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Find out what Mumsnetters thought of Megan Abbott's books

225 replies

SorchaMumsnet · 18/07/2017 17:43

Megan Abbott is an award-winning writer of contemporary crime fiction and these three books are bound to have you up all night.

Lizzie and Evie are inseparable - until Evie goes missing, and Lizzie suddenly realizes their friendship wasn't quite what she thought. The End of Everything is a suspenseful novel of friendship, loss and the more sinister side of adolescence.

There's something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls - Coach said that once. She said it like she knew, and understood. Dare Me tells the dark and tension-filled story of the new cheerleading coach and the deadly game she's playing.

When Lise Daniels collapses to the floor during maths class, unfortunately she's not the first. As hysteria swells in The Fever, the safe world they've been building for their children starts to come apart.

We ask all winners to share their thoughts about the book(s) on this discussion thread. Everyone who gives detailed feedback on the thriller of their choice by end of day, Friday 29 September will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Love2shop voucher.

Buy books by Megan Abbott on Amazon from 99p

This giveaway is sponsored by Macmillan

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Find out what Mumsnetters thought of Megan Abbott's books
OP posts:
BIWI · 03/09/2017 21:47

I think 'the love that dare not speak its name' refers to incest, does it not?

toldmywrath · 03/09/2017 22:26

Biwi that's what I thought it was . But Google thinks otherwise.

BIWI · 03/09/2017 22:28

However. There is a lot of insinuation (in the End of Everything) about both incest and paedophilia. Which is, I think, more relevant than a story about homosexuality.

stormhorse · 04/09/2017 12:54

i got a copy of Dare Me but i struggled to finish it. Dont think it helped that cheerleading is something i would never be interested in so it didnt keep my attention when i was discussing their training etc. i found i wasnt really bothered by any of the characters and what was happening to them.

toldmywrath · 04/09/2017 13:23

Biwi. My intention was not to spoil the story, but I inadvertently have by my misunderstanding of the quote " the love that dare not speak its name" I thought it referenced incest, but Google says male homosexuality. ( Used in the Oscar Wilde trial)

Our wires have crossed. There's nothing at all wrong with homosexuality, the book is not about that.

There is definitely paedophilia and allusions to incest.

toldmywrath · 04/09/2017 13:26

Blimey I'm not explaining myself very well. There's nowt wrong with straight/bi/ homosexual/ pan sexual/ LGBTQ / asexual.

I don't wish to offend anyone. How can I climb out of the hole I've dug for myself?

BIWI · 04/09/2017 13:30
Grin
imablackstarnotapopstar · 04/09/2017 17:03

I loved it and can't wait to read the next one!

JacquelineChan · 04/09/2017 17:05

Thanks for the book MN!
I have started reading Fever. The characters are likeable so it makes me keep reading , even though the subject is unclear a couple of chapters in. I can't work out if it is a teenage girl''s hysteria or a genuine health epidemic or even something Sci fi / supernatural .

Reastie · 04/09/2017 17:11

Marking place as I've been sent 'Fever' and just about to start it.

Jaderice21 · 04/09/2017 17:15

im gripped hubbys getting neglected haha

Sounbelievablydull · 04/09/2017 17:20

Mine just arrived Smile

wolfmom · 04/09/2017 17:23

I received The End of Everything and was hooked. Her writing was easy to read and become immersed in. The subject matter was as tastefully dealt with as it could be given she alludes to incest and is more forthright regarding paedophilia. I will definitely be looking for more from Megan Abbott.

swamper · 04/09/2017 17:24

Dove into The Fever and am having a hard time putting it down! It's very unsettling, it's keeping me guessing, and it's giving me a sense that Abbott knows contemporary teen culture. I love the atmosphere she creates of a suburban middle American wasteland, which does remind me of Gone Girl...

neverumind · 04/09/2017 17:34

Read Dare Me, thanks for my copy! The cheerleader characters/plot/training were fairly alien to me as I'd previously no idea about the work they put it. The book was obviously well researched and I was able to identify the cliches which I'd previously thought about these girls were partially wrong, i.e. Glitter and Pom poms, add in the acrobats & gymnastics the girls were highly talented. Aside all this new education, I found the plot gripping. Interesting that none of the characters were particularly sympathetic, it was hard for me to feel anything for them or to identify with their lives. But the girls were realistic (for teenage girls so self obsessed,m & cruel), coach developed into a rounded & interesting character. Look forward to reading more from this author!

ElinoristhenewEnid · 04/09/2017 18:10

Received a copy of 'Dare me'. Have reached page 76 and I am really struggling with this book. Cannot identify with the characters and not really sure where this book is going. Hopefully will 'get it' more when I have finished it.

lolapops1 · 04/09/2017 19:19

Oh wow what a fantastic read,finished in one day.
You really get into the characters and want to know more about them.
The book is gripping,I could not wait to find out what had happened.
I was trying to guess but did not get it.
A well thought out book,happy to recommend this one.

CHILDSTAR · 04/09/2017 19:27

'The End of Everything' grabbed me from the first few pages. Focusing on a difficult and disturbing storyline I found it to be full of mystery and felt the need to keep reading to find out what happened next. Can't wait to read another Megan Abbott book.

larkin29 · 04/09/2017 19:43

Just started reading fever it's a gripping read and can't wait to find out what is making the teenage girls collapse

Daisymaybe60 · 04/09/2017 20:12

Just my initial thoughts on Dare Me, which I have just started. I tried applying for the other two books, but all copies must have gone. I wasn't sure whether I'd enjoy Dare Me, as cheerleading squads are very much not in my orbit, but I think I'm going to like it, despite the fact that a lot of the terminology is passing me by. I can already say that it's very well written, and the start is intriguing....

As someone else has mentioned, the cover's a bit naff, more suited to a cheap bodice ripper than the intelligent thriller I hope this will turn out to be.

nerysw · 04/09/2017 20:19

I was sent The Fever and read it very quickly. I would say that it's a page turner and a good holiday read but it wasn't as engaging as a thriller as I'd hoped. I struggled to identify with some of the main characters but did like the father figure and the teenage brother who were well written and believable. It took a while to work out what was happening and I was a bit unsatisfied with the ending (maybe I'm old fashioned in liking a bit if righteous justice....). I'd probably read more by the same author but I did think the cover descriptions overplayed the plot a bit. Another one down in my 50 book challenge for this year.

Mozarmstrong · 04/09/2017 20:24

Got my cop y of The Fever again what an intriguing read these teenage girls all becoming ill but why? I never cheat and skip through just carry on reading and soo I did with this one. Amazing and well written loved it

Larnipoo · 04/09/2017 20:54

This was my first time reading something by Megan Abbott and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. The Fever draws you in slowly with its mystery and the creepiness behind what’s happening to these girls. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into this book, the summary was a little vague and from what I'd read about Megan Abbott, she doesn't write horror so I was thinking it would be more of a thriller, maybe with a splash of a psychological angle. Whatever it is labelled as, The Fever was a gripping read.

The writing is excellent. It switches between a handful of POV’s – the majority of these being Deenie, a teenage girl who knows the girls being affected, her older brother Eli and Tom, their single-parent father and teacher at the school. I enjoyed the change in perspective as the story progressed, it gave you a glimpse into their lives and their pasts while exploring the mystery of what was happening to these girls from different angles.
The characters themselves were great, I loved Deenie and found her to be really genuine and relatable. The book has a whole range of side-characters, covering off the school staff, the typical ‘mean girls’ and the sex-mad guys. All of them came across as really realistic, they talked and acted like real teenagers do. They were reckless, foolish, a little self-absorbed and most of them were thinking an awful lot about sex – which is no surprise considering their ages.

The book itself deals with so many things off the back of the strange sickness that is gripping these girls. As the public and the doctors struggle to understand what's happening all sorts of theories are thrown out there. Maybe it's an STI, maybe it's because they're pregnant, or there's something in the strange water from the abandoned lake, or maybe it's just stress. The main theory that came to light was that it was a side effect of a new vaccine that the girl's had been given. The hysteria and paranoia that erupted over this was so scary because it felt completely real. And with girls getting sick one after another it added so much to the tension.

My only complaints are that I really disliked Skye. She seemed to do whatever she wanted and never got any kind of punishment or comeuppance for her actions. I also wasn't completely sold on the ending. I guess I just expected it to be something different, but maybe that was the point. Maybe the author was just trying to make me realise that I reacted the same way as the folks in the book, letting my mind run wild with theories and possibilities without considering the reality.

I did enjoy this though, it sucked me in so hard I barely put it down and would definitely recommend it to fans of a slow-build mystery.

19sharon · 04/09/2017 21:14

Megan Abbott’s book “The Fever” is a real page turner. The novel sets out a realistic American school and a terrifying scenario of disaster and hysterical reactions. The narrative is skilled and complex with a genuine tone and Abbott writes characters that create pathos. A true thriller that deals with mature subjects while never straying from the excitement of the plot. “The Fever” is a fresh perspective on youth and friendship and the challenges involved.

SallySwann · 04/09/2017 21:18

I've received and read Dare Me. The cover didn't support the thriller it turned out to be. However the subject of cheerleading left me quite cold and I was left scratching my head over a lot of the American cheerleading slang terms and abbreviations that were used. I'm afraid I was lost at times and the plotline was rather thin. I didn't empathise or sympathise with any of the characters and although the story picked up a bit when it was heading for it's conclusion I was left rather nonplussed.