Book Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Dare You To

By Katie McGarry

Release Date: May 28, 2013

Source: Library

Summary: 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....

Review: Holy cow. Please excuse me while I obsess over this book some more. 

Okay, I think I'm ready now. Wow. I loved Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, but it's been so long since that books came out that I forgot how amazing Katie's writing can be. And boy was it amazing in Dare You To.

Beth's life has been rough, coming from a rough neighborhood living with her mom and her mom's abusive boyfriend. But when Beth takes the fall for a crime her mom committed, her Uncle turns up and demands Beth comes and lives with him or else her mom will go to jail. Much to Beth's dismay, she has to live with her hot-shot Uncle and go to a new school in a new town where no one could possibly understand her past. Especially not baseball all star Ryan Stone. But as Ryan makes it his mission to play games with the new girl, they soon realize that what they're dong is far dangerous than any game they've ever played before. 

Oh goodness. Let's start with Ryan. Can I have him? Like, seriously, please? Not only is he insanely gorgeous and a phenomenal pitcher for his high school's baseball team, he's also so sweet and knows how to sweep a girl off her feet (even a hard headed girl like Beth). Since the chapters switch between Beth and Ryan's point of view, it was so awesome to be able to get inside of his head and learn just how great of a guy he really is. I couldn't help swooning with every turn of the page. 

I wasn't sure how reading about a girl with the damaged past would turn out since I'm so used to reading about the bad boy (like in Pushing the Limits and the Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles), but I actually really liked Beth. She has a rough past and her stubborn attitude really works for her. And even though she has this bad girl exterior, she still really cares about her family and friends, and is super vulnerable when it comes to her heart. I ended up rooting for her to get the happy ending she deserves for having to deal with such a messed up mom and dangerous home life. 

So to say that I liked this book is a complete understatement. I freaking loved it! Haha, good thing I read it during a 12 hour car ride or else I don't think I would have been able to put it down to get back to real life. If you're a fan of Katie's first book or Simone Elkeles, then you DEFINITELY have to read this one. Even if you're just a fan of a good YA contemporary romance, I can guarantee you're going to really enjoy Dare You To. So read it now! I dare you to :)