Monday, February 18, 2013

Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Dare You To
(Pushing the Limits #2)
by Katie McGarry

Publication Date: May 28th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9780373210633

Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Goodreads


For Review via Netgalley & Harlequin (UK) Limited

"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)
I read Pushing the Limits in 2012, and enjoyed it so very much. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Dare You To, and I was very thankful to have managed to get a review copy from Netgalley. I enjoyed Dare You To just as much, if not a little more, than Pushing the Limits.

Dare You To picks up not long after Pushing the Limits leaves off. The main character for this story is Beth, who we met in PTL. Beth has quite an interesting story of her own, especially the story of her past. I did find her to be a bit frustrating at times, at one point I wanted to reach into the book and shake her! But I thought she was a very complex, detailed character. The girl has definitely been through a lot, and Beth has major issues as a result. It was these issues, and how Beth overcomes them, that kept me so engrossed in the story.

The love interests in the story are totally yummy. The first interest is Isaiah, who we met in the previous book, and is a total bad boy.  The second love interest is Ryan, the baseball jock at Beth’s new school. It really wasn’t much of a love triangle, so to speak. It’s pretty obvious that both boys care about Beth, but I found it easy to choose a team pretty early on, and stuck with it.

The thing I liked most about Dare You To is that the author kept me guessing. I totally expected the book to go in a completely different direction than the direction it took. I was pleasantly surprised by this.  The characters were very likeable and were easy to relate to, especially Beth.  I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series, which will be Isaiah’s story.

Happy Reading!

7 comments:

  1. I didn't realise there was going to be a sequel to Pushing the Limits. I haven't read it yet but it's gotten such great reviews.

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  2. AAHHHH!! You are so lucky to get this one! I saw it on NetGalley but didn't satisfy the requirements. *sniffles* So happy to hear it lives up to the first book.

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  3. I have to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Beth in Pushing the Limits though I did feel sorry for her by the end. After reading the sneak peek however, I am really looking forward to this one. I am glad to hear that you liked it possibly more than the first book!

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  4. I WANT THIS BOOK.... Awesome review. I can not wait to read Beth's story.

    Jenea @ Books Live Forever

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  5. I'm so glad this book was good!! I've been a bit nervous about it because I loved Pushing the Limits so much and I really don't want Date You To to disappoint.

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  6. Beth seems like a really complicated character. I remember I kind of had a love/dislike thing going on with her in PTL (not love/hate, just she frustrated me at times.) I'm really excited for a peek inside her thoughts and actions. I like that Katie McGarry made you guess, Christy! :)


    (My blog has a new home, and I'm trying to get the word out. New link is below. :))

    Molli | Once Upon a Prologue

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  7. I can’t wait to read this! PTL was my favourite contemporary last year and SO high up on my overall favourites list. I’m happy to hear that Beth’s story is up to the same standard :) I’m so excited to really get to know her and get stuck into this romance! Great review!

    Lisa | Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

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