Review: I Dare You - Monica James

Review: I Dare You - Book #1 Ruin Me Duet - Monica James - July 2026

I have to be honest  I was hooked before I even opened the first page. That blurb alone had me convinced this was going to be a 5-star read, and honestly? I love it when a book actually lives up to that kind of hype, because it doesn't always happen. This one did, and then some.

The story kicks off with a bang (quite literally)  a popular cheerleader turns up dead, and from there we're pulled into this gripping dual timeline of past and present as we piece together not just who killed her, but who Hallie Holiday really is. We get her before, the girl she used to be, and her after ,  the version of herself she built from the ashes of one brutal night that changed everything. Watching that transformation unfold, layer by layer, was honestly one of my favourite parts of the whole book.

Three years on, Hallie is living under a new name, tucked away in a town where nobody knows her history, just trying to stay invisible. And then, of course, fate does what fate does best  it throws Kit Rivers back into her path. Her childhood best friend's older brother. The town's golden bad boy. The boy she used to know, who isn't quite the same anymore either. Their connection is instant, messy, and dangerous in a town where men keep turning up dead  and that tension had me flipping pages way past when I should've put the book down for the night.

What really made this one for me was how much Monica James packed in  vigilantes, secret identities, murder, mystery, and such a thoughtful, honest look at mental health through several of the characters. It never felt like too much or like any one thread was there just for shock value. Everything served Hallie's story, and by extension, the story of what she's willing to risk to protect the one person who ever truly saved her.

This is exactly the kind of edgy New Adult romance I fall hardest for dark, emotional, a little bit ruthless, with a heroine who's been through hell and clawed her way back anyway. If you love your romance with teeth, revenge simmering under the surface, and secrets that refuse to stay buried, this one's an absolute must-read. I'm so excited for Book#2 and can't wait.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4f81Zzc