Meanwhile, Addy’s infatuation with her new coach can be interpreted as a romantic crush or simply idealizing a new role model. In the novel, Addy and Beth do take things beyond just being best platonic friends, but the feelings in the wake of that sexual encounter are expressed differently for each girl. The one area in which Abbott and Fattore did want to address changes from the publication of the novel to present-day is in how much more open young people have become in terms of discussing but often not wanting to label their sexuality.

That territory felt perfectly applicable to TV.” “Sometimes that’s a romantic relationship, but sometimes it’s not, and in this case it’s a mentor relationship. I looked at the book in that way and saw instantly the chance to make the first season really a classic coming-of-age story about a relationship with an older person that changes your life,” says Fattore. “I have told coming-of-age stories on so many shows it’s really my favorite kind of show. Their expectations for their cheerleading squad get up-ended when a new coach, Colette (Willa Fitzgerald), comes into play - a presence in their lives that begins to challenge their closeness in general as Addy begins to follow Coach similarly to how she once followed Beth. Guardiola) and Beth (Marlo Kelly) have a complex dynamic in which Beth is often the alpha, with Addy as her No. Award-winning novelist Megan Abbott, writing with what Tom Perrotta has hailed as 'total authority and an almost desperate intensity,' provides a harrowing glimpse into the dark heart of the all-American girl.The novel of “Dare Me,” and now the show of the same name, explores themes of friendship, sexuality, competition, murder and power through the world of high school cheerleading.

The raw passions of girlhood are brought to life in this taut, unflinching exploration of friendship, ambition, and power. After the first wave of shock and grief, Addy tries to uncover the truth behind the death - and learns that the boundary between loyalty and love can be dangerous terrain.

Then a suicide focuses a police investigation on Coach and her squad. Only Beth, unsettled by the new regime, remains outside Coach's golden circle, waging a subtle but vicious campaign to regain her position as 'top girl' - both with the team and with Addy herself. Now they're seniors who rule the intensely competitive cheer squad, feared and followed by the other girls - until the young new coach arrives.Ĭool and commanding, an emissary from the adult world just beyond their reach, Coach Colette French draws Addy and the other cheerleaders into her life. Beth calls the shots and Addy carries them out, a long-established order of things that has brought them to the pinnacle of their high-school careers. Addy Hanlon has always been Beth Cassidy's best friend and trusted lieutenant.

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