Panic by Lauren Oliver:ARC Review *spoilers

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.

Panic was a good book. It is named for the game "Panic" played in the small town of Carp, and serves as the center for the plot line to revolve around. I wasn't quite sure what my feelings to this book would be but I decided that I liked it. I've read works of Lauren Oliver before including Before I Fall and her Delirium trilogy. Before I Fall is classified as one of the best young adult books I've ever read. I loved the fact that it never diverted away from its purpose even though it was highly tempting to root for the romantic possibility instead of the necessary one. It was a lesson teaching book. However, Oliver's Delirium trilogy was a miss for me. I didn't like it particularly and found it to be slightly bland. It was a good trilogy but I certainly didn't love it or have been able to retain much of the plot details after breezing through it for good, quick read.Panic was good though. I find it to be a medium between these works of Oliver that have read. I found it's character to be more similar to Before I Fall in it's style and purpose.

The plot of Panic was very fascinating. I find that I have never read anything quite like it. It had a slight connection/similarity to the idea in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins in the aspect of a dangerous, possibly life threatening game being played by the characters of the novel. The plot line of the story was well connected but at parts I would find myself confused at what had happened or what is going on. There is a lot of names and characters introduced and since it is about various aspects of the game and the outside story I found Panic to be hard to follow at times. At some points I had to pause and reread to make sure I got what had happened.

Panic is not a romantic read, just so you know, though there are very, very light tints of in weaved in the plot line; it is never a major part of the plot line- like a light sprinkle. I figured we'd clear that up in case you were hoping for something romantic to happen like in Before I Die or Delirium. It is much lighter in romance then either of Oliver's previous books. However, the characters are still paired off in the end but I found that to be a little forced and off. There was never much romantic development between either of the two matched pairs ( Heather and Bishop, Dodge and Nat). Heather and Bishop's relationship is excused by me as they are described to be childhood friends, etc. so mild development was okay. At least it was logically assumable. Dodge and Nat, however, just felt sleazy. Dodge's thoughts of Nat does come off a bit stalkerish and Nat isn't shown to be a very good person/character. They seem to each use the other for a part of personal benefit: Nat-the money pot, Dodge- connection, love, etc.

One flaw I found in Panic was that there seems to be holes in the plot/story. The town of Carp, where the Panic takes place, is described to be a small town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere. The game of Panic is said to be a hundred year old tradition of this town. If this game was to have lasted for so long and this town to be a small town mostly populated by generations of people living in the same place, I found it questionable that the police had to question and dig so hard to find information about the game of Panic. Like the first part of the game, Panic, called "The Jump", it is said that this part/first trial has always been tradition. As it is tradition, wouldn't it be highly likely that someone in the police force would have grown up at Carp's high school and know about this destined first trial, making the police force very capable and knowledgeable in stopping this dangerous game? I don't find that all this fuss about stopping the Panic should have been so greatly mentioned in the plot line if it's set in a traditional small town and is a tradition. It makes for a very large and questionable hole.

Overall, Panic was a descent read. I had a intriguing plot line and good characters. I don't think I've ever read a book quite like it but I find it similar to books with the theme of a dangerous game and winning. I say its worth a read and is well written but I will not say it is one of my favorites. I also wouldn't call it a light read either as it kept me at the edge of my seat at some points. I'd save Panic for a night when you need a read with a little kick to it but won't stress you out.