Review: Dare You to Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch

Kylene Danners never thought she’d return to Jasperville, Ohio. After a scandal two years ago, Kylene and her dad moved to Columbus and never looked back. Now that her dad is in prison (wrongfully accused) she has to move back and live with her Gramps and return to the school that ruined her life.

Determined to prove what really happened two years ago, Kylene pisses off the most powerful students: the football team. At least she has her old best friend Garrett Higgins and the new girl Tabby to help prove her case. 

On top of dealing with that drama, Kylene plans to exonerate her ex-FBI agent father. However, Gramps isn’t too thrilled that Kylene is putting herself in danger in more ways than one. Too bad that the football team, and the town in general, are more dangerous than anyone could have predicted. Through Kylene’s investigation, the town’s dark secrets come to life. And her dad’s case and clearing her name of the old scandal are connected to the same people. 

Dare You to Lie was pitched as for fans of Riverdale and Pretty Little Liars so we had to see for ourselves. Except, this book is even better! Kylene won us over in the first few pages. It’s clear that she’s strong, fiercely loyal and won’t let anyone dictate how she feels about herself. 

The book did a great job showcasing friendships, especially for a YA thriller. Her best friend Garrett was the perfect mix of supportive and the voice of reason. It can be hard to find a guy girl friendship with zero romance, but Natusch did it. Then there’s Tabby, who recently moved to Ohio from Canada. She provided the perfect comedic relief for us. Although shy, Tabby always stood up for people and made her opinions known. 

While romance wasn’t a central focus, Natusch explored two potential guys for Kylene that we expect to be developed more later in the series. There’s her ex-boyfriend AJ and rookie FBI agent Cedric Dawson. Although Dawson and Kylene bump heads more than get along, we could see his protectiveness for her at the end. 

The thriller aspect of this book kept us on the edge of our seats because the web of lies and how many people are involved went much deeper than we ever thought. Somehow the football players, the local police force, whoever framed her father for murder and the disappearance of young girls are all related. While we don’t learn everything in book one, Don’t Say A Word, the second book in the series, promises to answer even more questions and go deeper into this crime ring. 

If you’re in the mood for a thrilling mystery, small town drama and a badass female MC, pick up the Hometown Antihero series immediately.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️