Besties Hannah and Scarlett meet Thomas in college, and the three become an inseparable threesome, until jealousy develops as Hannah and Thomas enter a romantic relationship.

The three like to play "The Daring Game" in which they dare one another to perform risky dares. The stakes get higher and higher, until one dare ends in tragedy, driving a wedge between the three, and Thomas disappears without a trace.

Hannah is heartbroken, but manages to move on with her life, gets married, and has two children. Sixteen years later, she's unhappy in her life and her marriage, and spends her days lost in the pages of books, often neglecting her responsibilities.

One day, she receives an email with a dare. It's from Thomas! The two reconnect, and unhappy Hannah finds comfort and solace in the arms of her first love. But someone else finds out about the affair and the daring game. Who could it be? The list of potential suspects is a long one, and Hannah has so much to lose.

Thoughts: I binged this gripping page-turner in one day!! I couldn't stop listening. Hillary Huber is a master narrator, and played this part brilliantly. I can't wait to read more by this author. What a wild, twisty ride! Definitely recommend.

4.5 stars rounded to 5.

Thank you #partners NetGalley and Dreamscape for my gifted ALC.

3 stars

This is a great listen for the summer: an engaging thriller that requires little thinking and many characters that readers will find fascinating in terms of their consistently bad decision making. What more could one want on the beach or by the pool?

Hannah, the m.c., is in a depressing marriage that involves some intense vitriol on both sides, but since she has two children and a lot of wine, she keeps on in this state for too long. When her college boyfriend reappears - which would cause me to run for the hills but to each their own, I suppose - Hannah finds an opportunity to make her life an even bigger mess by reconnecting with him and with their creepy game of dares.

It's tough to know who to root for here because in their own ways, all of the characters are terrible. At many points, I found myself wondering if the "villain" was actually the most reasonable! I also struggled with the resolution, though I'll leave out the details to avoid spoilers.

This is not the most gripping or creative thriller I've read recently, but it does fit the bill for that aforementioned summer thriller. Readers looking for the right book to accompany them in a low-pressure environment will find what they are looking for in this one.

Thank you, Net Galley, for an audio ARC of Don't You Dare by Jessica Hamilton. Wow! What a ride that was! This is a psychological thriller, and family drama all rolled into one. Hannah, Scarlett, and Thomas meet in college. They quickly became a throuple. Scarlet created The Dare Game. Sixteen years later, the games begin again! Also, the narrator did a fantastic job!

This book was great!
I was immediately drawn in& could not read it fast enough.
It was steamy & fun&fast-paced
The mystery had me on the edge of my seat & the final plot twist🤯…
you won’t see it coming!
I thought it was fun that the class reunion was also my graduation year &school colors 🖤💛
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books, Jessica Hamilton, &NetGalley for this arc as it was provided to me in exchange for my honest opinion.
Slated to publish 5/16/23

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Hamilton & Dreamscape Media for an audio arc of Don’t You Dare in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

I was super excited about this Thriller. It was one of my most anticipated of the year. Unfortunately, it fell short and let me down.

Hannah and Scarlett have been best friends and inseparable until college when they meet Thomas and let him into their group. It is at this time that the friend create the daring game with each dare getting more and more risky until it finally reaches the point that Thomas leaves college and never comes back. Until her does. Several years later, Scarlett is in Australia living her best life and Hannah is unhappily married with two children. One day she receives a message from Thomas to meet him at the daring tree. Hannah and Thomas start back up the daring game with just the two of them as well as entering into an affair. As things progress between Hannah & Thomas, they start to receive messages to “tell the truth” and requiring other participation for Hannah & Thomas, only they have no idea who is behind these messages. Is it somehow Scarlett? Thomas thinks so. Or could Hannah’s husband have found out about the affair? Hannah doesn’t think so. Or could it be Hannah’s nosy neighbor? Possibly.

For me, there just wasn’t anything special about this book. The “whodunnit” at the end of very predictable and not a surprise at all. I can 100% guarantee you that if I was reading a physical copy of the book, I would have DNF’d it. I did not DNF the audio because I listen at such an excelled speed that I was able to fly through it fairly quickly. I absolutely hate every single character. The neighbor was obnoxious, the husband was exaggeratingly horrid, Hannah was whiny an self-deprecating, Thomas was shady and Scarlett was absent most of the book, but she was horrid in her younger year. I did not care what happened or didn’t happen to any of them.

I felt like there was so much potential with this book from the synopsis, but it just didn’t work and was quite boring.

I will not be recommending this book. I’m sorry!

2/5 Stars

This book was so unexpected. It was more than your every day thriller. It was sexy, edgy, relatable. It reminded me of the fearlessness of being a teenager, before your frontal lobe ever had the chance to risk assess. It reminded me of your first unadulterated love. On top of all that, it was thrilling, with a twist I definitely didn’t see coming.

PS: Evan sucks.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Thank you NetGalley for this audio ARC of this book. This was a dual timeline with very unlikeable characters. but for some reason it worked for me. I kept wondering what was going to happen even though I didn't like anyone. I don't really know how to describe this book other than you should read it.