SYNOPSIS
As a child, it was just a game. As an adult, it was a living nightmare.
'This time it's different. She's gone too far now.
She really has.'
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 friend's death.
Twelve years later, unpacking boxes in the new home she shares with her fiancé, Lizzie is horrified to find long-buried memories 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 . . .
Title: The dare
Author: Lesley Kara
Publisher: Transworld Digital
Publication date: February 18, 2021
REVIEW
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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.
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