An intriguing page-turner, The Dare is a compelling psychological thriller that absorbs you into the life of these two young girls and the secrets that have haunted Lizzie and her family for the whole of their lives.

The structure of the book works like a jigsaw through multiple viewpoints. Told in the present, the past before the accident and the past after the accident, Kara brilliantly weaves together these narratives to slowly reveal the truth about what happened on that day on the train tracks and who is messing with Lizzie’s head.

Well-developed and full of tension, the twists will shock and the suspense will have you on the edge of your seat. And because the characters are all so engaging, you really feel the pressure of the secrets that are bubbling to the surface. Alice and Lizzie are both likeable characters and you can certainly feel the power of their bond, which is what makes you all the more desperate to find out what’s going on.

It’s definitely a book that I’m going to be thinking about for a while. The Dare is an entertaining thriller that keeps your attention and ends with a satisfying conclusion. I can’t wait to read more Lesley Kara and be lured into another twisty story.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Steadily paced, intriguing and full of suspense, Lesley Kara has certainly delivered another thrilling read!
A little slow to begin with but it certainly picks up quickly. The alternative past/present chapters provided excellent insight to both the story and the characters. Lizzie was a easy character to feel sympathy for, and with some well-placed twists, and shocking truths, my empathy for her grew the more I read. I kinda guessed the reveal, but 'The Dare' was definitely not what I had expected. A rather satisfying ending overall. Can't wait for this author's next!

I've read both of Kara's previous books and although none of her stories have become favourites yet, I've been keen to read more by her.

In her third novel, we follow 25-year-old Lizzie who is living an enviable life having just moved into a new house with her doctor fiance, Ross. However not all is as perfect as it seems - Lizzie's best friend Alice was killed when they were 13 after being hit by a train. Lizzie has epilepsy and had a seizure as it happened and so is unable to remember exactly what happened. Alice's family were convinced she was to blame and that the seizure was a lie.

In the present day at a housewarming party, Ross introduces Lizzie to the new nurse at his GP practice. Unfortunately for Lizzie she is a huge, and very unwelcome, blast from the past and the secrets unravel from there. This is a story packed full with lies and manipulation. I really enjoyed the book - I just wished there were more twists and more atmosphere-building as I soon worked out what was going on, and could guess what was going to happen. It all seemed to happen quite quickly (although I usually prefer that to a thriller that drags on way too long!).

Lizzie, who narrates this story, is an epileptic. When she was thirteen her best friend Alice was killed on a railway crossing. Lizzie was there at the time. She had one of her 'episodes' and as they usually leave her struggling to remember anything around the time they happen, her memories of the incident are vague.

The book moves between Then and Now. It shows how Lizzie was bullied at school and how Alice protected her. After her death, the school bullying intensified. She was blamed for the accident, especially by Alice's older sister Catherine. The family eventually moved away and began a new life. Lizzie is now in her mid-twenties and engaged to thirty-something GP Ross Murray. They have just set up home together. . However, the arrival of a new nurse at Ross's practice is about to pull Lizzie back to her tormented past.

I wasn't sure whether I would enjoy this or not, but as the read progressed I settled down, intrigued as to what would happen next. The author has cleverly woven past and present together, and is quite clear people have been holding secrets, even Lizzie's loving parents. It's a book that delivers many surprises, not all of them pleasant. At times I was left wondering how it was all going to end. A real cliff hanger.

4.25*
Gore score 🗡(1/5)
A new author to me.
Alice and Lizzie are best friends, while on their favourite walk there is a tragic accident following an argument and Alice is killed by a train on a level crossing. Lizzie had an epileptic fit, and remembers nothing of the event. Following it she is shunned and bullied by her friends and Alice’s sister.
The book is told in 2 time frames by Lizzy, at the time of Alice’s death and the current time frame which is 12 years later. It’s evident that the past still haunts her, she is questioning her present situation, newly engaged to a GP with life seemingly going well. She has struggled to get her epilepsy under control since childhood, but finally it seems to be stable. Her epilepsy plays an important part in the story, and I felt it was depicted really well.
It’s medium paced,with an easing going style, it drew me in and swept me along.
I didn’t find the characters likeable, but it in no way stopped me really engaging with the book.
The ending, wow, the tension and pace is ramped right up.
I’ve agonised over my final score, the ending is very much 5* for me, the body of the book 4*

Lesley Kara never disappoints! A great read focusing on the aftershocks of a traumatic event and the long suppressed memories finally coming to the surface.

Definitely a 4.5 stars from me! I absolutely love Lesley Kara’s thrillers and I think this might just be my favourite so far!

I love Lesley’s writing as there’s always subtle messages throughout that get you to start guessing and then suddenly everything is just flipped on its head and steers in another direction. Her thrillers are full of secrets and all imparted at the perfect moment. I enjoyed the journey of the three parts with part 3 really ramping up!

I frequently guess endings to thrillers but didn’t manage to guess this one. Even though things were tied up nicely, I can’t help but want to know more about what the future holds for Lizzie and some of the other characters!

Absolutely fantastic and easy book to recommend to customers. Thank you for the chance to read and review.

This story begins in July 2007, best friends Alice and Lizzie are looking forward to spending the six weeks summer holidays together, on the first day they head off for a walk, but while they are out Lizzie, who suffers with epilepsy, has a seizure, when she regains consciousness Alice is dead and Lizzie has no recollection of what happened beforehand. Alice's family are convinced she's lying and is somehow responsible for her best friends death and Lizzie is alienated by them all. Fast forward twelve years to 2019 and Lizzie is moving in with her fiance Ross, she's never really got over Alice dying and the way people treated her, but she's slowly getting her life back together until strange things start happening, is her past coming back to haunt her and will the truth of what happened that day finally be revealed?

The Dare is told in three parts and across two timelines, alternating at each chapter. It's a slow burner through part one and you wonder where the author is going with the story, but part two reveals things that start to make sense and by part three all the pieces of the jigsaw fit together perfectly. As someone who also has epilepsy, I felt a connection with Lizzie, understanding how it feels to have this stigma hanging over you and the after effects of her episodes are very accurately portrayed. It's a tense read, with quite a few twists along the way, and that final one was most unexpected. This is the first I've read by this author but certainly won't be the last.

I'd like to thank Random House UK Transworld and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

The Dare is a gripping psychological thriller with a good plot. It takes you on a windy road of twists and turns with chapters alternating between past and present, building up to an explosive end. This is my second Lesley Kara book and definitely not my last. I dare you to read it!

Thanks to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book to review.

When teenage friends Lizzzie and Alice decide o go for a walk in the countryside, they are blissfully unaware tthat this will be their final together. Lizzie has no memory of what happened in the moments before Alice died, she only knows that itmust have been a tragic accident.

Twelve years later, Lizzie is unpacking boxes in the new home she shares with her fiamce Ross. She is horrified to find long buried memories surfacing. Is the trauma of the accident fnally catching up with her?

The story is told in a series of flashbacks at the time of the accident and Lizzie's life in the present day. The pace is slow in the forst half of the book but it steadily picks up it's pace. It's also filled with plenty of twists. The plotline has been well thought out and executed. I was caught up in this story from the start and it held my attention throughout. The characters are well rounded and believable. I found this gripping read hard to put down.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #RandomHouseUK #TransworldPublishers and the author #LesleyKara for my ARC #TheDare in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved everything that I’ve read so far from Lesley Kara and this was no exception! The Dare had me anxiously turning the pages and constantly guessing the entire way through - I loved the suspense, I loved the characters and I loved the twist at the end! A must read for those who love a great thriller!

After reading and loving The Rumour I really looked forward to reading The Dare, but I have to say The Rumour still comes out on top for me, it was a good story which definitely held my interest throughout but I wouldn't call it a twisty psychological thriller which had you on the edge of your seat.

Main character Lizzie was written well though and she came across as a genuine person and therefore likable and believable. But maybe that's just it, you weren't really left guessing what was what to be honest. The thing that went on was more or less revealed pretty early on in the book so it lost that 'what's gonna happen' factor too soon.

Saying that however, The Dare still managed to keep me interested in the story which is no bad thing considering my point above. It's where the author wanted to go with it and I think she successfully got that balance right. Maybe I've read too many dark and deathly thrillers. This one just was a tad to tame for me but it's definitely a great read, never did I feel like not reading it and that is a winner in my book.

Fantastic read!

From the beginning it had me hooked! I was automatically trying to work out what had gone on, what was going to happen and although the main twist is revealed before the end of the book it still made me want to carry onto the end to find out how it finished!

I really sympathised with the main character, she came across as a genuine person so you naturally felt protective over her!

The storyline was very clever, a fast paced thriller!

Thank you NetGalley and random house uk, trans world publishers for allowing me to read this book !

The Dare by @lesleykarawriter
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Publication date: 18/02/2021
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Lizzie’s life is plunged into darkness when her best friend is killed by a train during a walk that the teens regularly took. Lizzie, suffering from epilepsy, doesn’t have any memory of the moments immediately before and during the tragic accident. Twelve years later, Lizzie finds herself relieving the events of the past when long-buried memories are brought back up.
Another spectacular novel from Lesley Kara which has many twists and turns throughout the storyline. Immersive, suspenseful and chilling.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for this ARC.

Another gripping psychological thriller from the excellent Lesley Kara. Both The Rumour and Who Did You Tell? had me gripped and The Dare is no less engrossing. The idea of the acts of one's childhood coming back to haunt one in adulthood is a fairly common trope in literature but here it is tackled in a fresh and interesting way. How well do we know those we thought were closest to us? As the secrets and lies are revealed, the story holds our interest from start to finish and the denouement is a real revelation!

If you are after a twisty psychological thriller then you really need to give this book a go.

Lizzie & Alice are best friends but when they are thirteen tragedy strikes. Both girls have gone out for a walk together but only one comes home. Alice is struck by a train and Lizzie has no memory of the event, she suffered an epileptic fit at the side of the track. Following the tragedy Lizzie finds herself alienated by Alice’s friends and family. Could Lizzie be responsible for Alice’s death ? Is that why she has no memory of the event ?

Fast forward 12years and Lizzie is now living with GP Ross but she is still struggling to cope with what happened with Alice. Suddenly strange things start to happen and Lizzie has a feeling that the past trauma is catching up with her. Will Lizzie finally discover what happened that fateful day 12 years ago ?

This is a great twisty psychological thriller that is told from the past and the present, which in my opinion adds to the suspense. I really warmed to Lizzie, as a character, and loved how we slowly discovered the past events along with her.

Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

The Dare by Lesley Kara was an unsettling twisty story. Lizzy seems to have her life on track after an early tragic trauma where her best friend died. Her epilepsy is finally under control allowing her to consider a part time job or to enrol at university. Her partner, Ross, a GP, seems lovely. He is caring, solicitous and supportive of Lizzie and they have just moved in together. The “but” comes quickly and from a few directions when a series of events and people make Lizzie reflect on what really happened on that awful day years ago and what lies so many people have been telling. I found this a sound storyline and got a sense of the characters and their personalities but I was frustrated at Lizzie ignoring her well founded reservations to make rash decisions but I suppose that’s what gives the tension to the storyline. A decent read with a bit of intrigue and tension. Four stars from me

I dare you to read this book and not be on the edge of your seat, reading late into the night, caught up in this fast paced thriller filled with twists and turns.

This psychological thriller is filled to the brim with dark secrets, drama, revenge,
and red herrings that will keep you guessing throughout the entirety of your reading experience. There were quite a few times that I was shocked and thrown off by some of the twists and reveals in this story.

This book was entertaining, twisty, dramatic, and intriguing.

Although this was my first Lesley
Kara read, it most definitely won’t be my last.

Definitely recommend to fellow thriller lovers!

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

The Dare - Lesley Kara

Lizzie should be happy, newly engaged to Ross, a successful GP, and moving into their first house together.

Two dark shadows loom over Lizzie's life. She is epileptic, and her childhood best friend Alice was killed by a train. Lizzie was the only person present but has no memory of what actually happened as she was having an epileptic seizure at the time.

Using a past and present narrative, (the events in childhood around the tragic death of Alice, and Lizzie in her mid twenties), the psychological drama creeps up. Haunted by the past and increasingly fearful of the future, Lizzie starts to doubt those closest to her.

Atmospheric, empathetic and easy reading drew me then swept me along, and then the tension ramps up in the second half building to a very satisfying finale.

I have to say Lizzie's epilepsy is one of the best uses of a medical condition in a character I've read. It is sensitively handed and provides a constant source of anxiety keeping Lizzie and the reader on edge, and opens up many interesting plot lines.

I couldn't wait to read this, Lesley Kara's previous novel 'Who Did You Tell?' was one of my favourite reads of last year.

The Dare is very accomplished and original, it didn't grab me quite as hard as 'Who Did You Tell?' but is still recommended.

4*

Thanks to Netgalley.

I will post review to Amazon & Facebook nearer publication date.