The Fear was a fast-paced, bingeable thriller that kept me flipping pages late into the night. I loved the unique concept of a viral fear meme turning deadly—such a clever and modern premise that instantly pulled me in.

While I did find the killer a little predictable, the story still managed to throw in a satisfying twist that made the journey worthwhile. One of my favorite aspects was the occasional peek into the killer's perspective—it added tension and made the guessing game even more fun.

Overall, it’s a quick, thrilling read perfect for fans of YA thrillers with a touch of creepiness and a twist of tech.

*I own a physical copy*

In 2019 my health started going down hill and I didn't take into consideration what that would mean for my book reviewing. Sadly, I've been trying to play catch up for years and it's been affecting my ability to keep up with present day tasks. So I greatly apologize for this but I am going to clear out all these older review books and focus on present day. I will come back and update this review if I end up reading the book, which is very possible as a lot of these books are still ones I would like to read, I just don't think the pressure looming over me is helpful. Thank you for giving me a chance to early read these books and I am so sorry I wasn't able to provide what was needed.

I think this book was easy to guess. That doesn't always ruin the book for me but in this case the writing didn't make up for it.

A wonderful thriller that keeps you wondering what will happen next. It keeps the reader on the edge of the page for mist of the book.

This ARC was shared with me via NetGalley and Delacorte Press for review purposes.

I sometimes enjoy reading horror/suspense books that center around social media and this book did not disappoint in that area. Imagine seeing a meme where everyone is sharing their biggest fears and then one by one they start turning up dead, dying in the same manner they were most afraid of dying. Freaky, right?

Izzy see's this meme but never reposts it or shares her own fear, and she quickly pieces together that the recent deaths are tied to this meme. She is in fear for her friends who have shared it, and has no idea who is behind it, or why. The rest of the book is spent trying to figure out who is going to be next and trying to figure out who the killer is they can be stopped.

I loved the premise of this book. It's definitely a young adult book focused on teens. Would love to see a similar story focused on adults.

A far fetched book with a one sentence twist ending. If you like snow and knowing who the killer is right away, them The Fear by Natasha Preston is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

First of all, the plot is amazing. It could totally be a fun, teen horror, movie. The ending… I kind of loved it. Of course it left me with so many questions and I want an ending, kind of. But still, I love unexpected, unpopular endings. Just like in those B horror flicks, many small things just made no sense and the characters often acted very stupid, but that kind of added to the fun of it. Overall, I found this book a fun, suspenseful, and quick read. I literally laughed at the ending because I was so surprised by it. I will admit that I would love a book two though.

This would make a great October/Halloween read.

A scary take on social media posting as “the fear” of worst way to die, but then people start dying. Good premise for todays world and the youth but it was a bit slow for me. Natasha Preston always has wonderfully scary books to keep you on the edge of your seat and this is no exception - just not my favorite of hers.

I've given up hope for me enjoying this in the end. I tried to pick this up multiple times and just haven't been able to connect to this. Thank you for Netgalley for early access in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley & Natasha Preston for sending me a digital copy of this book. I enjoyed it but it was my least favorite book by this author but I’ll still continue with anything Natasha Preston writes. She’s my favorite YA mystery author! This book felt very predictable to me but I still enjoyed it and will keep reading whatever else Natasha Preston comes out with. Thank you so much and all my opinions are my own.

Natasha Preston always does a great job of building suspense, ending chapters on cliffhangers, and writing twists into the plot, and The Fear was no exception. While it was not my favorite of her books, it will be well received by fans of her books and young adult thrillers. We will be purchasing this title for our library.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Children's - Delacorte Press through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I admire Natasha Preston's work. Her books are so thrilling that it makes your heart race, and The Fear was no exception. The creative execution of the book's structure is something to mention, which I hope most of the YA authors will take note because this is how you keep the reader engaged. You can easily follow along with Izzy in uncovering the truth and secrets about the mysterious murders of her classmates. The end really puts you in fear of what will be happening next. This is another example of how people are not always how they seem. This also reminded me of the YA version of Stephen King's Carrie but told in a less gory detailed manner suitable for YA readers.

The brilliance of Natasha Preston shines through the YA community with this book. This book deserves 5 stars.

This has definitely not been my favorite from Natasha Preston, but I liked it well enough. Quick read, figured out the plot pretty fast

Pretty good! Definitely a unique premise. I was on the edge of my seat during points of this book. I can't say that the end was exactly my cup of tea, and I did feel like there was a part of the middle that was a bit slow. Overall though, I liked the story. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎: 😱 The Fear by Natasha Preston - 4/5 ✰ - My first thought as I finish the last page is “WTF”. This YA thriller was super good. I kinda predicted the ending but then the last sentence really threw me for a loop so idk lol 😬. I’m a huge Natasha Preston fan and really enjoyed this one. It’s her newest book. My top two favorites by her would have to be Awake and The Lost!

𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨: A social media post has been going viral around Izzy’s school. Everyone is reposting this meme called “the fear” and captioning it with what their scariest way to die. Things get serious when people start actually dying…

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of The Fear by Natasha Preston. All opinions are my own.

I always try to read Preston's books from a teen's point of view because I've struggled through them in the past as an "adult" reader. That being said, The Fear was pretty high on the corny-scale for me. I found a lot of the storyline to be so unbelievable that I didn't want to finish it. I was surprised by the amount of gore and violence in this book. I will say, I went back and forth on who I thought the killer was. The twist at the end left things on a cliffhanger which I don't love, but she's pretty known for.

Though the premise of the book was somewhat interesting, it was astonishingly boring to read. I may just be too old for books like this. Teens who are interested in the same things as the characters might feel differently than I do, so it's probably a reader problem more than the book problem.

It didn't wow me, but, it wasn't horrible. Pending on what you were looking for in a book, I might recommend.

This book was just okay. I pretty much had it all figured out in the beginning and it just kind of felt like it dragged in parts. The twist ending didn’t really blow my mind either. It wasn’t a horrible read but I don’t think I would reread it. I did like the author’s previous book, The Lake. All views and opinions stated in this review are my own. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review.