Dare You To by Katie McGarry ARC Review

To be published May 28, 2013 by Harlequin Teen

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….

My Thoughts….

Katie McGarry took the YA world by storm with her first book Pushing the Limits. Did we think that she could top that one? I bet not, but, she has done it again! She is giving her readers another beautiful love story in her second book of the series.

I honestly loved the first book in the series and didn’t think that I could love another one as much. I was sadly mistaken because I can honestly say that in my opinion, this book was better!

We don’t get to see this type of story line often. Usually, we all get to love the “bad boy”. That is what made this book so different. We get a “bad girl” and a very good guy!

The story starts out on a dare. Ryan and his friends are always daring each other to get girl’s phone numbers. Ryan NEVER loses a dare. EVER! But this time, he may have met his match! This girl is not going to let him win that easily.

Beth has had a rough life. She has to take care of her addict mother, whom has an abusive boyfriend. She lives with her Mom’s sister and her aunt is not really the best parent either. All of a sudden out of nowhere, her uncle shows up whom she has not seen in years. He decides that now he wants her to live with him. Sooo not what she had in mind.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Beth and Ryan. I loved the way she makes him work for it and doesn’t just give in right away. I think they were really good for each other. They each put something into the relationship that the other needed. Beth gave Ryan her gift of taking risks and being able to stand up for himself. Ryan gave Beth the idea that there is love out there and people that you can actually count on no matter what. Each half literally made them whole.

I must take a moment to comment on the cover! Love, LOve, LOVE the cover. Who wouldn’t want to be Beth in this situation? Hubba Hubba!!!

I can’t wait to see what Ms. Mcgarry has in store for us next! With Crash Into You coming in November 2013!