This was one of the first Megan Abbott books that I've ever read. It doesn't disappoint. Definitely a must read if you love mystery books

This book was interesting to read during a pandemic. This little town is seemingly plagued by a mysterious illness that is affecting high school girls. So many rumours swirl around about why its happening to only girls - whether it be the shot they've all been given to help them avoid STDs, some unknown contaminant in their environment or something else.

The story is written from multiple points of view so that we get glimpses of how this is affecting not only teenage girls, but siblings and parents as well. As it unfolds you will keep changing your mind on what the cause is.

The story is more about how the fear of the unknown takes over a small town setting. Everyone is talking, everyone can be a suspect and anything could be the reason.

If you are looking for a quick, suspenseful read this just might be the one for this summer.

I've often mentioned that when I first started out reviewing that I had trouble saying no to review requests and have a number of books I never got around to. Another area that I struggled with early on was organizing my review copies, particularly on Netgalley. I have a number of e-galleys that archived before I downloaded them. The Fever by Megan Abbott is a book I requested way back in 2014 but didn't get to read. I saw that my digital library had a copy so I thought I would read it now.

I'm sure it was the "mysterious illness" that drew me to this story originally and what better time to read about an illness than during a pandemic?

Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me.

The synopsis promised an "impossible-to-put-down 'panic attack of a novel'." While the characters may have felt panic over the mysterious illness that was sickening teenage girls, I felt no rush of adrenaline and it definitely was possible to put down.

I found the story to be pretty boring overall and several times thought about giving up. I was curious enough about what was sickening the girls that I trudged on. There was also a weird, but subtle, sexual vibe that bordered on creepy at times. The second half was marginally better. And the discovery of what the illness was wasn't satisfying but it did explain why the author wrote the sexual vibe into the story.

The Fever in some ways reminded me of The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker. I didn't really like that story either.

The book is meant for young adults and probably when I was a teenager, I would have enjoyed it more.

A gripping and suspenseful book that examines an inexplicably contagious madness that spreads through a community of adolescent girls; Abbott once again perfectly captures the tension and mystique of the transition from girlhood to womanhood beneath the weight of all the world expects of women.

The Fever is a book about family relationships
Not your “ Father Knows Best” relationships, but twisted ones
Strange and surprising ones
If you think you know what will happen next, you don’t
I look forward to Megan Abbott’s next book

Thank you for extending the ARC of "The Fever" to me -- I was unable to finish this book before it expired, so I plan to purchase a copy and read it Thank you anyway!

This one was hard to rate, I actually put it off for quite a long time. The writing wasn't bad, but it was hard to describe what this book was. It wasn't scary, it wasn't a mystery, it was..... I'm not sure. It felt like a labryinth, full of dead-end wrong turns that really have nothing to do with anything other than to distract you.

It was full of that teenage pettiness and immaturity that's sometimes fun to endure but this time it seemed over the top. The biggest problem for me was that I felt like there wasn't really anything that happens. But I didn't want to give it a terrible review because the author can write. I could be in the situation, see the characters, watch the interactions, she can tell a story for sure. I think she's a great author, just wish the content was better.

The characters did nothing for me, I didn't hate them or love them. They really didn't move me in any way other than making me feel that this family seems to need some therapy to deal with the issues. There was a lot of sexual content in this book for a YA novel. Not that you don't find it in YA or teenage life, but it felt almost forced. A lot of the scenes just didn't feel necessary at all. The family was weirdly sexual, not together, just the whole family seemed to have issues in one way or another. The dad was awkwardly observant of his daughter's friends and their development of the years. The brother carries this awkward relationship as he thinks about his sister in the next room when he's with the girl of the week. The sexting is pretty prevalent and almost felt extreme. Yes, it happens, but to that extent to one guy and push it so hard through the book felt forced. It seemed every situation turned sexual in one way or another or had some sexual comment or component added just to throw it in.
This wasn't your typical YA, wasn't much of a mystery or thriller. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this one, BUT I still intend to follow this author, because she definitely has potential since she is a good author.

I did not finish this book because I disliked it so much. It felt sluggish and I was often bored while reading it.

A well-written and enjoyable book, I am glad I requested this title and will be more than happy to pass the title along to my fellow library purchasers.