Review | The Dare by Lesley Kara

When Lizzie was 13, her friend Alice died in a tragic accident. But she has no memory of it, despite being at the scene, due to her seizure. Yet other people believe she’s at fault for Alice’s death.

Twelve years later, Lizzie suddenly meets someone from her past and is besieged by memories she had long forgotten. Is this her trauma surfacing again, or is she in danger from someone she knows?

And that’s when everything goes fuzzy. When the clear blue of the sky and the vivid greens of the grass and trees collide in a messy blur and the only sound in my ears is the vibration of the track.

The Dare is a fast-paced psychological thriller about secrets, memories and families. A young girl’s death is the catalyst to years-long source of trauma for a woman who was the witness to her death. Lizzie and Alice were best friends and they were inseparable. But the book highlights how their friendship was complicated, and they had disagreements from time to time. Lizzie believes she is innocent in Alice’s death because she couldn’t believe she’s capable of hurting her friend. But is she right? And why can’t she remember?

I thought Lizzie is a sympathetic protagonist, though somewhat naive. I wish she’d trusted her gut more instead of trying to be nice and polite. Her fiancé, Ross, is a solid presence in her life and I was surprised at the turn his character makes. Though I predicted the villain, the storyline still has a couple of twists that I didn’t see coming. A lot of it has to do with people not being truthful to each other and as a result, hurting each other. While this trope can be frustrating to read, I thought the book handles the conflicts well, especially between Lizzie and her parents.

The writing is easy to digest and I managed to finish the book in one day! I did find the ending pretty outrageous, and I hope we could have gotten more information from a particular character and their motivations. But overall I was satisfied with how it all ends. The final epilogue is a bittersweet and perfectly closes the book.

If you’re looking for a twisty psychological thiller, you don’t want to miss The Dare!

I received a copy from the publisher and Times Reads for review purposes.

About the author: Lesley Kara

Photo by Annie Spratt