Psychologically thrilling, steamy, and tons of suspense!

This thriller had me hooked because I had to know what happened, but I was also so incredibly frustrated with Hannah, the protagonist. Her decisions and actions throughout this book had me wanting to rip my hair out I was so annoyed. But then again, I had to know what happened!! Jessica Hamilton gives us a great "on the edge of your seat" thriller here, as long as you are prepared to want to scream at the main character the entire time.

The audio narrator was GREAT, and added to the story in a way that really helped me. I'm not sure I would have finished if I read it in paper.

This is worth the read for the storyline, but expect to be a little frustrated!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Jessica Hamilton for the advanced audio copy of this title. All opinions are my own.

"Don't You Dare" by Jessica Hamilton is a suspenseful thriller that effectively builds tension and intrigue. Hamilton skillfully crafts a dark and atmospheric narrative that keeps readers guessing. While the plot is engrossing, there are moments where the pacing might feel slightly uneven, impacting the overall momentum. The characters are compelling, yet some aspects of their development could benefit from more depth. "Don't You Dare" earns a commendable 3.5-star rating for its gripping storyline and atmospheric writing, with room for enhancement in pacing and character complexity.

I was intrigued with the synopsis of this book right away, which I usually avoid in thrillers just in case I see any spoilers, or that it would sway my thoughts.

🎧I listened to the audio copy and love narrator Hillary Huber, whose tone always adds to the suspenseful mood.

It was just an okay read for me unfortunately. I think the slower burn pace and not liking the main character really affected my rating.

*many thanks to Dreamscape and Netgalley for the gifted audiobook for review

This one started out pretty good but got really repetitive and slow in the middle. It was like the slow burn of Thrillers and took a very long time to get to any twist. The narrator had a Siri like voice and I just didn't feel like she brought out the emotion of the characters. It was just being read basically. Once you get to the point of the twist that is basically written in the blurb, you're past the halfway point and then it took awhile to get to any sort of conclusion. If you like slow burn thrillers, then you might like this one. Unfortunately it wasn't fast paced enough for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Hamilton and Dreamscape Media for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 out of 5 stars


Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Audio

I kind of had mixed feeling about this book. I really enjoyed the premise but I was slightly disappointed in the main character. I felt that if there was a bad decision to make Hannah would make it. Don't get me wrong, I did like Hannah, I just wanted her to be smarter. I really enjoyed Hillary Huber's narration and the end of the book was really good. I did tear up a bit in the end.

I found it challenging to provide a comprehensive review of the audiobook "Don’t You Dare" by Jessica Hamilton. The audio quality appeared muffled, and I suspect it might have been due to a glitch in the audiobook itself. While I've so believe I have enjoyed this narrator's performance in other stories, I hesitate to critique this audiobook solely based on the audio issue. It wouldn't be a fair assessment of the content, given that the muffled audio impacted the overall experience.

Nevertheless, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

Don’t You Dare
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Jessica Hamilton

I requested an audio advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: When Hannah and Scarlett meet Thomas in college—the chemistry is instantaneous. They grow closer while playing the Daring Game, where each dare is riskier than the last. As the trio grows closer and jealousy develops, Scarlett dares Thomas one final time—a dare that ends in tragedy. When Thomas gets expelled from school and leaves without a trace, it seems like the Daring Game has finally ended.

Sixteen years later, Hannah is unhappy in marriage and in life. That is, of course, until she gets a mysterious email about the Daring Game from none other than Thomas himself. With Scarlett out of the picture, the sparks begin fly between them once more. When Hannah and Thomas are called back to the place where they first played the game, they are welcomed by a single dare—“to tell the truth.”

Someone else is playing the game and knows about their affair, going as far as leaving a cryptic message in Hannah’s house: Don’t You Dare. Hannah’s list of suspects is long: Could it be her noisy neighbor, Libby, who has a few secrets of her own? Or did her husband plan this as revenge for the torrid affair? Is Scarlett back and ready to play again?

The truth may set Hannah free—but only if she dares to risk everything she knows and loves.

My Thoughts: This book circled around a dare from the college days and one revamped in the adult days. What happens when a dare gets out of control and innocent lives are affected? What happens if those innocent lives are permanently affected by no choice of their own? This novel was psychological thriller meets romantic suspense in a gripping, can’t wait to see what happens next way. There is betrayal, web of lies, steamy/spicy romance scenes, mystery, a love story, and tragedy. Hannah feels like live has gotten a Groundhog Day feel, she is trapped in a loveless marriage, but she adores her two girls. Her husband has made a clear that any divorce will equal ripping away her girls. When Hannah hears from Thomas, her one true love, for the first time in years, and agrees to meet him, will it open up a can of worms or will it be the start of a deadly cat and mouse game?

The story is narrated by Hannah in both the present tense and past tense (from the college days). The past tense fills in the backstory between Hannah, her best friend, Scarlett, and her one true love, Thomas. The flashbacks are fed into the storyline just when needed to have the present storyline make sense. The characters were well fleshed out, were mysterious, and intriguing. I think Hannah could have handled the loveless marriage a little better than engaging in a dare game with another man. The author’s writing style was complex, twisty, steamy, and keeps you engaged. The pacing and flow was a perfect balance for this storyline.

This was a gripping novel. I felt like it could have been a tad more detailed on the backstory, or even the meddling noisy neighbor angle. Overall, this was a good read that I enjoyed. I would recommend this story to other readers.

this was super good. I really enjoyed it and the twist held its own. the ending wasn't that bad either. I did want more from this one but all in all it was a good book.

Hannah and Scarlett have been best friends since grade school and even went to college together where they meet Thomas He fits into there group but Scarlett is the boss and controlling.
Hannah and Thomas have a instant connection. They end up playing a daring game were they would dare each other to do something.

One night the Dare goes to far and everything changed and the trio is back to a duo

Years later Hannah a mother of 2 and not happy with life re connects with Thomas and they start playing the daring game again to reconnect. An innocent game turns into a nightmare where someone knows about the past and whats going on now. Its up to them to figure out whats going on so there lives dont get blown up.


Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this audio-arc in exchange for my honest review

Don't You Dare by Jessica Hamilton
Audiobook narrated by Hillary Huber
Dreamscape Media
4 stars

The absolute one thing I loved about this book are the dual timelines. I love getting a glimpse inside the characters' mind at different times in their lives.
This was an ALC and at first, it did take some time to get into the flow of it, but I thought the narrator helped convey the story well.
While I thought the ending was a tad predictable, the journey there was filled with twists and turns, and I quite enjoyed that.
Thank you, Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Jessica Hamilton for this ALC.

This was a fun, ridiculous but engaging popcorn thriller. The premise is unique and the ending was not completely predictable. This would be a fun beach or poolside read or rainy weekend binge.

Wasn't great. Wasn't connecting with the main characters. Didn't love the turns it took. Too much sexy time.

This was excellent - from the character development to the pacing, I have no complaints. I was especially impressed with the ending. I thought it was so raw, satisfying, and realistic. I really loved the main characters in this and would have read an even longer book about their complex relationship. I thought the twists and turns in this were shocking and exciting and I just wanted more! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book, whew- I read ALOT of young adult books and maybe that is why the sex in this book shocked me so much, but I thought I was getting a mystery book. In the book Don't You Dare a woman is bored with her life, her marriage, and her husband, then out of nowhere she gets a letter asking her to meet at the daring tree. This brings back a flood of memories for her and throws some spice into her life, until it doesn't. There's a reason we say leave the past in the past and in this thriller you'll find out why. This book does go back and forth between the present and the past.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the copy of Don't You Dare by Jessica Hamilton.
3.75🌟
I Recommend this book if you're looking for simple yet interesting book to get by.
Had a nice time listening to the audiobook. It has a Good pacing and is entertaining with some steamy scenes 🔥🔥. Though some parts are predictable it was still worth finishing.

Don't You Dare follows three college friends, Hannah, Scarlett, and Thomas through flashbacks of Their favorite pastime playing their daring gam and in the present 16 years later where Hannah is unhappy in marriage and in life. 
Out of nowhere, Hannah receives a message from none other than Thomas….it’s game time!

While this book was steaming and entertaining it was still a little far fetched. An enjoyable listen as the narration was on point. If you’re looking for a steamy thriller, this one might be for you.

Don't You Dare is a wild, steamy ride! I loved the author’s previous book and was excited to read this one. The story follows a woman in her midthirties stuck in her life, unhappily married and in a rut. She's devoted to her children, but finds her life banal and tedious. She often reflects on Thomas, her great college love. We know the narrator made some questionable decisions in college, but we're not sure what.

She had a close relationship with her best friend and Thomas and they played the Daring Game, where they dared each other to participate in escalating risky activities. Thomas returns and the Daring Game is resumed. Also at the same time, the narrator receives threats and there is someone lurking in their idyllic suburban neighborhood. The story took some excellent twists and turns. The style reminded me of Jeneva Rose. I listened to the riveting audiobook, which was perfectly narrated by Hillary Huber. A perfect summer read!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.

The story was all from Hannah's POV and primarily in the present but did go back to when Hannah and Scarlett met Thomas in college. It's essential to understand "The Daring Game" and to understand why their friendship fell apart. The story went along at a steady pace and kept me engaged through most of the story. Sometimes, I wished it would speed along, though. But, maybe I'm just a needy reader who is easily distracted. 😆🤷🏻‍♀️

I didn't particularly like Thomas all that much in the present. He came back into Hannah's life and took advantage of the fact that was in a vulnerable point in her life. Hannah made some really poor decisions, though!

I didn't really like Scarlett much in the past, either. She was kind of a stuck up self centered b!tch.

I felt like poor Hannah was caught in the middle whenever Thomas and Scarlet were in her life at the same time.

The relationship between Hannah, Scarlett, and Thomas in college was something I would not have guessed through. I did like that! It gave the thriller a bit of spice 🌶

Read this book If:
You like single POV
You like a love triangle in the mix of the story
A book about dares and how far someone will go to complete them intrigues you.

I absolutely loved Hamilton’s first novel and was so excited to see that she is releasing another one. This was okay in comparison. I enjoyed the premise with the daring game and the complicated friendships. The ending wasn’t the greatest and tbh, the surprise wasn’t really a real shock. A little disappointing!

Hannah, Scarlet and Thomas like to play games, games which (inevitably) turn nasty.

This was definitely not my cup of tea. The premise has so much potential, and I was hoping for something darker and more sinister, but this really is a childish game played by silly adults. Also, I'm not sure if thriller is an apt description, the focus so often turned to sex (it got a bit boring to be honest).

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my ARC.