Need

by Joelle Charbonneau, Joelle Charbonneau

What do you really need?

One by one, the teens in Nottawa, Wisconsin, join the newest, hottest networking site and answer one question: What do you need? A new iPhone? Backstage passes to a concert? In exchange for a seemingly minor task, the NEED site will fulfill your request. Everyone is doing it. So why shouldn’t you?

Kaylee Dunham knows what she needs—a kidney for her sick brother. She doesn’t believe a social networking site can help, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

Or could it?

After making her request, Kaylee starts to realize the price that will have to be paid for her need to be met. The demands the site makes on users in exchange for their desires are escalating, and so is the body count. Will Kaylee be able to unravel the mystery of who created the NEED network before it destroys them all?

alternate cover edition for ISBN 0544416694

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Suspense

336 pages, Pocket Book

First published November 3, 2015

About the author

I am a storyteller at heart. I have performed in a variety of operas, musical theatre and children's theatre productions across the Chicagoland area.

While I'm happy to perform for an audience, I am equally delighted to teach private voice lessons and use my experience from the stage to create compelling characters on the page. I am the author of the Rebecca Robbins mystery series (Minotaur Books), The Paige Marshall Glee Club mysteries (Berkley) and The Testing YA triology (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes, there is such a thing as too many narrators. I give you the Table of Contents of this book.



The words "chilling" and "thriller" is used in the blurb to sell this book. They're misleading. This book was silly.

If anything, this book only serves to highlight how stupid teenagers are. In life, nothing comes without a price. Books like The Monkey's Paw demonstrates it perfectly well. Things that sound too good to be true probably are. Which is why it's just seriously stupid and this book makes its teenagers look even dumber by having them fall so perfectly into the trap. A website that promises to fulfil your wishes. Too good to be true? Sure it is. Do the teenagers in this book fall for it? Sure they do. Real-life teenagers are a little smarter than that.

"No one gets something for nothing. We all should know better."

Yeah, they should. Give teenagers some credit. Give them some skepticism.

CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED TO NEED—THE NEWEST, INVITATION-ONLY SOCIAL MEDIA SITE FOR NOTTAWA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. JOIN YOUR FRIENDS IN DISCOVERING HOW MUCH BETTER LIFE CAN BE WHEN YOU ARE PRESENTED WITH AN ANONYMOUS WAY TO EXPRESS YOUR THOUGHTS AND ARE GIVEN THE TOOLS TO GET THE THINGS YOU NEED.

That doesn't look suspicious at all!

So our main character has a brother who's sick and/or dying. Her wish:

I NEED A KIDNEY FOR MY BROTHER.

Well, how sweet of her. But let's think this through.

If it were me, here would be my thought process. I need a donor kidney. A kidney comes from a human. A human has to be cut open to get a kidney. Consent is highly recommended.

If it were me, I'd type in "I NEED A KIDNEY FROM A CONSENTING AND WILLING ADULT DONOR WHO MATCHES MY BROTHER AND WHO WISHES TO HELP" instead of "I NEED A KIDNEY."

But that's just me.

And that's how it goes. Wishes are typed in blithefully free of the inconvenience of a deeper thought process. Of course shit is going to fly.

Oh God. The network is down more members. Who else is dead? And who killed them?

[Dear Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first glance, NEED by Joelle Charbonneau sounds like the fricking bomb. Its premise speaks of the following:

1. A small town full of selfish high schoolers;
2. A social media tool that promises to fulfill your every need if you do certain conditions;
3. A heroine who has a brother who desperately needs a kidney transplant.

This was basically me:



But unfortunately, while I do agree that this was a fast-paced novel, it wasn't something that left a huge impact in me.

Let's talk about multiple, emotionless, deadpan-like POVs.

For a premise like this, I do understand the need of having multiple POVs, especially since you have a tempting social media tool that promises to fulfill even your most extravagant wishes for a price. It's something that affects the people on a very large scale, and we won't be able to witness and feel its magnitude if we don't get to see it from the eyes of more than two people. The book, at the very least, accomplishes the minimal requirement - we got to see so many students being enchanted by this website and doing everything they can just so they can obtain what they think they need (a new computer, a date with the hottest guy, a gun, an A+ on their school test, etc) - but they lacked the emotional pull, which isn't exactly a bad thing in this case, but it's important for me as my own kind of reader. I found many of the POVs (some only appeared once or twice) forgettable and dare I say, cheesy. But of course the geek wanted a new computer! But of course these cheerleaders wanted a date with the hottest guy! Their individual character profiles felt half-assed, making them feel excruciatingly predictable and making me cry a little bit inside because if they were a bit more fleshed out and made more realistic, they could have been an amazing character study on how social media as a whole takes away our empathy because we feel detached to the sufferings of others when we're behind our computer screens.

But I digress.

Another thing is that it was hard for me to take the premise seriously. Don't get me wrong: I love how it sounds like on paper, but how it was executed - that's another matter entirely. Talking about ths in length would mean putting my hand into the spoiler jar, so forgive me if I'm vague here, but I guess how it was all explained in the end just felt too good to be true and it didn't suspend my disbelief at all. It was way too cheesy and it reminded me so much of those mystery/science-fiction novels where in order to create some sort of drama ripe of conspiracies, they would go towards the unrealistic zone. (If you want to see what it is, check out the spoiler) Basically, the website is a social experiment conducted, funded, and executed by the government, and in order to get their results, they drive these kids to kill and harm each other, BECAUSE HOW ELSE WILL WE SEE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL, MENTAL, AND EMOTIONAL EFFECTS OF SUCH A TOOL ON THESE SELFISH TEENAGERS, AMIRITE?! Instead of going, "OMFGWTFCHICKENBBQ!!!! THAT IS AN AMAZING CONSPIRACY!!!" I went, "OMGWTFCHICKENBBQ. HOW CHEESIER CAN THIS BOOK GET?!"

Thanks but no thanks for the cheeseburger, book! The big reveal ended up being anti-climactic because of this! -____-

It definitely is a fast read, though, I can tell you that. And to a certain extent, it does let us see how social media can make us feel indifferent to other people, especially when seeing something through the computer screen is a far cry from seeing real suffering personally. It asks the question, to what lengths will you go in order to obtain what you  think you  need,  and how peer pressure and societal norms are defining what we  think we  need.  However, if you're the type who wants your book to be more grounded to reality and make it more emotional, read at your own risk because you'd more than likely end up disappointed. Think of the premise as something like a "very much dumbed-down Dan Brown-like modern conspiracy for teens with multiple POVs".

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[Cyna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Need is one of those books that makes me acutely aware of the fact that I’m a very nearly thirty-year-old woman reading a book written for people half my age. This puts me in an awkward position – maybe one that I’m in more than I realize, but with Need, I really feel it – because while I may find Need dumb, illogical, patronizing, and actually kind of insulting to the demographic it’s targeted at, I have no goddamn idea how actual teenagers might react to it.

So that’s where I’m at with this review. Maybe this book has shit teenagers need to hear. Maybe the incredibly heavy-handed soapboxing is necessary and good and I mean, I can’t bag on the thing for being anti-cyber bullying, that’s a worthy cause. But as somebody the book was admittedly not written for, and assuming I’m also speaking, at least in part, to other people the book was not written for, Need was kinda crap.

The premise is pretty great though, and that’s what made me grab Need as the first book of my two month-long Halloween spooky story binge. It’s more thriller than horror, but the idea is one of those classic intriguing creepy scenarios that probably won’t have a satisfying explanation: there’s a social network site that will give you anything you need, for a price. The blurb is somewhat vague on what that is, but the reveal near the start of the book takes the intrigue up a notch: the price is that you have to do a thing. Innocuous things, at first: leave a box of cookies on a doorstep; write up a receipt for an order that never existed; slip a sexy note under somebody’s door.

It’s a devious set-up, with this fascinating mystery hovering in the background – who or what is behind NEED, and what is its purpose? – and a great mastermind vibe running throughout. I love the feeling that there’s a huge plan in motion and you’re slowly being shown snippets of it, piecing it together knowing it’ll all add up to something terrible in the end. Masterful manipulation is always my kind of party.

So while it wasn’t off to a flawless start – FYI, third person present tense is the literal worst tense I’ve ever had to read a book in and I hate it – I was pretty fully on board with Need for like the first hundred pages. Then I made the mistake of idly skimming the first paragraph – the first paragraph – of a couple of GR reviews to get a feel for the community reception, and stumbled across a massive spoiler.

A SPOILER THAT I’M TOTALLY GOING TO REPEAT HERE AND YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN’T READ FURTHER IF YOU’RE THINKING OF CHECKING THIS BOOK OUT BECAUSE KNOWING IN ADVANCE REALLY RUINS IT

YOU’VE BEEN WARNED

So yeah it’s the government. The government is responsible for this website that grants teenager’s wishes. And that’s believable for maybe four or five chapters, until one teenager is needlessly and intentionally manipulated into killing another, and then all my suspension of disbelief just threw itself head-first out the window. Like, really?

Hey look, I mean, we all know the (American in this context) government has conducted terrible experiments on and done shitty things to its people basically since inception, right? I’m not saying that’s out of the realm of possibility. But the sheer pettiness of this particular experiment is what pushes it beyond belief for me. Like, why? What could the American goddamn government get out of making some rando teenage girl die of an allergic reaction? Even in an experimental context, what purpose could it serve?

I thought at first that maybe it would turn out that the death was accidental, that they expected her to have an EpiPen and save herself or some shit. That’s a reasonable assumption, and I wouldn’t put it past the government to nearly kill a girl for some dumbfuck reason. But then the site has some kid murder a pack of puppies, and another girl is kidnapped and left to burn to death in an explosion, then a grown-ass woman dies because some kid was told to switch her meds, and people are dropping left and right and kids are being ordered to straight-up shoot people, and I’m just sitting back like REALLY? REALLY? Am I really expected to believe that the government is going to massacre like half the students at some small-town high school via a secret website that literally hundreds of kids somehow keep from their parents and the entire rest of the internet? I’m really meant to believe that the government gives enough of a shit about some rando midwestern teenagers to put this kind of manpower, money, and energy into learning about every little aspect of every one of their lives and then formulating this incredibly intricate domino-effect plan that ultimately comes to nothing except a Bond-villain monologue? Because I really don’t.

Obviously this is more YMMV than most, but this whole plan seemed too petty and too pointless for me to buy. I mean, it’s not even a fully psychological experiment, either, which I might actually believe more than the alternative, but no, it’s an experimental intelligence-gathering operation. The ultimate reveal is that the government is testing out the NEED website’s effectiveness as a means of bribing foreign teenagers to spy for them, which again, is just the most needlessly convoluted fucking thing I’ve ever heard of. It makes so little sense. For one, if this is meant to be a foreign operation, why even bother testing it in the US? The monologuing Bond villain says something about how they’ll have to “adapt for culture”, but that seems like the kind of vitally differentiating aspect that would make a homeland experiment basically pointless.

IMO “did it for the experimentz” is one of the easiest and most disappointing possible explanations you could give for a scenario like this, BUT that actually makes sense, because for me it felt as though the set-up was there less to support a worthwhile payoff, and more to support Need’s message. That message being: teenagers are selfish, entitled, heartless jerks and that’s bad :((((.

That was the other thing that kind of hacked me off about the book. The whole thing had such an old-person-anxiety feel to it, and I say that will full awareness of the irony, thanks. It’s the same feel that you get from those articles about how shitty Millennials are, or from those old episodes of Law & Order where some kid plays Grand Theft Auto or WoW and then goes on a killing spree, or going further back, those movies about murderous LARPers, or evil comic books, or Satanic rock music, or fucking Reefer Madness.

Yeah, cyber-bullying and the dehumanizing nature of internet discourse, those are things we definitely need to be thinking and talking about – and it’s not like people aren’t, already – but the handling here is just so cynical and patronizing. I mean, if the assertion is that this whole thing works because teenagers are lazy, entitled, thoughtless pricks, good news, everyone! That’s neither exclusive to nor ubiquitous among teens. #NotAllTeenagers

So yes, the message is important, but I found it poorly-handled. That being said, again, I’m not the intended audience, so who knows! Maybe it gets its point across just fuckin’ peachy for the kids, thank you.

But okay, putting the message + reveal aside, how does the rest of it stand up?

Mehhhhhhhh?

The set-up is strong. If I hadn’t stumbled across the spoiler I probably would have enjoyed the NEED shenanigans a while longer. The characters are paper-thin, though, and that’s a problem because the book fluctuates between as many as 10 different narrators, and it was often difficult for me to remember who had done what because they all have similar voices and attitudes. There’s the mercenary boy who’s just doing things for cash, often indistinguishable from Grand Theft Auto boy, who views that whole thing as a video game. There’s the girl with a crush on the protagonist’s BFF/love interest who I occasionally had difficulty distinguishing from the Mean Girl doing things for concert tickets.

Even ignoring their similar-sounding voices, the characters are all just…one-note. As with the reveal, they seem to be there more to serve the message than anything else, the literary equivalent of those kids who decide to smoke cigarettes or do drugs or have sex in after-school PSA’s. Like, “You see that, kids? Gina’s willing to kill somebody for concert tickets. Don’t be Gina.”

Our protagonist, Kaylee, was…very flawed. And that’s great! I appreciate protagonists whose flaws are actually meant to be flaws (though in retrospect, Kaylee’s flaws are very similar to those of a petulant child, and given what the book seems to think about teenagers…). Anyway, there’s a lot of interesting stuff about how illness has broken up her home, and how Kaylee has lied and been so single-minded in her pursuit of a kidney for her dying brother that she’s alienated almost everyone around her, and used up all of her mother’s trust in her. Unfortunately, while this is important to the book, it’s more in terms of logistics, not any heavy emotional drama. It’d make for an interesting thing to explore in a more grounded contemporary novel.

I was also vaguely annoyed by the repeated magical appearance of dudes every time Kaylee got in to some physical scrape. It happened like three times: dudes just turn up to keep her from being shot, or help her drag someone out of a burning building, or shoot the goddamn big bad at the end, because god forbid Kaylee figure some way out of a scrape herself. It was such a weirdly retro vibe, like the few times Kaylee made a choice to physically act on something, she became some 90’s action movie damsel. I’d figured we’d gotten to the point in YA where a female protagonist could generally be allowed to at least save herself in the end, but not here, apparently.

So, weak characters but relatively interesting set-up that just gets sillier the further it goes along.

That said, I want to chat a little about our physically present Big Bad and the actual ending sequence in the novel, because holy crap was that one giant clusterfuck of things that don’t make sense. SPOILERS, OBV.

Basically, the on-site director of the government experiment to make kids kill one another over iPods and concert tickets was the school psychologist, Dr. Jain, a Science Lady with an incredibly confusing and also incidental-seeming backstory in which her husband cheated on her with the protagonist’s mother and fathered the protagonist’s brother.

I have no idea why this is a thing.

Okay, obviously I get why part of it is a thing: the cheating mother is supposed the be the partially ~justifiable~ motivation for Kaylee’s father’s utterly soulless decision to abandon his family when his son’s condition went critical. But I have no idea why it’s specifically Jain’s husband that Kaylee’s mother cheated with. It feels almost insignificant to the character herself; you’d think that okay, the idea is that she’s ~a woman scorned~ and choosing this town for the experiment is her way of exacting revenge, but she says "no" when confronted about it. I mean, she could just be lying I guess, but there’s no indication that this is the case in the narrative. She doesn’t even seem to have much of a hate-on for the protagonist, which is kind of what you would expect if ~woman scorned~ were supposed to be part of her motivation. But no, she’s generally portrayed as a cold, detached science robot – “I’mma have someone kill you but I’mma patch you up and give you a morphine shot first because pain is unnecessary and I don’t want to contaminate data” kinda thing – and she’s fair to the protagonist in a way that the plot treats like a huge reveal.

Apparently, a fucking useless-in-practice detail of the way NEED works is that if you ask for something you actually need, as opposed to something you just want, you’re not required to pay any price for it. And since Kaylee’s brother really needed a kidney, she was never given a task to complete.

There are so many dumb-fuck things about this policy that I almost can’t even begin to wrap my head around it. I mean, a) what fucking good does this do in the supposed real-world context for this operation – which again, is to bribe foreign teenagers into spying for the US government? What good does it do to reward them for emotional honesty? Especially if they don’t even realize that they’re being rewarded? Because this part of the deal is never spelled out on the website.

And b), even if it did serve some sort of psychological purpose for the subjects, even if they knew, up front and from the beginning that that was how it worked, it wouldn’t matter, because the teens are given tasks even if they don’t realize that they don’t actually need the thing they’re asking for. In the book, Kaylee has NO IDEA about her mother’s affair, she genuinely believes that her father can save her little brother’s life. But because that isn’t FACTUALLY ACCURATE, if she had asked NEED for her father’s location instead of just “a kidney for her brother”, she would have been made to perform some kind of task to pay for the information.

This makes no kind of sense. That kind of pedantic dedication to not just a useless, but in fact a counter-productive policy is ridiculous. I have no idea why the book decided that needed to be a thing, or why it needed to be emphasized in the end as though it were some kind of mind-bending twist. Just like I have no idea why her father not being her brother’s bio-dad and her mother having had an affair with Jain’s husband were treated like some big reveal when none of that information seems all that relevant to the experiment, or even to Jain herself. It feels like a twist for the sake of a twist – like NEED being a government program and Jain being the villain wasn’t enough, so we had to pull some shit out last-minute to make the wrap-up more dramatic.

Oh yeah, there’s also this:

“You should have just let things be.” Dr. Jain strides to the table, sits down at the computer, and begins to type. She stands again in less than a minute and walks toward me. “The one good thing is that we now know that the most important thing we can do to perpetuate each network cell is to identify those who fit your personality type and eliminate them.”

Um, what? Not two pages ago, the protagonist said this:

I’d like to think I would have ignored the request, but I’m not so sure that I could have given up on the chance to help DJ. I wouldn’t have cared about the consequences of fulfilling the request until it was too late. And then, like Bryan had, I would probably have done anything to prevent my mother or the people in this town from finding out what I had done. I would have been just as bad as everyone else. I might have been worse. It was all a trap. One that I escaped, because Dr. Jain played God and deemed my request a need.

She has literally just said that the only reason that she escaped this web of blackmailed compliance is because Dr. Jain gave her a pass. Maybe “the most important thing you can do to perpetuate each network cell” is not give anyone a fucking pass, you embarrassing excuse for a Science Lady.

So yeah, Need: started strong and steadily rolled down hill until it ended up at the bottom in a smoldering wreck. I have no idea what actual young adults will make of it, but this particular sad adult got nothing but disappointment and vague annoyance. Not recommended.

Full review + bonus quotespam + more reviews like this up at You'reKilling.Us

[Aditi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The single biggest existential threat that's out there, I think, is cyber."

----Michael Mullen, a retired United States Navy admiral


Joelle Charbonneau, an American author, pens her latest YA thriller, Need, that is about a bunch of high school teenagers falling prey to the world of cyber crime- a website which would fulfill their wishes if they perform the tasks against it, like fulfilling a challenge, and within no time the addictive cyber world pulled them into darkness coming out from which became life threatening.


Synopsis:

"No one gets something for nothing. We all should know better."

Teenagers at Wisconsin's Nottawa High School are drawn deeper into a social networking site that promises to grant their every need . . . regardless of the consequences. Soon the site turns sinister, with simple pranks escalating to malicious crimes. The body count rises. In this chilling YA thriller, the author of the best-selling Testing trilogy examines not only the dark side of social media, but the dark side of human nature.

This is just an ordinary thriller book but which provides a coming-of-age story or rather just say, the story of everyday's life in the world of cyber crimes, and the concept that the author developed along with an edgy story, proves that this book is one hell of a violent ride beyond the microprocessor and the PLCs and the optical fibres that combine together to form a cyber world via your laptop or computer or mobile. The book cover is exciting and justifies the story completely. If you ask me who is the girl in the cover picture then let me tell you, her name is Kaylee and she is the protagonist of this story, although the story doesn't necessarily revolve around her yet she plays the most important role in the story.

Kaylee needs help to save the life of her brother who is sick. Her mom is too involved and has obsessed herself with the problem. Kaylee herself jumps to the world of cyberworld which promises her to give her brother a new life if she fulfills their challenges and tasks, but while waiting on the request that she made on a website called NEED, bad things started happening around her, a teenager who asked for help got killed, making Kayless realize that if she sits mum, she soon will fall into the dead-body count list.

The writing style is fantastic and the author tells it in an intriguing manner with bit twists and breadcrumbs to follow the real culprit behind the website. The author has captured the young vulnerable minds of the teenagers when they are in desparated need to find for help quite vividly and has portrayed that brilliantly in this story. The narrative can be a bit blurry at times, since there are so many POVs in the story that can confuse the reader a lot. I mean it is good to have a wider perspective to the story but when everyone voicing the same story, then it gets bit tedious as well as confusing. The pace of the book, on the other hand, is a fast pace and has an ability to keep the readers engaged till the very last page.

The characters, though can be bit surreal at times, still the author filled their presence with a strong purpose which finally gives them an interseting edge to their demanor. Kaylee is a brave girl who stand ups against the tide to pull out the mask behind the person who was the owner of this creepy website. The atmosphere of the book is very dark and at times can be bit violent which unravels like a drug by keeping the readers on the edge of anticipation. The characters are portrayed in their most vulnerable moments, how their wants turned into needs in no matter of time, how the lure of their needs getting fulfilled, landed them on the trap set by the website. This also displays that teenagers minds are impulsive and can do anything to fulfill their demands.

Overall, this is a stirring as well as hair-raising book that ends with the hope that the author will come back with the same story maybe in the same or more sinister way.

Verdict: A must read book if you are a fan of cyber crimes or of reading YA thrillers.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author's publishers for providing me with an ARC of the book, in return for an honest review.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initial reaction:From reading two books by Joelle Charbonneau, I'm wondering if she'd be better off writing comedic horror/thriller than actual suspense/thriller, because I found it difficult to take "NEED" seriously after a time. It had some decent suspenseful moments in the beginning and other parts, but mostly it was just the kind of horror you'd laugh about - for better and worse.

Full review:

Okay, full disclosure time. I wasn't a big fan of Joelle Charbonneau's "The Testing" - it started with a lot of promise, but I thought that there were things about it that didn't mesh very well with the purported suspense the narrative had.

Unfortunately, "NEED" suffers from that same problem to me. I couldn't take it seriously because of the way it started and then gradually devolved for quality. It's billed as a suspense/thriller with social media links. There are a multitude of narrators, the most prominent of which was Kaylee (so I'll call her the main narrator). On one hand, I saw why there were so many narrators - because when the characters start dying off as a result of other people's actions, it was a unique way of wondering who survived and who didn't. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of connection to the characters, not too many times when the suspense makes you truly on edge for the situation, and the way the plot tries to tie all of the events together seems...funny at best.

I could relate with Kaylee for the most part, but the disbelief thrown against her felt a bit too much for me. I couldn't believe her mother would do that, plus the fact the police seemed to be more focused on her possibly being behind the scheme of events didn't make sense to me, especially with all the teens dying for various reasons. I found myself laughing at how some parts of the narrative unfolded, so I decided to just ride along with the plot to see what happened. It's silly D-grade movie horror/suspense at best, and after a while, I just treated it to be more humored than anything else. But honestly, I wouldn't recommend this book for people looking for a thrilling, engaging read. It has some good ideas, but the execution leaves much to be desired.

Overall score: 2/5 stars

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

This was one of those books where I read the first few chapters and was like "well, I see exactly where this is going." I mean, take a mysterious website that grants people's wishes anonymously and add in a character with a brother who needs a kidney and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what will happen.

While I was essentially right, the story did go off a lot of other directions. A lot. There were at least eight or nine POV characters, which for me is about six or seven too many. All of them had needs they wanted fulfilled, and most of these needs (when compared to the kidney) were only things that a sixteen year old could consider a desperate necessity.

The story did something interesting, which was that it required the wishers to do shady stuff in exchange for getting their own wishes fulfilled. But then, in my opinion, the book didn't take this far enough I mean, was I the only person who thought that whoever was behind NEED was going to kill someone to come up with a kidney for DJ.? Or try to make Kaylee kill someone to get him that kidney? That would have been pretty interesting.

But my twisted story ideas aside, I think this book would have read so much stronger to me if some of the POVs had been eliminated and the story told by just a few people who REALLY needed stuff and would do anything to get it. For me, it was a problem that what most of these characters thought they "needed" (that pimple to go away, or a date to the prom) was just not something anyone else would possibly care about. This, in combination with the fact that there were too many of these filler characters, lowered the tension for me. On the plus side a) I did not guess the villain and b) villain did have an interesting motivation but for me the ending deteriorated into a borderline cheesy melodrama.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

Read more of my reviews on YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaylee Dunham only needs and wants one thing in life, for her brother to get the kidney he needs to survive. Kaylee was willing to donate herself but unfortunately she just wasn't a match so she's done everything she can to bring awareness to her brother's health problems and try to find a donor.

When her friend shows Kaylee a new social networking site aimed at the students from her high school that claims to grant users what they need Kaylee can't help but become curious. After signing up for NEED Kaylee makes the request that he brother would get the kidney he desperately needs but soon things take an unfortunate turn for the users of the site and it's obvious that sometimes things are just too good to be true.

Need is another book that I really struggled with on how to rate this one. I actually enjoyed reading this one and thought it was rather well done and engaging all the way through. But that being said my main dilemma stood with the fact that this strongly reminded me of Nerve by Jeanne Ryan which I just read not too long ago. There are differences of course to the stories but if broken down it seemed they could really have followed the same outline.

Both books are centered around a anonymous site granting gifts for doing things. Need sort of separates itself making the main character get involved due to an actual need for her wish instead of just glamorous prizes. But both ramp up the intensity along the way with Need definitely being the darker of the two. There's a bit of a twist in both that is very similar also but where Need also excelled was the ending, I found it much more satisfying in depth.

In the end I can't deny that I still enjoyed reading this book even though it was so similar to another so I decided to go with four stars just based on my enjoyment with this one. The only thing I think Need had a bit off about it was the beginning starts off a bit confusing with multiple POVs but otherwise a really good fast paced read, just not overly original in my opinion.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Markéta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autorka umí psát čtivě. :) Ale stejně jako u Univezity, i tady mi něco chybělo, abych se z toho posadila na zadek.

[Tessa Herondale~Carstairs]

DNF at 27%

It's too unrealistic and so many POVs makes it confusing. Really wanted to like this, but I can't wrap my head around this.

**To whomever it may concern. You know who you are. This is not a review. These are my thoughts on the part of the book that I read**

[Irshad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid 4.5 stars

NEED is a novel that is based on this new social media site entitled, NEED. It's a site that allows people to request anything that they NEED. However, access to this site is only by invitation only. Anything at all can be asked and your request will be fulfilled only if you accomplish a certain task that will be assigned by the site itself.
Doesn't this book already sound so interesting? That's exactly why I picked it up and I have no regrets in reading this at all.

NEED is a mystery/thriller YA book that is engaging right from the beginning. It's a fast paced book which allowed me to breeze through the paged with ease. I managed to read it within a day! There were many plot twists that made it difficult to put the book down.

The main characters introduced in this book were Kaylee & Nate. They're best friends. Basically Kaylee's only friend is Nate but Nate is sort of popular due to his jock brother. The jocks are always social kings in school.
Kaylee gets invited to NEED through an invitation that was sent by Nate. After making his request, Nate had an easy task and he accomplishes it. Kaylee, being a girl not hyped up about social media decides to join the site just to see if it does what it says it will do and that is to provide Kaylee with what she NEEDS.

The only people who get invited to this site are students from Nottawa High School. And the tasks and findings from the site updates reveal some shocking finds. I do not want to reveal anything further that could spoil your reading experience. Let's just say that there are some shocking things that the High School students will do just to meet their requests in NEED.

I'd agree that this book may not be for everyone. It depends if a storyline like this would intrigue you to pick it up.
The only downfall in this book were the lack of character development. Due to the fast pace of this book, there wasn't much room for character development other than for the main characters. We do get introduced to quite a variety of the high school students and some background information on them would enhance the reading experience. Maybe I just wanted more in this book. WHY AM I ALWAYS NOT EASILY SATISFIED! If you want a book with more character development then don't pick this book up.

I loved this mystery/thriller book and will definitely be re-reading this book towards the end of the year.

[Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes quite a bit to scare me as far as books are concerned, but “Need” had me wishing I had left the lights on when I went to bed. It’s a solid new book from the author of the popular “Testing” series that fans of thrillers or the author will not want to miss.

The story is told through the first person with Kaylee and through the third person using various students who are members of the new social networking site “Need.” Need promises to deliver what those who make requests need (though it’s really wants), but at a price. Mixing the points of view makes for a great mystery that gives the readers enough clues to keep it interesting, but not so many that it’s obvious what is going on.

All of the characters are compelling, even those with only a few pages in total devoted to them. The plot makes for a page-turner and never slows down. It also brings up many serious issues about social networking and human nature, both good and bad. In fact, aside from a few events that seem a bit of a stretch of reality, I can’t find anything that I didn’t like about “Need”. Also, there is one instance of animal abuse and death, though it isn’t gratuitous and is important to the plot, so please beware if that triggers you.

I recommend “Need” to all of those old (and brave) enough to handle a book that is terrifying because it could actually happen. It can be used to spark discussion about dangers, both online and off, as well as how we treat others.

This review is based upon a complimentary copy of the book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Femke · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Een ingewikkeld verhaal door veel personages, maar de combinatie van een vernieuwend concept en een diepgaande boodschap maakt Nodig kwalitatief gezien een goed boek.'
Recensie: http://wp.me/p53Esr-R3

9 september 2017: Ik heb het boek inmiddels nog een keer gelezen, wat best interessant is, aangezien ik boeken bijna nooit herlees. Ik kijk er nu ook anders tegenaan, en sluit me op sommige punten niet meer helemaal aan bij wat ik in mijn recensie (zie hierboven) stel. Misschien is mijn leesblik wat 'volwassener' geworden? Ik weet niet echt hoe ik het moet omschrijven, maar ik ergerde me wel aan bepaalde dingen. Maar misschien is dat omdat ik de verhaallijn op zich al kende?

[Stacee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this book, but the execution fell a bit flat.

First off, there were a ton of POVs. Yes, it makes sense to show what the other kids participating in NEED were doing, but there wasn't any sort of continuity to it. And a lot of the voices sounded the same. As for the MC, I didn't really care for her, so I didn't care about her journey or what happened to her.

The bad guy reveal and explanation weren't as awesome as I was expecting. After the lengthy build up, it left a lot to be desired. Ultimately, the idea was clever, but I wasn't captivated by how it played out.

**Huge thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**

[Anny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo he terminado anoche y ha sido un libro que me ha sorprendido en muchos aspectos. Aunque la trama me recordaba mucho a Nerve (Jeanne Ryan) Deseo tomó otro camino en las primeras cincuenta páginas. Los personajes no me convencieron mucho, eso sí, pero todo lo demás me ha encantado. La trama, la tensión en las últimas 100 páginas sobre cómo se resolvería todo, el final en sí, me han sorprendido, y me ha dejado muy buen sabor de boca.

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Istyria book blog ~ B's world of enchanted books

Well, that was intense. I had a pretty good idea of what I could expect when I started this book and it delivered. It didn't blow me away, but I did like it more than I thought I would. Need is fast-paced, quite a nail-biter and I read it in one sitting, so saying I liked it would be an understatement.

The teenagers from Wisconsin's Nottawa High School are sucked into a dangerous game when a social networking site shows up that promises to grant their every need regardless of the consequences. But the more members it gets, the more sinister the tasks required to fulfill the needs become. Simple pranks turn into malicious crimes and then someone dies and nobody knows how to stop or is too scared to try.

I think the only real problem I had with Need was the amount of POV's. There are quite a few and while they do help tell the story better, I think I could've done with a few less. Some seemed to only exist to explain one small thing from a certain story line. But that's the only negative thing I can say about this really. The writing was great, the story was quite fresh and a real nail-biter. I read this book in one sitting and just had to know what would happen next.

The characters were pretty standard for the most part. There were a few that stood out as main characters, the most prominent one being Kaylee since her POV was the only one told in first person POV, unlike the others, those were told in third person POV. I did feel bad for her and sympathized with her. She was the only one that put in a rather selfless request as a need and quite honestly, she's the only one that deserved to see her need fulfilled. I liked her bond with her brother DJ and I didn't like her mother. I did like Nate. Can't really say much about the others because of spoilers.

Need was an intense, fast-paced, nail-biting read that makes you question the difference between want and need. How far would you go to get that one thing you think you desperately need? It reminds me of Pretty Little Liars a bit with the social media and the threats. Fans of that show or the books should really check this one out. If you're a fan of YA Thrillers, I can definitely recommend this book.



This review is also (or -soon- will be) posted on Istyria book blog.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ondanks de vele personages die niet tot in de details worden uitgewerkt, heb ik ontzettend genoten van deze pageturner. NODIG was spannend van begin tot eind en wist me te verrassen met haar ontknoping - ik had een andere potentiële dader op het oog.
Een uitgebreide recensie volgt.

[Brielovesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

- No spoilers -

Het is een psychologische ya thriller die je niet los laat.

Nodig is een netwerk, enkel beschikbaar voor studenten van Wisconsinson, dat je slechts één vraag stelt: wat heb jij nodig?

Je dient een verzoek in en nodig geeft jouw een opdracht. Wanneer je deze opdracht volbrengt, willigt Nodig jouw verzoek in.

+

- Het psychologische aspect van de thriller sprak me enorm aan. Vooral hoe de tieners elkaar beïnvloeden (dit samen met de sociale media).

- De band tussen Kaylee en haar broertje DJ vond ik mooi in beeld gebracht. Kaylee gaat tot het uiterste om haar broer te redden.

- Ik kon het boek gewoon niet neerleggen! De spanning hield me in zijn greep.

-

- Ik begrijp dat de schrijfster wou benadrukken dat de hoofdpersonages tieners zijn. Door een overeenkomstige woordenschat versterk je het groepsgevoel. Alleen begon ik me al snel te irriteren aan het veelvuldig gebruik van 'ja duh'. Het verzwakte de eigen stem van de personages. Doordat ze dezelfde woorden gebruikten, waren ze soms moeilijk van elkaar te onderscheiden waardoor ik soms verward was. Hierdoor verloor ik de spanning een beetje.

Over het algemeen vond ik Nodig een geslaagde thriller met een interessant onderwerp. Een aanrader voor lezer die van ya en thrillers houden.

[Christine Charliers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zalig boek gewoon! Eén van de beste thrillers die ik tot nu toe gelezen heb. Nagelbijtende spanning. Had het juiste ritme, geen onnodige bladvulling en uitdieping (net voldoende wat nodig was voor het verhaal), was nergens voorspelbaar (tenzij je doorziet hoe het zit met die opdrachten maar dat noem ik niet voorspelbaar, eerder het doordenken van de lezer en in dit geval kun je niet anders met de opzet). Het einde was perfect, heel spannend en het zat logisch in elkaar. Ik had echt niet door wie er achter zou zitten. Ik had 2 verdachten, op het laatste 3 maar ik zat er compleet naast. Het zit heel goed in elkaar en ik vind het ritme veel beter als De test. En haar schrijfstijl vind ik heel goed. Het is zo geschreven dat je eerst nog niet helemaal door hebt wat de persoon gedaan heeft en dat vind ik een kunst. Dikke pluim voor de schrijfster! En ik hoop zo hard dat er een vervolg op komt. Laat er aub en vervolg op komen :-).

[human · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a suspenseful almost-dystopia with a thrilling plot.
Nuff said.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very glad I got this book for Literature Circles! I really enjoyed reading this book, and I could not put it down! This book is very suspenseful!

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd like to thank HMH Books for Young Readers for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.

When I read the blurb for this book it sounded completely intriguing. I will say I wasn't the biggest fan of this author's The Testing series. I had a lot of issues with it, including some issues with the writing. But I figured I would give this one a shot because different genres really bring out different writing for authors. And since the plot felt like it would be interesting, I proceeded, with a bit of caution.

The first thing I will say about this book is that it is in many points of view. I wasn't expecting that at all. And once I started getting into the book I just got totally confused. I found it hard to know who was speaking and this made it harder to connect with any of the characters. I couldn't picture any of them in my mind. And I thought all the POVs took away from the strength we could have see had this been from just a few people's or maybe two people's POV. There was no continuity in how they were presented. Kind of a mish-mash of stream of thought. I don't even remember all the characters, there were that many POVS. Not one was relatable. Not one had a unique enough identity to help me remember who they were.

I thought the plot line was interesting, though fairly predictable. Kids put out there online what they need and it's granted when they accomplish a task set before them. Not long into the book, I knew this was going to be a dark theme. How could it not. The tasks kept getting harder and harder and more and more macabre. People starting doing things they wouldn't normally do just to get what they needed. I understood the rational, and I know people can go to great lengths for things, but there was so much death and destruction left in the wake of it all. Also, it's just not real to me. I blame the execution, which again comes back to too many POVs.

I have to say that I was bored for most of the book. I didn't feel the action that actually did happen. And when I did feel it, I was just disgusted. I'm not a teenager, but is the really how they would react to a suspicious email inviting them to an elite group, etc. etc.? I just don't see it happening. Most of the characters didn't think before they acted. And when they did act, the selfishness was off the charts.

I really wanted to like this book, I really did, but it just was not in the cards. With flat characters, an unrealistic plot, and slow pacing, this book fell short of the greatness it could have been.

[noodle! · Rating 5 out of 5]

How high am I allowed to rate books?
Can I rate this at 10?
I absolutely LOVED this book.
I don't know if it was just the overall creepiness or the suspense or how absorbing it was.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Na het super sonisch snel uitlezen van 'de test trilogie' in 2014 en deze trilogie zoveel mogelijk aan mensen aangeraden te hebben (mijn vriend las deze serie tijdens onze vakantie en mijn beste vriendin heeft hem tevens recent verslonden), keek ik onwijs uit naar het lezen van het nieuwe boek van Joelle: Nodig. Aan de ene kant hunkerend, aan de andere kant bang om teleurgesteld te worden, besloot ik dit boek tijdens mijn vakantie eindelijk op te pakken.

Nodig. Een nieuw online platform, waarop je kunt aangeven wat je écht nodig hebt. In ruil voor een opdracht kan dit zomaar jouw bezit worden. Als je durft tenminste..

De test trilogie was in veel ogen niet bijster origineel, dit boek daarentegen lijkt op geen enkele andere YA! Ik vond hem super origineel. Een compleet ander verhaal dan de recente, populaire YA boeken. Pluspunt vond ik ook dat dit een standalone is. Je blijft eindelijk eens zonder vragen achter.

Het verhaal zelf was even inkomen. Door de vele karakters en de snelle afwisseling, was ik soms de kluts even kwijt. Het belangrijkste personage is Kaylee. De anderen zijn voornamelijk bijrollen. Met Kaylee kan ik dan ook het meeste meeleven. Hoewel ze zwakt oogt, is ze stiekem best sterk. Toch was ze niet echt een persoon waarin ik mezelf kon terugvinden.

Gedurende het verhaal zag ik sommige gebeurtenissen al aankomen. 1 maal stond ik met mijn mond vol tanden en moest ik het boek even wegleggen om tot mezelf te komen om het boek daarna in 1 ruk uit te lezen. Het einde was goed passend en liet me tevreden achter. Verdiende 4 sterren. Kom maar op met een nieuw boek Joelle!

[Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free ARC of Need from HMH Books for Young Readers via Netgalley in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*

Need is a chilling tale about how far the anonymity of the internet could go if we let it. Putting others behind wants for new and shiny things is not new, but the way this was facilitated in Need made the story quite horrifying.

Need takes social media stalking and bullying to a whole new level, and it's very hard to see who can be trusted, and who the main character should stay very far away from! With a layered plot, a solid story and characters that are realistic and flawed, Need appealed to me in many ways! Everybody who has a social media account knows how important it is to be polite and show respect online... especially because there are always trolls who want to make even that a difficult experience for some users. In Need, this is taken to another level, when only those who are students at Nottawa High can become members on a new social platform. And the first question they get is 'What do you NEED?'

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews

[Agustina Uliarte · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5
RESEÑA EN EL BLOG: https://bookstwins.wordpress.com/2019...

[jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

wow. this is sooo lame. my eyes were rolling so hard while reading this, im surprised they are not permanently stuck. so much cringe.

↠ 2 stars

[Pája · Rating 4 out of 5]

Z konce jsem trošku zklamaná, myslím si, že to mohlo být vyřešeno lépe, ale jinak jsem velmi příjemně překvapená, docela brutální young adult thriller, který ukazuje, jak na tom je dnešní generace a co jsou lidi ochotni udělat pro něco, co chtějí

[Rustic Red Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks Edelweiss for giving an e-ARC of the book.

Students (check), a "game" (check), a prize (of course, check) and dead bodies (check)... reminds me of Panic and Nerve (still haven't read NERVE). But I gotta to say this is a lot better than Panic but I am again disappointed of too many books that the characters are being experimented on - Divergent, The Maze Runner and Taken but still aside from that it is good.

What do you NEED

(more like WANTS :D )

So there this website that is for the Nottowa High School students only where the could ask their NEEDs or wants but in exchange for something the first ones are just sending e-mail invites to those who doesn't join until some stuffs done by NEED in order to set something in motion .

There are a lot of characters that are having their POVs but the most important are (Kaylee, Bryan and Ethan) but you also need to read the others to understand what happened to this and that. So Kaylee, the main character, whose father left and a brother needing a kidney. And what she sent to NEED is the latter.

Mostly the other students are just asking their wants (not their needs) and doing some requirements in order to get what they asked... until something bad started to happen or rather someone died . And who is behind NEED is it someone who is close to her?

NEED is a really fun and great read, with chapters revealing at the end thus making you read the chapter and the next until you finished the book. And I quite like the twists like who is helping NEED but what and who is NEED is something I didn't really like gathering data, understanding the students and stuffs like that. And the meaning of NEED. It must not be an acronym since it will be only applicable to "N" schools or places. I liked this better than The Testing (as a trilogy, but I liked The Testing better than this).

Need tackles the society unnecessary needs... or wants that become a need because it for a couple of reasons, which is really common nowadays. It could be a hobby, something that you really want that others have, some things that are "in" or just things you wanted to change yourself - popular and maybe more attractive (plastic surgeries and make ups). And that's what most of the characters requested - their unnecessary needs/wants, that they forgot what they really needed or the consequences of what they will get. Like what John Green said "The world is not a wish-granting factory." since it could chaos and even a bloodbath.

The ending revealed that there COULD be a sequel or something, because it is open ended - opening possibilities to sequels and novellas (but I think a standalone is enough).

[Anjie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book. This in no way affects my opinion of the book. Please be aware that there may have been changes on the final published book.

"No one gets something for nothing, we all should know better"

Need was a very interesting and different idea for a book. It had a great synopsis that pulled you right in. It was what made me want to read it. It was intriguing that there was this internet site where you put in what you needed and it would somehow give it to you. The main character kind of sees that there’s something wrong with the website but yet still chooses to believe that there won’t be any consequences. I feel like the book strongly misinterpreted teenagers. It depicts all of the teenagers in the small town as one-dimensional, greedy, selfish, ignorant and dense. I know a bunch of people that wouldn’t fall for a website like Need. I think my main issue was with the writing. It was way too confusing, especially with the several point of views. It was really problematic when they all started sounding the same. The only way I knew I was reading the main character’s point of view was because it was written in first person and the others were written in third person. I don’t remember any of the characters really and that’s a problem. I couldn’t connect with any of them, not even the main character.

I thought that I would be able to empathize with Kaylee because her story really was heartbreaking. Her father left the family and her brother was pretty much dying. However, she was pretty crazy. She was extremist. I understand that you want to find a kidney for your brother but I don’t understand how you could overstep your boundaries and insult people who aren’t willing to give their kidney to your brother. Seriously, Kaylee? You would give up your kidney to a random stranger’s brother. Be realistic. She just angered me so much in the book because of it. She went as far as faking sick to look at her classmate’s medical records to see who matched her brother’s blood type. Yeah, let’s just bypass all HIPAA laws and invade other people’s privacy. Then she has the audacity to be angry at her classmates when they want nothing to do with her. HELLO! You are batsh*t crazy and forcing yourself on them! But I digress.

"No matter how many warnings are posted, no one actually believes that online behavior can hurt their lives or the lives of others. Especially if there is a cloak of anonymity. Everyone feels shielded, safe, and invincible."

NEED wasn’t terrible. It really was interesting and it kept me reading because it created this air of mystery. I really wanted to know who was behind all of it and how everything was being funded. There were so many questions and I was so eager to see how it was all going to end. While the ending was surprising, I felt it was anticlimactic. I wish that it had a better explanation to the whole purpose of NEED and it honestly reminded me of the Avengers. Specifically, it reminded me of Hydra and why NEED was created in the first place. What I did like about the book was that it paralleled cyber bullying and how they hide behind anonymity and so they can say and do what they want without real consequences. There were still so many questions that were unanswered but it sufficed. I think that it was a great plot twist when we find out who was behind all of NEED.

Check out my book blog: Love they Shelf

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Partly reminiscent of Robert Cormier's style and partly that of Walter Sorrells, Need is a strong second creative endeavor for Joelle Charbonneau, who burst onto the scene with her Testing trilogy a few years prior. Deadly secrets and lies are in play as a community of ordinary teens gradually springs the trap on themselves and discovers they are the real monsters from their worst nightmares. The descent begins with a new fly-by-night social network website exclusively for Nottawa High School kids. The home page asks a simple, irresistible question: what do you need? What do you want? You type in an anonymous request, and NEED promises to do its best to fulfill it. Initially all that's required is for the asker to invite a few friends from school to join NEED. If they do, their request is as good as granted. Kaylee hears about NEED through her friend Nate, whose older brother was one of the first to join. Nate types in that he "needs" a good grade on a test in school that will decide whether he passes or flunks the class, but a more serious need weighs on Kaylee's mind. Her little brother, DJ, has had several bouts of kidney disease, and his prognosis worsens each time. He's okay at the moment, but the next setback could put him at need for an emergency kidney transplant, and vital organs are a scarce commodity. Kaylee and her mother aren't a match to donate, and her father inexplicably walked out on the family months ago. Kaylee has bullied, begged, and manipulated her peers at school to be tested, but even if she can find someone willing to live the rest of their life without a kidney, they'd have to be a match. Could NEED provide the solution to DJ's problem?

Within days practically every NHS student is signed up with NEED, and the requirement for request fulfillment changes. Now the price is to perform a specific action mandated by NEED and post photo evidence to the website. The deeds seem like light mischief, each one a tiny pinprick, but added together those pinpricks aren't so insignificant. The first death emits shockwaves through the school, especially Bryan, who did the deed that led to the death of the girl he not-so-secretly loves. He wasn't aware of NEED's murderous intent when he dropped that box off on the girl's doorstep, but he killed her as surely as if he pulled a trigger on a gun he didn't think was loaded. Can he live with the fact that he not only robbed a girl of her life, but that it was a girl he cared for very much? Only Bryan knows his culpability, but the anchor of remorse is too heavy to carry. He asks NEED for a gun, planning to end his torture with one bullet.

Bryan isn't the only Nottawa high-schooler who's done something they can't take back. NEED has its finger on the pulse of every adolescent in town, pushing the right psychological buttons to get them to attempt stunts they never would if they weren't protected by anonymity. Some students approach their tasks with trepidation, hating what they have to do to earn more free stuff, while others revel in the mayhem and destruction they author, eager to carry out missions purely for the sake of thrills. Kaylee's reputation isn't great after the prodding she's done in the past to get a kidney donor for DJ, but it declines precipitously as NEED takes hold in local youth culture. When Kaylee decides NEED has gone too far and is hurting kids, she seeks help, but her mother is skeptical. Her daughter has lied before to draw public attention to DJ's plight, and Kaylee's mother worries that this stress could affect her ailing son. The school counselor, Dr. Jain, doesn't believe anything Kaylee says about NEED. The website's strict rules about not discussing NEED mean the other kids haven't stepped forward to report anything to the police, and now Dr. Jain, Kaylee's mother, and law enforcement think Kaylee is merely unstable. Their pity turns to suspicion when NEED retaliates for Kaylee's police report by framing her for some of the atrocious acts committed in the name of NEED. If she can't unmask the mastermind behind the site before police apprehend her, more of her friends will die violent deaths, and Kaylee won't taste freedom for years. Worse, DJ's odds of getting a donor kidney may evaporate. But the worst might be if a kidney suddenly does turn up...

Need features an intricate plot and smart social commentary, and these aspects almost vault it to greatness. When we behave badly, we're quick to rationalize it because if we can't believe in our own goodness, how do we go on? When we're one of many acting irresponsibly, and only in minor ways, it's human nature to let ourselves off the hook if those little things accumulate into a tragedy. The end result wasn't our fault, right? But as much as we need to convince ourselves otherwise, when we do something wrong and it leads to sobering consequences, we're at fault. We can't hide behind the excuse of ignorance. NEED appeals to a feeling in each of us that Nate gives voice to: "Sometimes being smart is about getting the desired result without having to do something you hate in order to get it." Efficiency is good; why expend unnecessary energy if there's a better way to get what you need and want? But are we willing to harm people if it means we can have our way? Where do we draw the line when it comes to our actions, which we and no one else control? Nate also understands the effect of anonymity on people. "(He) loves watching how the people we know behave online. He says it's the only way to see someone's true nature. It's a fairly simple choice to be nice to someone who's right in front of you. After all, as Nate says, why risk a punch in the face if you don't have to? But online there's an invisible shield that Nate claims allows people to feel protected from the consequences of their actions. Because of that, they stop behaving like they are supposed to and instead do what they want. No matter who they upset or hurt." The ostensible invulnerability of anonymity engenders false courage, lowering inhibitions as new standards emerge for what people will tolerate. It's disheartening how cruel people are when safeguarded by anonymity, and that shield contributes to how far the NHS students are ready to go for the material possessions they crave. When the impact of their actions finally hits home, the grief is overwhelming. Bryan's mother doesn't know he played a role in the homicide of the girl he loved, but she knows he's upset, and offers sound advice. "(W)hen you're sad and the walls feel like they're closing in, I want you to remember that the only way to get out of the tunnel is through it. You'll get through this, Bryan." But is it fair for him to make it through when his victim never had a chance? Is there any moving through this darkest of tunnels that Bryan can imagine?

Thematically, Need reminds me of Neal Shusterman's The Shadow Club, and I mean that as a compliment. It grapples with tough issues of individual and group responsibility, agonizing guilt, and coping with consequences that can't be dismissed with the wave of a magic wand. There are chilling and heartbreaking scenes that left me on the brink of rounding my two-and-a-half star rating to three stars, but I'm not sure I can do it. Regardless, this is a good book, and Joelle Charbonneau proves her talent. It's refreshing to see a standalone novel of this type. If you like fast-paced teen mysteries, Need may be for you.