Don’t You Dare Review - A Novel by Jessica Hamilton

Don’t You Dare is a mysterious page turner that is hugely captivating and a thoroughly entertaining read for fans of mystery and drama novels. It is best described as a psychological thriller, which examines deeply rooted themes such as loyalty, betrayal and unrequited desire, with a narrative that jumps between the present and the past. Don’t You Dare was written by Canadian author, Jessica Hamilton, who debuted with her haunting novel What You Never Knew, back in 2021.

She is noted for her mastery of suspense and creating layered family dramas or haunting stories revolving around problematic relationships. Her second novel, Don’t You Dare, was published in 2023, and while it hasn’t exploded onto the scene, it is a slow creeper that is gaining traction among fans of thriller and psychological drama infused novels.

Delving into Don’t You Dare’s Synopsis

Jessica Hamilton opens with a story about three friends, Hannah, Scarlett and Thomas, who meet in college. The chemisty between the three is practically instant, and they grow closer playing mischevious games, which they dub the Daring Game. The dares gradually evolve, and become more risqué, with all three characters indulging and egging each other to push the boundaries further with each dare. It all escalates until tragedy strikes the three. Thomas takes the blame, gets expelled from college, and disappears without a trace.

Switching to the present, Hannah is an adult and married, but her life misses the thrills and excitement from her college days. She one day receives a mysterious email, supposedly from Thoma. The two reconnect and bond, before the Daring Game is brought up again, 16 years after it was buried. The game now only consists of a single dare, to “tell the truth”.

Strange things start happening to Hannah, as she finds cryptic messages in her house and hints that suggest someone else knows about the Daring Game and Thomas’ resurgence. The book takes on a darker tone, as Hannah tries to find out what is going on, and the only thing that can release her from the Daring Game is to go back and tell the truth about what happened on that fateful last dare. But in doing so, she may face momentous consequences that could potentially unravel her life.

Psychological Themes Explored in Don’t You Dare

Don’t You Dare delves deep into unresolved issues and psychological traumas, and the alternating between college years and Hannah’s adult life only heighten the intrigue. The characters in Hamilton’s novel are highly complicated, and even Scarlett, who is absent in the present, has a massive influence on Hannah.

Jessica Hamilton perfectly weaves this alternating timeline, easing the readers into Hannah’s frame of mind, all while keeping them guessing as to the true nature of what really happened in college, and how the Daring Game really ended. It captures the domestic unease and Hannah’s disappointment with her life in the present, all while reminiscing of the youthful and daring college years.

In this way, readers are compelled to keep reading to find out what happens, and Hamilton does not disappoint with cliff hanging turns and red herrings. All the while, the walls close in around Hannah, as she battles between her past and present, and looking for clues as to who knows her big secret.

Twists, Turns, and Tension

Don’t You Dare is really a testimony as to how far an individual will go to protect themselves, but Hannah’s other big issue is her desire to reclaim a little bit of her that was lost during her college years. It examines broken friendships, the glamorisation of youth, and explores how matters can spiral out of control when emotional wounds remain unhealed. Readers who enjoy psychological thrillers will no doubt have a blast reading Don’t You Dare, as it keeps them on the edge of their toes and guessing as to what will happen next.

It is far from straightforward, and the dual timelines add a rhythm to the book that layers the storytelling. Jessica Hamilton’s Don’t You Dare is a light read, but for sheer entertainment capacity, it is a perfect novel for anyone wishing to grab a page turner and binge read through an emotional and psychological thriller.

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