Megan Abbott | DARE ME

Plot (via Goodreads):

Addy Hanlon has always been Beth Cassidy's best friend and trusted lieutenant. Beth calls the shots and Addy carries them out, a long-established order of things that has brought them to the pinnacle of their high-school careers. Now they're seniors who rule the intensely competitive cheer squad, feared and followed by the other girls -- until the young new coach arrives.

Cool and commanding, an emissary from the adult world just beyond their reach, Coach Colette French draws Addy and the other cheerleaders into her life. Only Beth, unsettled by the new regime, remains outside Coach's golden circle, waging a subtle but vicious campaign to regain her position as "top girl" -- both with the team and with Addy herself. 

Then a suicide focuses a police investigation on Coach and her squad. After the first wave of shock and grief, Addy tries to uncover the truth behind the death -- and learns that the boundary between loyalty and love can be dangerous terrain.

Review:

This is going to be short and sweet as this is the second time I read Dare Me by Megan Abbott. Another blogger that I'm friends with was raving about how she had gotten into Abbott's writing and couldn't stop binge-reading her stories. While Dare Me is the only one that I have read thus far, I asked her if she would buddy-read the story with me as I felt like this is definitely the type of book that is perfect for book clubs or just any discussion about the written word...and lets face it, Abbott is one hell of a writer. 

We all think high school is hell during those four years of mistrust, finding yourself, and all the while approaching the time when you have to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. With this one, I was definitely grateful for my high school experience. The plot to this story is a bit more slow-paced in the beginning, but definitely speeds up and doesn't hold off on the psychological suspense. This story is definitely dark and really addictive - giving me a pretty nice sunburn when I wasn't paying attention because I was so enthralled in the story. The characters are masterfully deceitful and the ending was deliciously satisfying. Along with my friend, I will definitely be gobbling up more Megan Abbott in the near future.

Rating: 4/5