Book Review: NERVE

I was already midway into reading "Nerve" when I saw the movie adaptation starring Emma Roberts and Dave Franco (movie review here) and I could already tell that the movie was actually better than the book. For one thing, the dares were a lot more exciting, for another the movie has a better ending than the book. Which is saying a lot considering that it was the movie' sending that I had the most issues with. 

Before I get carried away, let's start at the beginning shall we? 

Jeanne Ryan's "Nerve" opens with a prologue which is narrated by a character we never really meet in the story,  it's one other former Nerve players on the run, looking for some peace and quiet in a park only to be harassed by what seems to be a deranged fan of sorts. The prologue then ends abruptly and we don't really know what happens to the girl-is this a foreshadowing of what is to happen to our heroine? 

Chapter One - we meet said heroine, Vee "the girl behind the curtain" (no, it's nothing like a Stieg Larsson book) who plays second fiddle to her best friend Sydney. While Vee sticks to the backstage as a make-up artist, Sydney is the star of the show. She's beautiful, confident and popular, things which Vee can only dream of. 

After feeling that Sydney betrayed her, Vee decides to join NERVE, an online game which has players perform dares for prizes and money. Which is different in the movie, since playing Nerve requires you to choose from being a player or a watcher, in the book, you're just a player. 

What follows next us basically the same plot for both the book and the movie, where Vee performs a number of dares and is paired off with the handsome and myseterious Ian, played by Dave Franco in the movie. Ian is given more depth in the movie, as his story ties in the main plot of the film. 

The downfall of the book, for me is during the finals of the Nerve games, which feels a lot like "The Hunger Games" as they introduce new characters that Vee and Ian have to "beat" in order to win their prizes. What follows is a boring stand off and yet another take on a scene from "The Hunger Games". 

I'm really glad that the screen writers stayed away from The Hunger Games similarities.

The ending of the book? Is even worse than the movie, if you can imagine. So should you read the book to appreciate the movie? No. Just go on and watch the movie. This is just a 1.5 out of 5 for me.