A very slow boil. First, I believe the description of a shocking, page turning psychological thriller is harmful to this book and needs to be changed. This book ended up not being what I expected, I kept waiting for some great psychological twist that never came. Many chapters do not divulge any information, just the life of Lisa going day to day trying to move on from what happened. We don't know what happened however and neither does she as she can't remember. I think it would have been better if little by little with each chapter, another secret or memory was divulged. Would have kept me turning the pages to find out more, you are basically left in the dark until about 70% of the way through the book. Where were the police trying to get information from her? Where was the media? It was a decent read IF you are not expecting a shocking, page turning, psychological "Thriller". I'm giving it 4 stars, rounding up 3.5 stars. However, if it didn't say shocking page turning psychological thriller, I wouldn't have gone in with a certain expectation and most likely would have rated this a little higher. Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for an advanced copy of this book, it is greatly appreciated.

I loved this book. I developed lots of empathy for the main character and expectantly waited to find out what was going to happen next. I wouldn't describe the book as shocking as the tag line suggests, but definitely enjoyable.

This was another book that I found very difficult to put down. I wish now that I had left it for a weekend day rather than a work day because I felt bereft when I was parted from it and rushed around doing all the boring life stuff quickly so I could get back to it as soon as possible.
Lisa is recuperating from a brutal attack in her flat that left her badly injured and her flatmate, best friend Ali, dead. Although the perpetrator was caught and jailed, Lisa has little memory of exactly what happened that night and also sketchy memories of events leading up to it. What she does feel is guilt, heavy guilt and she feels that it is more than just survivor guilt. We meet her as she has run away to the countryside, isolating herself from her past, keeping herself to herself on the whole. She is friends with her neighbour, John, and his dog, Riley, though, taking Riley on long walks and it is on these that she meets and forms a tentative friendship with Jessica. The only other person Lisa sees on a regular basis is her therapist and she is using her sessions to both come to terms with her past as well as trying to remember it. Slowly things start to filter through. She begins to remember flashes of what happened. But will these flashes help her really or will they reveal to her something awful that she wishes she could have left buried?
Although billed as a thriller, it is not really as shocking thrilling as you would expect from that description. It is paced slower than most but definitely held my attention throughout. It is very well deserved of the psychological part of the description however but I found it to be very character led rather than action packed although, that said, it did have its moments. With such a small cast as contained in this book, it is vitally important to get the characterisation right and I think that the author has managed to achieve this very well here. I really felt for Lisa as she was trying to remember and also very much felt anxious for her as she started to discover the truth. Other characters were just as easy to connect to / emote with, especially John and Jessica, both of whom offered Lisa support in very different ways. I am even going to include Riley in this too as he played quite an instrumental role here too.
As already mentioned, the overall pace of the book wasn't fast. I also wouldn't say it was slow, it was basically what it needed to be for the book to work. With memory based things, the pace of reveal can never be quick because that really wouldn't work, it needs to be a slow burn / slow reveal, journey of discovery and that is exactly what we got in this book. Memories were recalled at perfect times within the rest of Lisa's recovery story. Her blossoming friendship with Jessica, her caring after John and the other things she had to deal with in the now.
One thing did strike me when I was reading it was that, although Lisa was already an adult, sometimes it felt like a coming of age book. An emotional awakening if you like. Can't explain why here for obvious reasons but that's how it felt for me.
Looking at the author I see that this is another debut book. Looks like 2017 is going to be another crazy year for debuts. Can't wait!

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I tried this book for a few chapters but in the end it was so cliched I couldn't carry on. There wasn't much storyline going on apart from adopting a dog. It seemed that the main character was overreacting to what happened to her many years ago, although the reader wasn't really aware of the facts. I don't like leaving bad reviews as I know the amount of work that goes into writing books. It could be that I just wasn't in the right mood that week!

Utterly gripping, this character driven thriller really does pack a punch! Creepy, and at times down right haunting, this is an excellent debut with a sting in its tail.

Thank you to the Publisher and to NetGalley for the advance proof.

Highly recommended.

This is a true psychological thriller. Horrible attack leaving one dead and er roommate injured with no memory. This one kept me up all night. While I wanted Lisa to be able to remember the incident, I was also fearful of if she would be able to emotionally handle it. While reading this book I was completely engaged and found myself getting nothing else accomplished. I would not compare it to Gone Girl or any of the other comparison people have chosen. This is an very good book that can stand on its own and does not need to be compared to anything else.

Thank You NetGalley and Legend Press for the advanced copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest review.

On GR, this book still has the tagline "Shocking. Page-Turning. Psychological Thriller." It's not a thriller, and I didn't find it shocking at all. It is however quite a page-turner. On Amazon, the tagline has been changed to "psychological crime drama", which is certainly a more accurate label.
Dare to Remember chronicles two years in the life of a young woman who survived an attack in her own home that left her best friend dead. Experiencing survivor's guilt and suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, she initially completely withdraws from life. But she is determined not to remain a victim for the rest of her life, so she regularly attends therapy and tries to restore those parts of her memory of that fateful day that had vanished after the attack. Having moved to a small village, she does her utmost to remain isolated but establishes a relationship with her elderly neighbor and his dog and with another woman and dog walker from the village.
I found this to be a very gentle and slowly simmering book, which is why that tagline annoyed me. It wasn't at all what I had expected. I kept waiting for something major to happen, for some shocking twist. Instead, this turned into a deeply emotional story. Several tears were shed. If you're a dog lover like me, you'll enjoy the aspects of this story that show how pets can help us heal and keep us going even if that's the last thing we want at the time. The writing was quite simple, but really effective, and combined with the well-developed characters, the story really drew you in and held my attention easily. A wonderful debut by British author Susanna Beard!
I received an ARC via Netgalley.

This was an excellent novel. With brilliant main characters and a wonderful plot, this book is a real page turner. I would highly recommend this book.

First let me say that I like this a lot but it wasn't really what I expected with it being described as 'shocking'. There was tension and I was gripped by it but probably slightly ruined it for myself by constantly anticipating the promised 'shocking' element. I felt there was almost a cosy element to it with all the long walks with the dog and the relationships between Lisa and her new neighbours. This proves that a book doesn't need to be fast paced in order to be a page turner and I strongly recommend this debut from Susannah Beard and look forward to reading more from her.

I have to echo other reviewers and say this isn't much of a thriller in terms of twists and suspense, so don't be expecting that. I think if you go into this book knowing that, you'll enjoy it more. It tells the story of a woman struggling in the aftermath of a traumatic, violent event. It's thoughtfully written with emotions and actions that seem genuine to someone in that situation. I might have given this 4 stars if I had felt more connected to the story. Something about it kept me from truly getting drawn in. Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for an ARC of this book.

The first thing I did when I had finished this book- I took away "Shocking. Page-Turning. Psychological Thriller." from the title. (Thanks to my GR librarian rights I dare).

Because
a)If it IS a page turner or NOT decides the reader and not the publisher,
and
b)I disagree to label this novel as a "Shocking. Page-Turning. Psychological Thriller." It is not shocking, and not a thriller. Well it was a page-turner, for sure.
Besides, a genre itself has to stay away from any title, IMO.

Dare to Remember is a psychological DRAMA. A good written one.
It is a solid debut work, in a simple but beautiful and powerful language.

I read the whole book almost in one sitting and remained extremely tense while reading. The plot kept me permanently in the state when I expected something extremely bad and shocking would happen very soon, or on the next page. This nail-biting suspense of the plot is maybe typical for Stephen King's books however was unusual for this melancholically slow paced story that Susanna Beard skillfully created. Maybe I should blame "Shocking. Page-Turning. Psychological Thriller" in the title, but I think it is exactly what the author wanted to achieve with her book. It is this almost invisible mystery element, this BIG unsolved uncertainty, these many unanswered questions that the crime left and this strange feeling of GUILT that doesn't let Lisa go. WHY? WHAT really happened there?!

Lisa lost her roommate and her best friend in a brutally attack that happened in their small apartment. She survived and her body is recovering, but mental damages and suffering caused by this crime are enormous. The worst of all- she lost her memories. She can recall EVERYTHING before the attack, but she doesn't know WHAT really happened. All her life is divided into BEFORE and AFTER. BEFORE she LIVED, AFTER - panic attacks, trauma, loneliness, isolation, no friends, no social life. But she tries, she moves forward, even if she has doubts that she'll ever feel strong and confident and ready to face the world again.


Bit by bit she becomes her memories back, flashlights, fragments, pieces that help to reconstruct the events. Could she answer the very important question: WHY? And where is this guilt comes from? Did she blocked her memory because of the shocking truth?

This book was a pleasant surprise, an engaging plot, very interesting and well-discovered main and second characters (not to forget a fabulous four-legged friend) and a great message at the end.

Highly recommended!

Dare To Remember is a story about Lisa who moves to the countryside following an attack which left her emotionally and physically scarred and resulted on the death of her best friend. With only vague memories of the event, Lisa works alongside her therapist, her family and her new friend to try to recover the lost memories in order to gain closure from the ordeal that put her attacker in prison.

I was excited for the premise of this book as I love nothing more than a psychological thriller, however this was less thriller and more dull drama. The story didn't thrill me at all and although I had a vague interest to find out what happened, it wasn't interesting enough to keep me gripped at all. I wasn't interested in any of the characters in particular, apart from the old man next door who seemed sweet.

The timeframes of the book seemed unclear, as it seemed to go from one day to months later without much letting us know of the change in pace. I didn't particular feel that the language of the book drew me into the storyline and the third-person narrative took me out of the story completely, it would have been much better if we were told the story from Lisa's first-person perspective. The language felt very stiff and felt as though it was what someone was supposed to say and supposed to feel in certain situations, rather than feeling like it flowed in a realistic way.

In general, I didn't feel as though there was much point in this story and I gained nothing from reading it, other than a feeling that I had wasted my time. It was an average book, rather than a bad book, which is why I gave it 3-stars and nothing lower. However, it just wasn't for me. Some people may enjoy the straight-forward language and the third-person narrative, as well as the slow-paced no-thrill "thriller", but it just wasn't for me.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Legend Press who invited me to read an advance copy of Dare To Remember, the tale of how how Lisa deals with the aftermath of a vicious attack she has no memory of.

The novel opens a few months after the attack with what Lisa can remember of the evening it took place. She remembers being in the pub but the death of her flat mate and best friend, Ali, is a blank as is her own attack. The novel cuts to the present where Lisa lives alone in a small village, works from home and has no friends or social life, she has isolated herself. The novel takes place over roughly 18 months and describes how she recovers both her life and her memory.

The blurb calls Dare To Remember a "shocking, page turning, psychological thriller". I may have misunderstood these terms because I didn't find it particularly thrilling or shocking although I did find it a page turner. What it is, to my mind (an avid crime fiction reader), is a fairly gentle but fascinating study of how various events lead Lisa to regain her courage to face life, come to terms with the attack and recover her memory of it. It is by no means shocking, in fact I expected the dénouement, given the hype, to be much worse than it actually is.

Lisa is an interesting character and very sympathetic. I couldn't help but feel for her in her misery and confusion and admire her courage and determination to try and get past her victimhood.

Dare To Remember is a good effort for a debut novel. Some of the situations seem a little forced as if the author has tried to think them up to propel Lisa forward but on the whole the novel is a page turner with a likeable protagonist. I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

The book is a raw picture of the journey back to normal, or a new normal, after a traumatic event. The english lifestyle of a small village is wonderfully descriptive and the twists of the recovery will keep you engrossed in the story.

5 Plus Stars

This book is the painful and insightful story of a young woman recovering from a horrifying event in her life. She and her best friend were attacked. Her friend Ali did not survive.

Ever so slowly, Lisa beings to recover. She never goes back to the flat where it all occurred. Instead she rents a cottage about an hour away. She gets to know the elderly man who lives next door and his dog, Riley. As the old gentleman can’t get around so well any more, Lisa takes the dog for long walks and begins to be very attached to it. She goes to the shop for him.

Lisa suffers from sudden and profound panic attacks. In grocery stores, on her walks or anyplace she feels threatened. These scenes of apparent overreaction are par for the course for someone suffering from PTSD. (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) Lisa feels that her visits to her psychologist don’t seem to be doing much good. But they are, gradually, slowly she is getting better.

Lisa meets Jessica on her walks and her dog, Bobby. They form a friendship that is rather tentative on Lisa’s part. Here I must interject that I had Jessica’s relationship with her husband pegged almost from her first comment that he wouldn’t let her get a job – even a part-time one.

As someone who suffers from PTSD herself, I can relate to everything Lisa is going through. I still have my little rituals many years after the events which made up my personal traumas. I won’t go certain places. I must do things in order and well planned out in advance. I am a very private person, who doesn’t trust or give to others easily. And so on…So I felt every panic attack, every doubt, every feeling of guilt and rage that Lisa felt. It was astounding! While the circumstances of Lisa’s assault were different, I was there too. My decision to go into clinical psychology was no doubt based on my experiences.

The writing of this book was brilliant. The words used accurate and profound.

I want to give a grateful thanks to Netgalley and Legend Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this most remarkable book.

If it wasn't for Christmas, new year and my birthday this book would have never been laid down until I had finished it from cover to cover.

Lisa and Ali were just two young women. Enjoying life. Kicking back and having fun until......
Something very bad happened and Ali was killed.

Lisa is undergoing therapy, it's helping her to talk about things but she only at first remembers herself in hospital.
Bit by bit things unfold.

Lisa needs time away, she needs her own company, a time to heal.
She moves into her new place. A good connection is formed with her elderly neighbor who has a dog. He's unable to take his dog out now so Lisa does, often, for lovely park and country walks.

Her day to day life moves on at a slow pace. She has purpose in seeing to her neighbor, walking the dog and now even adopting the dog, her friend, her companion.

She meets Jessica one day. Another friendship slowly blooms although Lisa wasn't eager to let that happen.

Night times though we're different, flashbacks.
Disturbing images and thoughts yet Lisa can't remember what it is she needs to remember.
Why is she feeling like this.

Her therapist is great. suggestions are made yet Lisa cannot always fulfill them.

I could hardly pull myself away from this fabulous read that kept my interest from page one to the end.
The characters were well grounded in my mind. I hung on every word, every sentence.
Fabulous authors talent to clear my head of everything around me and keep me focused on this story.
Great plot, great conclusion

My thanks to Legend Press via Net Galley for my personal copy.