The Rumour by Lesley Kara is one of the best debut I’ve read in recent years, and her follow-up was equally extraordinary. Kara writes unputdownable reads with messy, flawed female characters and I’m here for it. She’s an author I recommend to my customers looking for a shot of adrenaline. Yet something about The Dare didn’t quite work for me.
This is narrated from the POV of Lizzie. We follow two timelines (or rather three):
* past - which is split into before and after. In before we follow Lizzie’s friendship with Alice, and the cracks that began to appear. In after we follow the aftermaths of Alice’s death and how Lizzie coped.
* Present - Lizzie is now in her mid-twenties. She doesn’t have a job. She’s moved out of her parents and into her finance’s house. Her finance, Ross, is a GP, a fact that provides much comfort to Lizzie’s parents because Lizzie has epilepsy. Lizzie worked hard on her health and has managed to get her fits under control by discipline and strict administering of medication and attending to her health. But this peaceful existence goes out the window when her past coming thundering back...First there’s the phone calls, and the train toy left outside her house, but then Catherine (Alice’s sister) appears...
I enjoyed the past scenes it’s the present narrative I found perplexing. While there’s twists and reveals aplenty I found the antagonist’s motivation far-fetched and difficult to get on board. It wasn’t clear what the antagonist really wanted which made this a stroppy read. Also because of the title I thought Lizzie and Alice played a game, which didn’t happen. The title and cover were a bit misleading. That aside I found Lizzie engaging and enjoyed the setting of the story. Lesley Kara is an author whose work I will always look forward to. It’s 3/5 for me, as certain plot points didn’t quite add up.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. I’ve read both of Lesley Kara’s books and absolutely devoured them. She writes such compelling reads and The Dare is no exception. It’s page-turning, full of twists and turns.
This follows Lizzie, in her mid-twenties, a young woman with epilepsy. She lives in Blackheath with her GP finance. Her parents are relieved and constantly assuring her she’s in safe hands, but she’s troubled by her past. As a thirteen-year old she went to the woods with her bff, Alice, but only Lizzie came out alive, and now Lizzie is receiving phone calls and someone left a train toy outside her house...Alice died on a train track. An accident. But someone doesn’t think so and are determined that Lizzie needs to pay.
I highly enjoyed this one. I liked that the protagonist has epilepsy, a condition I don’t know much about, and the story takes twists and turns. It was a bit of a slow burn at times, as somewhat predictable at times but it was pacy and suspenseful, and compelling enough that I was hooked. 4/5.

I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for trusting me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When teenage friends Lizzie and Alice decide to head off for a walk in the countryside, they are blissfully unaware that this will be their final day together – and that only Lizzie will come back alive.

Lizzie has no memory of what happened in the moments before Alice died, she only knows that it must have been a tragic accident. But as she tries to cope with her grief, she is shocked to find herself alienated from Alice’s friends and relatives. They are convinced she somehow had a part to play in her friends death.

Twelve years later, unpacking boxes in the new home she shares with her fiancé, Lizzie is horrified to find traumatic memories and paranoia suddenly surfacing. Is the trauma of the accident finally catching up with her, or could someone be trying to threaten her new found happiness?

Twelve years is a long time to wait, when you’re planning the perfect revenge.

I am a bit ambivalent about this book sadly, as I have heard good things about the author’s previous books which I have not read. I felt that it jumped back and forwards and from person to person too much. I can see why it has been written this way but it is not something I enjoyed. It raises the questions of what would you do if someone had been taken from you? Would you deal with your grief or would you plan revenge to the person who has caused it? It is one of those moral books in a way The plot was filled with suspense and drama. The characters were well-devloped and I was rooting for Lizzie all the way through till the end. It had twists and turns and despite my earlier ambivalence I enjoyed how it all came together at the end.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. I am a huge fan of Lesleys books ,this is her third thriller and each as excellent as the next.

A fantastic and fascinating tale of loss;grief ,lies and revenge. What happens when you cant forgive someone for their part in your pain? Do you move on or do you let the pain burden you.

I loved this gripping and unpredictable psychological thriller. Its captivating and addictive as soon as you read the first page. Packed with suspense ,twists and turns this is a exciting book.

Some parts were set local to me which i loved as you can visuslly set the scene.

This will be huge and if you’re yet to read one of her books…what you waiting for. Perfect for fans of jane Corey and adele parks

Published 18th February in e book.

Lizzie is the 20 something woman who has just got engaged to Ross. She has also recently managed to get her medication and lifestyle in tune so that her epilepsy is better managed, so is starting to look to the future and perhaps enrol at the local university. Encouraged by how well her life is going she agrees to host a housewarming party with Ross and invite his friends and work colleagues. Enter an old face from her past and it seems that Lizzie's happiness is under threat.
Told in three parts, mostly from Lizzie's pov, the story alternates between past and present and we learn about the tragedy at 13 when her best friend died in front of her. Lizzie has always claimed that she didn't see what happened as she was experiencing a seizure, but is she being honest with herself? It seems that her parents may also have something to hide, and can she really trust the person from her past?
It's a good premise, and novel trots along at a good pace. I did enjoy the read and have given it 3 stars. However, some of the scenarios were a little far-fetched, and other than Lizzie, the characters were not sufficiently substantial for me to get fully on board with their actions.

I would like to thank the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Lizzie and Alice are 13 years old and best friends. After going out on a walk, Alice dies in what appears to be a tragic accident, but Lizzie can't remember what happened cause she suffered a seizure and has no memory of the accident. Twelve years later, Lizzie is recently engaged to Ross, a GP, but when old memories start resurfacing her happy life will be endangered.

"The dare" may not have the most original premise or the fastest pace, but still is totally addictive. I was gripped right from the start. The dual timelines worked perfectly as they managed to show the growth Lizzie's character experienced in the twelve years between both temporal lines. Nothing worse than to have a character speaking in the same voice as a teen and as an adult.

As one comes to expect in the domestic suspense genre there are a few twists and the one at the end of part 1 left me totally gobsmacked. Well done, Ms. Kara!

The suspense was very well dosed throughout the story and the feeling that something bad could happen to Lizzie anytime was always there. Also, the fact that she could suffer another seizure any minute added to this increased tension.

The conclusion was convincing although I missed a bit more of a thrill in Lizzie's final confrontation.

Well written, with a plot and twists that will appeal to all psychological suspense lovers. It was my first book by Lesley Kara but certainly won't be my last. I DARE you to read it and not like it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Bantam Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alice and and Lizzie best friends Alice is pretty and popular whereas Lizzie is neither and having epilepsy makes her a target for the school bullies. Two totally different girls who end up best friends, but when tragedy strikes and Alice ends up dead who is to blame?

12 years later and Lizzie has moved on and is happy, but someone has been watching her and waiting....

Such a good story with plenty of twists I really enjoyed reading it. Fans of The Girl on the Train and other psychological thrillers will love this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.
The main character in “The Dare” is Lizzie, happily living with GP fiancé Ross.
Liizzie has had epilepsy from a young age and is out with her best friend Alice when she has a seizure. When she recovers, she realises to her horror that Alice has been hit and killed by a train,
Alice’s older sister, Catherine, struggles to come to terms with Alice’s death and blames Lizzie.
When Catherine reappears unexpectedly in Lizzie’s life, she causes unpleasant memories to resurface - and why is Ross behaving so peculiarly?
I enjoyed this book, the second one I’ve read by Lesley Kara. The story flicks between past and present but without confusing the reader, an excellent read.

A suspenseful thriller with believable characters and a good storyline - just what you would expect from Lesley Kara.. Several different timelines explored within the narrative. I wish I could say I was surprised by the twists of the plot, but I did guess a couple - in particular who the mystery narrator was. This didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book though.

There are not enough hours in the day to read. Yet again this is an outstanding one from Kara. Everyone I have read is amazing and this latest one is another one that provoaks excitement and eagerness to read to the end.

Again a new style plot which is simplistic on first glance but mind blowing when you devle in.

After what seems a tragic accident, life moves on for Lizzie. However it is through the narrative of pre and post accident as well as present day that the true facts and details of what happened on that fateful day come to surface.

In short bursts of chapters, the timelines are interwoven to help deliver to a crescendo of a finale of which you won't see coming.

Brilliantly told you can hear and see the difference of young and old Lizzie. Each page packs a punch as you feel the emotion of each character coming off.

Spooky, chilling and full of tension. Each page is dripping in suspense and an edge where you just have to keep reading.

A top author with a real style and class to deliver suspense and thrills. Looking forward to the next.

Lizzie and Alice are best friends, in that tight, intense way that you can be when you’re a teenager. But when Alice dies, as Lizzie is there but cannot remember what happened, the remaining friend – and her family – find themselves ostricised from the community. Lizzie had thought, hoped, that she had worked through it, processed the hurt and grief… until 12 years later when she’s unpacking boxes in the new home with her fiancé and discovers something that makes her think twice. Surely someone isn’t planning the perfect revenge all these years later? Lizzie’s done a lot to make herself happy and try to forget, but that’s definitely not enough. This is nicely paced, and the plot is such that you want to race through to the end, leaving you feeling on edge throughout.

This is the third book by Lesley Kara and the third one I’ve loved. This is a seriously highly addictive read! I read this book from beginning to end in one day which I haven’t done for a while it is that good. This book starts out as a bit of a slow burner gradually building up to the second half when it picks up pace with plenty of twists and turns that you won’t see coming. This book is proper escapism wrapped up as a perfect psychological thriller.

This was a slow burner for me, it didn't really get going till about half way through. And then the story was quite good, lots of twists, and a good page turner. All about a girl whose best friend dies when they're out together. No one knows what caused her death. Was it a accident or was it something more sinister. An Ok read, but for me, it just took too long to grab me.

Traumatised by her best friend's death in a tragic train accident, 13 year old Lizzie is blamed and bullied by her peers at school. Her family move away and as she grows up, she never fully deals with what happened. Was it her fault or not? Told in a series of flashbacks to the time of the accident, and switching to Lizzie's life now as an adult, secrets are unravelled. A well told, easy to read story that kept me guessing.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for te chance to read it.

Lesley's books get better each time! This book is full of suspense and tension that will keep you up all night to finish..
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to pick up a fast paced mysterious thriller.
An amazing read.

I attempted to read Lesley’s previous book as it was much hyped and the synopsis got my attention, unfortunately I was seriously disappointed by the muddy plot and novice writing. After signing up with Net Galley and realising I didn’t have to pay to give her another chance I applied to review and successfully downloaded the book. It’s a fairly interesting premise, a supposed accident in the main character Lizzy’s childhood leaves Lizzy’s best friend Alice dead.Twelve years later and Lizzy believes she’s finally found happiness but will the past ruin her contentment?. I suppose the author thought we would be kept on the edge of our seats with her many twists but the writing is atrocious and the twists laughable, the whole book is unbelievable and I can’t believe she has a publisher, What does she have over you?.

Overall a good story, it did take me a while to get into this book and the story line didn't really hold my attention although the characters were ok but not a page turner for me personally.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

‘The Dare’ was a very entertaining read. Telling the entertaining and original story of Lizzie, a young woman who finds happiness with GP fiancé Ross and and has a baby on the way.

With a history of epileptic seizures, Lizzie is traumatised by being present when her best friend Alice was killed by a train, though having had a seizure at the time, Lizzie has no memory of this event, or the circumstances surrounding it. Lizzie is almost haunted by the memory of how unkind Alice’s sister, Catherine, was to her at the time - Catherine believing that Lizzie had something to do with Alice’s death and faked the seizure.

When Catherine reappears in Lizzie’s life, unpleasant memories resurface for Lizzie and threaten the perfect life she envisioned unfolding before her.

What follows is a rollercoaster of a read!

Jumping between past and present time lines, once again Lesley Kara has totally hit the mark with this book! So readable and tempting to binge on...

My thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

Alice Dawson and Lizzie Molyneux are best friends, sadly tragedy strikes when they are thirteen and Alice is killed in an accident. Lizzie has no memory of what happens, is unable to give evidence to the authorities although obviously this haunts her into adulthood. Fast forward twelve years, Lizzie is now in a relationship with GP Ross Murray when her buried memories start to resurface and an uneasy sense of something ominous builds. Will she be able to finally lay ghosts to rest? The story is told backwards and forwards from 2007 to 2019 and this works really well especially as the tone changes from teenage to adult Lizzie.

This is a gripping easy novel right from the start. It’s well written with a good premise and plot and although I partially guessed some aspects it does not detract from being a good read. I like the way the author sets up the past colliding with the present and ramps up tension and suspense. There are some sucker punch twists and revelations as Lizzie probes and investigates the past. It’s builds extremely well to an exciting and tense conclusion. At times you want to yell warnings at Lizzie especially regarding the old adage of leopards and spots!

Overall, another entertaining psychological thriller from Lesley Kara which I recommend to fans of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House/Transworld for the arc in return for an honest review.

Very incredible book. Impossible to stop reading. Suer recommend. Many twists and turns. This autor always is amazing.
Thank you Netgalley for the book.