Review Summaries

• Readers tend to value not only the strength of the premise but also the emotional movement of the characters and the lingering aftertaste. The weight of the subject and the distinctive voice can also make it demanding for some readers.

Reviews

• scary thought

  although this is fiction it is a scary reminder of the darker side of the social media craze. and also how fitting in can be used as a tool. need seems innocent at first but nothing is what it seems. so do you go along with it or fight. thats what our caricatures have to decide. makes you rethink what you thinkyou know about the internet

• A chilling, disturbing and thought-provoking read

  Joelle Charbonneau’s NEED is a shocking, chilling, disturbing and thought-provoking read that asks what you’d be willing to do and how far you’d be willing to go to get what you think you need. Its answer is perturbing and unsettling and yet utterly fascinating. It’s a story that takes a look at the darker side of human nature and posits that greed, envy, and fear are often stronger motivators than heroism, bravery or selflessness. It’s disconcerting. It’s sinister. It’s scarily realistic. What do you NEED? It sounds easy enough. Sign up. Tell it what you need. Invite a few friends. Receive your prize. It’s a gimmick, a marketing ploy. Who doesn’t want free stuff? It’s not asking for much. Ask for something else you need. Because, hey, why not. Sure you might not really need it, but you want it. You’ve already invited your friends, so that’s out. Deliver a package? No problem. Does it really matter what’s inside? Need something else? Sure you do. And so what if you’re not thrilled with what you’re supposed to do to get it. Nothing bad can happen. No one will get hurt. And if for some reason they do, they probably deserve it. Right? Told from multiple points of view, with only the main character Kaylee’s voice in the first person, the requests of each character are revealed along with their level of willingness to do what is asked for their requests to be fulfilled. Each starts off with the promise of receiving something great in exchange for doing very little. But every new request demands more reciprocity until they’re forced to ask the question: is it worth it? Joelle Charbonneau did a masterful job of intertwining and layering each character’s story. There were no extraneous characters - everyone had a part to play. The plot was complex, but not complicated. The story was at times harsh, violent, upsetting, but not unnecessarily so. The author created an unlikely hero in Kaylee, a girl so desperate to help her brother that she’d do anything to save him, and surrounded her with a variety of characters who ran the gamut from selfish, to vengeful, to envious, to guilt-ridden, to lovesick, to conniving, to opportunistic, to frantic, to innocent, to murderous. She gave them all a level playing field and let their choices dictate the outcome. NEED is a story that will make you think, make you question your own limits, make you reevaluate your wants versus needs. It reveals how the desire for something can bring out the worst in people. It shows that everything has a price and that there are always consequences for one’s actions. It’s grim. It’s disheartening. It’s compelling, it’s surprising, it’s startling. And it is certain to prompt discussion both during and after the read.

• Très bien

  A servi au bon usage prévu

• Brilliantly Crafted.

  This book was brilliantly written and carries a very powerful message about the dangers on the internet why we, as human beings, should focus on the things that we need rather than the things that we want. I loved the main character and all her co-stars. If it isn't in the worlds already, this book should definitely be a movie. I would definitely from this author.

• 2/3

  Buen libro. Los personajes no se sentían reales.

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