Risk. A Must Read

Risk
Written by Fleur Ferris
Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery
279 Pages
Published July 2015
Add to Goodreads
★★★★★
Taylor and Sierra have been best friends for their whole lives. But Taylor’s fed up. Why does Sierra always get what, and who she wants? From kissing Taylor’s crush to stealing the guy they both met online for herself, Sierra doesn’t seem to notice when she hurts her friends.

So when Sierra says Jacob Jones is the one and asks her friends to cover for her while she goes to meet him for the first time, Taylor rolls her eyes.

But Sierra doesn’t come back when she said she would.

One day. Two days. Three...

What if Taylor’s worrying for nothing? What if Sierra’s just being Sierra, forgetting about everyone else to spend time with her new guy? When Taylor finally tells Sierra’s mum that her daughter is missing, Taylor and her friends are thrown into a dark world they never even knew existed.

Can Taylor find Sierra’s abductor in time? Or should she be looking for a killer?
Fifteen year old Sierra was vivacious, a compassionate young woman, beautiful and captivating until an encounter with online predator Jacob Jones. Sierra is sexually active and her behaviour often characterised as destructive, so when she decides to spend the night with Jacob Jones, fifteen year old Taylor is concerned of the consequences of Sierra's lies.

Sierra isn't answering her phone. As the hours pass, the four young friends begin to speculate where Sierra is. While Riley is skeptical, Callum is concerned for Sierra's well being. Yet, her absence is unreported. Forty eight hours since Sierra disappeared with Jacob Jones and detectives are desperately searching for the fifteen year old. In retrospect, Taylor is left to speculate whether she was a friend to Sierra by allowing her to engage Jacob Jones unaccompanied. Taylor held resentment for Sierra's popularity but is she partially culpable? Mutual friend Riley is venomous, her character continuously shamed Sierra for her confidence and tenacity while Taylor compared herself to Sierra. Neither responsible for Sierra's choices but the toxicity of their friendship resulted in the delay in reporting her disappearance.

Jacob Jones doesn't exist. The online predator perused websites for vulnerable young women to manipulate into online relationships, using the young victim's social media accounts to accumulate information. Technology has introduced unwelcome communication throughout our safe spaces, predators potentially have access to children, posing as teens whilst creating an online persona. In Sierra's situation, the man posing as Jacob Jones used a proxy which allowed the predator to engage with both Sierra and Taylor anonymously.

Sierra's abduction is confronting and the ramifications reverberate throughout the community. Taylor believes she is culpable for Sierra's disappearance and creates a cautionary website to warn other young females about predatory behaviour online, encouraging teens to share their stories. Risk is inundated with young women with similar experiences.

Risk is compelling, exploring the anguish of despair and the cautionary narrative of communicating online often with concealed predators and pedophiles. A distressing realism facing adolescents as lives migrate online. Fleur Ferris examines the consequences, often within safe spaces that are infiltrated and provoking discussion within our adolescence communities. Distressing, poignant and captivating until the final page. 

25 comments

  1. Lovely review. When I read the blurb I thought it was a normal YA read but Oh my god! I must read this. I am glad you put 'Must read' in the title of the post. That really made me curious. I once watched a movie which had a similar theme (problems faced by youngsters from online predators) and it was amazing. I remember thinking more people should watch it and now I cannot even remember the name of it.

    Online predators are so common that I feel terrified when young people use social media. I almost feel like an oldie because I used to think that the older people are being too stuck up when I was younger. Recently I stumbled onto Instagram live stories and some accounts were almost broadcasting close-to-porn. And the comments! Oh my goodness. It made me think how terrifying the social media is because kids as young as 12 yo use Instagram. And these things can't be censored either. It is a live video.

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    1. That's absolutely disgusting and worrisome that young teens, even children using a parents phone are exposed. I think a lot of teens even today probably feel the same. That parents are are too strict when all their friends are on the internet.

      Risk reads as being a genuine account because the author herself was a police officer and a similar incident in which a friends daughter they believe was being groomed online. It's required reading for teens and parents, teachers and anyone working with children to understand the silent dangers they face.

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  2. Oh wow! That's such a tough topic to handle, but sounds like the author does a fantastic job at it. I'm already getting the heebie jeebies from this online predator. I was just watching an episode of Elementary that was about one of those and ugh they can seem like the most normal of people. Risk sounds like the kind of book that can help lots of people. I need to try and find a copy by bothering my sister to get it for me! :D
    Great review, Kelly!

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    1. As an adult reading Risk, I found it incredibly confronting and terrifying how quickly both Sierra and Taylor were to trust Jacob Jones. Which could happen to anyone regardless of whether their an adolescent or otherwise. Fleur Ferris was a police officer which is why the storyline felt as though it had been pulled from the headlines themselves.

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  3. Holy crap, this sounds fantastic and so very current. Sounds like a fantastic thriller that is both relative and necessary in today's world. Adding to the TOP of my TBR!

    Sarah @ A Weebish Book Blog

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    1. I couldn't have said it better myself Sarah. I would be amazing to see Risk included in the school curriculum and in libraries not just in Australia but worldwide. Such an important read.

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  4. The world scares me these days. This scenario is all too common but the book does sound wonderful and topical.

    For What It's Worth

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    1. Same Lauren. The internet can be a wonderful resource of information but it also allows people into our homes with access to unsupervised children, especially with technology and internet access at their fingertips. It's such an important and cautionary read, which parents should also read and talk to their teens about.

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  5. This sounds amazing and so scary, online predators is such a huge and scary thing these days i don't know how I would ever be able to deal with meeting up with a complete stranger. The relationships sound complex and I can't wait to read them myself. I'm hoping to buy this and wreck today sounds like the best books for a weekend binge read :D Great review as always Kells <3

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    1. As we get older I think we become less impulsive which allows us to see the obvious. It's terrifying how adolescents are preyed upon. I can't wait to read Wreck, this is my second novel by Fleur and I'm absolutely captivated by her.

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  6. I read this last month and was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it! I feel like a lot of time in these kind of stories the internet in general gets totally demonised, but Fleur Ferris handled the situation so great! It really is a scary situation that I think a lot of people overlook especially these days because being online is such a common thing. Great review :D

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    1. And with such impact. I'm showing my age, but the internet wasn't commonly found in households when I was an early teen and back then it was a novelty. Parents were unaware of dangers and predatory behaviour. While now we have such a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips, allowing others with access to our lives so freely is terrifying.

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  7. This sounds brilliant, it really does. Every review I've read of this book comments about how well Ferris knows kids and their voices. I recently received a copy of Wrecked for review, which is her next one, and I couldn't get into it. I have it still to try again later, but I suspect I should have started this with this one.

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    1. I had read Black first before reading Risk and now onward to Wrecked. She's such a wonderful author Verushka, so relevant and a brilliant voice in young adult fiction.

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    2. Wrecked is a much mroe straightforward mystery, and less like this was I think.

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  8. I’ve heard/seen Fleur speak on a few occasions and she is such a fascinating and brilliant woman.
    Everybody I know who’s read Risk has absolutely raved about it.
    I’ve got a copy sitting on my shelf waiting for me. I am hoping to get it read later this year.

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    1. It's really brilliant Sarah and absolutely captivating. It would be incredible to see a copy placed in all school libraries, must have reading for teens and parents.

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  9. Thanks for bringing this on over. Very current theme. Cheers from Carole's Chatter

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    1. Thanks for visiting Carole, really appreciate your thoughts.

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  10. oh so scary! definitely a book for all the youngsters out there ! awesome review

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    1. Thanks Ailyn and it's been one of my favourite reads so far this year.

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  11. After reading this is how it happened I have become interested in more books relating to internet issues!! I'll definitely give this one a go!! ♡
    Haniya
    booknauthors.blogspot.com

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    1. It's incredibly relevant and an issue that parents need to become involved with, even with older teens on the internet. We share so much of ourselves online and I think even as adults we tend to forget how easily that allows others access to us.

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  12. I feel like your review contained spoilers? But I'll still read this book anyway. The premise sounds super relevant to current events, and I've heard lots of great things about Fleur Ferris' books! Thanks for the review.

    Cass @ Words on Paper

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    1. I tried to keep it as spoiler free as possible but felt readers may need a warning on how confronting the storyline may be if they or someone they know has experienced online grooming. As an adult I found it incredibly confronting. There's so many layers to the narrative though and a read that will stay with you long after the final page.

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