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!

Not my favorite. Had a very hard time getting through and relating to anything in the book. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

I love the narrator and she was the main reason I chose this book. Some of the characters were the type that I love to hate I stayed intrigued during the the whole story and enjoyed the thriller aspects although sometimes it felt like overkill.

Unhappy marriage, nosy neighbours, jealousy, and revenge. Fun little romp.
Spoilers follows.



The ending felt a little rushed or too easily tied up. And turns out he was also cheating, and main characters are friends again, and nosy neighbour's behaviour explained away and now also a friend...perhaps all the pieces falling into place so easily made it feel rushed.
Still very much enjoyed the story. Kept me guessing and suspecting everyone.

2.5 stars. Don't You Dare was a fun little read. I didn't particular care for the characters and I think that lack of investment is what dropped my rating down from what would've been a solid 3 stars. I didn't know who the culprit was but I couldn't say I was rooting for Hannah or Thomas, or invested in their past or futures really lol. Aside from character development, the book was entertaining and I think if you can find appeal in the protags that you'd enjoy this one!

I am so thankful to NetGalley, Jessica Hamilton, Dreamscape Media, and Crooked Lane Books for granting me advanced audiobook access to this twisting/turning thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. Don't You Dare is set to hit shelves on May 16, 2023 and I can't wait for more of my pals to read it.

Hannah's gratitude for their long friendship lets Scarlett get away with anything. Scarlett's jealousy and desire for control makes her want to get away with everything. This ruins Hannah's relationship with Thomas and then lands her in a miserable marriage with someone who only wanted a perfect cookie cutter wife, which is FAR from Hannah. When Thomas returns from nowhere, things spiral out of control quickly without Scarlett's interference. Hannah learns some truths about the past that re-frame everything, but someone's desire for revenge leads to a tragic end.

I was very excited by the idea of the daring game, and I expected to love this novel. There's a lot of sex in this novel, and that's just not interesting to me. While reading it, it felt like reading a bingo card of thriller tropes; there are just so many in here. I guessed the end when the character was introduced and a bunch of the side stuff. I read maybe 3 thrillers a year, so it's not great when I can figure it all out.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC
3 Stars
I was super excited to read this book by Jessica Hamilton. The truth may set Hannah free—but only if she dares to risk everything she knows and loves.

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?

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

The narration of this book was thoroughly enjoyable and her voice was so easy to listen to and just get lost in for hours! The story revolves around Hannah, a mid-thirties wife and mother who’s past unexpectedly comes to the present to upend her world. The story was good and the writing was done well, but unfortunately I saw the ending coming well before the twists and revealed. I’m sure many others may not, but I read a lot of books and it was fairly obvious to me. If you’re into mysteries and thrillers, this book may be right up your alley!

Im on the fence about this book i liked some parts and others i didnt. I did not enjoy hearing the main character have feelings or thinking back on her feelings about thomas when shes married. I do like the dares part. To me this sat in the middle of my rating scale

Hannah is an unhappy housewife with two kids. She is married to Evan and unfulfilled but she loves their two girls. There is some mention of a past event that has put a strain on their marriage and led to her drinking more. Out of the blue she is contacted by her college sweetheart Thomas and is immediately swept back to her past when he dares her to do something. Back in college, she had this daring game with Thomas and her best friend Scarlett. Hannah is the narrator and we hear from her in past and present to learn about the game and what happened in college and what has gone on in the years since. The dares got them in a sticky situation in the past. Quickly, Hannah starts making terrible decisions and is caught up in the daring game and is on a collision course to another bad situation when she starts an affair with Thomas (ick). Soon, it seems like someone is aware of the aware and is daring them to do things in order to keep their secret. Is Scarlett back? Is it nosy neighbor Libby? The ultimate reveal and fallout is just what you would expect.

Overall, this was a fast paced read with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and just enough detail to make sure you know what is going on but not get bored. I definitely wanted to find out who/what the deal was, however, I did not like Hannah and she made the absolute worst decisions. Heavily drinking housewife and infidelity are not my favorite plot points but that is not the fault of the book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Would definitely recommend this quick read. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in advanced for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Don't You Dare
by Jessica Hamilton
Narrated by Hillary Huber

Rating: 3.5/5.0 Stars

This book wasn't really my thing for the first half. It got a lot better and took off in the second half. I didn't love the characters, though the ending made sense and worked. Oh, I had the ending figured out a few hours before the end of the book. It was just a weird setup. Hannah is an alcoholic. She's having an affair. She's pretty bitchy to her family and neighbors. I just didn't like her very much. That being said, the flashbacks to what happened that led up to and ultimately led to Hannah, Thomas and Scarlett ending the Daring Game when they were younger was presented well. I was curious as to what her neighbor's problem was, what with the lurker and her always acting so darn strange. I don't want to give anything away, but this is a decent listen, if you know that it's going to take a bit to really take off and get moving. Ms. Huber did a good job narrating!

Thanks to Dreamscape and NetGalley for the chance to listen to and review this ARC!

Wow, this book caught me off guard!! At first, I thought this book was going to be more of a romance book, but the thriller aspect blindsided me! I could not stop reading it!

Hannah is a 36 year old mom of two who is in an unhappy marriage and is feeling stuck in her life at home. She’s living in her childhood home and suffered a terrible loss last year which she is still recovering from. Her husband Evan is getting upset with her daily glasses of red wine, and believes that she’s neglecting household tasks. One day while opening the mail, she gets a letter with a dare. She is immediately brought back to her college days when she and her two friends, Thomas and Scarlett would play the daring game. The dares were a range from petty theft to doing drugs and pranking other college mates. Hannah meets Thomas after 16 years apart, and it’s like nothing has changed between them. They start to play the game again, but at the same time, there is a suspicious person following them and catching on to their game. Hannah’s life takes a turn and becomes extremely complicated and she works to find out who is plotting against her, but also finds out other details that will blow her mind.

This book kept surprising me and I loved it. This was my first book by Jessica Hamilton and I can’t wait to read more. Thank you to netgalley for this ARC as well as Jessica Hamilton, the author!

4.5 rounded to 4 only because I figured one of the twists!

What a ride!!! This was a fun book to listen to on audio. The twists and turns kept me guessing and on my toes!! The characters were all unlikable but it worked with the story! I’d recommend!

I very much enjoyed this book. There were definitely flaws to the overall structure but I was pulled in so deeply by the characters and emotions of the book, that I more than ignored the flaws, I was reframing them so they were strengths. In many ways, this was a typical thriller, focusing on a woman in an unhappy marriage wanting to relive her glory days of college, and getting a chance when an old flame returns to her life. When they restart a daring game they played together, things soon fly off the rails. I enjoyed the main character, for all her messiness, just enough that I wanted her to win, but not so much that I was surprised when she was a mess. The twists weren’t massive surprises, but they were good turns on old tropes. I also loved the resolution. For me, a good resolution will forgive many things, especially in a thriller, which is exactly what happened in this book. Overall a solid read that I am glad I picked up.

Oh my, I started this book with high expectations and I wasn't let down. I will say, it wasn't exactly the ending I was hoping for, but it did the book justice. Jessica Hamilton does a great job making you feel hated for some people, and happy for others (regardless of the situation) all while trying to figure out who did what and when and with who. It might sound confusing, but in the end, all is understood. Enjoy!