‘I Dare You’ by Tamsin Winter – Swimming in Books

Willow & Alma are thirteen-year-old best friends and joint owners of the ‘Wilma’ TikTok account where they video each other doing dares and challenges in the hopes of going viral and finding fame as influencers. When the basketball hoop challenge goes wrong they have to be rescued by the fire brigade, but the video is a huge hit and they get caught up in trying to do increasingly extreme challenges to chase the high of social media views. The chilli challenge and the duct tape challenge are marginally successful, but when Willow sees the fireball challenge she knows that it is their ticket to finally going viral. Alma is not convinced the fireball challenge is a good idea, she’d rather focus on her stage school audition, but she lets Willow talk her into it and the aftermath of that decision will change both of them forever.

This story is told from the perspective of both girls, and despite the fact that they both love acting, their lives are very different. Willow is the stronger character but her family is not as affluent as Alma’s, which means she has stronger motivation to seek internet fame as a means of escape from their small town. Alma is easily led by Willow, especially as she feels guilty for not telling Willow that she has applied to a stage school that Willow would never be able to afford.

‘I Dare You’ is the very definition of a cautionary tale. It is painful to watch Willow and Alma consistently make the wrong decisions over and over again, but also easy to understand how they are sucked into the relentless and addictive quest for social media affirmation. Once again Tamsin Winter proves her capacity to write for the teen category with authenticity, empathy and insight – a thought-provoking and frighteningly plausible read.

Thanks to Usborne & NetGalley for the digital ARC.