Don’t You Dare really surprised me! This book has a lot to offer, a lot going on, and it delivers!

The Daring Game brings together Hannah, Scarlett, and Thomas in college, but then also tears them apart. Fifteen years later we meet Hannah as a suburban mom, unhappily married and needing a spark. Enter Thomas and all bets are off! 

The story is more than just your typical thriller. It is suspenseful, romantic at times (!!!), and even a little… sexual. Anytime you include NSFW scenes it will definitely turn away some readers, but I do think that the scenarios in this book were important to the story and helped add to the picture and connection overall. This is certainly not a smutty novel by any means.

I also enjoyed the overall twists and turns! The author did a great job of keeping you suspicious and guessing. My only real gripe is the ending. It felt rushed and let put together to me (and I selfishly wished it would’ve been different) but overall I loved the story! 

I see a lot of books marketed as “unputdownable” and I have to say this fits the bill! This book was an easy, fun, quick read! 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Ms.Hamilton for giving me the opportunity to review "Don't You Dare." I love thrillers, but I am not very fond of romance novels.  "Don't You Dare," is advertised as a thriller, but is very much a romance novel also. In fact  the book really didn't peak my interest till I was about 60% through with it. There are plenty of readers who like romance and thrillers, they may enjoy a novel like this. Ms.Hamilton writes very detailed intimate scenes, which just isn't my cup of tea. Also, I like thrillers that grab you from the start and I didn't feel this way with "Don't You Dare."  This novel is a good suggestion for select readers.

Blurb.
Don't You Dare follows Hannah, a stay-at-home unhappy mother with an unconventional past. Her friends Scarlett and Thomas used to play the Daring Game, a game where each dare is riskier than the last.

A game that ended up in a tragedy and the trio moved on in their lives. But sixteen years later, Thomas is back with the Daring Game. With Scarlett out of the picture, the sparks begin to fly between them once more. But someone else knows about their affair.

Using their game against them, they are taking away Hannah's newfound happiness. Who could it be? The list of suspects is long. Will Hannah dare to find out the truth and risk everything she loves?

My Thoughts.
This book started on a very intense and mysterious note. The first half had me hooked on the chemistry between Hannah and Thomas, and the mysterious plot😍

I loved the way there was confusion as to who else knows about the game.. the mystery of it all. Moreover, I was very interested in where the plot would go and the chaos all around was captivating.

The hot romance, the uninterested husband, the jealous best friend, the nosy neighbours and the creepiness of someone lurking around, who knows all your secrets. This book was everything a mystery calls for and I was enjoying it more than I anticipated. 

But as the second half came, the plot lost that mysterious vibes and it became very predictable. The twists didn't seem that shocking as I knew what was happening long before they came. 

Plus, everybody needed help in this book because there was not a single sane character in my opinion. And the ending was a letdown, it could've been different..🧐

Conclusion.
Overall, I would say that enjoyed this book. If the second half was not that predictable, this would have been an incredible read coz the first half had me hooked and I just couldn't put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you like: 
👀 Thrillers
🥵 Erotic Spice 
🧩 Games 
💨 Fast Paced 
🌪️ Twists and Turns 

This one was such a wild ride! Spice mixed with psychology thrillers is something I haven’t really experienced before, but I really liked it!!! 

I normally hate the affair cheating plots but it worked for the thriller aspect of this book as Hannah is trying to figure out who knows her secrets. 

What happens when a game that three individuals played that ended badly once is picked up again as a sexy affair? 

Thank you to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I had a lot of trouble getting into this book and it was a bit slow.  The characters weren’t very likable and I didn’t connect with any of them.  I skipped over parts of the book and finished only because I wanted to see how it would end. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. 
Great domestic suspense read. Kept me interested.

Presented in two timelines: past and the future we get a sexy and twisty mystery through Supreme secrecy, family drama and a fun fast paced thriller. I'd consider this a popcorn read, perfect for those new to the genre. But if you're a thriller enthusiast, you might be on to this who dun it within seconds. Good news is that you'll fly through this, and still have time to pour yourself a nice glass of wine before you can say Gotcha!

Thank you Netgalley, author and publisher for letting me read this book in advanced!

Don't You Dare is a gripping, twisty psychological thriller that centers around a cast of quite unlikable characters. Hannah, Scarlet, and Thomas were inserparable their second year of college. While they studied, partied, and made lasting memories, most notably, they played the Daring Game together. One person dared another, and after that dare was complete, the next person had to "up" the dare. Of course, things didn't end well, and now Hannah is in an unhappy marriage, Scarlet is living overseas, and Thomas is unknown. Sixteen years after the game ended, Thomas suddenly returns to town and Hannah finds herself mixed back into the Daring Game, as well as a dangerous relationship, with Thomas. 

The book is fast paced and there are plenty of twists and exciting reveals. However, the characters are truly all unlikable. The author does a nice job of tying almost everything together by the end. The one main issue I had with the ending was that the ultimate villain (in my opinion) gets away with everything. Everyone else in the story suffers in one way or another for their mistakes; however, this one character just is able to continue on. This character was also, by far, my least favorite. There are also a lot of decently graphic sex scenes. I don't think SO many were necessary, and they actually started to detract from the overall plot. 

Because of the intrigue, pacing, and reveals, I'll recommend this book to those looking for a "can't-put-down" thriller.

To say that I was ADDICTED and OBSESSED with this book would be an understatement!  I was immediately drawn into the book and could not turn the pages fast enough.  This fast-paced thriller was so unique and steamy that I could not put it down.  The mystery had me on the edge of my set and my mind was blown on the final plot twist.  You will not see it coming!

*****Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books, Jessica Hamilton, and NetGalley for the #gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for an honest opinion.

fast paced and a page turner! I love the past and present timeline presented in this book. I would say there were some parts in the book where i was confused but overall I really like the plot line about the rivalry, family drama, and the twist and turns that follow the characters!

Don’t You Dare started out a little on the slow side for me, but once it got going I couldn’t stop reading!

This is a story told in dual timelines. One is the story of three friends in college who had an uncomfortably close relationship, complete with hookups, drugs, and a game they called the daring game. The stakes got higher and higher in their game, until one day the dare was too much and it broke their group apart. The other timeline is in present day, when one of the three friends (Hannah) is in an unhappy marriage, drinking too much, when a second friend reaches back out to her and wants to restart the game.

I did feel some empathy for Hannah, as she has had several terrible things happen in her past and her marriage is definitely not a dream. However, she is really quite unlikable as she makes horrible decision after horrible decision throughout the story. I truthfully didn’t like a single one of these damaged characters, but I still wanted to know everything that was happening to them. 

The book plays with themes of trust, connection, and how far someone will go to fit in with their friends. Unfortunately it seems most of these people trust the wrong person. This was a fast paced, easy to read thriller after getting past the initial few chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

did I speed through this one in a manner of hours? yes, yes, I did 😅 but what’s really new on that front anyway? 

this book really had it all, folks!! the secrecy, the dual timeline, the friendship group that really turned sexy, the dark romance aspects of it all, it really was doing the most and getting away with it! 

however, for me, it’s become the case that I read too many thrillers and now it really takes a lot to wow me 😅😅 and this one was just fine. it was enjoyable, a quick read, but it wasn’t anything new, in my opinion. 

plus, the ending was a little too neat for my opinion … like all of a sudden, they figure out who the bad guy is and everything’s fine? and everyone who doubted the MC is just believing her, no questions asked? and her husband doesn’t want to make her life a living hell anymore? it was a little jarring 

if you’re new to the thriller genre, or love a good sexy mystery, I would highly recommend this one!! jessica’s writing was just the right amounts of mysterious and intriguing to take the reader on a ride! 

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: bordeaux merlot

This one was a tough read. I found it difficult to get into and an extremely slow read. It had great potential, but ultimately was a very boring read for me. I kept hoping that it would get better, so kept going. 

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & author for allowing me to read and give my honest opinion.

This psychological thriller did not leave any stones upturned. Three college friends went their separate ways after a dare turned tragic. Hannah, Scarlett and Thomas were close and enjoyed crazy and scary dares with the Daring Game. When three is a crowd, sparks fly, and jealousy tears their relationship apart, but the final dare goes wrong and Thomas is expelled from school. He disappears completely.  

With dual timelines, 16 years later, Hannah is married to Evan and they have two daughters. Her marriage is on the rocks. When she receives an email from Thomas to play the Daring Game, she accepts. Knowing this is not a good idea because of her family, she defies her senses and gets into a steamy affair with him. 

Not only are the two of them playing the game, but they receive a dare from someone else. At times, the notes were left in her house. She suspects several different characters...her husband, the nosy neighbor... Someone knows about their affair... Who is daring them now? 

A great mystery to solve. I enjoyed it and thought the writing was incredible. The characters and scenes were believable. When the past has a secret to hide, it was fun unraveling it to see what tore the three of them apart. The ending was shocking and twisted. 

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fast read. Full of family drama, rivalry between friends and old flames reignited.  I couldn’t stop reading as I needed to see where this story took me.  The plot twists just kept coming making for a tense entertaining afternoon of page turning delight.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

I really enjoyed this book!

The story revolves around Hannah, Scarlett, and Thomas, 3 friends who meet during college. They end up playing a game called the Daring Game, where they take turning daring each other to do scandalous dares. The three of them grow very close and jealousy develops amongst the friends. Scarlett pushes Thomas into one last dangerous dare. Thomas gets expelled from college and the game ends. 

Years later, Hannah is married with kids. Thomas suddenly comes back to town and wants to play the Daring Game again. However, they soon realize that someone else is playing the game and knows their secrets. Who is it? Who wants to get revenge on Hannah and Thomas?

This was a page turner filled with twists and turns! The author did a good job at keeping the reader guessing and  flipping between the potential culprits. Looking forward to more reads from Jessica Hamilton! 

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Hello?? I couldn't STOP reading??? It was so tense and amazing and brought me such desperation that kept my attention fixed in it until the very end. The plot twist made me go :O in ways few books can. It was really unexpected and smart, the way it was inserted in the story. If you love to be surprised, this is a must read!

This book kept me up all night trying to finish it to find out what happens. Don't try to figure out what is coming next or who did what because you will be wrong and totally surprised. This was wonderful! 
I just reviewed Don't You Dare by Jessica Hamilton. #DontYouDare #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

A twisty story full of insecure and odd characters. Told in 2 timelines we follow Hannah , Scarlet and Thomas during their first year of college The dares they give each other end up having long lasting results. There wasn't a lot of character growth for so much of this book that it was tough to hang in there. I was glad i did finish it even if i did guess who the culprit was about halfway through. 

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this one immediately because I ma a mess and so are my friends. People who have it together, like Libby, from the book are no fun at all. And yeah the daring thing is dumb AF but clearly Hannah is a mess and needs to be doing dumb messy things. 

So Hannah is a mess. A complete and total mess. We would be best friends. 
However, my friends are not this horney for men. That I can't relate to. 
This entire book also made me grateful for the unrelenting honesty between me and my husband, even if it can seem mean at times. 
 The thing I loved most about this book is that there are so many potential suspects and yet none of them fit. You can't assume or guess any of it. 
You have no idea. Even the husband seems like a jerk who is only being  giant jerk due to being fed up. And you know I love to hate the husbands! I felt bad that Hannah couldn't just call him and be honest but I had no hatred. So weird. Such amazing talented writing. 
Anyway I have a lot of feeling about the ending but just know that I loved it and it fits. 

Thanks for the ARC. Bravo!