The Summer Dare was tense and twisty. Overall, a very enjoyable read.

The characters felt realistic, though I wish that the author had given just a little bit more to them. Lucy did, unfortunately, get on my nerves a bit, but it didn't take too much from the story. I didn't guess the plot twist at the end and I enjoyed it!

This was fast-paced and twisty and I would definitely recommend it!

The four friends got me a little bit confused, and this thriller kind of made me want more? I don't know. I didn't feel like it wrapped up that great. I probably wouldn't recommend this one to my friends, just because some parts were difficult to follow in my opinion. Thank you NetGalley for my ARC!

I loved this psychological thriller. Kept me guessing what will happen till the end of the book. This is my first book by Jessica Dodd and it won't be the last.

This book is all about revenge and drama. I do love a book that involves missing people and this one did. I had high hopes but... it didnt hit the mark for me.

The Summer Dare was a tense and twisty read. I really enjoyed it.
I was drawn in immediately and couldn't put it down.

I loved the storyline, and the characters were interesting and complex.
Lucy was very likable, but I wasn't as fond of her friends.

I thought I had it all figured out, but I was way off. I didn't see that twist coming at all.

I highly recommend.

4 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley, Canelo, and Joanna Dodd for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows Lucy, a new girl who is shocked when Maddie and her group of friends ( the most popular girls in school) want to be her friend. The girls spend a week at a summer camp for acting - some hope to become actors, others like to be behind the scenes but they all are excited to be there together (for the most part), that is until one fateful night. There is the legend of an old actor whose house was nearby (legend had it this actor killed a young girl but was never tried for her murder). The girls go to this house, which is forbidden by those running the camp, and on a dare each girl needs to enter the house and bring something back out. All goes well until it's Maddie's turn. Maddie never comes back out of the house.

Fast forward to the present. The rest of the girls are still friends and have families of their own. One day, Lucy receives an ominous text message that she believes came from Maddie. Is Maddie still alive and if so, why is she contacting Lucy after all of these years?

This is a quick, fun read. I like the dynamics between the girls (each trying to have a voice in the group or trying to fit in). I liked the back and forth between the past and the present. The way the story unfolded was great and I'll be honest when I say that numerous times I was sure I had it figured out but I was wrong every single time haha!

I would recommend this book for those who like mysterious reads.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the chance to read this for free. This was my honest review.

Lucy Keeble can't believe her luck when Maddie Blake, the coolest, most popular girl in school - and, at fifteen, two years older than Lucy - wants to be her friend. From being the new girl on the fringes, Lucy finds herself drawn into a world of sleepovers, cigarettes... and secrets. She will do anything to be part of the gang - but what if popularity comes at a terrible price?

The Summer Dare is an entertaining, if derivative, story of four friends - and the secret which has bound them together for nearly quarter of century.

Author Joanna Dodd doesn't set out to do anything groundbreaking here, and none of the novel's twists and turns are particularly shocking or unexpected. She draws on various sure fire tropes - toxic female friendship, summer camp, a haunted house - but doesn't really do anything fresh or original with them. Not enough time is given to establish the drama camp setting, while the parallel mystery from the 1920s would have been far more interesting if told from the POV of the characters involved, rather than being summarised by the modern day characters. Aside from Lucy, none of the characters are well developed - allowing the author room to have them behave in whatever way suits the plot, and the final twist undermines too much of what has previously been established.

However, if you're looking for a quick summer thriller that will hold your attention without demanding too much of you, The Summer Dare may be just the thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

This was such a great thriller mystery. There are twists everywhere. And I promise, you will think you know...but you don't!!!!!

I devoured this book on a Sunday afternoon because I just couldn’t put it down. It was fast-paced, intense, and the characters were well developed and interesting.

I thought the multiple POVs and timelines would get confusing, but they didn’t. It added another layer of understanding into what actually happened during that summer. We spent quite a lot of time in the past so I felt like I got to know Maddie well (and I couldn’t stand her!) However, that made the story more interesting because there were so many reasons why she could have disappeared. I didn’t like Lucy, both in the past and present, so I wasn’t invested in her side of the story. However, I was desperate to find out who was taunting her, so that kept me hooked on reading until the end.

The only thing I didn’t like was I found it confusing, telling the difference between the friends (not including Lucy and Maddie), so there could have been a lot more character building with them.

It was a brilliant representation of peer pressure and the impressions people can have on someone, especially when they are young and naïve. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Twenty-five years ago, Lucy found her clique. The cool older girls. The chance for her to finally fit in. So what if she had to do a little dare?

Fast forward to the present. Lucy is still friends with the girls. Except for Maddie, who was never seen again after the dare. Lucy is trying her best to forget about the past. Until she receives a text one day, from an unknown number: "why didn't you tell them where I was?" Who sent this message? Is Maddie still alive? Or does someone else know the truth?

I loved this one! Chilling. Suspenseful. Clever. Well done, Joanna Dodd! What a thrilling read full of so many twists and turns. Always impressed when I do not guess the twists. It's pretty wild, especially the ending. Definitely thought about it for a while after I finished reading.

Highly recommend the Summer Dare for any thriller fan. You won't be disappointed!

Thank you to Hera and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#TheSummerDare #NetGalley
Six weeks of friendship. A lifetime paying for it.
They were the cool girls. Two years older, oozing glamour. She could prove herself worthy of their friendship. She could do the dare. Twenty-five years later, Lucy has a perfect life. She is still friends with the cool girls. All except one. Maddie. The one they never saw again after the dare. They don't talk about her. They don’t think about her. It is as though she never existed until… Lucy gets a text from an unknown number. Why didn't you tell them where I was? The past hurtles into the present and secrets push their way to the surface. Who is the message from? Is Maddie back? Or is someone else set on exposing the truth and seeking revenge?
I loved this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hera for giving me an advance copy.

This one was insanely slow for me. It did not hook me and I struggled to pick it up after putting it down. It was a good mystery read, but not what I would classify as a thriller or that I'll be thinking about for days after. I struggled to tell the difference between the four friends, they weren't really developed with depth or enough detail for starters. Also the ending didn't really go in a way I liked; I imagined it going a much different route. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy!

I do think that I'm in a bit of a reading slump so far this month, so that may be why this one wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it would have been. I still love a 'ten years later' thriller, no matter what end of my rating scale it ends up. This one landed just below the middle for me. I feel like the beginning was really slow, and it took me so long to get into a proper swing of reading it.

"𝘚𝘪𝘹 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝘈 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵."

25 years ago, 13 year old Lucy and her four friends Maddie, Claire, Hayley, and Jenna attend a summer camp. When they hear rumours of a haunted house nearby where a 1920s Hollywood star lived, Maddie dares them to go into the house in the pitch dark, but Maddie never comes out of the house again.
Now Lucys life is good and she still remains friends with her friends from camp. All except Maddie, who was never seen again after that night 25 years ago. And then Lucy gets an unexpected text from an unknown number.....
"Why didn't you tell them where I was?"
The girls have been keeping a secret all these years. Now they fear Maddie is back, or does someone know their secret and is out for revenge.
The summer dare is the perfect summer thriller about friendship, secrets, guilt, and grief, with a jaw-dropping final twist. I would definitely recommend this suspenseful thriller.
Thanks to netgallery and canelo for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Summer Dare" by Joanna Dodd is a gripping psychological thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The dual timelines of Lucy's past and present create a suspenseful narrative that unravels the dark secrets of her childhood friendships.

The story effectively explores the consequences of toxic friendships and hidden truths. The pacing is perfect, with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The epilogue was especially shocking and added a satisfying conclusion to the mystery.

Overall, "The Summer Dare" is a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers. It's a perfect summer read that combines nostalgia with a chilling plot. 4 stars!

Toxic Friendships…
Toxic friendships, regrettable relationships and even more regrettable events are explored in this immersive and twisting thriller where the past comes rushing to meet the present. Relayed effectively with a dual timeline and short snappy chapters, a plot populated with a credible cast and several, perhaps unexpected, twists. A gripping read.

This was so good!
I did not see the twist coming AT ALL ! I did have a couple questions regarding the MC’s actions but I left the book a gasp .
The pacing was great it didn’t ever feel like it was a lull and the dual timelines made it so much better. This was a solid 4/4.5 stars for me. Thank you so much for the ARC . The perfect summer thriller !

This was a good mystery read, but not one that I'll be thinking about for days after. I struggled to tell the difference between the four friends, they weren't really introduced properly or developed that much. Also the ending didn't really go in a way I liked, it could've been a lot better.

This thriller starts off a little slow, but once it picks up you find yourself finishing the book in one go, I really liked the dual POVs of Lucy in the past and in the present. The characters in this book are very likeable and relatable, and the mystery of what actually happened to Maddie, is she dead or alive, kept me engaged in the book till the very end.

The epilogue shocked me, I wasn’t expecting that at all! This is actually the perfect summer thriller.

Thank you Joanna Dodd, Hera & NetGalley for an e-ARC copy.

#TheSummerDare #Netgalley

This was such a good read, showing the consequences of friendship - dark and dangerous consequences in this case!