Title: Panic
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: March 4th 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: ARC received by publisher in exchange for honest review

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Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.



Lauren Oliver has quickly become one of my all time favorite YA authors and I will honestly read anything that she writes. She has a way of pulling in readers without any effort at all and I seem to feel for her characters on a totally different level then most authors. Panic is very different from both the Delerium series and Before I Fall, and yet I still found myself sucked into this world.

Heather and Dodge are our two narrators and they are taking part in Panic a secretive city wide game that involves risk taking and threat of death. But there is only way to get out of this small town, and that is by winning Panic, which can come at horrible costs.

There is a lot to like about this book. Heather was a great character, probably my favourite out of all of them. She was real, damaged and afraid. She was afraid of everything a teenager should be afraid of: life beyond high school, why her best friend is treating her differently. And then she becomes afraid of things no teenager should be afraid of: feeding her and her sister, finding a nice warm place to sleep and making sure her mother doesn't find them and make them go back home. Honestly I wanted this whole book to be about Heather. I found her fascinating and a great character to read. But sadly she had to split her time with Dodge, who I have to say did not hold my interest in the least. I really did not feel for him the way I felt for Heather. I found while I was reading that I was skimming over Dodge's parts waiting to get to Heather to see what happened.

One thing Lauren is amazing at is secondary character and the effect they have on the outcome of the entire story. And Panic is no different. Besides Heather I loved the secondary characters so much because they directly effected the story. Every single one of them had a purpose and every one of them made a difference to how the story ended. And that to me is the goal of any great writer, and Lauren is a great/fantastic writer.

Overall this book was a very entertaining read. I will admit that is not my favorite, that will forever be Before I Fall but I will say that it puts a very unique spin in a very overdone storyline, and you will fall for Heather for sure! I know she will get into your heart and stay there, just don't let Dodge discourage you too much!