Double Dared

by Raquel Riley

First love. First betrayal. One dare away from unraveling everything.

Truen "Tru"
I was twelve when I realized I loved him.
Thirteen when I kissed him.
And the next day, he made me hate myself for it.

Darien turned our friendship into a weapon.
Now he calls me his stepbrother and looks right through me like I’m nothing.
He pretends he doesn’t remember that night in the closet.

But I do.
I still taste him like blood in my mouth.
I remember how he kissed me back—and how he made sure I paid for it.

If Darien taught me anything, it’s that love isn’t a game.
The first dare broke us. The second dare might set us free.

Darien "Dare"
I kissed him back.
Because I wanted to.
Because it felt like falling, and I wanted to crash.

But wanting him meant admitting too much, so I crushed it.
I burned the bridge and left him on the other side, holding the match I lit.

He thinks I forgot. I didn’t.
I remember everything—his mouth, his breath, the sound he made when our lips touched.

I’ve hated him ever since for making it matter.
But I hate myself more for wanting it again.
And God help me, I do.

This isn’t a love story.
It’s a reckoning.

Double Dared is a standalone M/M romance packed with longing, banter, emotional gut punches, and heat that burns.

Genres: M M Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Friends To Lovers, College, Slow Burn, Sports, Forced Proximity

548 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 23, 2026

Reviews

[patrícia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arc Review: Double Dared by Raquel Riley
MC:Truen "Tru"&Darien "Dare" 5⭐

“I dare you to live your truth”

Tropes & tags
Childhood best friends to enemies to lovers
Slow burn
Pining and regret
Forced proximity
Step brothers
Second chance
Angst
First Times

Angsty. Slow burn. Infuriating. The kind of book that makes you want to shake both characters violently and then wrap them in a blanket and protect them forever.

This book made me feel everything.

I couldn’t put it down — I read over 300 pages in a single day, which lately is a big deal for me. I’ve been feeling pretty meh about most of my recent reads, and then this came along and completely hooked me. That’s Raquel Riley for you. She can write anything: funny and light, heavy military stories, taboo, full-on angst — and she nails it every single time. Her versatility and talent genuinely amaze me.

Tru and Dare are everything. Every time I thought something was missing, or that the story wasn’t going where I hoped… bam — she delivered. I wanted more grovelling, more crawling, bigger gestures. Raquel basically said hold my beer and gave me exactly what I didn’t even know I needed. The payoff is immaculate. The regret is deliciously painful. The yearning is off the charts.

One thing I do want to highlight, because it matters: Dare makes Tru suffer for six years. Six years of cruelty, bullying, and emotional punishment rooted in his fear and internalised homophobia — all of it projected onto Tru, as if Dare’s shame was somehow Tru’s fault. Because of that, I can absolutely see some readers feeling that Tru’s forgiveness comes too easily. At moments, I felt that too. But the book knows this. Dare doesn’t get off lightly. He suffers for what he’s done, and the emotional payoff when everything finally cracks open is earned. When Dare finally stops hiding, stops punishing Tru for his own truth, and lets honesty and love rule instead, it’s devastatingly beautiful.

And Tru? Tru is an angel. Pure heart, deep scars, endless strength. Loving him felt effortless, and wanting the world to be kinder to him was unavoidable.

The pacing was perfect. We follow them from age ten, when they first meet, through years of hurt, growth, and emotional devastation. They hurt and celebrate. They cry and laugh. They burn and doubt and want and ache — but they never give up on each other. The being was so deserving, with ramps and forever ♾️!
I also loved the messages at the beginning of each chapter — those little wise, ominous thoughts that set the tone for what’s coming were perfection.

It’s a slow burn, but…. But, their chemistry is off the charts and that shows in everything, while talking shit, fighting, kissing, fucking of making love, nothing beats the “say your mine”, or “were my clothes” or “fucking with the team Jersey on “❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 old but gold 🔥🔥😮‍💨😮‍💨🥵🥵

This isn’t just a romance. It’s messy, raw, painful, and incredibly cathartic.

Highly, highly recommended if you like your slow burns drenched in regret, longing, and emotional gut punches. And that epilogue? Deliciously lame just the way I like it ❤️‍🔥

PS: I’m sorry, Raquel… but this cover is terrible 🫣 I will buy this book, but I desperately need an alternative cover like yesterday.

“We’re really doing this,” he whispered.
“Yeah,” I said, brushing my thumb over the black tungsten band on his finger. “We already are.”

I received a copy of this book from author, and this is my honest review.

⚠️Author Content Warnings
Bullying
Homophobia (internalized + external social pressure)
Underage kiss (no adult/minor content)
Parental conflict and emotional manipulation
Anxiety, panic, and shame-based spirals
Alcohol consumption
High emotional intensity, arguments, and messy relationship dynamics


❣️Book Safety & Content
Cheating: No
Other Person Drama: yes, both have some kind of relationship before they are together. It’s only kisses,nothing else.
Sharing: No
Third-Act Breakup: Yes
Role Dynamics: Strict roles
POV: 1st person (dual)
Format: Standalone
Ending: HEA
Angst Level: High
Spice Level: Medium / High heat
Communication: Heavy miscommunication
Pining: Mutual

[Marci · Rating 5 out of 5]

To think I almost didn’t want to read this because of the terrible cover! Silly me. This complicated love story really moved me. My second favorite book of the year, after Heart. I won’t be forgetting these guys any time soon.❤️

[Mariah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just to start off as an fyi to readers, the first 30-40% of this book, the two mc’s are children, under 18. They don’t get romantically involved until like 60% of the way and Dare bullies Tru for maybe 70% of the book.

These two do not actually like each other. I’m sorry but this was a story about two kids who were best friends and obsessed with each other, kissed and then spent the rest of their lives torturing each other in different ways.

I hated the mom, who carelessly married her son’s ex best friend’s (turned bully) dad, and forced her son to be around his biggest bully for years to appease her love life. Tru told his mother everything that happened and how awful Dare treated him and she was just like “oh they’re coming to your birthday party, they’re family” I’M SORRY WHAT?!?

Dare’s dad treated him pretty badly but like all bad mm romances, was redeemed with a flimsy excuse that he was so unhappy with himself he emotionally abused his son.

This was a 500+ page book that spent too much time describing stuff that didn’t matter to the storyline at all, descriptions with multiple adjectives for every single item in a room or every sound they heard. But also the author failed to provide any timeline whatsoever. Chapters would go by and if you didn’t see the brief mention of age, you’d have no clue what time in their life you’re reading about. College was the most confusing, were weeks going by? Months? Years? Who knows, definitely not the reader, who all of a sudden when they get internships and Dare’s coaching a soccer team do we find out he helped the team get two state championships. I’m not sure when he’d done that since we never actually read anything about their lives.

No class work, no artwork, no soccer, I mean what about either MC did we know other than them pining and ignoring each other only to come back together have sex and then keep ignoring each other.

We’re also told Dare has a brother but if we were told his name I have no memory of it. Every time he’s referenced it “my brother” “your brother”, Tru gets his mom a framed photo for Christmas from her and Dares dads wedding and it only has the four of them in it, no brother, even though he was at the wedding.

This authors other books, the Scars and Stripes trilogy, were good, so I went in pretty excited after reading the blurb but this was just a complete miss for me.

[Ginger · Rating 1 out of 5]

First "Double Dared" was disappointing. Then I just felt exhausted. Then irritated, and now I'm honestly kind of angry. There are a lot of technical issues in this book -- the narrative arc was a mess, it was 200+ pages too long, emotional development stalled in endless repetition of concepts and internal monologue, characters changed completely as soon as they became inconvenient to the plot. But there are two things that bothered me most:

(1) by the end of the book, the length felt deliberately exploitative, like Riley didn't give a damn about making sense so long as she could wring as many page views as possible out of the readers/Kindle Unlimited's pay structure (There were two proposals, presumably years apart, for absolutely no reason that made sense. Each was treated as though it represented a massive shift in the relationship, which for the second proposal felt eerie as fuck. There were at least five points at which the story should have ended before it actually did). I have complicated thoughts about this, and I do believe that authors should be paid for their work, but as a reader I don't like feeling like the author wanted Amazon's money more than she wanted to publish a cohesive, coherent fucking book. I'd want Amazon's money, too! Get it by publishing the last 200 pages of the book as a freaking novella or something.

(2) bully romance is a broad genre that allows for a wiiiide spectrum of behavior and forgiveness. But I've never seen a character bully another for so fucking long and then do so fucking little to earn redemption. Dare barely even apologized. Even after the reconciliation, he continued to blame Tru for a whole host of nonsense and treat him like garbage. There is zero accountability, and Tru is so down catastrophic that he takes Dare back the moment Dare's resolve to be an asshole even flickers. I thought for a while about whether I was being unfair, or whether I was misunderstanding Riley's meaning. But I think it boils down to the fact that Riley's hypothesis is that being closeted and fearful justifies or even adequately explains protracted, horrible emotional abuse, and I simply reject that hypothesis with my whole chest. Plenty of people are afraid and in the closet and they manage not to pulverize their friends' hearts into ground beef. And Dare never truly reckons with it. He never truly apologizes or even considers that Tru was hurting as badly as he was. Never prioritizes Tru's emotional experience on the same level as his own. It pissed me the fuck off.

So, yeah. I did not like this book.

[Crisana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give it a higher rating, I really did. But the bullying bit just lasted too long and I feel like we could have had this story with them just being distant from each other instead of Dare being so nasty to Tru.
And I did not like how it impacts Tru. We are made to believe that Tru was just waiting for Dare to come to his senses and was fine with it but it felt really unfair and I don't think we get enough redemption. Or perhaps we do but it happened so quickly that I have a hard time believing Dare was all in after all that.
The ending was really good though and I enjoyed seeing them together in the future. But the ride there did not touch me as much as it should, therefore only a 3* rating. Good writing though and I know a lot of people will love it.

[bookluvr]

if you see me adding this cover to my shelves, no you didn’t 😂

heard this book is good so i gotta attempt at some point

[Sjoukje · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book 5 stars for the heart of the story, the angst and the love. And 1 star for the character of Dare and his dad. I need so much more grovelling for both of them to be ok with their HEA. And also a half star deduction for the names… Tru and Dare in a book with lots of Truth or Dare (where somehow all dares are kissing?) So that equals 3 stars i think 😁

My overall feeling: Tru deserves so much more! Both from Dare, but also from the author. At some point in the book he finally chooses himself. And I really hoped it would lead to another love and some years in between before they’d find each other again. But no. Dare shows up, and all is good in paradise again.
I also don’t understand why Dare’s father started out to be such a horrible homophobe. That also felt like an easy choice by the author. Yes, Dare needed something to get him to be the villain. But it could’ve been his mother. The dad was already an absent father. Just that premise combined with a cold homophobic mother would have made more sense than this. Now the dad had to make an 180 move because Tru’s mom was such an angel he forgot all about his homophobia. He called Tru son, knowing he was gay. Just the move from absent to loving father would have felt better.

I strongly dislike homophobia in books to begin with. And I understand it was needed here because it shaped so much of Dare and gave him a plausible back story. But no grovelling to make up for it was just annoying.

So… the writing itself and the love was that good😁 Otherwise I’d never had given three stars.

I don’t think I should (or will) reread. I might recommend reading this book though. Because of Tru. And Charlotte. Or maybe not. Homophobia and weird turns 🙄

[peoniesandmm · Rating 4 out of 5]

tru & dare! these two were so cute.

i caught myself skimming the last half.. so that’s why i only gave it 4 stars but overall a super cute and angsty book!

[AnnaKitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should have read this sooner 🥹
I couldn’t and didn’t put it down, it was one sitting and no sleep until the last page.


The prologue did give me some Oleander vibes (and I keep reminding myself to stop comparing books to it because there really aren’t any quite like it 😭), the emotional frequency felt familiar. Not the same story or structure, but similar raw and painful kind of feeling. 


So yes, it was a chokehold, edge-of-seat tension from start to finish. Even knowing there was a HEA, I swear I actually doubted it near the end, and it is quite something!

“He kissed me like it mattered and walked away like it hadn’t.”


My heart was quietly breaking the whole time.
I usually feel like dual POVs soften the emotional impact; not knowing the other person’s pain adds cruelty somehow, but here it worked differently because Tru and Dare were both suffering 💔 There was no emotional safety net, just two boys stuck in parallel pain, missing each other in different ways 💔


“You looked like you were drawing him with your eyes.”


The writing is really beautiful and the tension never disappears. Even when things seem okay, they’re not. There’s always some undercurrent of waiting, fear, longing, and uncertainty.


Do I believe 12–13 year old kids are capable of feelings this deep? Not really. But emotional exaggeration in childhood is real.
Could things have been resolved with some healthy conversations, should the mother at least have done more? Yes.
But again, they were kids. And this story lives in immaturity, fear, misunderstanding, and emotional inexperience, that’s the part of what makes it hurt.


“We kept missing each other by inches and years, like the universe was playing some cruel joke.”


This book is pure angst, yearning, love, inner conflict, and emotional development. Messy, intense, painful and obsessive.


“Back then, I was scared of how bright you were,
But now I just want to stand next to you and burn.”


I loved it so much, and maybe it’s not perfect, but the feelings are bigger than the flaws and the emotions, the connection are raw enough that you can look past the logic 🤍

[Seraphina Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double Dared
Raquel Riley

First Love
First Betrayal
Step Brothers
Bully romance
Pining
Jealousy
Enemies to lovers


Wow. I'm impressed.
This was so good. LIke really good, incredible

This was written so beautifully. I loved how it was almost poetic? Just beautifully told.

These boys had it rough, that's for sure.

They have a long heavy road till they get their hea.

Dare was too young, had too many big feelings to process what he was going through. He acted out negatively and hurt Tru. Tru was so patient.

Tru just kept loving Dare, steady, in silence though everything he never gave up 🥺💔❤️

There is a world of hurt between Dare and Tru. Dare had to come to terms with so much in his mind.

This story is told in 6 parts. Each part was necessary to me and made sense. It told the different seasons of their story.

The 6th part was beautiful. When Dare was finally ready to live his truth ❤️

I loved their ending and hea. The Epilog was perfect too.

I'm so glad they got their hea

Fantastic book.

[dj&books · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW:

So I’m actually giving this 6 stars cause BROOO this book did a number on my ass, like gutted me tf up through most of this it. Dare & Tru completely have my heart and soul. These two start off as childhood best friends that turns into enemies/step brothers to eventually coming lovers and getting everything they deserve! But those years in between were rough and had me absolutely sobbing at times but it all end up becoming worth it. This book is incredible and I can’t wait for all of you to read it when it comes out on the 23rd. It does tackle some heavy theme so check your trigger warnings but I am jealous of everyone who gets to read this for the first time on the 23rd!

[Sharon Elias · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book...😭
My heart was being ripped out for about 70% of the entire story. But damn, it was worth it! 🖤

Two childhood best friends: Truen & Darien -
Tru & Dare.

One dare. One kiss, that changed everything.
Two boys who feel the same.
But only one of them can admit his feelings...
Tru.❤️
And the other one?
Dare. Too scared to admit he also likes boys.
Scared of what his dad will think, a man who doesn’t accept “weak boys.”
Scared of what everyone else will say.

One kiss... and Tru is left with a broken heart.
His best friend kissed him back... then disappeared.
Acting like he doesn’t even know Tru.

But why?

The reason behind Dare’s behavior completely broke my heart.
Such a beautiful soul, trapped by fear and expectations, needing to be the golden child. Struggling with himself. 💔

Raquel wrote a breathtaking, heartbreaking love story.
A story about acceptance, showing up for each other, and learning how to love without fear.
Because even when so much is broken... soulmates always find their way back to each other.

Oh and these bonus chapters…. Just when my tears had dried up… 😭

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

•
•

[xxBooksILovexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purposely read this book slowly as I just couldn’t get enough of Tru & Dare! I loved every second of their story. Adored watching them grow & learn how to love each in other. They will always have a special place in my heart!

[A Low Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh the angst! All the feels for this one, with some really lovely and poetic writing.

For my taste, Tru let go of the pain Dare caused him over the years pretty quickly, and the whole college set up felt a little forced. Still, my heart was tormented in the way I love best for the first 60% of this book, so I can forgive a lot, including the cutesy naming ploy.

Also, what the hell is up with this cover??? There is no stripper side plot, or whatever the hell is supposed to be going on there. Boo.

[Theodore · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 46%

The start was amazing. I loved how the author made us see how close Tru and Dare were and how much they meant to each other before it all came crashing down. I loved seeing Tru's despair over Dare's hurtfulness and how Dare's antagonism was believable. It wasn't just being a villain for villains' sake and Tru wasn't still attached for no reason.

I loved reading about how Dare hated himself for how he acted, but also couldn't stop because it would mean that he had to face the fact that he was gay. I loved how Tru slowly evolved from being a victim to learning to grow as a person with his best friend/book MVP, Amira.

What I didn't like though was how Tru followed Dare to the same college. It would've been a much better story if we'd seen Tru fully grow past Dare's immaturity to create a dichotomy between what it meant to live free and to hide in shame. I wanted Tru to blossom and Dare to rot before they came together to repair what was broken. Tru choosing to follow Dare AND still being hung up on him was very disappointing considering all the goodwill of their old friendship didn't really hold enough weight in my eyes that long after. It was fine when they were starting high school, but it didn't work when they were starting college since they'd been enemies longer than friends. To have the childhood friendship still act as the anchor to their dynamic felt wrong and forced. Tru holding out hope that Dare would turn around didn't sit right with me considering all that he went through.

Them basically calling a reset once they got to their dorm was so annoying. Dare basically gets off scot free for his BS and that truly pissed me off. He didn't do shit to earn Tru's benevolence.

How many times was Dare going to say he was "broken" by something Tru did? I swear he said it after he saw Tru laughing with his art friends in high school, flirting with Andre, then again with Ben. I get they were supposed to be deep moments that showed he was going deeper and deeper into self hatred, but having it happen multiple times took out the impact.

The line that got me to stop reading. "Maybe I was the villain in this story. But I didn't ask to be." Um. Dare literally decided to be the villain multiple times. Who gives a fuck if anyone asked him if he wanted to be? It's even worse if you think about it in that regard because he willingly chose to antagonize Tru because he didn't want to face his sexuality. Yes there was a reason, but my patience was already running thin when Tru decided to continue to be Dare's doormat. Dare not taking responsibility for his shit and acting like the he somehow wasn't entirely at fault for being villain really got me. It's like the author wanted us to sympathize with Dare and somehow buy that the stress of being closeted with fear of homophobia was enough justification for how he treated Tru. Newsflash it wasn't, and every shitty thing he piled on top of all the other shitty things he did made him supremely unlikable as a character, to the point where Tru looked like an actual cuck for still somehow having any respect and love for him.

TL;DR: Really good start, absolutely baffling follow up. Dare was just the worst and I can only read so much of a character being a doormat before I get sick them choosing to be helpless *cough* Tru *cough*. Tru literally never had a backbone when it came to Dare's BS.

[Kelsey’s Kindle · Rating 5 out of 5]

FEELINGS. I wasn’t ready for them and there were a lot of them 😭I was ready for the bullying, the stepbros, the pining, the friends to the enemies to the lovers but man those feelings got me. I fell for Tru right away, I wanted to take that sweet precious boy home and protect him from the world. Starting off strong on the book boyfriend list already! He grew and changed and just came into his own, he gained confidence, self assurance, he’s brave and he doesn’t give up, I admire his resilience and how hard he loves even to his detriment. I absolutely loved seeing their childhood and seeing them grow through all the stages, watching the friends turn to enemies and then to lovers. Dare put me through a whole set of other emotions- loved him, then was mad at him, then frustrated at him then there a lot of awws and back to loving him again. He had it so set in his mind of who he was supposed to be, how his future was supposed to go, he just didn’t know how to go against that, so he masked and he hid the side of him that was just clawing to come out. When he finally broke free of that expectation is when I fell back in love with him. His redemption arc was perfect and so worth the aggravation he put me through lol.It was worth it all to see them get their HEA. The ending was just precious and so perfect for them 🥹Shout out to Tru’s mom Charlotte - what a supportive, kind and caring women, everyone deserves a parent like her 🩵Thanks to Raquel for letting me read and review this book .

[Shannon Winning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am completely blown away. Honestly when I signed up for this I thought heck yeah I love a good steamy step bro romance. This was truly something so much more. Tru and Dare put me through it! The anger, the smiles and the tears and everything in between.

This was one of the hardest HEA I’ve read in a long time, and the way the story is told really just build up the hurt and the way you don’t know if you want to root for them or have them completely heal away from each other. In the end this book was about much more than finding each other but finding out about themselves too.

Tru being completely broken over what happens between him and his absolute best friend, and still holding out hope for the boy he fell for at such a young age ughhh it was masterful and just heartbreaking. Dare I swear I wanted to throw the whole man away at time but I had to step back and really put myself in his shoes, and at times I think I cried more for him then I did for Tru, to spend so many years thinking all the things he thought and felling all the negativity he internalized just broke my heart.

Like I said this was a HARD fought HEA but of so worth it, and the epilogue really messed me up, I was a mess and I’m so glad it had it!! I think it really completed the whole book.

This book was totally different from what I read as I do not like to be thrown in a river of tears and feelings but I’m glad this surprised me, one I’ll actually remember for such a long time.

[Siân PJsAndBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Raquel for Double Dared a standalone MM Romance. We first meet Truen & Darien when they first meet at 10 years old. Doubled Dared take us through a journey of their lives from BFFs to enemies to Stepbrothers to more. My heart hurt for both of them throughout Double Dared and it only stopped hurting during the Epilogue! I adored both these characters & felt the Dual POV allowed me to also love Dare.

🤍 MM Romance
🤍 Enemies
🤍 Childhood Best Friends
🤍 Stepbrothers
🤍 Longing
🤍 Banter
🤍 First Love
🤍 Betrayal
🤍 Soulmates
🤍 Prologue
🤍 Dual POV
🤍 Epilogue
🤍 Bonus Content
🤍 HEA

https://www.instagram.com/pjsandbooks To check out some quotes that got me in a chockhold...

[꧁•Zakiyya•꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story with lots of heartbreaking moments.

Truen and Darien really captivate you from the onset.

It was so hard to stay mad at Darien cos you could see him struggling with his feelings. His fear, denial, and self-protection feel authentic rather than frustrating, and the story doesn’t rush his journey.

Tru was just pure sunshine; they don’t come more wholesome than him.

A story about courage, about choosing love even when it’s terrifying—and perfect if you appreciate character-driven romance and heartfelt emotional growth.

[Katkejt ☾.]

Tru (Truen) • Dare (Darien)

….

“You’re the best dare I ever took.”

….

I’ll start a little backwards but listen - the intros into chapters set up the mood so perfectly, just with a few words I was intrigued. Some of the two liners shot straight to the heart.

Best friends to (one sided) enemies to step brothers to soulmates… the roads not a road - ROADS these two had to take because of ones fear and internal pressure… This story lets us witness them grow, part, hurt to the point is seems at times of no return but return they do to each other. And when they do… we watch them learn how to love deeply. How to see and feel each other through their eyes…

One dare, one kiss, a million minutes of anguish and a dose of infinity together.

Ps. Can someone make a comic of my love story?

….

“But Dare was going, and I would’ve followed him into fire if he’d asked.” // “You’re the best dare I ever took.” // “I liked his smile. It was soft, but rusty. He didn’t show it to just anyone. I started trying to earn it every day—a little reward only I got to keep.” // “I just knew that under the ramp, Tru was mine.” // “He kissed me like it mattered and walked away like it hadn’t.” // “His friendship had shaped me once, molded me into the kind of boy I wanted to become. But his absence had carved me into someone else entirely.” // “His breath ghosted over my cheek. And in that second, I hated myself. Because I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted it more than I wanted to run.” // “But this silent war? It was the closest thing to intimacy we’d had in months.” // “I hated how badly I wanted to be loved by someone I couldn’t let myself have.” // “That box wasn’t big enough to hold all of my apologies.” // “I’ve learned to see myself in his reflection, because that’s the best version of me.” // “Maybe soulmates drift. But the tide always knows how to bring them home.” …

….

*I reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

….

[Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a fan of books that make you FEEL, if you like getting ANGRY at a character and then fall in LOVE with them later when they finally SEE that they're worth something, if you want a book that will SUCK you in. See what I did there? 😆 If you like an MC that is so SWEET and WHOLESOME but just can't get over the BAD BOY that he so totally should (no he shouldn't!), you HAVE to READ this book. It will leave you a MESS in the BEST WAY.

And this is me. Finn "low-angst-is-my-jam" Dixon saying this sh*t.

Releases January 23

[Ashley | adhdandread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double Dared by Raquel Riley
Length: 546 pages
Source: The Literary Rx
Publication date: January 23, 2026

5 ⭐⁣
3 🌶️⁣

WHAT TO EXPECT
💛 Childhood friends turned bully
💛 Redemption arc
💛 Stepbrothers
💛 Soulmates
💛 Only one dorm room
💛 Forced proximity
💛 Repressed pining
💛 Slow burn
💛 Super angsty
💛 Soccer jock x artist

AUTHOR'S BLURB
First love. First betrayal. One dare away from unraveling everything.

Truen "Tru" Jameson:
I was twelve when I realized I loved him. Thirteen when I kissed him. And the next day, he made me hate myself for it.

Darien turned our friendship into a weapon. Now he calls me his stepbrother and looks right through me like I’m nothing. He pretends he doesn’t remember that night in the closet.

But I do. I still taste him like blood in my mouth. I remember how he kissed me back—and how he made sure I paid for it.

If Darien taught me anything, it’s that love isn’t a game. The first dare broke us. The second dare might set us free.

Darien "Dare" Carter:
I kissed him back. Because I wanted to. Because it felt like falling, and I wanted to crash.

But wanting him meant admitting too much, so I crushed it. I burned the bridge and left him on the other side, holding the match I lit.

He thinks I forgot. I didn’t. I remember everything—his mouth, his breath, the sound he made when our lips touched.

I’ve hated him ever since for making it matter. But I hate myself more for wanting it again. And God help me, I do.

This isn’t a love story. It’s a reckoning.

MY THOUGHTS
Look, if you wanted to lure me away from safety, all you would have to do is put out a trail of books that are friends to lovers or stepbrothers, and I'd wander off without a care beyond how much unresolved tension there is and who falls first. This book has both friends AND stepbrothers, and it did NOT disappoint. If you're looking for an angsty one, this is your book.
⁣
Tru has a great support system in his mom, and he grows up with a good sense of who he is and what he brings to the table. Dare, on the other hand, grows up dealing with an absentee father and an intense amount of internalized homophobia. The way he treats Tru in response to those things makes Tru question what he's always known about himself. Separately and together, they've got some major hurdles to overcome, and they 100% go through it in this book. But it's worth it, sooooo worth it.

BOTTOM LINE
Go grab up Double Dared as soon as you can.⁣

CONTENT WARNINGS
Please see the full list at the beginning of the book, which includes bullying, homophobia (internalized and external), anxiety, alcohol consumption, explicit sexual content

–A🩷

Thanks to The Literary Rx and Raquel Riley for an eARC of this book. All opinions are mine. Reviews posted regularly on StoryGraph, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, BlueSky, BookBub, and Fable.

[Library_of_a_Trashpanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soccer, best friends, trauma, and emotional damage? This books got it all.

Tropes:
MM Romance
Friends to lovers to enemies to lovers 😂
Internal homophobia
Bullying

1️⃣ **Overall Rating:** ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2️⃣ **Overview/Synopsis:**: One kiss changes the course of friendship and is the pivotal moment in life.

3️⃣ **Favorite Character:**: Truen. I love that he never gave up, maybe he should have but he stayed knowing it could be worth it.

4️⃣ **Most Memorable Scene:**: The big money in New York. I don’t want to give spoilers

5️⃣ **Favorite Quote or Line:**: “Ride my 🍆 while I stare at you in that jersey,” he rasped, and I swore I’d never recover.

6️⃣ **Overall Review Summary:**: Lately lil I seem to read are books that emotionally damage me. This one definitely does but it heals what it breaks.

Tru and Dare go THROUGH it. There’s definitely struggle and self hatred but there’s also someone who loves through it and even though maybe they shouldn’t, they wait.

This is for sure not the spiciest book I’ve read, but when the scenes happen I feel like they made it more powerful. They were made for impact not just smutty goodness.

Riley did an amazing job conveying the emotions that both Tru and Dare felt. The way it was written made me feel like I was going though it, no just a bystander reading. I absolutely loved this book and am so glad o got to be a part of the team for it!!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double Dared was so freaking good! What a fantastic story, I was hooked right from the start! Tru and Dare had such a deep connection, you could really feel both their pain and longing and eventually their love. I thoroughly enjoyed their journey to their hard earned HEA, highly recommend!

[Danielle GillChase · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful slow burn 🔥 🥹❤️

This book took me through… 😮‍💨 and I loved all the feels a solid love story believable and inspiring… I felt every word. This is a must read!!! Tru+Dare 😍🫶🏽

[Kelsey Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, grab a box of tissues before you read this because you will absolutely be crying. I loved how this was broken up into different parts and how much it showed the ways Tru and Dare changed over the years. The beginning of this was such a beautiful story of two best friends who spend every possible second together and then a dare at a party when they were thirteen changed everything. The middle parts of this were absolutely CRUSHING on both sides of the story. The way Dare treated Tru was so terribly cruel and I wanted to hate him but seeing the story through his eyes and how much he was struggling and hiding and repressing to try to be who he thought he needed to be was devastating and I felt so terribly for him. And then Tru, forced to be the punchline of cruel jokes and to be completely discarded by the one person who promised they would always choose you over anyone and anything is a kind of loss I can’t even imagine. The silence and distance between these two was yanking on my heartstrings every step of the way. Knowing how much these two yearned for each other when they wouldn’t allow themselves to admit it was like a marathon of suffering. The way they slowly found their way back to each other and how much they leaned on each other again and how much they supported one another and their goal was sincerely moving and downright beautiful. Seeing Dare realize that he didn’t have to hide anymore and how much he flourished after that was amazing and this is a story I’ll never forget. The ending and how their relationship came full circle was absolutely flawless.

[Ana Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book frustrated the heck out of me! I wanted to get into the book and just slap Dare into next week 😩

That boy had me pulling out my hair with all of his insecurities and indecisions. Granted, they were just children when everything happened but so was Tru and he handled it a lot better.

Dare became such a jerk to the person he promised to always be there for. It hurt my heart to see how much Tru was hurting because of Dare’s actions.

I know Dare was scared but dammit, did he have to go to such lengths to avoid accepting who and what he was? I honestly thought MANY times that Tru was better off without Dare. But the romantic in me wanted them to work things out and have their HEA.

I loved Tru so much. He had the patience of a saint. I honestly don’t think I’d have waited and dealt with Dare’s bs. He deserved more than what Dare was able to give him at the time. But alas, love always wins even when sometimes the person doesn’t deserve it.

They needed to grow into their own person and really think about what they wanted their future to be and whether it was worth fighting to be together. Dare needed to realize that being with Tru was worth the trouble of being public and Tru needed to make sure he was willing to wait for him.

All in all, it was a beautiful, relatable story that teaches us that finding our happiness takes patience, guts and determination. We have to be in alignment with the other person in order for it to work and if we’re willing to do all that, then it’s all worth it🥰

[Caroline Forrester · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐️

Pre-read:

I am excited to read this and the cover won’t deter me. I’m not judging the book BY its cover, but I am definitely judging THE cover. For a 500+ page book that seems quite angsty, this cover is pretty silly. 😂

Edit: the cover is different now but equally silly.

[Queenbeereads_sugarandspice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this book takes you on quite the emotional rollercoaster. There’s plenty of ups and downs for Tru and Dare, but my heart’s still feeling full after that ending. 
 
I’m going to be honest; there was a point in this book where I feared that I was never going to like Dare’s character. While I understood why he was afraid of being out and with his stepbrother, his bitterness and resentful behaviour towards Tru made it hard to sympathise much for him.
 
Tru, though, what a kind, loyal person he was. I felt every ounce of his pain: every sting of betrayal when Dare ignored him and every flinch when he got cruel words thrown at him. I spent much of the book wanting to give him the biggest hug. 
 
Tru has an absolute heart of gold. He’s goodness and light, and I hated seeing Dare bring him down so often. Despite that, he never really gave up on his stepbrother, loving him from afar for years. That boy has the patience of a saint, and I respected him so much for being the bigger person, not rising to the bait after all of Dare’s taunts. He’s brave and real. And maybe a bit too forgiving, giving Dare so many chances.
 
It was the second half of this book which really shone for me. I found my heart aching for Dare – though also feeling that it was a bit of karma for him – which I was not expecting one bit. 
 
It was in the final section though that Dare really comes into his own. Chapters 40 and 41 were my absolute favourites. I cannot tell you how much I loved it when Dare FINALLY speaks his truth. When he finally shows up, it’s something spectacular. His turnaround and personal growth completely won me around. From not speaking up before, so many of his words held so much weight, were so heartfelt and beautiful, and I couldn’t get enough of them. I did well up at times!
 
While I may not have been his biggest fan for a while, Dare did win my forgiveness in the end. He made such a mess of things, but I loved that he finally found himself for them both, not just Tru.
 
As a general note, I really liked that we got to see everything in real time, rather than just significant bits and pieces of the past in flashbacks. I felt that this added more emotion to their story.
 
Also, Tru’s mum = AMAZING! She gives the best advice. I loved her even more every time she appeared.
 
So, I guess all there is to say now is: Tru + Dare 4Ever. 

---

I received an ARC copy of this book by the author, and this is my honest review.

------

Some of my favourite quotes

“Stop hiding. Embrace yourself. Live out loud.”

“I don’t even know who I am anymore.” “That’s okay. Just start with who you want to be.” 

“You can keep hating me if you need to,” “But I don’t hate you. Even now.”

“Stop living in Dare’s gravitational field like your orbit doesn’t matter.” 

I used to think love was a straight line—meet, fall, hold on tight. But with Tru, it’s always been a loop. Past bleeding into present. Regret stitched through every memory. And still, I’d go back. Every damn time. 

“I didn’t know how to love you right, but I’m trying now. Please tell me I’m not too late.”

“Back then, I was scared of how bright you were. But now I just want to stand next to you and burn.” 

“I dare you.” “To what?” “To love me back. Let’s live our truth. Together.” 

“You belong to me. Not in the way I used to think. Not like something to claim. Like someone I’d burn for.” 

“You’ve been my almost, my always, and my favorite pain in the ass since the day I met you twelve years ago.”

“You were always the piece I couldn’t figure out. But I wasn’t complete without you.” “That’s ’cause you were missing one too.”

“So this is how our story ends?” “No. It’s just the last page of volume one.” 

“You’re the only truth I’ve ever trusted.”

“You’re my dare. The one I couldn’t walk away from, even when I tried. My biggest risk, my bravest leap, and the only gamble I’ll ever take again. And I choose you. Always.”

“You’re the best dare I ever took. And I wouldn’t change a single page or chapter.” 

[molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This had all of the elements of a book I’d give 5 stars, but it was a hot mess. First, the cover. I read a review that said they were so glad they read the book despite the cover. I wish I would have let the awful cover deter me.

The beginning was good, and I had high hopes. At 2% there was this - "Looking back, it’s hard to know the exact moment childhood ends, and everything after begins. Sometimes it’s quiet, like sand slipping through your fingers. Or it can be loud, like a door slamming shut." At 14% I highlighted - "Only the people closest to you can hear you when you’re quiet." And... that was the last time I highlighted for a good reason :(

Tru & Dare's kiss in the closet when they were 12 or 13 years old felt like a stretch to be the reason it all fell apart SO drastically, but I could have believed it and gotten there. Then Dare starts bullying Tru because he still wants to be in Tru’s life in some way (but can’t admit he’s gay / stay friends with Tru). Again, this felt extreme (bullying someone to stay relevant in their life?) but ok… I’ll bite… again.

But then there was the first thing (of many yet to come) that I COULDN’T get past. Charlotte (Tru’s mom) supposedly starts dating Dare’s dad… after years of having to be Dare’s pseudo parent because Dare's are neglectful and horrible parents. Charlotte invites Dare into her home and treats him like a son despite knowing he’s been bulling her son? .“They’re family,” she said, brushing powdered sugar off her hands. “It’s just a small thing. Try to be gracious, sweetheart.” Riiight. What mom would say that to their son about his bully?! No, just no. Charlotte was made out to be a strong and amazing single parent only to ruin her character like this? I have 2 sons and this made me irate. And the Dad is just magically a good person now that he found the "right" woman? Give me a break.

THEN, Tru follows Dare to the same college despite it not being a great art school. Tru holding onto Dare as his anchor didn’t make sense after more years of Dare bullying him than years they’d been close friends. My thought at this point? The author is really writing whatever is needed - even if it doesn't make sense - to force this story, huh?

In my opinion, It would've been a much better book if we'd seen Tru fully succeed and blossom. I would have loved him to go to a great art school and have a boyfriend... maybe Dare gets jealous and realized what an ass he is. Dare needed to live with the consequences to his decisions. It would have been lovely if we could have seen the difference between a bully hiding in shame (Dare) and how coming out freed Tru to succeed, etc. Then maybe down the road they come back together after Dare does A LOT of groveling. I wanted to watch Tru move past Dare; I honestly wanted him to end up with the guy from his summer internship.

I highlighted this line in Dare's internal monologue - "Maybe I was the villain in this story. But I didn't ask to be." I wanted to scream; I might have screamed. You didn’t decide to be the villain? Dare bullies Tru for YEARS because he didn’t want to face his sexuality, but he’s not the villain? Dare definitely didn’t grovel enough or apologize enough for his years of tormenting Tru. At one point about half way in Dare supposedly hints to Tru that he’s like to be back in his life / be a couple?… and when Tru doesn’t jump at the chance Dare has the following internal monologue - “I scrubbed my hands over my face, tired of the noise in my head. I’d given him a moment—let him see me, raw and unfiltered—and he looked away. That’s what hurt most. Not the silence. The choice. My anger blinded me to the fact that Tru spent years waiting on me, while I’d spent less than a week. But I couldn’t keep playing the fool in a story I never asked to be part of.” WHAT? You big bully baby! You didn’t ask to be a part of this? “I told myself I was done waiting. Done hoping. Done making space in my life for someone who didn’t want to be in it. Tru had his chance, and he walked away. So, it was time I did, too .” YOU'RE done waiting?! *exasperated sigh*

I also highlighted a bunch of parts where the timeline or story literally didn’t make sense. They drive back to college at one point, but then Tru is back in NYC? The entire time from college forward was a narrative mess. I mean, they get engaged twice a few years apart and nothing is really mentioned about the fact that they’re already engaged! Was the author just trying to meet a word count?
Also, they have a pool suddenly when Dare and his dad move into Tru’s house, but where was this pool when they were friends? Stuff like this drove me nuts.

This book was disappointing, maddening, and exhausting.