This was just an OK book, but with many good twists and turns. It centers on Marley, a high school senior, who along with her boyfriend and 2 best friends, does something unthinkable as part of a dare. The rest of the book focuses on them trying to figure out what to do as the stakes continue to get higher. This is a YA read, FYI.

I found the first part of the book to be very repetitive and thought it was going to be a slog to get through, however, the pace picked up about halfway through. None of these characters were likable and I felt like sometimes they seemed too young for their age but other times seemed too old. I also would have liked a little more background on some of the dynamics between these characters, like the whole Wilder family (of which we are only introduced to one) and what kinds of things Arthur did to turn him into the town pariah. The book had some good twists as it continued and the ending provided a few surprises, but there were some plot holes that caused me to suspend my disbelief. I did like the way it ended, all things considered, because I wasn't expecting it at all.

Overall, decent read with definite shock value, even if there are some questions left unanswered. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Natasha never disappoints! I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down! It was a little slow in the beginning but around 30% everything started to pick up. It gave me pretty little lairs vibes! Senior pranks aren't what they use to be, friendships, relationships, and lies keep you engaged and not put the book down! Thank you for this arc!

I love this author and I want to see all the best things for her. I will definately be following her career.
This book was frustrating for me though. These kids are just so dumb. Obviously they didn't grow up in a bad neighborhood like I did. And I am biased because I absolutely hate pranks.
I love all the twists.
I wasn't expecting any of that end stuff. I few times I had to set the book down and stare at the wall for a bit.
That ending was classic Natasha Preston!

The Dare by Natasha Preston is essentially a rip-off of I Know What You Did Last Summer. I guess that since that movie came out in 1997, we have a whole generation of people who aren’t familiar, but I am old enough to remember. We have a group of kids who hit a guy while out driving on a dark twisty road at night. They hide his body because they of course can’t do the right thing and take responsibility for their actions. That would ruin their future. But, shockingly, someone has seen what they did and starts texting ominous messages. The group of friends starts turning on each other. This book moves slow to start with and eventually it does pick up the pace and get more interesting. Until that point I was lowkey annoyed that it wasn’t an original story at all. Our main characters are a bunch of morally corrupt idiots. Marley, who is our narrator, isn’t even fun. The best character in it is Rhett and you’ll see how that goes for him if you read this. (Spoiler: not well) The plot holes in this story are huge. Any halfway decent forensic team that investigates the crime scenes would blast the ending apart. It definitely reads like a young adult book, but in an insulting way- young adults are brighter than this story gives them credit for. Honestly, the greatest feat this book accomplished was making me mad that I read it. The only redeeming quality about it was the end. It took a turn that I can’t say I enjoyed, but did add some spice to the book. 2/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Publication date May 7th, 2024. This review will be found on Instagram and Goodreads indefinitely.
Instagram book reviews @CandaceOnline

Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Okay Natasha, I am pleasantly surprised!

I’ve read some of her others works and haven’t been much of a fan, but in this book she really has improved on some of her previous flaws!

For starters I liked the characters way more in this book, they felt more believable. And while she still has some work to do, it has greatly improved!

The mystery was also better in my opinion! Where her normal writing style is mindless killing, this one felt more like it had a purpose, and it felt deeper somehow.

I do wish we had seen more of Marley’s relationships with her friends, past and present, but I can get over that.

My only bone to pick is I WANTED RHETT TO BE END GAME 😭😭 NATASHA WHY

Over all this was a pleasant surprise and her best work so far!

💖❤️💖
You’ll love this if you like…
• A kick butt MFC
• A fast paced page turner
• Plenty of twists
• Scheming
• A smart set of cast

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC. 3.5 rounded up to 4 due to the twist at the end and the entertainment of this book. I would have to say some of the plot is very familiar to a well known horror move but I will not say as it will spoil the plot. I would say that there does need to be more descriptions of the characters, I still really have no idea what anyone looked like and did not know the main character’s name until a couple chapters in. You have to go into this book knowing it’s a YA thriller and a quick, fun, read.

Thank you #Netgalley, #RandomHouse and #NatashaPreston for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This story, narrated by Marley, follows her and her 3 friends as they go through some serious senior pranks/dares. These dates become extreme. The twists and turns in this story, particularly the last 10-15% were amazing.

I enjoy Natasha Preston's stories, they are quick, twisty and great for YA and adults

Natasha Preston does it again! She is one of my top favorite Authors! The Dare kept me fully engaged and wanting to finish to see what the plot twist was. I honestly didn’t see that happening either!

The book is about high school students getting ready for Senior Pranks/ Dares. One family is known to put them on and they encourage everyone to play. If they don’t then they have to deal with the blackmail they leak. Most of the students go along with it just because of that alone, they don’t know what they have on every student.

Rhett Wilder is the popular kid who used to be best friends growing up with Marley. He ended up dropping her as a friend with no explanation. Now that pranks are coming, he is determined to get her to play.

Marley is well-liked and just wants to finish with her senior year. She has three friends she hangs out with Atlas, Luce, and Jesse. Atlas and her are planning to move to California to go to school. They decided to participate in the senior pranks, even though Marley wasn’t sure how it was going to go with her ex-friend Rhett being in charge of the dares. Man does it change quickly for that group of friends!

The story was well-developed and thought-through! I enjoyed reading everything that was happening! The plot twist at the end was everything!!! Even though I was hoping for a different ending!

Thank you, Natasha Preston, for writing another great book! I enjoy reading your books! There hasn’t been one so far I haven’t loved! Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this book and giving me a chance to write an honest review! Thank you, Random House Children's, for publishing this book!

Really enjoyed this YA thriller. It’s a suspenseful, “whodunit”, quick read for all ages not just young adults. The final twist at the end is absolutely mind blowing!!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I know this is YA, so I am going to try to go easy on this review. This book was so so so immature. The entire book I didn't understand how all these high schoolers could just be hanging out half the night. And I still don't really understand the Wilder family? It felt like there was hardly any discussion or explanation there. And the ending was awful!! I am literally still confused based on the ending. Who actually did what? no clue. I wish this story had been far more fleshed out because if it had been, it definitely could have been good. It just felt very disjointed to me

Image your Senior year, we all want to have a memorable last year of high school. So they decide to perform pranks and depending the level of the prank it can either be a good laugh or go horribly wrong. The story line will keep you on your toes with guessing. I was not expecting the ending. Would recommend this book.

3.5/5 (rounded up)

This is my first book by Natasha, and I’m not sure if I’d read more. I found myself getting distracted often

Marley and her friends are about to finish their senior year of high school but they still have to do their senior pranks. These pranks are a little more intense than the normal ones. That would be because of Rhett and his older brother’s were known for their dares. So Rhett follows in their footsteps giving the senior class dares but when you’re giving a dare. You cannot back out of it, otherwise there are consequences to it. So when Marley and her friends Luce, Jesse and Atlas get their date they cannot back down but when they take their dare it will change their lives forever.

This book was more YA than the other ones I have read. It was a little hard because I did find the main character a little repetitive and annoying. So it took until the last 20% where I was really interested. The ending had some twists but not like the other ones I have read where I was shocked. I still liked it and recommend it and especially for a young audience looking for a good thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s publishing for letting me review this book.

Senior pranks used to just be saran wrapping toilets or messing with the parking lot so no one could go to school. But since Rhett and his brothers make the dares it’s never that simple. Accepting a dare means you could be expelled or even arrested depending on the dare. But if you refuse the dare a secret about you is revealed. Either way, there are consequences…

This was a pretty good book. I have read other books by this author and she has an MO of having ambiguous endings (which sometimes frustrate me lol) but that wasn’t the case in this book! I enjoy a good YA book every once in a while and this was that. It was a typical “we did something bad let’s cover it up” but the ending was really good. Not what I expected at all! Overall I would recommend this book if you like YA, thrillers, and fast paced reads. My only cons about the book were I’ve read a lot of books with similar plots and I never understand the choice process in plots like these haha

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for a copy of this work in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are that of my own!

Wow! This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I like it. If you like suspense thrillers, you’ll like this. One stupid dare changed everything. Who can you trust if not your friends, right? We meet a group of friends on their last weeks of school. Reluctantly, they decide they want to participate in the senior pranks, not knowing what’s ahead. I would definitely recommend this book because it’s full of who done it? Never going to guess the next twist. This is a 4 star read for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc for an honest review.

Natasha Preston is one of my favorite authors, she got me into reading with her book series “Silence”.
This book was great! It was slow at the beginning but it’s worth sticking around for the crazy plot twist.
I definitely recommend this book for anybody looking for a shorter read in the thriller category!
If you like Freida, you’ll like Natasha Preston!

I have been reading Natasha Preston for probably 5+ years and have LOVED every one I've read! This one was no exception!

It was a bit of a slow burn at first, but it definitely picked up and was quite gripping! Classic senior pranks but make them dangerous! What's not to love?!

Thank you, NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Natasha Preston for this opportunity! I greatly enjoyed it !

Natasha Preston is a very talented young adult writer, I have followed her career and read every book she has released. "The Dare" will have you guessing until the very end. The plot is so vivid, you almost feel as if you are the main character in the story. This is definitely a book you will not want to put down. Definitely add this book to your own personal bucket list of books to read soon.

Wait, what?! What an incredibly fast paced story that had me guessing what would happen until the very end. Sometimes you can't help but fall in love with the bad guy.

Thank you Natasha Preston, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Some of this seemed really silly and illogical. The twist at the end was fantastic..but I wish we heard the characters motivations more. I feel like we only saw the story through the eyes of a character who was blindsided.