Panic is a game played by graduating seniors in the little town of Carp, New York. It takes place over the entire summer and consists of competition against other students as well as individual challenges. Everyone is sworn to secrecy about the game, and bad things happen to anyone who breaks the code. The winner takes home a ton of money- this time it's up to $67,000. Heather Nill grew up in a trailer park and doesn't have much going for her- when her boyfriend dumps her and takes up with another girl, Heather figures she has nothing to lose and impulsively jumps (literally) into the game. She is joined by her best friend Nat and Dodge, a loser who has his own reasons for playing.
The story is told from the viewpoint of both Heather and Dodge, and the story intersects between them and their friends as they navigate Panic. Heather and Dodge have a hard life and not much to look forward to- so why not play? Of course the stakes get high and they will both have to make some tough calls that will affect them and everyone around them as well. Heather's friend Bishop at times reminded me of Levi from Fangirl for some reason- he's just one of those nice guys. Although in this book there are a lot of secrets and not everyone is as they appear.
Lauren Oliver touches on a lot of things in this story- the decaying small town feel of Carp, the hopelessness of those with few options, and the teens- it's at times hilarious to hear their thoughts about their loser parents and the other dysfunctional people in this town. Nat has OCD issues and that was a nice touch.
Panic is set in the here and now and is not a science fiction tale. It's just a story of some kids who are desperate and take some chances, for all kinds of reasons. This book grabbed me right from the get-go and kept me turning the pages- while I occasionally thought the character motivations to be a bit farfetched, it was mostly plausible. Although I do think in real life the cops would have shut this down way before it gets to the point it does.
I highly recommend Panic for anyone who wants a fast paced, thrilling and often sobering look at a game that gets way out of control. I blew through this and thought it was great, if a bit unrealistic at the end.
I've been wondering about what the game is that they go through, and it sounds more and more ominous after reading this review -- which means I enjoyed it :) You've got me SO curious about it! And I am even more curious since Goodreads has this a #1 in a series.
ReplyDeleteIt really is good, I liked this a lot. And I didn't know that about Goodreads- I don't THINK it's a series, but I could be wrong...
DeleteHmmm... definitely curious. I've seen this book around for awhile but I haven't been tempted to pick it up. However, now I'm really curious. I want to find out more about the game and the motivations. I'll have to get a copy of htis one!
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun YA read, and I love the idea of the game. Concepts like that always get me. I enjoyed this one with the decaying small town feel- it made it feel more plausible.
DeleteGreat review! I have to admit that this author really isn't for me. This one wasn't too bad in my opinion, but yeah I thought it was unrealistic and it had a few issues. I'm glad you liked it though! 😀😀
ReplyDeleteThis is the only book by her that I've read, although I've heard things about some of the others. And I'm looking forward to Replica. I did hear mixed reviews of this one, not everyone loved it, but I love concept of the game! Although yes I think the cops might have put a stop to all that. :)
DeleteI meant to say too that I fully agree about the cops shutting it down. That bothered me a lot for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI've only read one Oliver book but I enjoyed it a lot and have been meaning to read more of her. I've been a bit torn about this but now reading your review, I want to read it. I'm curious about the game and the fact that you breezed through this is really promising!
ReplyDeleteThis is the only one I've read, but it was fun. I hope you read it and let me know what you think!
DeleteGreat review, Greg! Panic has been on my shelf for a pretty long time now, and I've always been on the fence about reading it or not. There are a lot of mixed reviews for panic, but hopefully I'll like it like you do!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Some people liked it and some not so much, but I thoguht it was good. I hope you enjoy it if you do read it!
DeleteI love Lauren Oliver and this one was pretty good for me. I remember not loving the ending so much. Still I know I liked it it overall. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThis was my first Lauren Oliver and it made me a fan. I know it's not her highest regarded book but it made me curious enough that I want to read more of her stuff. I'm going to do Replica and then will probably check out her older books.
DeleteOh yeah, I forgot about this book! I remember wanting to read it, but you know ho it goes. Looks like I need to get on it.
ReplyDeleteYes I do! I have so many I never get to. This one is pretty good- not amazing but it's interesting.
DeleteI was kind of disappointed with how Oliver's Delirium trilogy ended and haven't read anything by her since, but I really want to check out Panic now. You might want to try Oliver's debut, Before I Fall, which was also excellent. :)
ReplyDeleteI think I will! I've heard other people recommend that one too, and someone said that was their favorite. After replica I'm probably going to read more of her
DeleteThis is probably my least favorite Lauren Oliver book, but I still enjoyed it! I agree with you about the police- this would have been kiboshed LONG ago, and that made it a little unrealistic for me, but overall it was a good read. I adored her Delirium trilogy (except the last bit of Requiem- someone give me an epilogue, stat!) and I thought that Vanishing Girls and Before I Fall were amazing (and they're making a movie of the latter!) I need to start Replica ASAP too. Glad you mostly enjoyed this one, I look forward to your thoughts on Lauren's other books! She's an auto-buy author for me :D
ReplyDeleteYeah I think the police would have shut all that down lol but I love the idea of the game itself, and how the stunts get progressively worse. I'd love to see a show based on that. I've heard good things about her other books, and look forward to Replica big time. And that's great news about the movie!
DeleteThis concept kind of makes me think of Nerve, albeit a small and seemingly less technological version. It does look like I would need to stretch my imagination a bit with ignoring things like what you said about the cops shutting it down. But I've yet to read anything by Lauren Oliver so they may be a good start.
ReplyDeleteLiselle @ Lunch-Time Librarian
It does seem similar to Nerve! Speaking of which, I want to read and see that movie too. Ha ha I guess these "game" stories get me. This was good though, I hope you get a chance to read it sometime.
DeleteI haven't read anything by Oliver yet, but this certainly sounds intriguing. I have to admit though, that I am simultaneously fascinated by and scared by books about kids or teens making crazy decisions! I guess it's the mom part of me....
ReplyDeleteI can see that! It's like, you aren't REALLY going to do that are you? I think being a parent can probably affect the way we look at YA's lol...
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed this one. I'm sure cops would shut down any sort of dangerous game thing, but I imagine it's probably believable enough at least that teens would partake in something like this, especially if they really needed the money and didn't have much to lose. It sounds like it could be an interesting and fast-paced read!
ReplyDeleteYeah the way the town is portrayed and the way it's set up, there's like not much to do in this town, and I too can see the kids going for it. The police notwithstanding lol. So implausible as it is, I enjoyed the game aspects and the increasingly dangerous nature of it. :)
DeleteI don't think this is a book for me, but i am glad you enjoyed it and the motivations were mostly realistic. Too bad the end was a bit unrealistic, but that's a good sign you raced blew through it.
ReplyDeleteYeah I liked it. Not perfect but good enough. I like the game aspects of it and how dangerous it was- it's a fun thrill ride.
DeleteI've seen this book around but for some reason never looked into the plot. I had no idea Panic was the name of a game xD I thought this was about a missing girl or something. Whoops.
ReplyDeleteMolly @ Molly's Book Nook
You wouldn't know from the title what it's about, that's true. And with that cover yeah you would think I liked that it was a game and that appealed to me after I read the blurb, or I probably would never have tried it.
DeleteInteresting review. I do what to read it but I'm not sure where it's falling in my TBR pile right now....
ReplyDelete