Liz continues to move forward trying to the pain of her past behind. Her protective parents have always worried and looked out for her. Liz has epilepsy which has been under control for the past two years. She starts to feel hopeful about her future especially since moving in with her fiancé Ross, a 30 year old doctor.

Since settling into her new home with Ross she is careful to watch her stress and nutrition. Sometimes it becomes difficult when she still feels haunted by the death of her best friend, Alice when they were 13 years old. There were many accusations as Liz was with Alice on the tracks when she was killed by a train. Because Liz experienced a seizure she never witnessed the terrible accident. Life had been difficult especially with Alice’s older sister Katherine determined to prove Liz was responsible.

Just when Liz begins to settle down, Ross suggest they have a housewarming party. Liz doesn’t know many people so she tries to fit in Ross’ surgery colleagues. Liz is shocked to come face to face with the woman who traumatized her after Alice’s death. Katherine appears at the party since she became a nurse and is now working with Ross.

Since I don’t believe in dropping spoilers, I can say no more except things become twisted. Even though I had a sense of the unraveling it was enjoyable to read. Of course, there are always the secrets not considered which just add to the complexity of the story.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Random House and NetGalley. This review is my voluntary and unbiased opinion.

The back story builds via alternating timelines, revealing some surprises. This is a suspenseful, psychological thriller that is a fast read, because you won’t want to put it down. I read it in a day.

Lesley Kara does it again. This was a VERY creatively written plot with plenty of twisty parts that keep the reader fully on the edge of their seat the entire time. As the reader I felt fully immersed in the story from beginning to end. Time hop is always such a valuable device in books and Ms. Kara uses this tool perfectly throughout this novel. Creepy, bone chilling, and jaw dropping, this book gets a full five stars!!

Lesley Kara does it again with The Dare. I previously read Who Did You Tell?, also written by Kara, so when the request came in for The Dare, I immediately accepted. She has such a great way of turning a mundane landscape and a seemingly boring life into one fraught with danger from those closest to you. It really makes you second-guess how you meet people and how much of your everyday occurrences are just coincidence.

In this novel, main character Lizzie has epilepsy, but has learned to manage it and is finally moving forward in her life, looking ahead at job opportunities and planning a wedding after a traumatic childhood resulted in her best friend’s death. Her best friend Alice was hit by a train while out for a walk with Lizzie, but Lizzie was experiencing an epileptic episode and can’t remember how Alice died or what actually happened.

The story is told from Lizzie’s perspective, but switches from the past (leading up to and following Alice’s death) and the present (12 years later). Lizzie had put Alice’s death behind her and is hopeful for the future when she reencounters Alice’s sister Catherine who always blamed her for the death.

It’s easy to connect with Lizzie, being in her head for the story and trying to figure out what really happened to Alice when they were children. It’s especially easy to empathize because, even if we discover it’s all Lizzie’s fault, how much can you blame a thirteen-year-old for their actions before they can even really understand the consequences?

The only thing I fault Lizzie for is not being honest with Ross, her fiancé. Regardless of how hard it must be to think about Alice, I don’t understand how she could never mention it to someone she is supposed to be marrying. That was the only aspect I felt like was improbable because it would have come up a million different ways, especially when the little girl Elodie in the beginning of the book gets hit by a train and they’re watching the news story on television.

It was a fairly straightforward plot with a very clear idea of who was the villain versus the victim, but the added twists tying Lizzie and Catherine together were what really kicked this novel up a notch! By the time the end of the novel was near, I couldn’t put it down!

The Dare is a new psychological thriller by Lesley Kara, and it's a winner. The best thing about this novel is an extremely sympathetic, fully defined protagonist. It's about a young woman named Lizzie, one of my favorite characters in a while. Lizzie has suffered from epilepsy her entire life. She's now in her early twenties and living her best life with her fiance, Ross, who is a GP in a medical practice in London. Life is good because she hasn't had a seizure in nearly two years. It's about time too as Lizzie's life has been beyond difficult. When she was a teenager, Lizzie lost her best and only friend Alice in a tragic accident. Making matters worse, the two girls had been arguing before the accident, but then Lizzie had a seizure and can't remember how things transpired. People in her hometown, including Alice's family, blame Lizzie for the accident and think she's lying about not having any memory. Things eventually got so bad that Lizzie and her mom and dad were forced to move.

It's now 12 years later and another child killed in an accident has Lizzie reliving her own past. The novel mostly takes place in the present, but periodic chapters take the reader back to Lizzie's childhood. As she's struggling with well-buried memories, Ross suggests that they have a housewarming party and invite all of his colleagues. Lizzie reluctantly agrees, and when the time comes, she finds she is actually enjoying herself. That is until a nurse who works very closely with Ross shows up. That nurse is Alice's older sister, Catherine, who made Lizzie's life hell after Alice's death. She was cruel and vindictive and taunted Lizzie mercilessly. How can she be here?!?! Well, that's where the story becomes really interesting and author, Lesley Kara, makes readers' heads spin. Has Catherine changed, as she claims? And what exactly is the relationship between Ross and his nurse?

The Dare is an all-consuming read, perfect for all lovers of thrillers. I highly recommend it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books/Random House for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lizzie Molyneaux finally feels as though her life is on track after the brutal death of her best friend, Alice, when the girls were teenagers. Alice was killed by a train while she and Lizzie were out walking, and Lizzie, who has epilepsy, had a major seizure and has no memory of what exactly happened to Alice. Alice’s older sister, Catherine, was horrible to Lizzie, blaming her outright for Alice’s death and spreading rumors so vicious that the Molyneaux family moved away. With her epilepsy controlled by medication, Lizzie considers starting university, and is living with her fiancé Ross when she learns she’s pregnant. At a time when she should be the happiest, Lizzie is troubled by Catherine’s reappearance in her life, and begins to question everything about her new life with Ross.

The Dare has plots and sub-plots, twists and deadly turns, and is an exciting read. I appreciated Lizzie’s underlying strength, but was amazed at how easily she allowed Catherine, someone who had tormented her brutally, back into her life. I don’t know that I would have been that forgiving. Told in alternating viewpoints and from Then and Now timelines, the storyline was easy to follow but did have some slow spots. No spoilers here, but I will say that the reader does eventually learn the truth about Alice’s untimely death.

I loved this book. It starts with a slow but we’ll written and engaging build before suddenly nothing is at it seems. The twists just keep on coming and I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended

I’ve been looking forward to reading this novel! I loved Lesley’s previous books. And this new one was equally addicting, if not even better than the others. The story is written where it could be anyone’s story. Just someone’s ordinary life. But yet there is something there, something from the past hanging over the characters. And then the secrets and the twists will happen and make it hard to stop reading. Lizzie is expecting a baby with her fiancé Ross. But then she sees someone from her past and this makes her think more about what happened all those years ago. When her best friend Alice died. Bits and pieces of the past are revealed throughout the story. I already am anxious to read Lesley’s next novel and it looks like there is one set to arrive next year!

DNF - Did not finish. I decided not to keep reading this title because I did not connect with the writing or plot. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the early copy!

The Dare was a fast read as I needed to know how the story was going to play out.

Lizzie and Alice were the best of friends at 13 years old. Unfortunately that friendship is cut short when Alice tragically dies while with Lizzie. The only problem is, Lizzie can't remember anything that happened during the accident because she was having a seizure at the time.

Now Lizzie is all grown up and her life is falling into place, until a similar accident takes the life of a young girl in town and Lizzie struggles with her past.

The story jumps back and forth from present day to Lizzie's childhood. It seems her past is coming back to haunt her, and through the entire story it seems like Lizzie is hiding something... does she really not remember what happened? There's some not so shocking twists, along with some jaw dropping twists. This book had my attention right up until the very end!

The Dare is a twisty thriller centered on Lizzie, who suffers from epilepsy. After a childhood dare leaves her BFF Alice dead, Lizzie can't remember exactly what happened. But someone else wants to know the truth, and will stop at nothing to get it.

The mystery of Alice's death was compelling. I also didn't see the big twist coming, which is always a plus with a thriller. Unfortunately, I didn't feel very connected to Lizzie and her fiance in the present timeline, which made me less interested in what happened to them. I think the epilepsy storyline and guilt that Lizzie felt made this book just a little too dark for me - but if you like darker thrillers, this may be a good one to try!

Thank you to Ballantine Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have pieces of your life go missing? Poor Lizzie, if that was her only problem. It was July 19, 2007, Lizzie and Alice were on their best walk, their favorite route which allowed them the time to discuss all the things that we’ve so important to young girls. But this walk takes on a darker tone with the two friends arguing and “hurling insults” at each other. The world shimmers, Lizzie falls to the ground and Alice……..

Alice died and Lizzie is unable to explain how it happened despite being with her at the time. Lizzie is an epileptic and the seizure she suffered has taken away her memory but she fiercely believes that she would not have done anything to harm Alice. Alice was her best friend, her protector. Everyone questions what happened, fingers are pointed, rumors are spread and Lizzie becomes a pariah. Her young life becomes a living nightmare.

Twelve years later Lizzie has survived and is living with and to be married to a great guy. He is a doctor and knows all about her epilepsy but nothing about that day and what happened to Alice. As Lizzie tries to navigate daily life and figure out what career path to follow small, disconcerting events happen which throw her off balance. This is where the story, despite its slow cadence, picks up and throttles down. The stress, the fear, the incomprehension radiates off each page. Kara has done a masterful job of setting the tone and laying down the clues and creating a well written thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy.

When I started reading The Dare, I didn’t really know where it was going, but I was intrigued. And when the twists started coming about half way through, oh my goodness I was hooked! The pacing, the alternating timelines, and the emotional weight of the story kept me compulsively turning pages until the book was finished.

Thank you so much Random House + NetGalley for the ARC.

Lizzie has grown up and has a wonderful man she is engaged to. She still has nightmares from the tragic death of her best friend Alive after a childish spat. She is shocked at her house warming party when Alice's sister walks in. As it turns out she works with Lizzie's fiance. She tries to figure out if she still wants revenge against her, or has she changed? A great suspense filled book.

Lizzie and her friend, Alice are happy that it is the start of summer and they decide to take their favorite walk. While they get along most of the time, today Alice teases her to the point that Lizzie has a seizure. Lizzie has long been plagued with epileptic seizures and Alice has always protected her from mean people who say bad things about Lizzie. When Lizzie regains consciousness, she sees Alice dead from being hit by a train. For a long time after, Lizzie has suffered from the loss of her friend and other kids say she killed her. In addition, Alice’s older sister, Catherine, often harassed her.

Today, Lizzie is engaged to and living with Ross, a handsome General Practitioner. When she discovers she is pregnant, she is thrilled. However, she soon learns that Catherine is now a nurse working in Ross’s practice. Catherine seems to have changed and is apologetic for being so mean to Lizzie. Lizzie’s parents are skeptical of Catherine and warn their daughter to stay away from her. What is the truth and why are her parents so wary of Catherine? But as Lizzie learns more about her parents’ past, the more the puzzle pieces start to come together along with fear.

This was an unusually frightening and puzzling book that took me right up to the end to learn what really happened that day with Lizzie and Alice. There are twisty tales here and it's hard to imagine how families can get into such a mess, but these families certainly did. A good story and a scary one too. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

4 stars

I enjoyed this! It definitely called for a lot of suspension of disbelief, but this was a quick, fun read.

When Lizzie was a kid, she went on a walk with her best friend, Alice. Alice got hit by a train. Lizzie, who has epilepsy, can’t remember what happened leading up to Alice’s death because she had a seizure. But obviously it was an accident … right?

So we have the well-worn trope, a narrator with memory loss, unsure of her own secrets and inviting the reader to wonder if her disturbing dreams are hinting at dark secrets …

I had guesses along the way and none of the twists and turns felt totally out of left field, but I was never completely sure how the pieces would come together.

Oh my goodness! What a crazy, twisted story 😱
I had to stop many times, go back and reread parts of the story just so I could reassure myself I had things right. Just so much going on within the story!
The suspense factor is off the chart.
A intriguing psychological thriller that will keep you enthralled and captivated from the first page to the last page.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

Loved this! First book by this author, I really liked her writing style. Suspenseful until the last page. I definitely will be looking for more from this author. Highly recommend for an absorbing read!

WOW! What a wild twisted tale of love, betrayal and family drama this was.
I love a book when I don't see the twists and turns thrown at you coming.
Strong female protagonist, Lizzie whom didn't let her disability cripple her in the end.
What you think is going to happen doesn't but it does takes a wild turn.
My third read from this Author and it did not disappoint.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Ballantine and the Author, Lesley Kara for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was REALLY good, and I never saw the twist coming, which is great. I was a little confused about the emphasis on the seizures as an adult, because some of that didn't seem to add to the plot unless her medication was being messed with, but outside of that, it was great!