🎧 A L C • R E V I E W 🎧
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Title: Don’t You Dare
Author: Jessica Hamilton
Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Don’t You Dare is told entirely Hannah’s point of view and is the story about truth or dare, but with much higher stakes. This has a dual timeline of the present (spanning over a good couple of months) and the past, when Hannah, Scarlett and Thomas were in college. I loved both timelines, being so invested in what happened in the past to the trio but also in the present with trying to figure out what was happening.
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I loved the characters. They were complex, with their own sets of issues that increasingly became more . I’ve personally met the Evan’s (talk about gaslighting manipulator), the Libby’s (the overly invasive), the Scarlett’s (the possessive friend), the Thomas’s (the bad boy) and the Hannah’s (the complacent hot mess). These characters were so perfectly created for this story that they all worked well together.
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I had multiple thoughts as to who was behind everything as I read this book, it kept changing based on certain things that happened. Which is the absolute best. I was correct on the why things were happening and eventually did figure out who was behind it all (I definitely changed my mind on who I though was behind it multiple times throughout the story). The execution was absolutely superb and those twists that were thrown in there just added that extra wow factor. Literally each one packed a different punch to the gut.
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I’ve apparently been on a romantic suspense/thriller kick recently because this one has some steam to it, and while I’m one to not love steam in my thriller, I thought it was great, wasn’t overly done, wasn’t too much of it. This was such a singable read I read it in just a few sittings (trust me, if I could have had an uninterrupted evening/night to myself, I most definitely would have finished this one in one sitting).
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I listened to this via audio and Hillary Huber knocked this one out of the park. She was fantastic and just added to the entire listening experience!
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Overall, highly recommend to all my suspense/thriller lovers. This was fun, addicting and suspenseful, hooking you right from the beginning, will keep you guessing and throw you for a loop (or 7) by the end. This one will be released on 5/16 - be sure to check it out!
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Huge thank you to @netgalley, @dreamsapemedia and @jessicahamilton for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I love a book with a dual timeline, even better if said timelines only reveal bits and pieces with each changeover.
Hamilton did this so well! I really enjoyed the slow burn reveal on all the bits and pieces of the past, as well as, how things line up in the present.
The characters are all well developed and they feel real which is so hard to do.
The plot is both realistic and completely fantastical in the sense that this could 100% happen in real life, but it's so weird at the same time.
I really enjoyed this and look forward to seeing more from Jessica Hamilton.
Much love to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for my DRC.

Thank you to the author Jessica Hamilton, publishers PatrickDreamscape Media, and as always NetGalley, for an advance audio copy of DON'T YOU DARE.

Hannah is married and has two daughters, lives a calm but boring life that doesn't get more exciting than a second bottle of wine after dinner or a stern reprimand from her controlling husband. But life wasn't always this exciting for Hannah. In college, she had the wilf Violet, her life-long friend, and the painfully sexy Thomas, and the three of them had a little game they played. The Daring Game. Everyone played, and no one ever backed down -- until two of them caused jealousy in the third and threatened the integrity of the whole group, the attraction of the game, and the safety of people's lives. Now... Thomas is back. And he still wants to play with Hannah. What integrity will they threaten together this time? Or whose?

I'm not typically a fan of dual timelines, but for this story, it works very well. I don't know if it could have been done any differently. Part of the tension comes from seeing this friend group's dynamic in two different times -- who was the powerful one and why? As the characters change and the story progresses, everything fits together perfectly.

I never knew what was coming, and it was fast-paced, and the sex was so sexy, dirty, forbidden, complicated. This book is <i>so messed up!</i> I love that it moves in a hundred different directions at once.

Happy PUB DAY🥳 May 16 2023!

Rating 💋💋💋💋.5 / 5 dares in the book
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: May 2 2023
Format: Audiobook
Read this if you like:
🏘 Domestic thrillers
🔭 Spying neighbors
🥷 Strangers lurking in the dark
🩶 Morally gray characters

This book was a really good read! I wanted to know what would happen. I became very invested!
The book had a great concept with the dare game, but as you read it, you see it is far more than the dare game alone. It tells the story of Hannah a 36-year-old stay at home mother of two kids. Hannah has become bored with her life as she is in a runt and every day is the same routine again and again; thus, when her ex-boyfriend comes to town and spices it up with the dare game, a game she played with him and Scarlet in college, Hannah is quick to jump aboard. The story is told in two timelines. One is in the present, and the other is when Hannah, Thomas and Scarlett were in college. I really enjoyed the college storyline and hearing about everything that happened! it was so intriguing! I also like listening to the storyline between Hannah and her husband Evan, who I think is too good for Hannah. I loved the line where Hannah called her neighbor a lurker. It was so funny! That whole interaction between them was very entertaining!

I went through many emotions with Hannah. At times I felt sorry for her, not having a career and being stuck in the house with no prospects, in between four walls and kids to attend to all day along with daily household chores.
However, Hannah often neglected her household chores and preferred to spend all day reading and lounging around while dishes and household chores went undone. She was lazy and often neglected her motherly duties. I found her very annoying and an unfit mother and found Evan's words were actually true. She is the kind of person to complain about her lot in life without taking accountability. I just couldn't feel sorry for her, although I really did love reading about her. I also liked Evan a lot. He seems like a good father. a much better parent than Hannah is. I was not particularly crazy about the narrator. I found it hard to identify with Tom's character because not enough was provided about him in the beginning, such as what he had been up to in the years after college; this made the reader have to rely on the narrator who was awful as Thomas's voice. It didn't feel like a real person but more like a voice that was a bit unnatural. And yes, I do realize I am reading about fictional characters, but that's what brings fictional characters to life, the feel of realistic qualities and personalities.
It took me a little while to warm up to him and the narrator as well. I do like that the book had twists and a turn I didn't expect. It was great and enjoyable read that I did not want to put down and I recommend it to anyone who is interested or on the fence about getting it. It is so good! and it kept moving right to the end. The book has great characters, great story telling, intrigue, turns, mystery, spice and humor whilst making you feel emotions throughout the book.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Netgalley and Jessica Hamilton for allowing me to read this nicely written arc for my honest review.

Such a thriller of a book. I was hooked within the first chapter. I loved the aspect of the childhood truth or dare game. The way the story is told in dual timelines from the past before the accident and then years later where Hannah’s life is now. She still keeps in touch with Scarlett but hasn’t heard from Thomas for years. This book is a steamy psychosocial thriller. I loved the pace of the events it really kept me engaged and guessing to the end who was playing their own game to them. I listened to an audiobook version of this story narrated by Hillary Huber. The performance is lively and engaging. Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Don’t You Dare by Jessica Hamilton: ⭐️⭐️💫
Format: audiobook courtesy of Dreamscape Media and NetGalley

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC of Don’t You Dare by Jessica Hamilton, which was published today May 16. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

To summarize the issues I had with the book:

Every character was unlikable, and so I didn’t care what happened to them. They were horrible to each other and horrible in general, in both the past and present tense. Even the MCs/love interests. Not a single one of them got what they deserved. Even the children bothered me.
The blurb explained the entire book. The main suspects, the issues they face, even plot points. The ominous threat that the blurb describes, that the book is named after, doesn’t take place until 80% in- but we know that it's coming. It would be better to go in blind.
Enjoying this book requires too much suspension of disbelief. The main plot points, and the eventual reveal of who is behind which bad deed, the crowdsourced investigation while the police twiddle their thumbs, or that the characters all have such bad judgment, it all was just not plausible.
Maybe it would have been better to read instead of listen- I was disappointed in the audio performance and production. Some sentences sounded disjointed from the bulk of the narration- as if they were recorded at a later time or in a different room and then edited in. Those edits were very noticeable. Its also possible that the voice of the narrator heightened my dislike of the characters themselves.

Good pacing and is entertaining!

I never felt bored listening to this audiobook, narrated by the wonderful Hillary Huber.

Don't You Dare follows three college friends through flashbacks and in the present 16 years later. Hannah, Scarlett, and Thomas.

Hannah is in a rocky marriage when she receives the Daring Game mail from an old friend. Looks like her stale family life just got a little more interesting!

I can't say I like Hannah. That's probably my biggest problem. No wait, I can't root for any of the three at all! Friends who are flawed with very few redeeming qualities.

Although I sympathized with Hannah's life issues, she did not handle it well considering she has children. The plot surrounding these three friends playing the game at their age is a bit unrealistic but I have to look over that part since it's fiction and obviously the theme of the book.

If you're in the mood for a STEAMY psychological thriller that's easy to listen to then you might enjoy Don't You Dare.

For fans of Riley Sager and Wendy Walker, Jessica Hamilton’s Don’t You Dare is a searing look at the things we are willing to do in the name of friendship; a spine-tingling suspense filled with secrets and lies.

I flew through this in 2 sittings. It’s dark, messed up, spicy and twisted. The characters were not very likeable, but within the setting and plot I felt it worked well. Highly recommend this one.

@dreamscapemedia

I don’t even know what to say about this other than I gave it every chance and I just didn’t like it.

This book is trying hard to be a thriller but then there’s just sex all the time whether it fits within that part of the storyline or not - I mean, if you wanna put out a romance then just say that?? Like I’m here for it, but not in the middle of a thriller when it doesn’t make sense. It was distracting and honestly made it feel like it was all over the place but in reality it wasn’t?? I don’t know. I feel like this just wasn’t for me.

Now when I say I gave it every chance I mean it. I received an ebook quite some time ago through NetGalley (as in I got it in 2022) and I started it then but wasn’t feeling it so I left it for later. I started it again and wasn’t feeling it but saw the audiobook was available on NetGalley and was granted access. So I started the audiobook instead thinking maybe I needed the narrator to help me out. This was not the case for this book. I will say I don’t think I’d have finished the ebook, but this was the longest 9hrs 40mins of my life. I mean that’s not true, but it FELT like it so that’s something.

Overall I think this was a promising story that didn’t hit the mark for me. Which is fine - it happens. I definitely did like the narrator and I think she did a great job with it.

⭐️⭐️💫

Great read! Wow!

I absolutely love the concept of the daring game that Henny, Scarlet, and Thomas played during college. Of course, as things in college often do, it got out of hand…and we only see the terrible consequences as the story plays out.

Henny’s life resonated so intimately with my own. As a stay-at-home-mom who left a successful career, struggled with mental health, hates laundry and cleaning…her inner monologue about her life felt all too familiar. It made her completely relatable to me. And it made me understand so much of why she made the choices that she did. And while I don’t see parallels with every aspect of her life, it’s super easy to imagine her mindset as she got into what was basically round 2 of the game.

I loved that this book was a dual timeline, and we could see it unfold in both the college years and present day as the story continued. I absolutely hated the neighborhood, the expectation of no privacy in it, and the gossips. Yes, every neighborhood has this going on, but it doesn’t mean I love it 🤣

The end? Did not see the twists coming. My guess was close, but not on point in the end.

Overall, a domestic thriller that is very cat and mouse…with no idea who is the cat, and who is the mouse!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Dreamscape Media for a review copy!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the review copy of this audiobook.

This one was all over the place, but in a good way. Dual timeline and dual narration. Flawed characters. And a twist you don't see coming in the end. This one will keep you guessing.

Best friends Hannah and Scarlett meet Thomas in college and the trio become inseparable. One of their favorite things to do is to play "The Daring Game" - think Truth or Dare, minus the truths. One dare goes terribly wrong and things between them have not been the same since. Fast forward 16 years later, Hannah is unhappy in her marriage and then Thomas suddenly appears again. And he wants to play the game again, for fun.

This book was a decent listen. It kept me entertained, especially towards the end. Parts of the beginning felt like they drug on a bit. I did feel like there were a lot of characters involved in the plot, like Libby and her husband, but you do find everyone fits within the story.

I will admit, I did guess the ending about halfway through, however it still was a good ending. None of the characters were likeable though.

All in all, worth the read or listen!

Hannah, Scarlett, and Thomas were best friends and were always together. Their favorite pastime is playing a daring game. After one dare goes awry, Thomas gets kicked out of school, and things have not been the same for the trio again. Now years later, both Hannah and Scarlett moved on, but Hannah received a message from Thomas out of the blue. He wants to start the daring game again, but they soon realize that someone might be playing all of them.

This book was an enjoyable listen. I got hooked early on, and it was a very fast-paced story. The book was between a suspenseful thriller and a romantic horror story. All of the characters ( Hannah, Scarlett, and Timothy) were flawed, and everything that happened to them was perfectly justifiable. Hannah was a great main character, and she was the most compelling out of the three. Narrated between the past and the present, the story was dark, sexy, and twisted. The ending wrapped everything up with an explosive twist that worked perfectly with the chaotic nature of the story

Thank you to NetGallery and to Dreamscape Media for giving me a copy of the audiobook..

I don't think I've ever hated a main character faster in my entire life. I'm sorry Don't You Dare but I could not stand Hannah. She starts off awful and doesn't get any better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC, but this book was not for me at all. I really did not like it.

Read if you like:
👀 Thrillers
🥵 Erotic Spice
🧩 Games
💨 Fast Paced
🌪️ Twists and Turns

This one was such a wild ride! Spice mixed with psychology thrillers is something I haven’t really experienced before, but I really liked it!!!

I normally hate the affair cheating plots but it worked for the thriller aspect of this book as Hannah is trying to figure out who knows her secrets.

What happens when a game that three individuals played that ended badly once is picked up again as a sexy affair?

Thank you to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the set up of this thriller so much. I liked how well done the flashbacks were as they were put in at the exact right places. This book kept me wanting more and I could not wait to find out who was behind all the dates. This was a good thriller and Hannah had a decent character arc and was redeemable in the end.

𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓: Crooked Lane Books
𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆: May 16, 2023

Thanks @thrillerbookloverspromotions for the ARC 🤩🤩

When best friends Hannah and Scarlett meet Thomas in college, their chemistry in undeniable. They take turns playing the “daring game”, in which they each try to one up each other in pulling off dares. When Hannah and Thomas become a couple, Scarlett grows increasingly jealous until a dare she gives Thomas has serious consequences. Now, sixteen years later, Hannah has married and has two children of her own. She hasn’t spoken to Thomas or Scarlett in some time. One day, she gets a mysterious email from Thomas and she’s compelled to see him. When Hannah and Thomas are called back to the place where their original game ended, there is one dare written waiting for them: tell the truth. It seems someone else is playing the game now.

This was one book that once I started it, I couldn’t put it down! It was so fast-paced as the events unfolded in the present while a dual timeline showed readers how the dare game played out in the past. I enjoyed trying to figure out who could be behind the game in the present - was Scarlett still jealous from years ago? Was Hannah’s husband Ethan suspicious of her newfound friendship with Thomas? Or was it someone else entirely (like Libby, the nosy neighbor)?

This will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

2.5 stars. This one was a huge miss for me. I am not even sure what the point of the first half of the book was, and I almost DNF'ed several times. I decided to stick with it to see if the tension picked up or some random pieces started to come together, but alas it really didn't. It did pick up slightly in the second half as Hannah starts to get her s*** together a bit, but the ending was ridiculous and poorly plotted throughout the book. I was never able to identify with any of the characters or their motivations. I just wanted this one to be done in the end.

I was a bit surprised about the ending of this book. There's an immediate hook with intrigue into the daring tree and the game that develops. Obviously, things take a turn amid some heated drama.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC. This review is left without any compensation.

Jessica Hamilton's Don't You Dare takes the childhood game that nearly everyone has played to a whole new level, with adult-sized consequences. The dual timelines of Hannah and Thomas' relationship works perfectly to build the story of not only tragic events of the past, but how they're also affecting their current lives. At times I thought "the lurker" was almost every character in the book, which is the sign of a truly great thriller, when you even start to doubt the things you think you know. Hillary Huber is the perfect narrator for Don't You Dare. She nails every suspenseful moment! Thanks so much for the opportunity to review!