What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedNerve
Film · 2016
If you loved Nerve, start with Person of Interest (Jonathan Nolan, 2011) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Nerve across media.
If you loved Nerve, you will be drawn to these stories where ordinary people are forced into dangerous, high-stakes games.
Books on the same thread
The Maze Runner (Book 1)
James Dashner · Book · 2014
Explores: Survival, Memory Loss, Conspiracy.
Like the high-schooler in Nerve, Thomas is thrust into a lethal competition where survival depends on navigating a deadly, unpredictable environment alongside strangers who become reluctant allies.
The Rage: A Game of Survival
Natica Brown · Book · 2017
Explores: Survival, Friendship, Betrayal.
This story mirrors the adrenaline-fueled desperation of Nerve, forcing a typical teenager into a fight for survival that tests the limits of friendship and cooperation under extreme pressure.
Ready Player One: A Novel
Ernest Cline · Book · 2017
Explores: Nostalgia, Virtual Reality, Escapism.
If the immersive, competitive digital landscape of Nerve captured your attention, this novel offers a similar dive into a high-stakes virtual reality world defined by intense competition and escapism.
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Patrick Ness · Book · 2008
Explores: Coming of Age, Loss of Innocence, Survival.
Much like the protagonists in Nerve, the characters here face a white-knuckle journey where their coming-of-age experience is complicated by a hidden, systemic threat that demands constant survival.
Series on the same thread
Person of Interest
Jonathan Nolan · Series · 2011
Shares a thread with Nerve: Techno-thriller.
Fans of the digital surveillance themes in Nerve will appreciate this techno-thriller, which explores the moral ambiguity of using technology to intervene in a dangerous, real-world conspiracy.
Stranger Things
Ross Duffer · Series · 2016
Explores: Government Experiments, Telekinesis, Monsters.
This series captures the same coming-of-age intensity found in Nerve, as a group of friends unravels a mysterious, dangerous conspiracy involving hidden experiments and high-stakes supernatural threats.
Psycho-Pass
Series · 2012
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Technological Determinism, Social Control.
If Nerve made you question the impact of technology on society, this dystopian series intensifies that concern by depicting a world where technological surveillance dictates life and death.
Killing Eve
Phoebe Waller-Bridge · Series · 2018
Explores: Female obsession, Cat and mouse game, Gender roles subversion.
This cat-and-mouse game echoes the intense, obsessive partnership at the center of Nerve, focusing on two individuals locked in a dangerous, high-stakes pursuit that blurs moral lines.
Podcasts on the same thread
Criminal
Vox Media Podcast Network · Podcast · 2026
Explores: moral ambiguity, social justice, human behavior.
Listeners who were fascinated by the human behavior and moral dilemmas explored in Nerve will find this investigative series compelling as it uncovers the dark reality behind crimes.
Crime Junkie
Audiochuck · Podcast · 2026
Explores: justice seeking, obsession, societal impact.
If the thrill of uncovering the truth in Nerve kept you watching, this podcast provides the same sense of obsessive mystery as you delve into real-world criminal cases.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Nerve a movie about an online game?
Yes, Nerve is a 2016 film centered on a high school senior named Vee Delmonico who joins an adrenaline-fueled online competition. What begins as harmless fun quickly escalates into a sinister situation as she participates in increasingly dangerous dares alongside a mysterious partner.
What happens to Vee Delmonico in Nerve?
In Nerve, Vee Delmonico decides to stop living on the sidelines and signs up for a dare in a popular online game. Her experience shifts from a simple thrill to a dangerous ordeal as the game takes a sinister turn while she competes with a mysterious stranger.
Does Nerve involve a partner?
Yes, the plot of Nerve follows Vee Delmonico as she becomes caught up in the thrill of the competition while partnered with a mysterious stranger. This partnership drives the adrenaline-fueled nature of the game as they complete dares together before the situation turns sinister.
Is Nerve considered a high-stakes competition?
Nerve depicts a high-stakes online game that starts as fun but becomes sinister for the protagonist, Vee Delmonico. The film focuses on the adrenaline-fueled nature of the competition, which forces the characters to engage in dangerous dares as they progress through the game.