The Dare

By: Hannah Jayne

Narrated by: Cassandra Morris

She made the dare. Now she can't face the truth.

Brynna and Erica were friends, best friends. They did everything together, until the night they jumped off the pier at Harding Beach...and only Brynna made it back.

A year later, Brynna is still picking up the pieces. She's in a new school with new friends, but she can't shake the demons of her past.

Then a Twitter post from "EricaNShaw" pops up in Brynna's feed and a chilling voice mail is left on her phone. Someone isn't ready to let go of what happened. Brynna barely survived losing Erica. She doubts she'll survive Erica's return.

©2014 Sourcebooks, Inc. (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Narrator wasn’t a good fit

When Bryn dares her best friend Erica to jump off a cliff into the water with her, she never imagines Erica won't emerge from the water. Trying to cope with her guilt and loss, she turns to drugs and alcohol before ending up in rehab. Months later, after Erica has been declared dead, Bryn starts in a new school in a new town determined to keep a low profile until graduation. Then she starts receiving texts from Erica's old account, texts from someone who knows about THE DARE and who knows private things about their relation only Erica could know. Is Erica alive? Is Bryn delusional? Or is there another explanation.

THE DARE's premise is more interesting than this not so thrilling psychological thriller. When I pick up a psych thriller, I expect a fast paced, tension filled read. I expect to want to stay up late into the night, reading just one more chapter until I stay up way too late and finish. But THE DARE never grabbed me in a way a good thriller does. I had a difficult time engaging with Bryn, in part because because she was weak character, depressed and aloof. She didn't have much of a personality, which is understandable for a depressed person, although blah characters are boring. I didn't dislike her, but rather then sharing her journey, I wanted to push it forward. Her classmates and friends felt a bit stereotypical, but also realistic and interesting. Jayne did a great job giving each a distinct personality.

Hannah Jayne is a writer with much potential. THE DARE is a much cleaner, better written novel than SEE JANE RUN, the first book I read by Jayne. I didn't realize Jayne had written both, or I probably would have never picked up THE DARE. I'm so glad that I did, because I did enjoy the book and mildly recommend it.

Intresting

This is not my usual type of audio book. I have other books by this author and enjoyed them. I decided to give this one a listen. The plot and characters develop well. The ending was a let down. There is the hint that the death of Erica was influenced by bad judgement due to alcohol. Then a minor character shows up. His behavior is altered from previous story dialog. The ending is left kinda open. You are told a probable but not certain end for him. The supporting characters just show up at the climax. Their reason for showing up is weak. The author should have said a little more about how Brynna was secured by the villain. How Brynna got loose is not possible under normal circumstances. It takes a big stretch of the imagination to agree with that. What I enjoyed was the write up for a teenager who has a sudden traumatic experience. Brynna is trying to work through her guilt for living, after turning too and overcoming drugs and alcohol. Her certain knowledge of the need to stay clean everyday. Brynna has difficulties with her need for alcohol. Brynna is aware of the need to rebuild her self. She has the need to block out the past. She tries to get herself together. Then there is her parent whom she labels as a functioning alcoholic. This reflects real life. Many teenage alcoholics has an alcoholic relative. Often that relative is a parent. There is the constant temptation for booze and/or drugs for life. Brynna's parents are supportive and do what they think is best.