Title: Nerve
Author: Jeanne Ryan
Series: Standalone
Publish Date: July 12, 2016 (Originally Published in September 2012)
Publisher: Speak (Originally Published by Dial Books)
Format: Print, Paperback – Movie Tie-In

Goodreads Summary:

ARE YOU PLAYING THE GAME OR IS THE GAME PLAYING YOU?

Vee doesn’t know if she has the guts to play NERVE, an anonymous online game of dares. But whoever’s behind the game knows exactly what she wants, enticing her with lustworthy prizes and a sizzling-hot partner. With Ian on her team, it’s easy to agree to another dare. And another. And another. At first it’s thrilling as the Watchers cheer them on to more dangerous challenges. But suddenly the game turns deadly. Will Vee and Ian risk their lives for the Grand Prize dare, or will the lose NERVE?

Review: It must be a cold day in hell, but the film is better.

I picked up Nerve after having watched the film, mostly because the book is usually better. Or at least, the book goes into more detail, has scenes that had to be skipped for time, better character development…

If you want all that, watch the film.

Here’s the thing. The novel and film’s plots are pretty similar, with some minor differences, through the first two acts. The biggest change from book to film is that the Watchers can reward Players with items as well as money, something that was simplified in the film, to great success. The third act takes a major left turn, to the point that it’s almost impossible to compare them. Without spoilers, the film’s third act makes so much more sense in the context of the story, while I almost started skipping pages with the novel. I rarely get this bored reading, and this was a reread!

The characters of Vee and Ian are night and day different between book and film. Vee spends a majority of the book whining and basically sabotaging herself. Ian isn’t fleshed out at all. I commend the scriptwriter for making sense of these characters and bringing them to life. The actors actually had something to work with!

Honestly, if you’re into thrillers that deal with dares and social media, give the film a try. I hate to say it, but avoid this novel. It just doesn’t do the genre justice.

Rating: 2/5

Goodreads Goal 14/52

(Quick note: I didn’t write a review for the 6th, 8th and 10th “books” I read this year, as they are the first three The Old Guard: Tales Through Time issues, which are 32 pages each. I decided I’ll just review the series as a whole when the final issue is released in September.)