Author - Katie McGarry
Genre - Young Adult
Source - NetGalley
Publisher - Harlequinn Teen, MiraInk
Release Date - June 7th 2013
Synopsis - "I dare you..."
If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...
With a cover like this... I never would have bought this book. I would have glanced at it on Amazon, or walked passed it in a book store. It's way too much book PDA for my liking.
But I did request it on Netgalley, because it's Katie McGarry, and I LOVED (still capital's) her debut book Pushing the Limits. That book exceeded all my expectations, which admittedly were pretty non-existence but it's still a number one for me.
So I was super excited when I saw Dare You To available to request on NetGalley.
I'm not sure what I expected from this book. I suppose I expected the same pull I felt when I read Echo and Noah's story. I wanted to blink back tears, feel anger, feel sadness, pretty much as soon as I started reading...But that didn't happen.
Beth and Ryan are completely different. Not as relate-able I don't think.
There were times I found Beth annoying. Her potty mouth started to aggravate me. I had to remind myself that she'd had a hard life. I think maybe if Katie McGarry had showed us a scene from Beth's past, at the beginning of the book. I would have felt a bit more compassionate but every time she opened her mouth... I just wanted to shut it again. She did get better though.
One thing I really admired about Beth was her love for her mother, that was a major redeeming factor for me. It's just a shame that it didn't end the way I wanted.
As for Ryan, 'everybody-thinks-I'm-perfect-but-I'm-not', BUT HE IS! He was pretty perfect. Sure he didn't have the perfect family life but who does? The one thing I liked about Ryan was he always surprised me. Every time I thought... 'Oh I know where this is heading'. He'd say something and I was left baffled. What was going to be the big finale?
I liked the ending. Once again I'd like to see an epilogue a couple of years down the line. See how Ryan and Beth are doing. Plus Ryan's family.
As for Isiah! I'm glad about him and Beth. They're best friends, and it would have just been a bit of a car crash and somebody would have probably gotten hurt if that had been allowed to happen. They're way too similar, and I liked how Katie showed us that.
I did read the sneak peak to Crash Into You, Isiah's and Rachel's story. I'm really looking forward to that. A private school girl, with older brothers and a tattooed boy from the wrong side of town... Sounds hilarious.
4.5/5 It wasn't as emotional as Pushing the Limits, but still a great read.
Katie McGarry you've made my Top 5 Authors.
Image via Goodreads.
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