The Dare is a terrific story about two young girls who are best friends. But we all know young girls’ emotions run high and their relationships can be tumultuous. Fast forward to adulthood where things aren’t as they seem and someone will stop at nothing to learn the truth of one fateful day when two 13 year old girls had an argument. A terrific thriller from start to finish!

The Rumor is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors and I was thrilled to read the new novel from this suspense writer. Lizzie seemingly marries ‘above her weight’ and can’t believe she snagged the handsome Ross a doctor. Not all is at it seems of course and this is a tense read, with just enough revealed to keep you glued to the page. Lizzie starts as a pushover and you just count down the pages until she takes control of her life, willing her to see what’s before her eyes and not what’s haunting her from a childhood tragedy that is steeped in her present day. Brava Lesley Kara!

Part one of the book was a little slow for me. I did like that the chapters were short, that helped me to want to keep reading and it kept the suspense flowing. Then boy oh boy and I ever glad I kept on because when part two comes round we are in on the secret and what a secret it is! I was completely surprised and that doesn't happen often to me.

Filled with suspense, this is an astonishing thriller from an already established mystery writer. It's hard to place this novel in just one literary genre, as there are elements of suspense, thriller, coming of age, and mystery. I guess that's why I think this book will appeal to so many kinds of people and so I recommend you check out this wonderful book.

Lizzy and Alice are the best of friends. Lizzy has epilepsy and Alice is her biggest champion and protector. When Lizzy and Alice have a fight that ends in a seizure for Lizzy and Alice dead under a train, everything changes. This story follows Lizzy as an adult with flashbacks to before the accident. Lizzy is engaged to a wonderful man, but still struggles with losing Alice. When Alice’s sister comes back into her life asking forgiveness for how she treated her after Alice was killed, Lizzy has to reevaluate everything she thought she knew.

This was a very entertaining and fast read for me. I love a good thriller and this had all the good components. What I liked best is that I couldn’t figure out the twist! I thought I had and it was more than I could have imagined! Very impressed! Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this one!

A thrilling duo-timeline “then and now” page-turner that kept me guessing. Kara’s characters are well thought out and believable though I thought Lizzie a bit too gullible. There is the right amount of tension. I often didn’t know whether to trust or suspect. An engaging and perfectly paced story. My third Kara book and my favorite.

Lizzie Molyneux is thrilled to be moving in with her fiancé, Dr Ross Murray. That is, until she meets his medical practice's new nurse practitioner, Catherine Dawson.

Twelve years ago, Lizzie's best friend Alice Dawson was struck and killed by a train; Lizzie was with her at the time but has no memory of what happened because she suffered an epileptic seizure. Lizzie still has nightmares about that day but are they really flashes of memory?

Now Catherine wants to apologize for how badly she treated Lizzie after her sister's death. Can she be believed, trusted? The past is overshadowing the present and maybe nothing is what Lizzie believes to be true.

The story is told from Lizzie's first person pov but there are italicized sections in someone else's voice--someone who knows more about what's really going on. This psychological tension makes for a thriller that's hard to put down. Add this one to your late summer reading list!

I received an arc of this new thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Lesley Kara never disappoints.

Well, that was one crazy and messed up story!! It seemed much shorter than it is because there was always something happening - not a boring moment in this one!

Having previously read The Rumor by Kara, I already knew this was going to be a wild ride, but the Dare definitely topped it for me.

When Catherine (a childhood bully of sorts) suddenly and inexplicably finds her way back into Lizzie’s life, things start to go awry - and quickly. She begins having seizures again, and the truth about her entire life is revealed.

I loved the chapters (or parts of chapters) told from Ross’s POV the most. I think it made the book a bit more suspenseful and mysterious.

This one was a quick and fun read!

What a roller coaster ride this book is, so many twists and surprises. Lizzie is 25 and living with and in love with her doctor fiancé. He is smart, charming and she is so blessed with her life. Lizzie grew up a only child but she had a best friend, Alice, Tragically Alice was killed by a train and Lizzie was there but remembers nothing of the accident because she has epilepsy and had a major seizure the day of the accident.

This story includes Alice’s older sister and to this day she believes Lizzie caused the accident.

Lizzie is happy with Ross and then she finds she is pregnant and along the way she becomes friends with Alice’s older sister when she asked for forgiveness from Lizzie.

Along the way these 3 people will collide in many ways and the shocks will surprise you.

So, do we every really know the ones we love?

I read this book in one sitting, it was that good.

A big Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this advanced reading copy.

This is one of those underdog stories that just wraps itself around your heart. You recognize the main character, Lizzie as the kid from your past who was ostracized, picked on, laughed at, all enforced by the popular crowd. This pain knew no gender, ethnicity, or privilege. It may have been you or a close friend. That’s the childhood Lizzie had, with the exception of her best friend Alice. Alice was popular but never let that affect her close friendship with Lizzie. Alice was the lone bit of normal Lizzie knew and loved even with her continued battle with epilepsy. Then the unthinkable happened. Alice was killed in a horrible tragedy while with Lizzie.
The ugliness and hatred grew to such a dangerous degree, Lizzie and her family moved away so she could attempt to grow into a healthy person. And it worked; Lizzie has a good job, she’s engaged to a super great guy, Ross, and they’re setting up their new home. The future is bright.
Then her past comes back to greet her in the form of Alice’s vindictive older sister. Catherine was pure evil to Lizzie even before her sister died. She’s the main reason Lizzie’s family chose to relocate. Now Catherine is working for Ross in his successful doctor's office. But she’s completely changed. She’s mellow, shows great sympathy, and is sincere when she apologizes to Lizzie and wants to be a part of her life. But Lizzie’s parents are horrified by the prospect and want her to steer clear. What are they afraid of; they weren't truthful with her about her past, and they’re obviously hiding something now.
Lizzie can’t remember the details of Alice’s death because she had a seizure. Catherine’s return to Lizzie’s life is forcing her to face the demons she ran from years ago, and the cost is much higher than she ever anticipated.
Wrapped in an intricate storyline that spans across the years, glowing with reliable, vibrant, and spiteful characters, Ms. Kara’s new thriller is definitely another must-read!
Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is August 3, 2021.

3.5 stars, rounded down
I thought I knew where The Dare was taking me, until I didn’t. Lizzie and AIice were best friends as teenagers, but during a walk one summer, Alice suffers an epiliptic seizure and awakes to find her friend Alice dead from having been hit by a train. She has no memory of the accident. Years later, she’s now engaged to a GP and settling into a new home. I don’t want to give any of the delicious scenes away, but suffice it to say that all of a sudden the past and present collide.
This isn’t a fast paced book but there’s a nice sense of tension, similar to her last book. Once again, it would appear someone is seeking revenge. The book is told during the present day and from the year Alice died. While Lizzie was a fully formed character, I never had the same impression about Ross or Catherine.
I enjoyed this but I didn’t love it. I read a lot of psychological thrillers and mysteries, so my bar is high. This didn’t cut enough new ground to really impress. But I will give Kara credit for writing a totally believable story.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

This book was a slow starter for me but then all of a sudden it was great and it moved along at a fast pace. It is told in a then and now format with then taking place in 2007 when Alice Dawson and Lizzie Molyneux were both 13 years old and in 7th grade. Alice and Lizzie are best friends until one tragic day when Alice dies. Now is 2019 and Lizzie is 25 years old, engaged and living with a GP named Ross Murray, and things are starting to get very complicated. This is a very exciting and interesting story that I did not want to put down because everyone seems to have secrets they are hiding.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the ARC of this very exciting story that I read in record time.

I honestly didn’t think I was going to get along with this book at first just judging by the first chapter, but I am SO thankful I stuck through it!! I adored this book from start to finish and highly recommend this read to those who enjoy mysteries and thrillers! A strong 5 stars!

Lizzie and Alice were the best of friends. They would often hang out and would go on a particular route to walk the train tracks. On one fateful day, Lizzie and Alice walked to the train tracks and only Lizzie would come back alive. Nobody, not even Lizzie, knows exactly what happened. Was she pushed? Did she do it on purpose? Alice’s family seems to suspect foul play, and make it clear that Lizzie and her family are no longer welcome in their lives.

Twelve years after the accident, Lizzie is moving into a flat with her fiancé and comes across a memory that she has hidden deep in her mind. Strange things begin to happen- a toy train shows up outside her house and someone keeps calling her and not saying anything. The last straw was when an unexpected house guest makes an appearance at her house-warming party.

I felt that young Lizzie was quite awful. She was clingy, quick to accuse people for wronging her, and jealous of anyone who wasn’t in her situation. If being epileptic is your only personality trait and you use the “I’m epileptic” card to make others feel guilty for whatever reason, then you’re the problem. But Lizzie grew up and thankfully grew out of that mindset! Alice was strong-willed, level-headed, and adventurous. I really liked Alice as a person, but felt that her friendship with Lizzie was more out of obligation than actual enjoyment.

The pace of this book was fantastic! There weren’t absurd amounts of filler, and the brief chapters from the perspective of a very prominent character were borderline shocking. It took me a few of those particular chapters to realize who was talking! Even the slow parts moved quickly because there was almost always a shock or a twist to come. The huge twist at the end was completely unexpected for me and very well executed! Between the author’s writing style and the plot line being thick and juicy, I gave this book 5 stars.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! This book is set to be published on August 3rd, 2021.

This book took a bit to get into but I enjoyed it once it got going. It was told via dual storylines and done very well. I found it interesting and read it pretty quickly. I will definitely look for more books by this author!

OMG I can't even describe how much I LOVED this book. Its not face paced at all but rather a slow starting roller coaster about two best friends, Alice and Lizzie. Alice tragically dies and Lizzie has no idea what led to it.

Fast forward to current day. Lizzie is now an adult, getting ready to marry the man of her dreams, but suddenly she starts remembering what happened that fateful day.

I'm not always a fan of dual timelines, but in this book. it was the best thing. We go back and forth between the then and now and really see what goes on with Lizzie as the years go by. Lizzie was a strong character whose growth was obvious throughout the book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Lizzie and Alice were the best of friends - they spent all of their time together, and loved taking long walks around their small town together - they felt so grown up. One afternoon, their walk didn't go as planned, and Alice was killed by an oncoming train. Lizzie has no memory of what happened, due to having a seizure. She has always wondered, at the back of her mind... did she have something to do with Alice's death? She knows that Alice's older sister Catherine has never forgiven her and blamed her for Alice's death... so when she runs into Catherine twelve years later, she's more than a little suspicious when Catherine is kind to Lizzie and asks for her forgiveness for the way she treated Lizzie after Alice's death. Has Catherine really moved on? Is it possible for them to become friends as adults?

I enjoyed this twisty thriller from Lesley Kara, and enjoyed the alternating timelines and POVs in which we slowly learn more and more about Lizzie, Alice, and Catherine. The "twist" is revealed early on, which made me question what how things were going to play out and kept me turning the pages! I liked this deviation from the typical "big-twist-at-the-end" reveal and look forward to reading Kara's next novel!

This is a fast-paced and unputdownable thriller! The twists kept coming and surprising me. The past and present timelines were equally interesting. An entertaining and suspenseful thriller, what more do you need!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

After reading The Dare, by Lesley Kara, I can still say I didn't see the ending coming! I couldn't put this book down and feel like she really kept me guessing. Lizzie and Alice are best friends. Alice helps Lizzie when she has epileptic seizures and that was really interesting to read more and try to empathize with Lizzie. All the twists and turns really kept this book moving and even at the end, I was still surprised!

Not a bad story, it took a little time to get into this but other then that I enjoyed it. Recommend for thriller lovers

Bad enough to lose your best friend but then not been able to remember makes it so much worse. Did you have a fight and pushed her under the train or did she fall? The sister of the victim haunts her with accusations. 12 years later. The epileptic fits seem to somewhat under control. Engaged to a doctor her future seen to be going in the right direction until her past is destroying her current happiness. Her former menace shows up as a coworker of her fiancé and claims to want to be friends and make amends for the problems she caused when her sister died. Hesitant at first Lizzie slowly start to form a friendship after all they both lost Alice who was special to them both. Not everything is as clear-cut. The story keeps you guessing. You will worry about Lizzie’s health both mentally and physically. Will the truth save her or completely destroy her? I can guarantee you that you have a hard time putting this book down.

I am one of the minority here. I think I have thriller fatigue. I feel like some of the thrillers I read are all so identical, that nothing strikes me as profound. I was not a fan of this.