A five-star novel by one of our best writers. I was gripped.

Tense, dark and so real as to be almost unbearable, this novel is utterly compelling.

Wayne weaves a book that is at once engrossing and an exploration of what it means to be a woman, a moral person, a parent, and a neighbour.

To Dare is a vivid, poignant, and compelling read; Jemma Wayne skilfully weaves her narrative threads tighter and tighter as the story moves towards its nerve-jangling conclusion. I loved it - I couldn't put it down!

To Dare is a superior thriller, unflinching in its examination of class prejudice and in its portrayal of grief. Wayne writes beautifully with scarcely a word wasted. The characters are real and relatable and watching them all go through Wayne's devious wringer is irresistibly entertaining. The final suspenseful chapters had my heart pounding as Wayne's expertly drip-fed plot begins to congeal like spilt blood. I still can't shake the image of the shocking conclusion from my mind.

Jemma owes me a night’s sleep! What a transfixing book. The tension spirals out of control and you have no idea how it will end… It’s clever and well written and I can see how Jemma has been shortlisted for so many prizes.

To Dare is not only a skilful and intimate dissection of the power struggles that exist between female friends in any era, but also a daring exploration of our class divides, and of the most terrifying issues hidden behind closed doors… To Dare is a rare example of fiction that is equally literary and commercial.

Exquisitely written with a fine eye for detail and characterisation. A poignant portrayal of friendship and strangers who have more – and yet less – in common than first meets the eye.

In an exploration of very different lives and backgrounds, To Dare is a novel with exquisitely drawn characters and multi-layered prose. Secrets weigh heavily in this beautifully written novel, and they’ll sit with you long after you finish.

To Dare is a tense, fast-paced novel that combines an edge-of-the-seat narrative with an unflinching examination of inequality, jealousy and friendship. Superbly observed, the characters remain in the mind long after the final page is turned. A cut above others in this genre.

Wayne shines creative light on the internal world of her characters, fleshing them out with deft dialogue and interplay... Wayne's novel invites us to reflect on what it takes for women to claim security, to feel complete - and it's mighty compassionate towards the sometimes shaming mistakes we make in order to become so.