:

"There's something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls."

When I first discovered author Megan Abbott, I hunted her down to see if I could get a copy of her book, The End of Everything. I loved it and then when her latest book came out, I knew I needed to read it too. Dare Me is a crazy great read that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole time you are reading it!

And, for those of us who ever thought we wanted to be on the cheerleading squad, after reading Dare Me, you might think, "Hmmm, maybe I'm kind of glad I didn't really do a hurkey and a backflip very good. Maybe I'm glad I stuck to the yearbook staff and the school newspaper. Less drama!"

Because man, these girls are … WHOA!

You've got Beth, the cheer captain, the one ALWAYS in control, who leads the squad, and then there's her best friend and follower, Addy, who does anything and everything she is told. And while this sounds like it might be a young adult novel, it's soooo not. Things have always been Beth says jump and Addy says, "How high?"

Until senior year when the new Coach comes. And everything changes. And that, my friends, is all I'm going to tell you. Except that this book has it all! Drama, crime, sex, friendship, intrigue… And also, I love Megan's way with words and descriptions and phrases -- she can turn a dark night into a fierce and frightening evening. She can turn a plain backbend into imagery you wouldn't have ever imagined just by the words she chooses to write. The verbs she chooses to describe the acts her characters take on are so telling, so revealing, they make the book come alive, so much so, that you feel you are inside of the book, living the adventure with them, and that can make for some very fascinating events! DARE ME is an exciting ride of a novel!

Here is the back of the book blurb for you:

Addy Hanlon and Beth Cassidy are the varsity cheerleaders all the other girls fear and admire, the unchallenged rulers of their high school kingdom. But everything changes when the new coach arrives. Cool and commanding, Coach French seems perfect in every way, a charismatic presence who overturns the girls' established pecking order and still manages to gain their fierce allegiance in the process.

Then a shocking event upends their fragile peace, and a police investigation begins circling in on the coach and her squad. As the girls' season moves towards its highly anticipated finale, Addy and Beth are forced to ask where their loyalties lie as they stakes grow higher, and more dangerous.

To win a copy of Dare Me, tell me if you've ever taken on a DARE or have you ever dared someone to do something scary? Last year -- wow, I can't believe it's been a year already -- I jumped off a waterfall at Fossil Creek -- it wasn't exactly a dare but my kids were going to do it so I couldn't have them all do it and NOT me! Of course, my husband chickened out!

If you didn't have a chance to enter to win ONE PINK LINE, please click over there to enter now. I'll choose BOTH winners later this weekend! 

And for those of you who asked, my son is doing OK - we are still trying to find the right medication for him. He had three seizures in the past month (one last night) - still scary but thank you for thinking of him. I don't want to bog this blog (hahah, bog the blog) down with all that bummer stuff--I want to get back to books! But feel free to friend me on FB if you want -- the link is at the top right under ABOUT ME, plus I always let you know when I have a new book featured via FB!

NEW TO BOOKING WITH MANIC?  

If you're new to Booking with Manic, thank you for stopping by! We love new readers! Some notes - If you're entering to win a book, please use an identifying name and it's usually a great idea to include an email, which I will never give out to anyone else. You can only enter once please. You'll need to check back here in about a week or so to see if you've won the book -- I will highlight the winner's name at the top of this post, or tell you where you can find the winner's name at the top of this post. Most books are supplied directly through publishers, publicists and the authors. Winners will receive books directly from the publisher or author within 3 weeks from the time you provide me with your address, unless I send you the book (sometimes I will). Sorry, but we can only ship to U.S. and Canada so if you're from another country, thank you for coming by to read and discover new authors, but we can't send you a book. Any questions on how I run the blog or suggestions on who you would like to see featured, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

Summer Book Celebration MAJOR GIVEAWAY

Winner announced here!

Happy Middle of the Summer Book Celebration!

I'm on vacation and since I didn't want to leave you all hanging, I thought I would offer a fun giveaway while I'm lounging away on a beach. Sounds fun? Well, I hope you enjoy it because I've got a load of great books to offer to ONE LUCKY WINNER!

I decided to put all my new-found-faves into one batch of great reads for you. These are all relatively newly released books from authors I have recently discovered that I think would make great summer reads. Whether they have water themes (some of them do), or just were really great books with characters that I couldn't get out of my mind, I want someone to have a collection of them all. So, thanks to these authors and their publicists, it's going to happen for YOU!

Here is the list of books that are up for grabs to ONE LUCKY WINNER, in no particular order: 

(Click on the title of the book for the full previous Manic review)

Can I Get An Amen - Sarah Healy

I’m in love with Ellen who gets dumped by her husband because of their infertility problems and she finds herself back at home with her very God-loving, God-fearing mom, who spurts phrases about the Lord every other sentence, and suggests that Jesus will show Ellen the way. 

On the Island - Tracey Garvis Graves

People love this book. It's got a great catch to it -- two people are stranded on a deserted island -- a 16-year-old boy who's in remission from cancer, and his 30-year-old tutor. And yep, they get BUSY! But, Tracey doesn't get all Fifty Shades of Grey on us … however, I can guarantee there is some steamy scenes and you'll definitely be thinking about TJ and Anna long after you close the pages of On the Island! 

The Underside of Joy - Sere Prince Halverson

A stepmom loses her husband to a drowning, and the birth mother comes back to reclaim her two children. A custody battle ensues. It’s not your basic stepmom fights birth mother story – the writing is so lyrical and fluid, and the setting adds so much to the novel in the fictional Elbow, California, with its Redwood trees, the lush forest, and the flowing river that runs through it.

Saving Ruth - Zoe Fishman

 
A near-drowning at the pool occurs and the events that transpire afterward put the whole story into motion – Saving Ruth deals with issues of eating disorders, depression, racial indifferences, marriage problems, sibling rivalry, and family relationships. 

The End of Everything - Megan Abbott

The End of Everything is another one of those books that I read about and I KNEW in my gut I just had to read ASAP. There are very few books like this that I just feel in my soul when I read about it that I just KNOW I have to get my hands on it or I will die won't be able to stop thinking about it. (Megan's got another one I'll be featuring very soon called DARE ME that you'll LOVE as well!)

Attachments - Rainbow Rowell

The story is set in 1999 when email is just coming onto the scene. Two of the main characters, Beth and Jennifer, both who work at a newspaper, correspond with one another through email. The guy whose job it is to monitor email at the company, Lincoln, falls in love with Beth through her emails, never having seen her because he works nights.

The Art of Forgetting - Camille Noe Pagan

I cracked it open thinking I would take a sneak peek and suddenly I was on chapter six dying to know what was happening with the mystery behind Nathan, Marissa’s ex-love, and wondering about the brain injury that her best friend, Julia sustains. I read this book at a super-fast pace and couldn’t recommend it enough! Such a great read!

Monarch Beach - Anita Hughes

This is the one I have actually been savoring to take to the beach with me as a special present to myself to enjoy! Already going into second printing! Yay Anita! 

The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. - Nichole Bernier

This is one of those books that I hunted down myself. I saw it on FB or somewhere on another author’s page and I knew I had to get my hands on it so I contacted the author’s publicist and asked for it. The whole mystery of the story caught my eye; the fact that the main character is already gone and her best friend has to put pieces of the mystery together by reading her journals, and the fact that it’s actually two stories in one. I just love journal stories! And I wanted this book!

Spin & Arranged - Catherine McKenzie

SPIN: I loved SPIN because it was a little like peeking into the life of a starlet like Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears in rehab, and the ways that Katie matures during her rehab stint shows that it’s possible for even the most skeptical to gain a little insight in rehab. And yes, there’s also a little love connection going on in rehab too, so you won’t want to miss out on SPIN!

ARRANGED: Anne Blythe has just broken up with another one of her boyfriends and finds a business card in the street promoting what she thinks is a dating company. She keeps the card and eventually calls this ‘dating’ company only to discover they really arrange marriages. Tired of picking the wrong men, and after deep contemplation, she agrees to be matched for marriage. Soon, Anne is on her way to Mexico to meet, Jack, the man who’s the perfect match for her, sight unseen.

So, if you want to receive ALL 11 of these books by these 10 authors to watch for, leave me a comment on what the most exciting thing you've done or will do this summer! 

A random winner will be chosen when I get back from my very own summer week at the beach. 

Please note we can only send winning books to a U.S. or Canada winner!

Thanks, and I hope you've enjoyed this little extra surprise giveaway on Booking with Manic! 

If you're new to Booking with Manic, thank you for stopping by! We love new readers! Some notes - If you're entering to win a book, please use an identifying name and it's usually a great idea to include an email, which I will never give out to anyone else. You can only enter once please. You'll need to check back here in about a week or so to see if you've won the book -- I will highlight the winner's name at the top of this post. Most books are supplied directly through publishers, publicists and the authors. Winners will receive books directly from the publisher within 3 weeks from the time you provide me with your address, unless I send you the book (sometimes I will). Sorry, but we can only ship to U.S. and Canada so if you're from another country, thank you for coming by to read and discover new authors, but we can't send you a book. Any questions on how I run the blog or suggestions on who you would like to see featured, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!