When teenage friends, Lizzie and Alice set out on their usual countryside walk, they don't realise that only one of them will come back alive.
Lizzie, having had one of her seizures at the time of the accident doesn't remember anything, but that doesn't stop Alice's family from blaming her for their daughter's tragic death.
12 years later, having finally managed to rebuild her life, what Lizzie least expects is for the past to resurface again.

This is a book that had me on the fence about the rating.
The second half of the story was gripping and so fast-paced that I was madly turning the pages to find out what happens next. The twist was jaw-dropping and made the plot finally come together.
However, the first half was very slow and kept me wondering where the story was going.
Usually, slow burners get no more than 3 stars from me because I like my books to keep me on the edge of my seat throughout, but in this case, after some deliberation, I decided to go for 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Overall, it was a good read, and I'm looking forward to reading the author's previous books.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House and of course Lesley Kara for allowing me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

'My past has caught up with me, like I always knew it would. All this time I’ve been living on a fault line. Now, finally, something inside me cracks and shifts.'

This book has absolutely everything!
Brilliant lead female! (Who's not Naive)
Brilliant Antagonist! (Who's perfectly twisted)
Brilliant story!
Brilliant written!

I loved every single second of this book and even though I found the first half a tad slow, the way it has been written meant that I could not pull myself away from it.

The flow from past to present along with the snippets of Ross's past was seamless.

A dark past, several dark twists and a relieving ending. Make this one of the best books I have read.

'Like that first, dreadful dare. But we were children then. This time, it was different.'

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book, and wow what a book, I read it in one sitting as I literally could not put it down. It drew me in from the first page and I was hooked a definite must read.

Rating: 2.3/5

I really enjoyed Lesley Kara's debut novel, "The Rumour". This, her third book, has its moments - but overall it was too contrived and far-fetched to be particularly satisfying.

The narrative takes place across two timelines: 2019 and twelve years earlier in 2007. Lizzie, our main protagonist, who is prone to epileptic seizures, used to be best friends with Alice. While out on a walk together in 2007 Alice dramatically loses her life. Twelve years on, Lizzie has seemingly rebuilt her life, appears to have her condition under control, and is now setting up home with her fiancé, Ross. But events are about to take a different turn.

With many psychological thrillers it is almost a given that the reader will need to suspend disbelief to a degree and allow the writer some dramatic licence - but there are limits. "The Dare" not only frequently pushed these limits, but ultimately disregarded them completely and, in the end, became quite silly.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

I never repeat the blurb. Interesting premise, but I failed to be completely engaged by the protagonist. A shame, but I did persist with the easy read.

I love Lesley Cara’s thrillers. This is no exception. The main character is a delight. I was engrossed to the end of the book.

Lizzie has no memory of what happened in the moments before her best friend Alice died, she only knows that it must have been a tragic accident. Skip ahead to 12 years later and Lizzie is moving on with her life, she has moved in with her fiancé and is going to go back to college. But strange things keep happening, is she being haunted by the past or is someone out for revenge.

This is the second thriller I have read by Lesley Kara as I was on the blog tour for who did you tell, and I think this is even better than the last. I read it in just a few sittings and was thinking about it when I was I put it down. The tension the author creates oozed off the page and at times I just wanted to shake Lizzie and say 'can't you see what's happening here!!'

I did predict two of the main twists but in no way did this detract from my reading pleasure, in fact it enhanced it as it played out as I wanted it to in my head which gave me a whole separate sense of satisfaction.

The Dare is a tale of secrets, lies, betrayal and manipulation and I loved it! It’s the definition of a psychological thriller with twists, turns and oodles of tension. Told across three timelines: Before and after Alice’s death. The past explores Lizzie’s friendship with Alice, and the events surrounding Alice’s death, it also follows the aftermath of Alice’s death and how Lizzie coped. In the present day Lizzie is now in her mid-twenties. She lives with her fiancée Ross, a GP, and life is going smoothly. Unfortunately, there’s something sinister afoot, Lizzie has no recollection of what happened in the minutes before Alice died, but someone leaves her chilling reminders, someone whose determined to find out what actually happened to Alice on the day of her tragic death.

Lesley Kara weaves the three time lines together flawlessly, slowly drip feeding the reader with just enough details to keep our attention firmly on the pages of the book, culminating in the past and present colliding in a heart thumping conclusion. The plot first appears to have a few unbelievable coincidences, but as it’s a psychological thriller, I should have put my trust in the author, and overtime every think makes sense. I really appreciated the well-placed twists in this book, and even though I thought I knew where the plot was heading, it still shocked me on at least a couple of occasions. The Dare may not have the most original premise, but it’s a book I really enjoyed. There are so many reveals that made this book such a satisfying read.

Another gripping psychological thriller from Lesley Kara! Although I felt that this one wasn’t quite as strong as her previous novels, Who Did You Tell? and The Rumour, it was still a good, tense read, with the biggest twist saved right until the end.

The story is set in London, where twenty-five-year-old Lizzie has moved in with her doctor fiancé, Ross. When Lizzie was thirteen, her best friend Alice was killed in an accident at a railway crossing. Alice’s family, her sister in particular, blamed Lizzie for the death, even though Lizzie doesn’t remember what happened. She’s still carrying the trauma around and although she thought it was all in the past, she’s forced to confront what happened and realises there’s a threat to her right now.

The content of this thriller is very emotional and intense. It’s very much on the ‘psychological’ end of the thriller spectrum, with not much action and a minimal level of violence compared to others in the genre. I didn’t like any of the characters, but I did appreciate the inclusion of a main character with epilepsy, which I don’t think I’ve encountered before and which raised my awareness of the condition.

[Review will be published on by blog on 22nd February]

Fantastic read. I have been completely unable to put this one down. I cannot wait to read more by this author.
Full review to follow on publication.

I love Lesley Kara’s previous books and was really excited when I received a NetGalley approval for the upcoming book ‘The Dare’. This book has a gripping storyline and I felt intrigued as it all unfolded. I did not like many of the characters, which made the book more enjoyable because you wanted to see what happened to everyone and how it all ended. Lizzie was best friends with Alice and we get glimpses of their friendship and school years, which makes the book really interesting, going between the past and present time. It is fascinating to see the dynamics between all the characters and who you feel you can and cannot trust. This book is great for thriller reading fans who enjoy unpacking a mystery. I really enjoyed it and cannot wait for Lesley Kara’s next book.

Hooked! I’m obsessed with The Dare! Trust will be too, this is one of those one in a million books that you HAVE to read! Lesley is a master at writing and I’m definitely keeping an eye out for other books by her. Absolutely fantastic story, get this ordered today!

Lizzie and Alice are best friends and when a tragedy strikes and Alice dies, Lizzie’s life will never be the same again.
Years later Lizzie is living in London with her fiancé, Ross, when the past comes back to haunt her. Will Lizzie be able to save herself and find out the truth about what happened that day to Alice?
Wow! This was such a fantastic read, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. Fantastic read for 2021! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thirteen-year-old Lizzie and Alice are best friends. Alice is a popular girl and Lizzie is not as much and suffers from epilepsy and the other kids around think she is a freak. But Alice is there for her and that is the only thing that matters. So, one day the girls decide to go for a walk near the rail tracks and ends up having an argument that make Lizzie have a seizure. When she wakes up, she can’t remember a thing except her friend best friend is dead and her sister Catherine thinks that she killed her.
Twelve years later, Life is sweet. Lizzie is coming to terms with Alice’s death and she hasn’t had a seizure for a few years, and she lives with her fiancé Ross in a new house. Ross is a doctor and is hoping to be a partner at the practice he works at. So, they decide to have a housewarming party with mostly Ross’ work colleagues. When he introduces the new practice nurse, he keeps talking about to her and it turns out to be Catherine, Alice’s sister. This brings back old memories of what happened that tragic day and the aftermath and her fiancé Ross is behaving weirdly towards her.
The Dare is another tense. gripping thriller from the author told mainly in Lizzie’s point of view. At first, I wasn’t sure how this story was going to pan out and how it clued together but, in the second part of the book it suddenly came clear and I thought how clever it came through. It also made me feel a bit claustrophobic in the last chapters of the book which I do not normally feel. This is another great read. 4 stars from me.

This was a bit of a crazy one, and I loved it. I found it to be very intriguing from the start, and I was hooked from the first chapter.

I really enjoyed the characters, even the not so likeable ones. The plot was very well thought out, and was quite unpredictable throughout.

Lesley Kara is a fantastic author and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

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

Thanks to RandomHouse UK, Transworld Publishers, NetGalley and Lesley Kara for the advance review copy of The Dare.

This is my second book from this author, having previously read and enjoyed The Rumour so I was looking forward to what Lesley Kara had in store for her next book.

I absolutely loved The Dare.. A psychological thriller with lots of twists, turns and tension that leaves you compelled to keep on reading, I read the entire book in 12 hours with a sleep in the middle lol!

Lizzie and her best friend Alice and inseparable teenage girls. When Alice dies after being struck by a train on one of their regular walks, Lizzie's memories of the day are hazy. An epileptic, Lizzie had a seizure and when she came to her best friend was dead.

After Alice's death, Lizzie is alienated from her friends and Alice's family, particularly her sister Catherine, are convinced that Lizzie had something to do with Alice's death. Lizzie's family move away and the traumas of her childhood are left behind.

Now 20, Lizzie is living with her GP husband (something which is a huge reassurance to Lizzie's parents) wher epilepsy is under control. Life looks like it's starting to settle down, when suddenly the crank calls begin, a little train is left outside their house and the nightmares return. But are they really nightmares, or are they memories!?

The past starts to catch up with Lizzie and brings into question what really happened that day on the tracks.

A great read, I enjoyed the narrative changes and The Dare kept me guessing throughout.

My only slight critique is that the title of the book doesn't really fit the main storyline of the book in my opinion - the Dare element is a very minor part of the plot. That said, I have no idea what I would call it instead and that doesn't detract from the fact that I would recommend this book whole heartedly.

5/5

Told between NOW and THEN perspectives, (with THEN being both before and after the incident), the story flicks between past and present to build up a back story of what happened on the run up to that fateful day.

What a crazy, twisty psychological thriller The Dare is! I read this in a day, my last read of 2020. It was addictive and kept me needing more. I loved the way we learned about Lizzie and Alice through alternate chapters of the present and the past. If you have read Lesley Kara books before you will know how she loved to shock and The Dare was no different.

12 years ago Alice’s best friend Lizzie was killed while they were out in a walk. Alice remembers nothing and is blamed by her school friends and Lizzie’s family. 12 years later and she is finally happy and moving on with her life. But the past is never far away.

Thanks to Bantam Press and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

The Dare by Lesley Kara
I give this book 4 stars

When teenage friends Lizzie and Alice decide to head off for a walk they are unaware that this will be their final day together.
Lizzie has no memory of what happened and is shocked to find herself alienated after from school friends and Alice’s family.
12 years later,in the new home she shares with her fiancé, Lizzie is horrified to find long-buried memories suddenly surfacing. Is the trauma of the accident finally catching up with her, or could someone be trying to threaten her new-found happiness?
12 years is a long time to wait, when you're planning the perfect revenge . . .

Well told, engaging and twisty.A suspenseful psychological thriller that held my attention from start to finish.Lizzies story is told between past and present timelines. I highly recommend this fast paced,full of tension read.
With thanks to Netgalley,Lesley Kara and Random house UK, Transworld Publishers for my chance to read and review this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author, for a free copy of this fabulous soon to be released book, to read and review. Wow, what a head turner, spellbinding, shocking twist-filled story. This is my first book from this author but I plan to read more from her. I loved this super entertaining tale. This story was fast paced and easy to read. I really liked Alice's character. I really liked how well developed it was. At many moments, I thought we shared many personality traits and many times I rooted for her well being. I loved her parents characters too. This was a sweet, tragic story. I was happy with the ending. Loved this a lot!

First book I've read by Lesley Kara but definitely not the last.
It was a good gripping story. I don't typically like books where it flip flops between the characters (because it's been done to death) but it worked well here