Panic by Lauren Oliver

Jacque's Review: 

Panic is a contemporary stand-alone novel.  The main characters are all recent high school graduates preparing to compete in a series of dangerous challenges.  It is a tradition in their small town for the students to contribute to a pot throughout the school year.  The day after their graduation, they have the opportunity to enter a competition referred to as Panic for the chance to win over $60,000.  While each participant has their own reason for competing, they all consider it their one shot at a better life.  Participants are eliminated throughout the competition and the winner takes all.  There have been serious injuries and even deaths in the past, so joining Panic is not a decision that should be taken lightly.

I have read a number of comments made by readers who assumed Panic was going to be another Hunger Games based upon the synopsis.  Panic is NOTHING like the Hunger Games.  This is not about a futuristic society subjecting unwilling participants to a death match.  This is something that I could honestly see happening.  Eighteen-year-old kids smoking, drinking, partying, and participating in ridiculous challenges for a chance at winning a large sum of money.  With Panic, nobody has to get hurt.  Participants can drop out if they decide the stakes are getting too high. 

The story is told from both Heather and Dodge's POV.  They are both participants in Panic, but they were not friends prior to graduation.  They start working together during one of the challenges after Heather's friend, Nat, injures her ankle and needs assistance.  We learn a great deal about all three characters and why they decided to enter the challenge.  There is a lot of danger and even some developing romance.  Each character has a secret, but by working together they all hope to come out on top.

This was an exceptional story that grabbed and held my attention from the very beginning.  I gave it 5 stars  and would definitely recommend it to any YA fan. 

Flo's Review: 
I woke up this morning to a text from my friend who wanted to discuss this book. I laid in bed texting back and forth with her for about 30 minutes about it. I just love when a book gets me talking like that!

Anyway, I have always loved Lauren Oliver's standalones. I love the Delirium trilogy, of course, but my favorite book of hers is actually Before I Fall. There is just something refreshing about reading a story that starts and ends with one book. And this one was so unique! What an interesting concept. The things that these contestants had to do were CRAZY! And there was a twist in the story that I never saw coming! I saw a review where someone mentioned that she loved how Heather started playing Panic for the wrong reason, but then ended up staying in for a right one. I agree 100%. Also, Bishop? I love you! What an amazing friend and then some.

Like Jacque, I would also recommend this book to any YA fan because the challenges kept me at the edge of my seat, and wanting to see how the characters were doing both in the game and in their lives kept me turning the pages.