Reviews with content warning for Drug use - The Dare

Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Dare by Elle Kennedy

14 reviews

ourhandsfull's review against another edition

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This book needs content warnings for sexual harassment and sexual assault. I wouldn’t have read it if I had known. The incident came out of nowhere in chapter 37, and the author completely failed to mention that the sorority itself should have been sanctioned for sexual harassment and hazing. This is vile.

Content Warnings

ameliabiblio's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have to admit, this one got off to a bit of a rough start, but once the story started in earnest, I was hooked. I was bothered at first because I couldn't tell if Taylor was actually fat or if she just thought she was fat and honestly, I'm still not sure. Either way would have worked because both would be a representation of some sort, but I felt like I wasted time trying to figure that out. But maybe that's a me problem. But basically, I felt like the beginning was cliche and unoriginal and kind of boring, but once we got to the meat of the story, which was about halfway through, I was all in.
I loved watching Conor and Taylor confront their own demons and insecurities head on and with each other's support. I thought it was actually pretty brilliant to

have them make the exact same mistake with each other. It put them on even ground and showed how irrational acting like that is, but also how it's so easy to fall into bad habits to protect yourself.

Once the story had more depth, it really came alive. If the whole book had felt like that, it would honestly probably have gotten 5 stars, but as it is, the beginning was pretty meh and an amazing ending can only make up for so much.
I'm so excited to continue reading Elle Kennedy's other books. I'm glad I gave her another chance after feeling pretty neutral about The Deal. (Which I am planning to return to and reevaluate after loving so many of the other books in the series.)

Content Warnings

shaesensual's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

"I'm too young to be this unhappy, and too loved to be this alone"

This quote really describes my change of heart about the final 15% of this book because this felt like something the main character had already discovered before reaching this point in the story.

Light spoilers ahead, but I've got a lot to rant about. So much time is spent building a foundation of trust, support, and honesty between these characters only for that to be thrown away in an instant. Not only do things blow up again, Taylor then takes the unnecessary step of insulting all of Conor's deepest insecurities. Taylor struggles with her self image due to her weight, which I wish took up less of this book because she's a more dynamic character than that, but when Conor has his own turmoil, he doesn't start calling her fat and saying nobody could possibly want to be with her. Taylor, on the other hand, says things to Conor that I might consider unforgivable even taking into consideration the circumstances. Her actions were just to harm him and it felt like taking 1,000 steps backwards in their growth as a couple. And he somehow manages to immediately forgive her and even says she was right. Additionally, there is a lot of gratitude for Conor's reaction in this final section of the book as if its so remarkable, but I can't honestly imagine an adult who would have reacted any differently. This book would have received a 4.25/4.5 rating from me without this major shift towards the end or bad just ended after the gala conflict.

Really wish this had a stronger ending overall as this was the weakest book in the series.

The positives: the fake relationship into real was really great. I loved all the "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" comments when they were still both unsure. I thought their flirting dynamic and conversations together were fun and cute. Overall a really fun couple to read about.

The spice was spicy in this book! I loved seeing repeated scenes of foreplay leading up to their first time having sex. Standalone, these scenes are great but the fact that their first time happens immediately following the biggest fight in their relationship and Conor's sudden change of heart makes it less sexy than it could have been because that conflict is still right there. And, in all honesty, I had no interest in the final sex scene after Taylor gets sexually exploited. The resolution with Conor and from that type of trauma was too quick for me. Not to mention “fuckturtles” was beyond weird.

Content Warnings

tannerlauren's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

britwalsh16's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

OMG! This book is EVERYTHING! Like the amount of emotions I am feeling right now is insane! I am Taylor, Taylor is me! I identified sooo much with her it was insane! & Conor with all his talk about body positivity & all his support of Taylor, just made me swoon to no end!! I NEED a man like Conor! He is everything!! If I could give this book 10 stars I would! 100 stars! They go through a lot of very serious stuff, & it was all written so beautifully! I just couldn’t put it down, but also, I did not want it to end!! Give me more of Taylor & Conor please!! Pretty pretty please!!! 🥺🙏🏻

Content Warnings

abidavisf's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Phew, Elle Kennedy does it again. I’ve not seen myself in one of her protagonists quite as much as I do in Taylor. I’m flawed. The Dare was healing for me, eye-opening and really quite surreal.

As always, the spice and the banter was on point, and Elle navigated really tricky topics with grace. The shining star, however, is definitely Taylor’s insecurities and the way we get to see how the rest of the world truly sees her. I wish I could read the minds of the people around me like we got to read Conor’s.

Content Warnings

elmead's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Taylor is a shy sorority girl who’s self conscious about the fact that her body doesn’t fit the traditional standard of beauty. Conor is a fuckboy hockey star who doesn't hesitate to help Taylor out after she’s dared to seduce him. They spend the night together getting to know each other while pretending to bang (for the benefit of Taylor’s nosy sorority sisters). Conor develops real feelings for Taylor but Taylor can’t quite believe that someone who looks like Conor could possibly be attracted to her.

The banter in this story was really cute :)

Content Warnings