Genre: General Fiction/Literary Fiction
Publisher: Legend Press
Pub. Date: July 1, 2020

This novel explores many themes through a multi-layered style, maybe one too many. You will read about addiction, domestic violence, rape, child abuse, dysfunctional friendships, jealousy, class biases, miscarriage, and claustrophobia. Wayne does a good job in all her themes. However, I am not sure that they all need to be addressed in one novel. Taking on too much can create a cramped read. Wayne’s astute observations make for a good literary fiction tale. Think the author Ann Patchett. Yet in this novel, the characters’ troubles, written in detailed and lengthy prose, gave off a melodramatic women’s fiction feel, especially the ending. No matter the genre, this story is dark. This reviewer has no problem reading disturbing fiction though others may.

Three women narrate the story. Two are childhood friends and the other is a neighbor to one of them. Their lives are entwined by chance and proximity. Simone grew up with money but in adulthood, she lives in poverty. Rebellion against her parents led her to a teenage marriage with a boy who lived in the slums. After his death, drug abuse and loneliness bring her into a disastrous second marriage. This time to a man who is mentally and physically abusive to her and her children. Here the author shines in exploring the reasons for her character’s spiraling downfall where she confuses abuse with love. Through Simone, Wayne does an excellent job of showing the reader the definition of Battered Women’s Syndrome.

We also meet Veronica who is a wealthy teacher. She and her husband just moved into their dream house. However, she is mentally depressed. The trauma of her miscarriage and the stress of not being able to conceive again are destroying her marriage. Again, Wayne shines in her descriptions of Veronica’s emotions regarding her infertility. They are good enough to make you wonder if she interviewed couples going through this issue. Then there is Sarah who in the present is a middle-class lawyer married with two children. In Sarah and Veronica’s childhood years, they were best friends. When she re-enters Veronica’s life as an adult, the friendship goes haywire. I compliment the author for nailing their preteen jealousies complete with dangerous dares and power games, which hurt one of them so terribly it left her with claustrophobia. In the present, both of them revert to their childhood personas. Here, I thought things became unbelievable. It is hard to swallow that two grown women would have a “Mean Girls” sort of friendship. It reads like a corny women’s fiction novel.

All three women are fighting their own demons, meaning the reader should be cheering them on. However, I did not. Or I did until the plot began to feel silly to me. When the three female stories are weaved together, rather than enhancing the novel they lose some of their intended punch. I do give the author credit for writing about three often-unlikable female characters. At least, I think that she did this on purpose. (Spoiler: The tale has an open ending, but hints that the women will do well in their futures), which is usually the case in women’s fiction. Women's fiction can be done well when it taps into the hopes, fears, and dreams of women today. However, in this novel, with its many themes, it comes off as excessive, exhausting, and sometimes silly. This is a shame since Wayne is clearly a talented author and I would read her again. I found “To Dare” to be a decent read, that with some editing, could have been a very good book.

This was such a gripping read, I loved the plot twists and the character development. It was such a great book and really enjoyed each new turn. This would be a great book to read for a book club and Im really looking forward to recommending it to my friends!

I was immediately pulled into this book by its beautiful, hypnotizing cover and a unique plot combining a riveting thriller and a close look at social inequality & domestic abuse. Indeed, this book is not your averege de-braining pop thriller, but rather a strong, loaded, top-notch piece of literature AND a great thriller.

The story is told from three women’s perspectives: Sarah, Veronica and Simone. Each of them is struggling with heavy problems including sexual and physical abuse, crumbling relationships, lies, fear. Each of the women comes from a different background which Jemma Wayne managed to put into words in a realistic and sensible way. Her writing is definitely very refined, which is not always the case when you reach for a mystery or thriller. Bravo on that.

Finally, the plot itself was gripping and satisfying by the end when the women's stories are seamlessly woven together in an unexpected twist. I became really invested in the plot lines, so even though there wa sno happy ending, I was glad that there was no awful cliff hanger, either. I would hihgly recommend this book to readers who are craving a heavy thriller and are ready to deal with multiple trigger warnings. It is well worth a read.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We all know behind closed doors every neighbour leads a different life.

Simone a smoker has got herself a job, but she knows her abusive controlling husband, Terry won’t be too pleased. Simone can’t understand what she did to make things go wrong, they have just had the worst fight that they have had in months and now that’s all she been thinking about. Poor Simone she seems to be blaming herself. Some women do blame themselves for the way their husbands treat them, but in reality it’s the husbands who can’t control their temper. He’s already blasted Simone for looking at the rich neighbours.

Teacher, Veronica and George lived in a posh house with high romantic headboard and wardrobes and bedside table in chic style of Louis XIV. At 3am Veronica and George can hear an abrupt sound of something thumping next door in Simone and Terry’s house with music blaring and a baby crying. Upset Veronica with listening to the baby next door is just what Veronica had longed for a baby. George isn’t to happy about the noise coming from Simone and Terry’s house, after looking for a place for three months and planning six months of work, with all that money and there living next door to them kind of neighbours.

At the school where Veronica works, she meets Sarah Beckham, now a lawyer, who was her best friend from when they twelve. Sarah looks posh in an elegant suit and hair a few shades lighter. Veronica is now Sarah’s daughter’s teacher.

The story is told from three different womens perspectives: Sarah, Simone and Veronica. All from varied backgrounds but their sorted experiences in life interweaves them together. From the outside no one would know the unsettling experiences they have all had. Primarily a sad book, it is difficult to connect with any one character. Because of the serious topics covered throughout, you may need somewhat of a trigger warning. Much darker than some of the thrillers I've read I was deeply affected by some of the bleaker events. All in all a very well written book and the author’s talent shines in a very realistic and honest way.

A story of 3 women and how their lives are interwoven.
Simone is in an abusive relationship with her monster of a husband Terry that she can’t escape from.
New neighbours Veronica and George move in next door and from the outside they appear to have the perfect life.
Veronica is a teacher and reacquaints herself with her childhood friend Sarah, whose daughter she is now teaching.
She has happy memories of their friendship but Sarah remembers things as being very different.
The book covers some very hard subject matters: domestic abuse, child neglect, rape, drugs and alcohol and the author Jemma Wayne doesn’t hold back in describing these events. She brings all the characters to life and I found myself disliking them and feeling sorry for them at the same time.
It was a real page turner that I raced through as I couldn’t wait to see how things were going to end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t get into this one. It was more of a domestic abuse type....not much mystery or suspense. It also went back & forth between time & narrators which I usually am fine with. But as there was no great question of “who done it” or the like, I had problems staying invested in the story. The writing was great, just not my type plot.

While I did enjoy this very dark and disturbing read, which may contain triggers for some, I couldn’t give it a full 5 stars, because I almost was not able to fully read it. The reason for this, was not the disturbing content, but the slow and almost tedious beginning of the story. It took some time to get through the first bit of chapters, which made me set it down quite a lot, but I am glad I stuck it out, because once I got to the more thrilling parts it blew me away. As I already mentioned, it contains some heavy topics which may trigger some, so if this is a no go for you, I would not recommend. If you are like me and enjoy dark and disturbing, give this book a go. Make sure to get through the slow beginning and I’m sure you will get the thrills, chills, and shocks you seek. Overall, it was well written and provided what I yearn for.

Will buzz around platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date.

To Dare was just all right. It was fine. It was a very slow start, then I finally began getting into the story and the ending was too abrupt.
The basic premise is that 2 former childhood friends reconnect after many years apart. They are both struggling with different situations but both are jealous of the other. There are multiple POVs and flashbacks, which did enhance the story.

The book switches between the perspectives of three different women who are each battling with their own emotional issues.

Simone, mother of two living with her abusive husband. Veronica the school teacher is Simone’s neighbour, has just moved in next door with her husband. She is desperate to have a baby. Sarah, the lawyer and Veronica’s childhood friend is a married mother of two, one of which is a student of Veronica’s.

Their lives although very different weave together in an absorbing way and while the story is a bit of a slow burn but this was needed for the character development and background story of how these woman got to where they are.

A suspenseful and tense, well written story with intriguing characters that made me want to keep reading to find out their stories and how it was all going to end!

Not necessarily a fair review because I didn’t finish the book; I never skip endings but I just couldn’t do it. My attention span is short due to a the pandemic (just joking, kind of) and I need a bit of grab to stay engaged lately.

I received To Dare as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

To Dare is told from the shifting perspectives of three very different women whose lives are brought together by trauma, Veronica is a beautiful teacher, who seemingly has it all but is hiding a marriage troubled by pregnancy loss and long-term infertility. Sarah is Veronica's estranged childhood friend, mother of two (one of whom is Veronica's new student) and a successful lawyer, but who is haunted by their past relationship. Finally, Simone is Veronica's neighbor, struggling with addiction, an abusive relationship, and the needs of her own two children. Each woman struggles to maintain a functional facade while dealing with their own inner turmoil, until circumstances cause them to collide one horrifying night.

This was a quiet domestic thriller., one in which most of the tension arises within the character's heads. There are no huge revelations or about-faces; at all times you're privy to each character's thoughts, good and bad. I was expecting a more dramatic or complex climax, but the story isn't the worse for the lack of it. It's an interesting look at the myriad ways women (and people generally) can be trapped--by grief, by past wrongs, by abuse--and how these traumas can feed into destructive behavior years later.

Definitely some trigger warnings needed in this one - rape, abuse, drug use, child neglect.
This was a serious novel with interesting twists. I started off disliking Simone and liking Veronica, then about 1/4 of the way in, that flipped as I saw Simone trying hard to get her life together against the odds and saw Veronica being straight up manipulative. Enter Sarah who has a back story with Veronica, and you've got a very intense tale. I feel a little bad saying I enjoyed this book, as it is quite heavy, but it was told with great attention and appreciation for the characters, their emotions, their back stories, and the ending was well done.

Great book with suspense, tension, along with twists and turns, this just kept me reading. The three main characters are all so intriguing, with thought provoking subjects. I can't wait for more from this author!

Sorry I really could get into this book , I couldn’t get into the characters and the story was a bit too slow . I only read to 33% and that was a struggle . Sorry not for me

I'll start by saying that Jemma Wayne has achieved a very well developed book with detailed backstories for each of the main characters in this book. A very talented writer, Jemma Wayne's plot development is to be admired. 3 very different characters, with very different backgrounds are brought together in To Dare with traumatic, devastating results. Jemma Wayne has given us detailed and at times graphic accounts of the womens' lives and how they have grown into the women they are now.

Unfortunately, this was far too heavy a read for me. I didn't really like any of the characters and found it hard to really invest myself in the story. While there are already reviews that warn you of the plotlines within this book, I underestimated just how dark and heavy this book would be and from the off, found it quite difficult to get into.

Quite often when reviewing books I ask myself what is my main focus when choosing a rating; is it the writing, the plot development, the characters or something else? For me, there is no doubting that this book is well written however it came down to enjoyability and I just didn't enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jemma Wayne and Legend Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Jemma Wayne, the publishing company (legend press) and NetGalley for an early copy for my honest review.

The book took me a few chapters to get really into it, but once I was able to focus on it, I was hooked and couldn't put this down.

The book deals with a few different hot topics, such as domestic violence, jealousy, infertility and ultimately forgiveness. The old friends were very jealous of each other, for different reasons, and it was nice how the author tackled this piece of the book, and the reader was able to resonate with not just one, but both of these characters.

I did enjoy how the book ended (even though it didn't surprise me), and I will be watching for more books by this author.

When Veronica and her husband George move into their new home the last thing they are expecting is to be woken on the first night by the sound of someone being beaten next door.
Simone is cowed by her abusive, violent husband Terry. She makes excuses for his behavior and when Veronica tries to reach out to her she says she's fine.
All Veronica and George can do is listen as night after night their sleep is disturbed by Simone and Terry arguing, fighting and listening to very loud music.
Veronica has another shock when she realises that one of the children she is teaching at her new school is the daughter of an old friend Sarah who Veronica once spent 3 weeks with over a summer.
Sarah doesn’t seem keen to resurrect their friendship and it seems the two women have very different views of that summer. Can the 3 women deal with their very different problems and find a way to be truly happy.
The story unfolds as told by the 3 women with flashbacks to earlier years that brought them to where they are now.
To really enjoy a book I need to connect with at least one of the characters and I’m afraid I didn’t in this book.

This was a well written book. I was intrigued by the premise, but unfortunately I didnt enjoy it as much as I would have hoped. I didn't feel much of a connection to the characters. That being said, it was written well and I can see others enjoying it.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

An interesting read,

A lot happens in this story, and most of the themes I found were very mature and quite shocking. I did feel like it could have done with a bit more refining, since at times it just seemed it was done for shock value.