Hannah and Scarlett meet Thomas in college and start playing The Daring Game. The dares get more intense until one ends in tragedy. It seems the game has ended as Thomas leaves town.
Sixteen years later, Hannah is unhappily married with two children. Her husband is a d*ck and she's a stay-at-home mom who drinks too much wine. Then, she unexpectedly hears from Thomas, and they re-ignite the Daring Game. (Scarlett is in Australia.)
There is that chemistry between Hannah and Thomas that comes from your first love and soon things get complicated. There is quite a bit of sex, so if that's not your thing, this book probably isn't for you.
Someone finds out about them and the Daring Game and starts threatening to tell Hannah's husband everything.
Is it Scarlett? Or the nosy neighbor? It will keep you guessing!
I really enjoyed this fast-paced suspense novel.
Recommend!

Don’t You Dare is a standalone psychological thriller by author Jessica Hamilton. Jessica Hamilton is a new author to me but I had seen her name around and was keen to try a book by her. This one doesn’t disappoint. Perfect for fans of Lisa Unger or Lucy Foley.
The story follows Hannah in the present who unhappy in her marriage and feeling stagnant in her life, Hannah is excited to meet an old friend, Thomas whom she hasn’t seen for many years. In the past, Hannah, Thomas and their other friend, Scarlett were an inseparable trio who started up a dangerous game of dares which led to their friendship dissolving after a horrific event. In the present, someone is leaving Hannah notes daring her to ‘tell the truth’. Who has started up the games again and why. You will just have to read to find out.
This book was thrilling, twist-filled and while slightly predictable at times a whole lot of fun to read. I’d highly recommend this one. I will be going back and reading more by this author.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an arc of this book.

This was better than I thought it would be! I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the stakes were high enough that it made you sweat but not high enough that it felt too dramatic.

Don't You Dare by Jessica Hamilton is hands down an absolute blast to devour!

Woah! I simply couldn't put my Kindle down once I started!
I enjoyed Hamilton's debut What You Never Knew, DYD was even better!
I was so excited to open this book up and y'all it delivered!

The characters are highly complex and so interesting to read about.
Very realistic and in a story that’s so intriguing.
The mystery aspect of this novel was extremely well crafted and kept me on my toes for the entire book. I was trying to figure things out right up until the very end. Definitely kept me engaged.
The writing style of Jessica is superb. I could almost feel like I was right there. Amazing!
This story kept me hooked from the very start.
Another great read by Jessica Hamilton!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

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

I did not enjoy truth or dare! I didn’t enjoy dare or truth so there were no good options for me in that game. I guess overall I’m not a big game person, but hey it takes all kinds.

Hannah and Scarlett are best friends, then they meet Thomas in college. They hit it off and come up with the Daring Game; a game where they each dare each other to do different things. As the triangle becomes a love triangle, jealous rages and the dares get more daring. Things go awry when Scarlett dares Thomas for something inexcusable. Years later, Hannah has moved on with her life and in an unhappy marriage when Thomas comes back into her life. As they begin to place the Daring Game again, things quickly become dangerous again. Will Hannah be able to escape this rendition of the Daring Game unscathed? Or are things destined to take a turn for a dangerous?

This one was so fun and explosive. It was a non-stop ride from the get go and I did not see the twist coming – at all. I did have a few hunches but was still pleasantly surprised. This was a great psychological thriller and it kept me engaged. The pacing was fast and unputdownable. The publisher says if you enjoy Wendy Walker or Riley Sager, you’ll enjoy this one. I haven’t read Wendy Walker, but I have enjoyed many Riley Sager books and I agree.

This one is out May 16th of next year. I want to thank @netgalley and the publisher, Cooked Lane Books, @crookedlanebooks, for my e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

#DontYouDare #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.

Do you want to play a game?? How about truth or dare! Hannah has been living a dull life married to her husband Evan for the past 16 years when she receives a text message from her high school sweetheart, Thomas, asking her to complete a dare. The message immediately brings her back to her high school days when she, Thomas, and friend Scarlett all took turns to complete a dare. Hannah is also excited to her from her old flame Thomas again and decides to take on the dare. Soon the game becomes more then both of them expect. Will the final dare be the end of them??? Read on to find out, you won’t be disappointed.

An even 3 stars for Jessica Hamilton's, "Don't You Dare". Suspense-filled and a quick read all together.

Possibly the best Psychological Thriller I’ve read for the last few years
A great story narrated by one of the main characters
She’s a stay at home mom that relies on wine to get her through the day
When a man from her college days reappears in her life, and initiates a game of rare and forfeit from their youth, things start to spiral out of control quickly.
But who actually is in control.
Dark, with a touch of “spice” this is a brilliant story

Jessica Hamilton is a new author for me, so I was looking forward to sitting down with Don't You Dare. The synopsis really excited me. A daring game played in their college years which stopped for reasons we have to wait and find out, then Thomas resurfacing 16 years later while Hannah is in a marriage far from happy and the game starting again, well who would't like a plot like that? Add to that too, sinister goings on and a neighbourhood where there's a busy body who loves everyone business. Yes this book really interested me a lot.

It's hard to review a book and give no spoilers especially when said book relies on making your question your own character judgement. Don't You Dare does exactly that. I can't tell you what I thought of them all, you need to read this to see. Even Hannah makes some VERY questionable decisions in this book, some I understood (Although probably didn't agree with). The pace is nice and steady although I did feel it took a while for the whole 'sinister' mystery part to come into play. But we did get to see some really hot scenes before that with Thomas and Hannah (Yes, if that sort of thing offends, avoid this book). I will add here (And it's no spoiler), if you do not like to read about adultery then I would give this book a wide berth - just saying.

As a whole I enjoyed Don't You Dare, it was an ok book. But I did find that it was easily worked out which disappointed me and bought my rating down a little. Especially with such a build up to that ending. The actual ending though, I didn't see that turn out how it did and I liked that. A solid 3.5 stars, I read this over 24 hours and recommend it to those who enjoy a slow burn rekindling romance with a juicy game of dares and a mystery.


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

“𝔻𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕖?”

𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝑯𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒉 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒖𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒐𝒘.

So I must admit that this book started out really slow for me. I picked it up and put it down several times because of this. The writing was great, it just wasn’t capturing me. It wasn’t until well over halfway through that it really started to pick up and when it did then I breezed right through it.

I thought the writing was good. The plot was great. I did have part of the plot twist figured out early on but there were still some shocking surprises at the end that I was not quite expecting. Overall, I thought the story and the ending tied up quite nicely. Nothing seemed forced or rushed. It was a nice, spicy and thrilling read once I was able to get into it.

This was my first read by this author and I would definitely recommend.

This book wasn’t what I expected! I did finish it in 2 days though! A little mystery, a little romance, a little every day life, it kept my interest from start to finish. What starts out as a simple youthful game of truth or dare, takes a wild turn that follows three friends into adulthood.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book!

Hannah, Scarlett, and Thomas all went to college together. They played the game "Truth or Dare" and had certain rules they had to abide to in order to play. Hannah was always in love with Thomas, but Scarlett was always in the way. When a terrible prank happens at the college that involves Thomas, he is suspended. Hannah moves on and marries Evan and they have two daughters together. It's now, sixteen year later and Thomas sends a note to Hannah to play "Truth or Dare" again. She jumps at the chance since she is unhappy in her current marriage and Scarlett is no longer in the picture. When Hannah gets a mysterious text message and someone breaks into her home, she thinks someone knows about her affair with Thomas. Who is it? Is someone else playing the game with them?

DON'T YOU DARE was a fast-paced thriller! This book really blew me away!! I loved the past and present timelines, even though I enjoyed the present timeline more. The story kept my attention for the day and I could not put it down. Be prepared for some steamy love scenes! All the stars for DON"T YOU DARE! I can't wait for Jessica Hamilton's next book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be shared on my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC!

Hannah and Scarlett are lifelong friends. They meet Thomas in college and form a fast friendship.
They create The Daring Game, which starts off as little dares, and then quickly escalates.
One dare ends in tragedy and the group grows apart.

Sixteen years later, Hannah is unhappily married with children. Thomas mysteriously re-appears and re-ignites The Daring Game. But someone else seems to know their every move....everyone is a suspect!

I gave this book four stars! It was highly suspenseful with great character development. My only criticism was that I wanted to know more about the church that Hannah and her husband joined.
There seemed to be a lot of backstory left out about that topic.

Other than that, I found it very enjoyable and would highly recommend! I would read other books by this author!

I literally read this book through the night until it started getting light outside because I just kept wanting one more chapter- what a fun ride! The story centers on Hannah, who reconnects with her college boyfriend Thomas 15ish years later while she is in an unhappy marriage. Turns out that she, her bff, and Thomas had an interesting history that was tied to a “dare” game where the stakes kept getting higher. The story is told from Hannah’s POV but does go back and forth between current time and her college years.

I felt for Hannah throughout the book even though she made some terrible decisions. I thought Thomas was a selfish baby but we have all done dumb things for the sake of love. When it becomes clear that someone knows their secrets, I went back and forth many times as to who the culprit was. I thought I had it all figured out but then was wrong, and I appreciated the twists. I do wish there had been a few more bread crumbs laid when the truth was finally revealed, though. It all get wrapped up pretty quickly, which I usually don’t love, but I felt like it worked with the ideal pacing of the book. There was a good deal of sex in this book as an FYI if that bothers you- I thought the sex scenes were well done and added to the overall intensity of the storyline.

I literally could not put this book down and would definitely recommend for those who enjoy psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#DontYouDare #NetGalley
Unsettling in the very best way and truly riveting.
Hannah is living her life unhappily with her husband, Evan and her two young girls, Rose and Gracie. One day in the pile of mails, she found a white envelope, curiosity got the better of her as she opened it and found a note to come to the daring tree and it was signed by Thomas, her college love.
Hannah and her best friend, Scarlett met Thomas in college and they became best friends, they shared everything, gave each other dares to complete but then a dare gone horribly wrong and Thomas got expelled. Broken Hannah got support from Evan and later they married.
Now, with Scarlett out of their lives, Hannah decided to meet her Thomas and the old friends and lovers started to give dares to each other, again and an extramarital affair started. But then creepy things started like Hannah's received a note to tell the truth, hers and Thomas's pictures got delivered on Evan's phone. Who's doing all this and why? What's their motive? Could it be Evan taking revenge on her for her infidelity? Or is it Libby, the nosey neighbour who's present everywhere and has a tendency to ask questions about everything? One thing is clear, someone is playing the game with her and this time it could be deadly.
The characters were good. Each character has its layers, I loved Libby, Evan and Rob. Although Hannah was ok but i hate Thomas for what he did to their marriage.
Told from two POV's of Hannah in present and past, the narration is smooth and gripping. I really wanted to know what will happen to their marriage, how will this daring game end and who's behind all this?
Overall, this is a gripping tale of an unhappy marriage, extramarital affair and revenge with a twist you won't see coming. Highly recommended.

This was a really fun twisty novel. I loved the alternate POV and the different time lines. I love a good secretive neighborhood. The writing was so easy to follow and kept me invested the entire time.

Thank you kindly to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital ARC!

And shout out to @carriereadsthem_all for this deviously provocative and spicy page-turner of a recommendation!

I loved this book so much! It’s one of those books that kinda feels relatable in that OMG-this-could-actually-happen-in-real-life kind of way.

Hamilton’s writing is pure perfection 👌🏼 It’s lyrical and beautiful and flows with the ease of a seasoned writer. This first-person POV was done so well, and the dual timelines added so much depth to the story.

In a few words: betrayal, obsession, and a sexy web of deceit—oh my! 𝑫𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒆 hits shelves May 16, 2023! And I dare ya to grab a copy.

Parts of this book I enjoyed due to the twists and turns and parts I did not since those were rather juvenile and predictable. It was difficult for me to rate due to that duality. I’ll settle at four stars because of the creativity and inventiveness of the game.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. I can't say exactly why I didn't like it. I thought going in I would love it based on the premise but it fell kind of flat. I think because parts of it were predictable; other parts unrealistic.

Thank you #netgalley and #crookedlanebooks for the eARC.