Review by Frank Plowright

Cassie and her three best friends have just finished their senior school year, and she’s looking forward to a long summer hanging out before they all go to college, although she’s going to take a gap year. However, everyone’s busy all the time and contact is by text only. Even when Cassie brings her friends together there’s apathy until she suggests a more adult version of a dares game they all played as kids. The difference when they’re all older is the dares being more imaginative, as are the ways of subverting the intention.

Determined and persistent in bringing her friends together Cassie may be, but most readers will wonder why. Even in each other’s company they barely communicate, and there’s always a message arriving giving one of them a place they’d prefer to be. Most people would find this rude and dispiriting, but get the hint. Cassie’s made of sterner stuff.

Andi Porretta’s attractive and brightly coloured illustrations have personality and so make for a nice looking package, but beyond that Ready or Not never really captivates as might be expected from the plot. The dares require courage, but aren’t astounding for older teenagers until some forfeits are added well past halfway, and Poretta’s method of storytelling is greatly decompressed, meaning the tension evaporates rather than being perpetuated as intended. Additionally discussions and messages ruminating over them occupy page after page. The conversations are natural, but not fascinating enough for fiction. Poretta’s point is to introduce the idea of growing up, coming to terms with who you are and facing the possibility of drifting apart, but there’s just so much that could be cut from Ready or Not to produce a tighter story making its points more effectively.

However, what everything builds to is well handled and a natural outcome of the rising tensions, but it’s a slog to reach that far.