Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. “Dance with me, Beth.”
“No.” I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again….
“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…. (Goodreads summary)
Last year I read Pushing the Limits…in one sitting…while I had a migraine. It was epic. I absolutely LOVED it (obviously). Honestly, there are few books that have hit me as hard emotionally as Pushing the Limits did. So, while I had high hopes for Katie McGarry’s second book in the series, I was not prepared to love Dare You To as much as I did. I didn’t really like Beth in the first book, and then to find out Beth’s not being paired up with Isaiah…I just didn’t know if I could handle that. But I should know better than to question Katie’s brilliance.
So, what did I love? Well, while I can’t say I loved it more than Pushing the Limits…or maybe even quite as much…I will say it came in at a close second. Like Katie McGarry’s first novel, Dare You To is incredibly real. Her characters feel like they could live and breath off the page. I don’t run across many contemporary romances that I feel like I have to remind myself the story is fiction not a biography, and Katie truly makes her characters feel that real. Ryan and Beth were people I wanted to get to know better in real life. They had a strength and vulnerability that made me need to know more.
The plot development was amazing. A slow but steady revealing of Beth and Ryan’s secrets left me furiously flipping pages, and while it was not any of the things I expected, it was everything I never knew I wanted it to be and more. =) Beth was so much more complex than what I saw in Pushing the Limits. I felt like I understood her actions better and could relate to her better. Ryan, sweet Ryan, that boy made this story. His secrets, his loyalty to Beth, his decency made me adore him and made the plot work. It was beautifully done.
Overall, Dare You To was just another example of what an an incredibly talented author Katie McGarry is. I loved it and highly recommend it to anyone in need of a deep emotional connection to some fascinating characters. I can’t wait to read more in this exquisite series.
Author: Katie McGarry
Title: Dare You To
Published: May 28th, 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Format: 456 pages; Hardcover
Website: www.katielmcgarry.com
Source: NetGalley
My rating:
Happy Reading!
I had the same reservations, but thought it was a wonderful sequel too. Can’t wait for Isaiah’s story.
I know! He needs some love!
Wonderful review, Heather. I too marvel at how real these characters feel.
Thank you! I’m glad others feel it too!
Hmm…looks like I’ll have to look this series up!
You definitely should!