I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

My first read from this author and she did not disappoint. Good story line, kept my attention, great twists. Would recommend this book and definitely read this author again.

I was gripped by this from start to finish and couldn’t put it down, I found it engaging with a powerful plot and would highly recommend.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This book is set in London. I enjoyed Veronica's character. This book is written in a couple different points of view. ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING DRUG ABUSE PHYSICAL ABUSE ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️. This authors writing style is good. I would recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone. This ebook is in stores for $8.99 (AUD).

This was an interesting book. It’s not the best I’d the genre but it was intriguing and made for a great escape.

I flew through this book, with a well-thought-out plot and really believable characters. would definitely recommend it!

Loved the different points of view and I wasn't confused when they changed because all the characters were so unique

This one follows the lives of three women, two connected by a childhood friendship and another a neighbour. The characters were well written and completely believable, in their positive points and negative! The book covers big issues such as domestic abuse, miscarriage and childhood trauma so it definitely comes with its trigger warnings.
It’s a slow burner but the ending is brilliant and a complete change from the rest of the book!

This wasn't a light fun, read, nor the psychological thriller I thought I was picking up. This story is about following 3 woman, each dealing with their separate lives.

Veronica and her husband, George are just moving into their new home to start over after a miscarriage the year before. Yet they refuse to talk about their loss. Veronica is an elementary school teacher who came from a very wealthy family, yet her parents never had the time for a child. She was sent away to boarding school when she was just 12. The year before she left, she met her best friend, Sarah, who she bullied something fierce.

Simone is Veronica's next door neighbor. She and her husband Terry are both alcohol and drug addicts. Simone has an 11 year old son, Dominic, from a previous relationship, whom she neglected for her habit. Now she has a 2 year old daughter, Jasmine, with her husband. Terry is physically and emotionally abusive to everyone in their house, they all walk on egg shells according to his moods. They are squatting in their fancy house, it belongs to one of Terry's ex girlfriends. Every night they throw loud parties, getting high until after 4 a.m. with no cares for their neighbors. Leaving Dom, to fend for his sister who cries all night from the noise and lack of food.

Sarah is Veronica's old childhood friend and a mother of her
a student. When Veronica invites Sarah and her husband, David, to dinner at her home, she gets a polite brush off. After approaching her husband one day at pick-up, Sarah has no choice but to accept. That's when she uses her old tricks of manipulation she did years ago.

The book tackles a lot of issues each woman is going through: grief of a lost baby, grief of a lost sister, unresolved issues from a summer of bullying, and how to get out of an abusive relationship.

The story dragged at some points, but otherwise it was an enjoyable story. But the ending was rushed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Legend Press for the ARC of this book

This was a harrowing read and I found the subject matters quite difficult and this was very hard to read at times. However the book was well written and I did find it a little depressing but persevered. This would appeal to some but not really for me but I read to the end.

Too many hardcore themes like: rape, child abuse, mental abuse, domestic abuse, drug abuse etc. A harrowing read but not too tedious.

To Dare by Jemma Wayne Pub Date: 1 July 2021
Veronica and her wealthy husband George are unpacking boxes, hoping a fresh start in their newly refurbished Victorian terrace will help them heal from a recent trauma.
Next door, Simone returns to her neglected council flat. Miserable and trapped, she struggles to take care of her children under the watch of her controlling husband, Terry.
When childhood friend Sarah re-enters Veronica's life, things are thrown even further off balance. As tensions in their own lives rise, the painful memory that binds them threatens to spill into their present.
I was instantly drawn into this well-written, compelling and unpredictable thriller.
It is told through the perspectives of Sarah, Veronica and Simone.
The plot is engaging, and when the women's stories finally merge, they do so in an unexpected twist.
I am happy to recommend this book; it is well worth a read.
I want to thank NetGalley, Legend Press and author Jemma Wayne for a pre-publication copy to review.

Firstly, this book is really beautifully written - as psychological fiction goes, it's very lyrical and secondly, that's where a lot of the praise ends.

The book revolves around the lives and perspectives of three women, Veronica, Simone and Sarah who all live in London.

Veronica has just moved to affluent Primrose Hill with her husband George in the hopes of starting a family. She is a teacher at a local Primary School and during her first week she ends up running into an old friend, Sarah, whose daughter is in Veronica's class. However, it is not the friendly reunion that had imagined it to be as Sarah appears to rebuff any hope of a rekindled friendship with Veronica...

Veronica finds herself living next door to Simone, Terry and Simone's two children, Dominic and Jasmine. Unfortunately for Veronica and George they appear to be nightmare neighbours and they clearly hear the temper that Terry has during the small hours of the morning along with his raucous behaviour is the loud music that is being played throughout the night. Simone however is living under constant fear of Terry's violent and destructful behaviour... which she tries desperately to hide it from her neighbours.

The plot sounded promising at the beginning but ultimately left me feeling unsatisfied as a reader. The characters are well written to an extent but the plot (which I felt was slow to non-existent at points) lacks in a lot of ways.

I loved Simone and her children, I could have read a lot more about them and I really felt the ending let the reader down, not only for them but also for Sarah's character.

I gave his book three stars - mainly for the lyrical writing but unfortunately this is only a very mediocre book which could have been so much more.

The interconnected story of Veronica, Simone and Sarah is a bleak one that touches on many sensitive issues that may be a trigger for some readers. These include domestic abuse, addiction and grief. I found it hard to connect with the characters in To Dare and unfortunately the writing or the plot failed to immerse me. Just not for me at this time.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

Veronica and her husband George have just moved into their perfect home, but that illusion is quickly shattered. Next door at their neighbors life couldn't be more different. Simone tries to protect her two children from the worst of the abuses of her husband Terry, but it isn't always easy. She sees her shiny new neighbors and imagines life to be perfect there, but no one knows what goes on behind closed doors. Meanwhile Veronica reconnects with an old childhood friend, Sarah. She is very happy to see Sarah again, but Sarah doesn't seem as enthused. The fact that Veronica is teaching Sarah's daughter at school further complicates matters.

The book examines class differences and how people get trapped in their circumstances. And it also examines the former friendship of the two women, and the things people do to each other. The author puts her characters through the wringer with non-stop conflict and drama. It is all immensely readable and I found that I raced through this book. It also made me wish to never have next door neighbors like the ones in the book!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Jemma Wayne, and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC!

this book tackles alot of really difficult topics, and i think that everything was covered really well, ad there wasn't anything loose in the plot. i felt with the characters, and the storytelling was amazing.

This book tells us the stories of three women: Veronica, Simone and Sarah.
Veronica and Simone are both at turning points in their lives, albeit very different ones. Veronica has just moved into her dream house, in a dream neighbourhood, with her wealthy estranged husband.
Simone is the next door neighbour, in an abusive relationship with a school-aged boy and a baby girl. The first thing that puzzled me was how Simone and her partner could afford to live there and the explanation provided did not satisfy me.
Sarah enters the picture because her daughter turns out to be in Veronica’s second grade class. And Sarah and Veronica were childhood best friends. Sort of.
These three women have been through losses and trauma and substance abuse and they need to dare (hence the title) to move forward and put the past behind them.
I did enjoy reading the book, though only the character Sarah resonated with me. Yes, I could empathise with certain things in both Simone and Veronica, but on the whole I “didn’t like” them very much.

So friendships are best left in the past. This story was certainly confusing as times but I persevered. Not the easiest of reads but I loved reading the characters back stories and how they were linked. This story touches on grief, drug abuse, domestic abuse and child abuse and at times left me with the biggest lump in my throat.

Thank you to Netgalley and Legend Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

In all honesty, I found the subject matters covered in this book a little dark and a little hard to read. The book is well-written and would appeal to many, but for me, I found it depressing.

Thank you to Legends Press and #NetGalley for the ARC

I have heard good things about this book, but to be honest this book was a lot for me. There was a lot going on and a lot of trigger points for me. I'm ashamed to admit, I didn't finish this one.

Please know that this book just wasn't for ME. I'm sure there are many who LOVE this book, so really I encourage everyone to at least give it a try.