The premise of this novel was an interesting one. Teens from a small town have access to a social media site called Need that allows them to submit their desires on a 'Need' basis. Those who have needs deemed worthy are approved and it goes from there. While the concept is intriguing I found the various narratives a bit difficult to follow. It seemed as though the story was cluttered.

Need was absolutely written for a younger demographic than myself. To me, while it was a fast paced, easy enough read, it overall felt trite and patronizing. I also feel that if there had been fewer POVs, there would have been more of an emotional connection to be made with the characters we did share a POV with.

The premise was good; however, the execution lacked some finesse.

What would you do if you got an invitation to a private social media website? Would you sign up?

That is what Kaylee and kids at her high school in Wisconsin do. They each put a need they have onto the website and one by one their needs are meant. But at what cost?

This book had a really interesting concept but I felt since there were so many characters and not enough back story to them I had a hard time connecting with the characters. The book itself was a good read though. I feel it would work better as a show/movie though.

Need By Joelle Charbonneau
A social experiment on a bunch of teenagers what could possibly go wrong…
When a new social media site pops up and ask one basic question what do you NEED every teenager wants in. Kaylee a high school student whose brother is in need of a kidney transplant response to the site invitation that her friend that to her. But while all the other kids are asking for iPads, cars, longer winter breaks, better grades she’s looking for a kidney for her brother. But as more and more people join the site things that are required to get what you want become more severe. Before long there things change dramatically when the first person dies. As things continue to get worse Kaylee trying to figure out what’s going on and you could possibly be behind it. Now NEED has her best friend will she be able to save him in time?

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Teenagers and social media. Wants vs needs. High school social dynamics. Lots of points of view but a quick read.

This book grabs you from the first page and asks what would you do to belong to the group. LOVED this book. Twists and turns not commonly seen in a MG or HS novel.

I remember reading this book back when I received it but honestly do not remember much about it now. I know I thought the concept was pretty cool. Ill have to read it again and write a full review late.

I had a difficult time with this book. The basic premise was interesting, and I do like the message that warns that the anonymity of the internet can lead people to act in ways they might not usually behave. It is certainly important to remember that all our actions, including those online and on social media, have consequences. However, I feel like the story quickly became over the top and unbelievable. Additionally, there were so many narrators and characters that I had a hard time keeping up and distinguishing between them. Nonetheless, the book was very fast paced and full of action. It reminded me a lot of Jeanne Ryan's Nerve and I would recommend it to people that enjoyed that title.

This one just wasn't for me. I didn't like the multiple points of view, which is odd because usually that's something I appreciate in a book, but I think this one just had to many, especially from side characters, for my tastes. I also didn't feel that the decisions made by these teenagers felt real. Teenagers aren't dumb, and this book made them all out to be. It was frustrating to read.

My heart is still racing after reading this book. It takes place in a small town high school. Students are asked what they need. Can teenagers determine the difference between a need vs a want? As students are invited to join a new social media platform call NEED. They submit their "need." If a approved, they are given a task to complete before being granted their desire. When students begin dying, it becomes essential to find out who is behind NEED. Kayleigh is a student with a brother who needs a kidney very soon. She submitted her NEED but is not given a task. Why? Maybe it comes down to what is truly a need versus a want. Although, suggested for grades 9-12, I'd say it's fine for grade 7 and up.

A unique, excellent twist on the young adult thriller! I will be reading more by Joelle Charbonneau! She crafted unique characters and a compelling story with more twists and turns than anything I'd read before in this genre. There was a darkness underlying the story that made it feel like a Netflix movie, but with a lot more depth.

Hard to follow with so many POVs, so I frankly lost interest in the main story after a while. I loved the premise, but the execution faltered for me.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

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.

*2.5 stars*

Now, you may be looking at 2 stars and thinking "That must be a crappy book..." but, to be perfectly honest, it is a good, solid YA thriller novel. All the necessary boxes get ticked for the genre and it does a decent job keeping my interest...

Unfortunately, the downsides far outweigh any positives. Far too many POV's / narrators for such a story (I lost track at about 6) and the "suspend disbelief" quota was very, VERY high. Add to that some pretty ordinary characters / character development, and this just really didn't hit the peak that it should have.


Paul
ARH

I really liked this book. It was fast-paced and very interesting. The story is about a new social network that is getting popular on the highschool Kaylee is attending. People have to ask for something when they sign up for this network. But everything comes at a cost...

This is really great for those teens who are A. social media obsessed and B. fans of conspiracy theories. I booktalk this all the time to middle schoolers who are looking for an action packed mystery.

Dear Author,
There is 110% definitely such a thing as too many narrators in a book.
Love, Someone that hates having too many narrators.

Yes, there is something like 12 different perspectives in this book and it made it so much harder for me to get into the story and relate to the characters because as soon as I was getting used to one voice, I was thrown into another and by the end I just couldn't hack it anymore.
Also, as a teenager, I would like to say that I would never EVER get involved in something like this. Maybe I can't relate because I don't have any ill siblings that desperately need an organ transplant but listen here: things that sound too good to be true generally are. In fact, things that sound too good to be true are actually normally dangerous or have some risk attached to them. The fact that all these teens are fooled by this website is actually shocking and I don't know whether to be offended or not.
This book did have the potential to be something gripping and intense but the infinite number of POV's had me rushing to get to the end and made the plot very shallow and dull.

A great read, something many of my students will Enjoy. While I don't teach and wouldn't be able to use this in curriculum, it has a home on my office's book shelf.

Post Schedule: 02-20-17

one of those it's-not-you-it's-me books.

I really, really like the idea of NEED -- a social media site that asks what you 'need' and at the same time actually granting it after completing a certain task. But we all know that there's always a catch.

A Nottowa High exclusive social media site came out that asks its users what they 'need'. When Kaylee received an invite to join the site and was asked the question, she undoubtedly entered: a kidney for her brother. While NEED never asked Kaylee to do anything, her schoolmates were given tasks that ranges from sending out email invites to delivering cookies and letters. What could go wrong? *shrugs*

NEED is a thriller that really kept me intrigued. The mystery behind NEED -- its purpose, its operator -- really kept me wondering and pushed me to read on. I'm really just a sucker for mystery. I think that Charbonneau created a story that's very well constructed and the revelation was generally well explained. If it wasn't for that, I might have given this a 2-star rating or something below it. BUT that doesn't mean that this is a completely bad book. I just praised it, right? So don't feel downhearted if you already have a copy of this book or if you're actually considering it. It might just not be for me.

As I said, NEED's greatest aspect is the mystery. It was intriguing and it kept me guessing (and I guessed right in the end. HA!). However the characters really put me off of this book. One of the things I do not like about books (or book characters or people in general. seriously.) is being seriously low or unreasonable or just downright stupid (ohgosh, sorry for that. I don't really want to rant or anything). BUT I think that that is one of NEED's biggest point (and certainly an important one if I have to give more emphasis).

WHY DO I NOT LIKE THE CHARACTERS? They ask for short-term things -- something that will make them happy for a moment. AND THAT'S FINE. I mean, if you ask me right now, I can name A LOT of things I 'NEED' like a VIP concert ticket for State Champs on June or a library at my house, or a certain book's sequel, etc. BUT if you're going to ask me to do something that I know may or put someone's life or privacy at risk, I will have to back out. I will realize that I don't 'need' those, I just desperately want them, okay?

So when bad things started actually happening to other people, I just have to hate on anyone who still can't get a clue and bash those who's actually pointing out what's happening. It could just be a bad case of denial, that certainly could be a point, but as much as I understand that, I just got mad at the students who's in denial (bad point, I'm also being unreasonable. lol).

BUT the main character, Kaylee, is definitely notable. While she's the one who has an actual need, she's also the one standing up for the things that are happening. And that makes me root for her. Even though the students in her school don't like her, she fights for what's right and actually does something about it.

ANYWAY, I did say that the students being low or unreasonable is one of NEED's biggest point. It's mainly because I think NEED kind of involves some psychological aspect. You ask NEED for something, they request you to do something before granting it. You deliver cookies or note to your neighbor. #whatcouldgowrong? You get your request. A few days later #gasp something big happens (#spoileralert: he/she dies. are you even surprise? seriously?). Now that you know this happened (or someone told you this actually happened) are you still going to request for something? That's the dilemma the characters are going through and it's interesting, I'm telling you. #whatcouldgowrong

Another thing I did not like about NEED is the multiple POV. As much as I LOVE multiple narrators and can read books with more than 5 or 6 or 7 of narrators switching, this book just didn't worked for me. Admittedly, I barely remember the characters and what they did and what they asked for. It could just be me or it could be a bad case of writing but the characters barely stuck to me except for the main character, Kaylee, of course.

BUT PLEASE DON'T LET ME STOP YOU FROM READING THIS BOOK. While I was infuriated with many of the teens in this book and was quite lost because of the number of narrators, I still think that the story was well thought of and the mystery and twists completely noteworthy. It kept me at the edge of my seat and the revelation and ending makes me imagine this as an American horror/thriller film.

OVERALL, NEED is a young adult, mystery-thriller that involves a shady social media site, an intriguing mystery, and a thrilling pace told in multiple narrators. While some aspects of the novel didn't work for me, it certainly might work for YOU. If you're into psychological thrillers and edge-of-your-seat reads, this is definitely for you.