Loved this one! So easy to read and lots ofntwists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

I didn't know what to expect when I picked this book up. This book has a lot of trigger warnings: sexual abuse, domestic violence, rape, I could go on and on..

This story is told from 3 different angles by 3 different woman, but it in brings them together. I went into this book blind, and I wish I would've had a trigger warning on the cover or something. I didn't connect with any of the characters in this story. I did however feel really bad for all of them and what they were going through in life.

Unfortunately I was rather disappointed by this book. I don’t know if I was expecting more but it fell flat for me

This story is about three women, Simone, Veronica and Sarah and their struggles.

I could not connect with the characters and I found myself not caring what happened to the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

To Dare follows the lives of 3 women who could not be more different in their lifestyles and upbringing.

Veronica and George are moving into their new home in Primrose Hill, but they are having doubts after the neighbours kept them awake with their loud music and shouting. They are worried that someone was being hurt.

Simone is Veronica’s neighbour and has battled with drug and alcohol, she lives with Terry who is also a drug addict and an alcoholic and her 2 children.

Simone has a new job but is scared to tell Terry who is both emotionally and physically abusing her. She wants to change her life but how?

Sarah is happily married and has 2 children. She meets up with her old school friend Veronica, when she discovers Sarah teaches her daughter. Veronica is keen for them to meet up but Sarah’s memories of their time together are not so sweet.

I loved this book!  The totally compelling story of three women, whos lives collide, in a very unflinching climax. This book explores themes of what is means to be a woman, a parent, a neighbour, a friend, and the power struggles that exists, sometime invisibly, between them all.  Parts are quite uncomfortable to read,. It does get very dark.  The characters are well crafted, and the book is gripping from the start.  I will certainly be looking out for more books by this author.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This book for me was a slow burner and I really enjoyed this book told from the perspectives of the three main characters - Simone, Veronica, and Sarah which I think makes for a really good read.
On the other hand.... I really wanted to enjoy this book! But it just wasn't for me. I couldn't get into it.

Thank you Netgalley for this copy of To Dare by Jemma Wayne. I feel like the description did not do this book justice. This dark compelling novel is amazing. Wayne does an excellent job on her character development. And her writing style will have you flying through the pages. You won’t be able to put it down!

I found "To Dare" a fairly dark, bleak read. We move through three narrative perspectives - Simone, trapped in an abusive relationship (her story, which contains fairly graphic depictions of child abuse, is particularly difficult to read); her neighbour Veronica with her own history of abuse; and her childhood friend Sarah, who tries to avoid reconnecting with Veronica at all costs. The story has a very effective claustrophobic feel - almost every character is trapped in different ways, and their efforts to find freedom or relief seem to always end in other people being hurt. An intense read, with a thankfully satisfying conclusion.

Trigger Warnings: abuse, rape, domestic violence, manipulative behavior, infertility, child neglect.

Well if ever there was a book that should come with a warning label, To Dare should probably be one of them. I thought I was divining into a chicky domestic thriller but boy was I wrong.

Veronica moves into her dream home with her husband in hopes that a baby will be shortly behind.

Next door, Simone lives in her run down apartment with her abusive husband and terrified children.

Their lives become intertwined through late night calls to ask them to keep the drug fueled parties down and concern for Simone intensifying with every cry through the bedroom walls.

Things become even more complicated when Sarah, Veronica's childhood best friend comes back into her life. We learn how deep childhood wounds can go and how some hurts are impossible to let go.

This book is an exploration into just how dynamic women really are. The secrets they keep, their resilience. I greatly enjoyed getting to know these three women. At times, my heart would race when they would be in a sticky situation or backed against an impossible situation. The writing is masterful. Pure and simple, I never once was pulled out of the storyline due to a writing error and I will be looking for more of Jemma Wayne in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Legend Press for an advanced reader copy of To Dare for my honest thoughts and review.

To Dare was a tough book for me to get through due to its inclusion of some very dark topics such as rape, violence, addiction, and abuse. I love reading psychological thrillers, but once this heavier material is added in I do not enjoy reading as much.
The book is told from the views of three women, and their backgrounds affect how they cope with the various challenges that come into their lives. It also shares the connection between the women and how their lives affect one another's. Jemma Wayne is a skilled writer, as so many of the descriptive passages really affected and hit me hard! She does a wonderful job with a very heavy story.

To Dare intertwines the lives of three women and demonstrates the good and evil that each person, no matter their background or current situation, has within.

I was really impressed with the way the author wrote tension into many of the scenes, and how you were pulled back and forth between hating and sympathizing with a given character. While there is a lot of dark material covered, there is nothing quite explosive and I think I missed that. I also think the book could use a bit of pruning and streamlining, maybe cutting about 10-15% out.

Note: I received a free eBook copy of To Dare from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a brilliant read and had me hooked from the very beginning. Its a raw, dark story of power and control that plays out in two separate families. Very well written with strong characters that are not all likeable!
Will definitely be looking at more titles from Jemma Wayne.

Highly recommended, read if you dare!

Thank you Legend Press and Netgalley

To Dare follows the lives of 3 women who could not be more different in their lifestyles and upbringing.

Veronica and George are moving into their new home in Primrose Hill, but they are having doubts after the neighbours kept them awake with their loud music and shouting. They are worried that someone was being hurt.

Simone is Veronica’s neighbour and has battled with drug and alcohol, she lives with Terry who is also a drug addict and an alcoholic and her 2 children.

Simone has a new job but is scared to tell Terry who is both emotionally and physically abusing her. She wants to change her life but how?

Sarah is happily married and has 2 children. She meets up with her old school friend Veronica, when she discovers Sarah teaches her daughter. Veronica is keen for them to meet up but Sarah’s memories of their time together are not so sweet.

I loved how this book brought 3 very different women together who are all dealing with their own issues. I was immediately gripped by their women’s lives and I thought their characters were well written. The story covers a wide range of issues in a sensitive way.

I would definitely recommend this book. It will stay with you long after reading it and makes you look at your neighbours differently. How well do you really know anyone?

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

This book is based on 3 different characters. The topics are pretty heavy for each character. It made me feel so many emotions. I really loved the ending and felt a real connection with the characters .

This book is heavy! Going into it I thought I was going to read a typical, thriller but I was wrong. Its hard hitting and has a lot of advisories in it so definitely look at that before going into it. Through multiple stories there are ,ots of topics covered which are all important but I don't think they needed to all be in one story. Wayne does a good job of character development through the 3 women.

To Dare is a dense multi-layered story about three women who connect with each other on a common point. I’m not sure how to review the story! It was hard to get into the plot and like the characters, but the story gave me a lot of strong emotions towards the end which made me care for Veronica, Simone and Sarah. The writing of this woman’s fiction is great suchlike a thriller! 3.75/5 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley & Legend press for the arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

This has been a book I've wanted to read for a while, it has been sitting in my wish list but I am honoured to have been allowed to read this for an honest review by Jemma and NetGalley.

This ARC was incredible. I was hooked from the beginning and after the anticipation of waiting to read the book, it did not disappoint. The twists and turns throughout the book had me sitting on the edge of my seat, sometimes shouting at the book!

I may have a slight book hangover from this one. Thank you Jemma for allowing me to read this!

I thought I was opening a thriller and soon found out this story follows the lives of 3 seemingly different women as their lives intertwine and they are experiencing heart ache, trouble and sadness. Reader beware of many sensitive topics.

I struggled with this book. The writing was beautiful and the plot compelling but I found all the characters so intensely irritating that I just couldn't stick with it. The 3 main women lacked depth and to some extent were very familiar - almost caricature... I'm think the fact that each narritive was written in the 3rd person didnt help - thia definitely created a large space for me and I couldn't get myself to care about any of them.

This is one of those books that was strong until the ending. Sigh. I hate when that happens! Still, it was a good read. It wasn't really a psychological thriller the way I thought it would be, however. And do take care if you find domestic violence triggering - there were a lot of graphic details here. Veronica and Simone are neighbors, but they seemingly come from two different worlds. Veronica is "posh" and struggling with infertility. Simone lives with an abusive partner, struggles with drug addiction, and has two small children she cannot really care for. She cannot even get a part-time job without her partner flying off the handle.

When Veronica and her husband complain about the non-stop noise coming from next door, the women's worlds begin to collide.

But even more important to Veronica is Sarah, an old childhood friend who ends up being the mother of the one of the students Veronica teaching. There are a LOT of thematic issues in play here: infertility, jealousy, power trips, domestic abuse, getting even, trying to find peace with one's past. At times, they muddle the power of each other a bit.

And then the ending. I just didn't understand it! One of the main characters is led to believe something happened, but another bears silent witness that it did not. Instead of feeling like a twist, it just felt confusing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.