four girls go to summer camp and discover an old house, lived in by an actress years ago, they dare each other to go into the house, but 25 years later they start receiving messages, who is sending them? a thrilling read.

What's summer without a suspense novel? I know they call it a thriller, but it's more suspense than thriller. Old friends with a secret trope and the ending shocked me! It is a slow burn but truly picks up after the first half. A group of gal pals having one another's backs with secrets, but one may have kept more secrets than the others. Such a thrilling read, so many twists and turns!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Hera to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

I love a good thriller filled with past friendship drama, but this was a bit of a letdown to me. I did finish and enjoyed how it ended but felt like there was potential for more.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review The Summer Dare!

I am sure most girls remember the 'cool 'girls' at school, whether you were one of them or a girl outside looking in wishing you were.
Lucy the main narrator of this story, was always the latter who broke through this boundary but was it worth it?

The story revolves around four girls including Lucy and the coolest Maddie who go away to summer camp. Whilst there they become aware of an old house that was once lived in by a 1920's Hollywood star. The house is now old and run down and the camp director forbids them from going there. Well as we all know, once we are told not to do something this becomes even more enticing, so of course they do. Maddie makes a dare that they will each go into the house and take something to prove they have been there but unfortunately when it is Maddie's turn she does not return, now she is missing.

Fast forward 25 years and Lucy starts receiving text messages that now make her think that there is a possibility that Maddie may still be alive and is after revenge, otherwise who could be sending the texts? Throw in another couple of shady characters from the camp all those years ago and now Lucy is now wishing she had never become involved.

The book moves at a decent pace but after finishing it my main thoughts were that apart from the texts we are provided with, we are not given much else to go on and I realised that I really was waiting for more to happen as the story unfolded. That being said, as the book did progress towards the end we are provided with a big surprise that I was not expecting and this then did the story justice. All in all a good thriller that was enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own. 3.5 stars rounded up to four.

Thriller books are a go to for me. This book did not disappoint. I couldn’t put it down. It was a must read.

I could not put this one down! I loved all the twist turns and the mystery of what happened to Maddie! Was she alive or dead Lucy really didn’t know and the ending was a complete shock!! The perfect Summer book!! Thank you so much for this arc!!

When Maddie disappears during acting camp, the friends involved that fateful night are slated to be in touch for the rest of their lives.
It's fortunate they are friends, and even better that Lucy married Maddie's brother. But when Lucy gets messages from an unknown number on her phone, she suspects the gig is up. Someone knows what they did and is looking for them to pay the long overdue price!
a text from an unknown number. Why didn't you tell them where I was?

#thesummerdare #joannadodd
#hera

This book was a bit different, I’m not sure how it was listed if it was a mystery thriller?! Anyway it was a good nice read definitely not a thriller which was what I was expecting! The ending was very warm hearted and made you feel good lol it did have some slight suspense, intrigue, a little mystery but it’s more of a feel good book! I’d say it’s worth reading not one of my all time favorite but still worth reading! Thank you Netgally and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

read if you like:
😱 missing people
🤫 truth or dare
👯‍♂️ girl group dramas

summary:
This book is about a group of girlfriends - Lucy, Claire, Hayley, and Jenna - who twenty five years ago, had a friend, Maddie, disappear during after a dare while the girls were at theater camp. Now as adults, one of the girls, Lucy, starts getting anonymous text messages, bringing her back to that fateful night. While their lives carried on without Maddie, is someone looking to seek revenge? Or is Maddie still alive?

This book is like many others — friend goes missing, remaining friends always wonder what happened, someone comes out of the blue saying they know what happened, etc. The characters in this story are really likable — I admired their friendship and the fact they stayed so close even after a tragedy. I also loved that they still lived near each other. Lucy herself is so relatable and the multiple POV’s from her in past and present made it such a compelling read. The plot itself is a little bit of a slow burn, but the book isn’t too long and it goes by quick. The only part i disliked was the added layer of Lucy’s job as a ghost writer and the tie in of life initiating art. It just felt like a distraction.

The ending — WOW. I audibly gasped at the end of a chapter (you’ll know which one I’m talking about!) I love that it wasn’t predictable and had more layers than I was expecting!

Thanks to Hera and Net Galley for the ARC, and make sure to check out THE SUMMER DARE when it comes out on July 11!

Joanna Dodd’s latest psychological thriller, The Summer Dare, follows a group of adult friends as they find they can no longer run from a dark secret in their past.

When teenager Maddie disappears after a dare gone wrong, her friends vow to keep their part in it a secret. After all, why should their lives be ruined for a mistake they made as children? However, as they approach the 25th anniversary of Maddie vanishing, it becomes clear someone does know their secret and wants them to pay.

Told in alternating timelines from the perspective of Lucy (a new mother and the misfit of the group), the truth behind what happened is slowly unraveled throughout. Lucy is an okay protagonist, though she does not read as intelligent enough for the role. Uncharitably speaking, she is a bit of an idiot. If someone remotely intelligent is being stalked, they aren’t about to walk to the store alone in the dark just because they are craving chocolate; this is the book equivalent of running upstairs instead of out the door in a horror movie.

Frustrating main character aside, the book is well written, and the plot is compelling, though too much is revealed throughout to make the twist at the end much of a shock. This will make for a fun beach read for fans of the genre.

I liked this book and appreciated that it was tense throughout. It centers on Lucy, whose friend Maddie went missing 25 years ago when they were teens. Now Lucy, who is still close to the 3 other friends who were there when Maddie disappeared, has started receiving threatening text messages that appear to be from Maddie. The story is told in alternating timelines from the time when Maddie went missing and the current time.

I thought the characters were well-drawn for the most part, though I wouldn't have minded a little more characterization. I thought the dynamic worked well and was confused when Lucy made a comment that they probably wouldn't have even stayed connected if the disappearance hadn't kept them together, because they certainly seemed like really good friends. Also, while I found Lucy's insecurity a bit charming initially, it grated on me as the book continued and I didn't always feel that her internal narrative matched her actions. I really enjoyed the mystery around the text messages and the author's insertion of believable red herrings. I also love everything about abandoned mansions, which was my initial draw to the book, and thought those sections were suitably creepy. There was one part towards the end that was a little out there and I didn't think it was necessary but it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment. I liked the twist at the end and wasn't expecting it, but it was very close to another story (which I can't disclose without giving spoilers); I can appreciate how hard it is to come up with a twist that literally no one else has ever done with the huge amount of books that are out there in the genre.

Overall, I thought this was a good book, though. It was twisty and fast-paced and I wasn't able to guess the ending in advance. I'd recommend to those who enjoy psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

The Summer Dare by Joanna Dodd is a riveting psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of friendship, the weight of secrets, and the far-reaching consequences of youthful decisions.

Set against the backdrop of a seemingly idyllic suburban life, the novel follows Lucy, a woman whose perfect existence is shattered when a text message from an unknown sender drags her back to a pivotal summer twenty-five years earlier. That summer, Lucy was eager to prove herself to a group of older, glamorous girls, leading to a dare that would forever alter the course of their lives.

Dodd masterfully weaves a tale of suspense that keeps the reader on edge, with the narrative oscillating between the past and the present. The characters are intricately drawn, with their flaws and motivations laid bare as the story unfolds. The cool girls, once symbols of allure and aspiration, are now harbingers of a dark past that refuses to stay buried.

The central mystery revolves around Maddie, the one friend who vanished after that fateful summer. As Lucy’s life unravels, the reader is compelled to piece together the puzzle of Maddie’s disappearance and the role each character played. The tension builds as the truth inches closer to the surface, culminating in a twist that is both shocking and satisfying.

Dodd’s prose is sharp and evocative, capturing the nuances of teenage yearning and adult regret. The setting is a character in itself, reflecting the characters’ internal turmoil through the oppressive heat of the summer and the claustrophobia of small-town gossip.

The Summer Dare is a testament to Dodd’s ability to craft a psychological thriller that is not only thrilling but also a profound commentary on the human condition. It’s a book that entertains, and the twist at the end is truly shocking.

While the first flashback grabbed my attention, the subsequent chapters lost it. I can't pinpoint exactly why, but the best I can explain it is it felt like the author was trying to introduce the characters too quickly and, as a result, didn't move the plot forward. Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me, but I hope other readers enjoy it more.

I enjoyed this, but couldn't help but feel it was a lot of build up.
Didn't even know what we were building up to, because despite worrying about the text messages, not much was given away.
The main characters were believable which helps a story a lot.
Nice reveal at the end, and everything ties up nicely.

Youth is a time when most people will do almost anything to get in with the group that they admire - which is usually the cool kids.

But sometimes, the price is more than you can or should have to pay. And the indiscretions of your past can sometimes catch up with you most unexpectedly...

This is a cleverly plotted thriller that maintains a high level of tension throughout. Enjoy a taste of revenge chilled to perfection. This one gets 3.5 stars.