Need by Joelle Charbonneau

Three Stars!

The one-sentence summary? Need is a compelling thriller that explores social media and the impact of human needs and motivation. However, it's more than just a thriller or an exploration of teenage motivation. Given Charbonneau's previous dystopian trilogy, The Testing, I had expected a futuristic tale of subtle issues. This was certainly not the case with Need. Instead, Need is based in the present in a typical town with typical teenagers with typical issues, wants, and needs. It soon becomes apparent that "typical" won't continue.

Introduced as a fun game, an Internet activity rapidly engages the teenage population of an entire high school. It seems to start slowly, but the narration plays out the scenarios in a believable "real-time" manner. The story ramps up the fear factor and suspense quickly, all without excessive gore. Need aptly demonstrates the ease of how people are deluded into forgetting basic Internet safety protocols. Sadly, it also makes clear how easily teenage thought is dismissed by those in authority. It truly shows that there are consequences for every action no matter how inconsequential they seem at the time.

I particularly liked how the story unfolded. It seemed so very believable that I was totally caught up in the events as they were revealed. I also liked the voice of the female protagonist. She had her own worries: a missing dad and a brother who needed a kidney transplant along with a host of other typical teenage issues. Nonetheless, she maintained a strength of character throughout the novel even while dealing with some of her own internal flaws.

So why only 3 stars? Well, some of the secondary characters were a bit too stock for my taste: the thoughtless jock, the angst-ridden introvert, the psychopathic loner, the self-absorbed popular girl, etc. Also, while I enjoyed the overall plot, the ending was a bit too succinct. It was a quick ending that tied up the ends too neatly and especially too quickly. Basically, the pacing at the end needed more work. Otherwise, it was an engaging novel that explored some very real issues.

Enjoy the read, my friends.