Dare You To
Pushing the Limits #2
by Katie McGarry
YA Contemporary Romance
Expected Publication: May 28, 2013 by Harlequin Teen
*ARC Copy Obtained Via NetGalley in
Exchange for an Honest Review*
Synopsis via Goodreads:
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....
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My Review:
This was an emotional, heart pounding thrill ride where I felt like I crashed and was brought back again.
I totally loved Pushing The Limits - but this novel exceeded everything I assumed might happen.
Knowing that this novel was about Beth made me excited from the start. I wanted to see her back story & where her life was going to go. She was a character in book 1 that I felt bad for... she was stuck living in the basement with the guys at her Aunt's house because her mom is a total douche. Learning more about her actual situation with her mother made my heart ache. The event that pushes Beth into taking the fall for her mother was it for me. I just wanted to jump through the book, smack Beth upside the head for caring about her mother's well-being and then hug her because she, well, loved her mom too much when all her mom cared about was her POS boyfriend. Beth was stuck being the parent when her actual mom was too wasted to take care of her. She ends up going to live with Scott - her uncle who she feels deserted her years ago instead of coming back for her like he said he would. She has a tough time trusting him at all since, in her mind, he could've come back for her sooner. He can obviously provide a life for her that she never would have the opportunity for otherwise. Scott, being a professional baseball player, has a nice house, a fancy wife (who definitely doesn't get along with Beth all too well), and has high expectations for Beth to turn around her life. He sets rules for her to follow and tries to encourage her to change her life for the better. Of course, he has to hold the outcome of her mother over her head to get her to comply. She does so, not really willingly, but plots to run away and save her mom the first chance she gets.
Ryan, oh sweet Ryan. I adored him. He isn't your typical male lead character. Yes, he appears to have the perfect life - baseball star, model parents, great house, great friends, great future ahead of him.... but then when you really get the chance to see what's hidden behind the facade, you learn there's so much more. Ryan deals with his own home-life problems. His dad is a total ass-hat - trying to deviate Ryan's life with his "baseball or boot" attitude. His brother has been kicked out of the house because he came out and told his parents that he's gay. Ryan is torn between his love for his brother and following his father's commands.
The first meeting between Ryan and Beth had me cracking up. She was such a hard-ass and he was just trying to win a bet by getting her number. Totally cracked me up. In order to help out his idol, Scott, Ryan agrees to help out Scott's niece by showing her around, helping her get used to the school & town, and introducing her to friends. Boy was Ryan in for a surprise when he comes to learn that the "niece" was the one and only Beth. Ha. Loved it.
Last, but not least, I have to touch on Isaiah. He's in the picture but I can't say more because I don't want to mark this as having spoilers. ^_^ You know you love me for that. For those wondering, he's in the book... a lot. You know he loves Beth but does she love him too? He's her best friend. He's the one person that she's ALWAYS been able to count on to help her. He ends up saving her butt a few times in this novel. I love Isaiah and can't wait to see what's next from Katie!
Honestly, I could go on and on about this novel.
I adored the characters, the drama, the struggle of opening up and leaning how to trust and let your guard down.
Great novel! Can't wait to read Isaiah's story!
Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars
Cover Rating: 4 Stars
Characters: 5 Stars
Plot: 4.5 Stars
Climax: 5 Stars
Ending: 5 Stars
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