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.

This was an exceptional book, and I could listen to the audiobook. I will be buying a physical copy to add to my library. I would highly recommend reading this book or even listening to it. The narrator did justice by portraying the characters, the issues, and the plot. The characters were exceptional, and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the lives and struggles of these former classmates and best friends. Plenty of lies, secrets, action, and twists will keep you intrigued and on the edge of your seat. There are some racy scenes that I could have done without.

This was a devilishly wicked sexy thriller or steamy thriller as you will! This seems to be emerging more and more as a new popular thriller sub genre and I don’t mind it! I think even sexy suspense works too? Im always a fan of a good domestic suspense story and a side romance and steam can definitely add a new entertaining element to it!

This one alternated between past and present timelines and I relished in the academic bits and also really enjoyed how delightfully dark it was at times! There were a few twists and several red herrings which left you continually guessing where this one was going!

This was also a multilayered plot as Hamilton explored some polarizing topics as Hannah questioned her marriage, being a housewife, motherhood in general and the notion of potentially feeling complacent and unfulfilled in these roles.

I’m certainly curious to see what Hamilton does next!

Hannah is unhappily married with two daughters, doing her best just to make it through every day. So when her friend Thomas from college unexpectedly reaches out with the suggestion to restart their Daring Game, she feels like things may be looking up. But their game always involved their third friend Scarlett in the past. Now that it’s just Thomas and Hannah, things begin to get heated. Walking a fine line, Hannah begins to realize that it’s not as easy as she thought to leave the past behind, and that the past may bring dangerous consequences for her future.

This was a solid mystery that was told with dual timelines – the first followed Hannah’s college years when the Daring Game first existed, the second followed her current life (2018). I enjoyed the author’s writing style. It was relatively straightforward but also included great descriptions that added much to the setting and feel of the read. I did want a bit more from the game, though – it was pretty tame and I’d been hoping for some more suspense or tension from it, especially in the modern timeline. It gave the book a more YA feel than I’d been expecting.

I did also enjoy the characters overall. Hannah was definitely flawed but still easy to understand and was written well. I enjoyed that the author [mostly] stayed away from plot-induced stupidity as well. Not to say that the characters didn’t do stupid things, but when they did, it was reasonable based on their personalities/circumstances rather than simply used to make the plot work.

That ending just didn’t quite do it for me though. I was hoping for a bit more punch or emotion or…something from it. I’m not entirely sure what it was lacking, but it was a bit mediocre. However, this was a somewhat spicy mystery/suspense that I did enjoy overall. My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Narrated by Hillary Huber ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Great voice. Would definitely love her to narrator more audiobook books

Story by Jessica Hamilton ⭐⭐⭐
The plot of this book was intriguing.
I liked both the main characters even though they had some issues that really needed to be sorted out by a medical professional, but overall the pace of the book was too slow for me.
Alot is going on but it all felt like fillers to get to the good stuff.

I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for giving me access.

Don't You Dare is a college game of Truth or Dare -- minus the truth -- that has come back into play for some friends. The past is intermingled with the present with this dual timeline and I feel that this is really beneficial to the story.

This was a fast paced, steamy thriller that kept me hooked to the very last minute. There was some predictability, but that didn't deter me from my enjoyment of it. Definitely recommend to my fellow thriller lovers.

A bit too ridiculous and far-fetched for my taste, but it was decent entertainment. I really liked the narrator! I could recommend this to certain readers for sure.

Ummm….. this one was hard for me. I had a love hate thing going and I’m going to give this 3.5⭐️. I chose to listen to this and the narrator was a good fit and gave a believable performance. The story and or plot had a Gillian Flynn feel and what I mean by that is it was gritty and messy. It didn’t help that I didn’t like the main character. I will admit I didn’t see the twist coming and the last 30% was great. So there it is…. My thoughts
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley

I listened this audiobook as an ARC courtesy of NetGalley! I give this 2.5 stars, mainly because I never read a psychological thriller so obsessed with sex… it felt like the dares were all just sex dares, plus that one acid dare that brought another person into the mess. it was so weird? like not bad, but just way too much sex talk and not the smutty type. what i did like about it was the narrator chosen, as well as how the adults actually grew up at the end of the story, finally accepting the failures of their lives/marriages and moving on in life more maturely than they did during the bulk of the book.

I really liked this book - there was a lot going on and I thought the suspense was great throughout. It held my interest the whole way through and left me wanting more.

There was lots of twists and turns. The characters were interesting and the pacing was really quick. The main plot was strong and I liked how it ended.

Good read with strong narration.

If you’re ready for a friendly game of truth or dare, grab this book! This book is told from two time lines, past and present. This is a fast paced thriller that leaves you putting pieces together as you are unraveling the past. This book keeps your attention and reminds you that not everything is as it seems, and yet your heart is always right, right?!!

This is a heart pounding story, that is full of lust, love, friendships, and all the best and worst things about being Middle Aged.

Psychological thriller meets steamy romance. I would recommend this book, and the audio was done well.

I didn't love this one. You have to suspend disbelief quite a bit to enjoy the idea behind the novel. I didn't believe that an adult would so easily put her family in jeopardy to play a "daring" game with an old friend.


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

Grab a snack, and a drinky drink, because once you start this, you will NOT want to pull yourself away!

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗲 by 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗼𝗻 is a (surprisingly spicy) psychological thriller, centered around three college best friends who start a very risky daring game. One night, when a dare leads to disaster, it results in a life altering change of plans. Years later, when Hannah and Thomas reunite, the daring game dares to start up again and my stomach was in KNOTS 😱

What I loved 🖤 I love a good plot twist and turn, and I can honestly say I did not see the ending coming! There were also enough edge of your seat scenes that made me want to keep reading to find out how the dare played out. Made for a very enticing read!

What I didn’t love 💔 It was VERY surprising how many spicy scenes were in this book. (Maybe not a negative for some?) But it did make me question whether or not this really was a mystery/thriller. (Maybe more of a twisted romance thriller?)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for for the ALC of this book!

A campus novel told in flashbacks that sees a twisted relationship between three college friends who play an increasingly dangerous game of dare. This one kept me guessing til the end and had some very relatable aspects (marriage in trouble, mental health and addiction struggles, miscarriage) as well as some harder to relate to parts, including infidelity and the weird threesome dynamic between the friends.

I thought I knew where things were going a few times and turned out to be wrong, which is definitely the sign of a good writer. I liked the audio narration by Hilary Huber but overall this was just an okay domestic suspense story for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

TW: infidelity, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, miscarriage

I received a complimentary copy from Dreamscape Media and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is my first book by Jessica Hamilton and I look forward to more books by the author. The book is based on the friendship of Hannah, Scarlett and Thomas who met in college. The trio start out playing an innocent game of Dares which ends in a tragedy.. Years later the game is rekindled between Jessica and Thomas with high stakes. Doe the truth set you free? I enjoyed the premise of this book, the character development and the narrator engrossed me into the story and I cannot recommend this book enough.

If you’re looking for a “spicy” book that’s not really a thriller, this is it. I actually was shocked at the sex scenes in this and the amount of them. I had to check to make sure this was a thriller!

The storyline has great promise: friends from college the reunite 16 years later to continue their Daring Game. What could go wrong? I anticipated lots of twists with this.
However I was gravely disappointed. I could not relate to any of the characters because they all were completely unlikeable.
I expected more.

The narrator did a great job though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Pub date: 16 May 2023

Synopsis:
"When best friends 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's friendship begins to cross boundaries between the platonic and the illicit, jealousy and secrets quickly develop. As tensions between the three grow, so do the stakes in the Daring Game, resulting in tragedy with Scarlett’s final dare to Thomas. 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 letter about the Daring Game from none other than Thomas himself. With Scarlett out of the picture, and a renewal of the dangerous game, the sparks begin to fly between them once more. Until the day Hannah and Thomas are called to the secret meeting place of the Daring Game, where they’re welcomed by a single dare—“to tell the truth.”"

My Thoughts:
This story feels more about the characters and their obsession with one another than an edge of your seat thriller. Told from Hannah's POV we read a lot about her attraction to Thomas, issues with her husband, guilt, pain, and challenging friendship with Scarlet. The story does jump back and forth between the past and present, which is what saved it for me. The present timeline of Hannah drinking wine and wanting to be with Thomas became a bit boring, so we needed the slow clues of the excitement in the past to shake things up. Overall this is a solid mystery, perfect for those who enjoy getting to know the characters over edge of your seat action.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to @netgalley , @crookedlanebooks , and @dreamscape_media for the gifted copy of this book.

When college boyfriend Thomas comes back to her life, Hannah's humdrum life gets a fresh new lease. They start playing their "Daring" game again, one they used to play in college with their friend Scarlett until it all went terribly wrong. It's not long before someone starts to dare them instead, and this time, it may be Hannah who loses it all.

I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator does an excellent job! However, once the final dare from the past is revealed, it was easy to guess the ending. Hannah was too self-pitying and that got on MY nerves after a while. Also have to note that the number of sex scenes were strangely more than I expected for a book in this genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Don’t You Dare
Jessica Hamilton
This is a past/present tale.
Hannah and Scarlette had been friends since elementary school. In college they met Thomas. The three became a trio. They experimented sexually together. Hannah and Thomas found they were falling in love and wanted to spend time alone. Scarlette was jealous. They played a game of Dare. If they didn’t follow through with the Dare, they faced a harsh punishment. The last Dare went too far with dire consequences. Thomas was kicked out of school and disappeared. Scarlett moved to Australia. Hannah married and had two girls.
Hannah was extremely unhappy in her marriage. Her husband was controlling and often cruel. Then Thomas came back to town and wanted to play Dare again. Hannah agreed and it brought her back to life. She and Thomas began having an affair. Someone was watching them, taking pictures, following them. Someone sent them a dare.
First let’s look at the characters. Hannah was pitiful but not necessarily likeable. Her husband was very unlikable. Scarlety was always jealous. Thomas needed to grow up. The neighbors were strange, I wanted to tell them to mind their own business.
I figured out the mystery about 2/3 of the way into this plot but that didn’t detract from the story line. This is a fast-paced thriller, mystery, suspense. To me the idea of playing Dare at their age was rather ridiculous. The characters were all flawed (which is good.) Libby was a weird in your business neighbor. This book falls under the genres of thriller, mystery, suspense, romance and psychological thriller.