This is a decent psychological thriller, not a WOW one for me, but still good.

There is a mysterious death, a character who questions herself, and alternating past and present timelines = all good. The pace was there, and the intrigue was there, I just couldn't bring myself to rate it higher than 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books!! I will continue to read this author!

This was an enjoyable read. The tension is fairly thick throughout. so you'll be on the edge of your seat while you read but not really be able to tell why. The plot moves quickly, and you'll be quickly turning the pages to get to the end of this believable story.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I absolutely devoured this wonderful psychological thriller from Lesley Kara! The twists and turns in this do not stop and I loved everyone of them. I haven’t read any other books except #thedare by Kara but I will look for more as this was a good introduction and I hope her others are just as good. Thank you #netgalley and the publisher for this to read and review.

“I dare you” a common challenge among kids of all ages.
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Lizzie and Alice were best friends. They were out playing by the train tracks when Lizzie suffered a seizure, from her epilepsy and woke to find her best friend dead. She has zero recollection of what happened. Alice’s family is convinced Lizzie and a dare had something to do with her death.
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Lizzie is trying to move on. She is now engaged and trying to forget that day, but someone won’t let her forget and will do anything to find out the truth. Quick paced I needed to get to the ending.
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Thank you #randomhouse for an advanced copy.

What a twisty tale! And the twists keep coming.

When Lizzie and her best friend Alice head off for walk and only Lizzie comes home, Lizzie's left to pick up the pieces. And why doesn't she remember? Was Alice's death her fault?

I didn't know much going in and I'm glad for that as there were so many fun turns in this story. Not overly complicated and a quick read, it made for a great book to read on a cold day!

Thanks Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

The Dare by Lesley Kara is a dark and twisting psychological thriller that will keep you guessing from start to finish. With interesting characters, fast pacing, and a compelling story line, The Dare is sure to please any thriller reader.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

This is the first book that I read by Lesley Kara. I hope to read more in the future. The story is told on two timelines—when Lizzie is a 13-year-old and the second when she is a young adult. Lizzie and her friend Alice went for a walk as young teens. Alice died but Lizzie has no memory of what happened because she had an epileptic seizure. Lizzie’s friends and Alice’s family believe that Lizzie was responsible for Alice’s death. The second storyline takes place when Lizzie is a young adult. She is preparing to spend her life with her boyfriend who is a doctor. Her family is happy because they think her boyfriend, being a doctor, will be able to help her control her epilepsy. But then something happens to bring up the past. The story has many twists and surprises that keep you reading late into the night. Thank you for the ARC.

The Dare is a fast-paced thriller told through dual-timelines. Lizzie and Alice are best friends walking by the train tracks when Lizzie who has epilepsy has a seizure and blacks out. When she comes to, she realizes to her horror that Alice was hit by a train. She gets ostracized. Years later, Lizzie's epilepsy is finally under control and her life is on the up and up when someone from her past reappears. Can Lizzie remember what happened that day and finally put the past to rest? The story is filled with twists and excellent characters. Highly recommended!!

The Dare has a different kind of premise: we know generally when and what happened during the main crime of the story, it's the details that we are trying to fill in, and those details are what the entire story hinges on. You see Lizzie's best friend, Alice, was hit by a train during one of their walks together as young teenagers. But during the key moments leading up to the accident, Lizzie, who has epilepsy, suffers a severe seizure and blacks out, only to wake up and find Alice dead. Years later, Lizzie's epilepsy is finally under control, she's engaged to a wonderful man, and trying to move on with her life, when suddenly, her past begins to make an unexpected reappearance in her life. Is it a coincidence? Lizzie tries to finally remember what happened that fateful day and put the past to rest before it's too late. As long as the past allows her to put it to rest.

This book is incredibly suspenseful and tense, with the main mystery being introduced right from the beginning of the novel and continuing throughout the story, as the timeline flips between current events and Lizzie's perspective on events surrounding Alice's death. Both timelines were really interesting. I don't want o give too much away, but there's a lot of things going on, and she is forced to deals with so much that it is easy to see how she could be overwhelmed. It gets a little crazy. But in a good way.

The mystery itself turns out to be solved in a really great way. I did not guess that ending and I really liked how the author wrapped things up. I think it was really perfect for the tone of the book. I also like that all the loose ends were wrapped up. Because like I said, there was a lot going on, but the author never lost sight of all the storylines and wrapped them all up nicely and kept them together. Kudos to her!

Lizzie was an interesting character - someone you wanted to root for at times, other times you wanted to shake her and say "Open your eyes!" But like I said, I think anyone would crumble under the stress she was under, so I have to give her a pass. Overall, I liked her, and I enjoyed getting to know her.

Overall, this was a great thriller, full of suspense, and heavy sin the mystery. I really enjoyed trying to guess what was going to happen next!

Lesley Kara’s books have made appearances in the 2019 and 2020 best book lists, and she’s back again for the third year in a row with The Dare! Alice and Lizzie were the best of friends, and did absolutely everything together. Which is why the two 13-year-olds were together the day Alice was killed by a train. That same day, Lizzie suffered an epileptic seizure, which essentially wiped her memory of her friend’s accident. The thing is… Alice’s family isn’t so sure it was an accident. Kara is a master of the slow burn with explosive results at the end!

Lizzie and Alice are best friends until a tragic accident leaves Alice dead, and Lizzie with no memory of what happened to her best friend. Lizzie has epilepsy and has a seizure at the moment her best friend is killed by a train. This traumatic event leads Lizzie to be bullied for years even though she has no idea what happened. Now in her twenties, Lizzie has fallen in love with a man, and her life seems to be coming together. Until she suddenly sees reminders of Alice's death everywhere she looks. I enjoyed this book; although I saw some of the twists coming, it was still enjoyable. I would recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers.

Lizzie and Alice are best friends who do everything together, when one day while on a walk along some railroad tracks, tragedy strikes. Lizzie, who has epilepsy, wakes from a seizure to find Alice is dead and Lizzie has no memory of what happens. Now twelve years later, Lizzie is living with her finance Ross when Alice's sister (who tormented her as a child) reenters her life claiming she is sorry and wants them to be friends. Naturally not all is as it seems and when you think you know what will happen next, you'll be surprised to learn you were wrong.

This author never disappoints me! The writing style is smooth as it transitions from past to present building tension along the way. There were quite a few twists, some I saw coming and some so outlandish I’m not sure anyone could have. Do you have to suspend belief at times? Yes, but it’s fiction and it was definitely entertaining.

I will always keep an eye out for the next from this author. If you like a twisty suspenseful story I would recommend this. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a copy in exchange for a review.

Lizzie and Alice were more than best friends when, at the tender age of thirteen, Alice was torn violently from Lizzie's world. Lizzie has always suffered epileptic, grand mal seizures from birth and on the day of the horrific accident she had a seizure and hasn't had any memory of how Alice died but no one seems to believe her especially Alice's family. The family and even the police have always felt Lizzie was lying about not having any memory of the accident and possibly had something to do with her best friends death.
Now, twelve years later Lizzie is happily engaged to a wonderful doctor and is looking forward to their future until the day when someone from Lizzie and Alice's past shows up with supposedly good intentions but Lizzie is doubtful since they were a horrible memory from her childhood and she hoped she would never encounter that person again. Soon after, things start to go downhill in Lizzie's life including her relationship with her fiancee (Ross). Can Lizzie's fragile state of mind handle the stress of all the new problems that seem to bring on more seizures or are the problems figments of her imagination created from her fragile state of mind because of what she has been hiding from her past? Will the answers to the past be a result of Poor Lizzie or was it really Bad Lizzie?

This was a nicely paced domestic mystery that continually builds until arriving at an unexpected and shocking ending. There were many, many dark and complex secrets that were kept from Lizzie in her past and her present that will have a devastating effect in her current life. The story was very entertaining and enjoyable since it had different (quite a few) twists than the ususal domestic mysteries. The only fault I had with the book was the title "The Dare". The reader doesn't find out about the dare until very late in the story and it was only mentioned once or twice so it just didn't sit too well with me. I'm sure others will disagree with me but other than that I thought the book itself was solid and well-done. I hope to read more of "Lesley Kara's" books in the future.

I want to thank the publisher " Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books" for the complimentary copy and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I recommend this book and I have given a rating 3 1/2 INTRIGUING 🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!

A friend’s mysterious, tragic death sets in motion a life of uncertainty, guilt, and fear. Lizzie was there when her best friend, Alice, horrifically died, but she doesn’t know what happened. This haunts Lizzie, forcing her to question reality and herself. How well do we really know those closest to us? How can we trust them if we can’t trust ourselves? The Dare is full of psychological suspense and unexpected twists. Betrayal, deception and mystery fill the pages until the final shocking conclusion. This is a quick satisfying thriller that has me anticipating Lesley Kara’s next creation. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my copy.

The Dare by Lesley Kara

This is an electrifying novel of suspense. Someone from Lizzie’s past wants answers.


This dare has been going on since Catherine and Ross were children. Ruthless, intriguing, and many secrets. Many interesting and detailed characters. I recommend this book.

I thought that the book, was such a page turner. A great read. I loved the book. The plot was very well written and I cannot wait to read another book by this author. This is A new favourite.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

This novel was the perfect psychological thriller with twist and turns. The main character was someone you could root for and the mystery unfolded perfectly. I feel satisfied by the ending. A great read!

Inseparable friends Lizzie and Alice are going on their customary adventures when a confusing sequence of events catapults them into tragedy. The Dare by Lesley Cara addresses memory and guilt as reconstructed and replayed over time. Lizzie had an epileptic seizure just when everything occurred, and her lapses in memory are further reinforced by her own traumatic repression. Twelve years later, Lizzie seems to finally have a promising future—but she remains tormented by her inability to recall that fateful day. She does, however, clearly remember how her entire town accused and exiled her afterward, especially Alice’s family. Just when Lizzie has reconciled with uncertainty and self-blame, someone from the past pops back into her life and brings it all back to the surface. The Dare is a quick read with some clever twists that redeem a confusing timeline and plot implausibility. Lesley Kara fans will surely embrace this novel, but it may not be her best work to earn some new ones.

Thanks to the author, Bantam Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Just when it seems like things are finally falling in place for Lizzie, they start going horribly wrong. Someone thinks that she hasn't paid enough for her part in Alice's death, and they are out to get revenge.

You'll enjoy The Dare if you like psychological thrillers. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.