Tuesday 21 May 2013

Review for Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Dare You To by Katie McGarry 
Publisher: Mira Ink
Release: June 7th 2013
Genre: New Adult, Mature YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Received from the publishers in exchange for an honest review




Goodreads Summary: 
"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 
I am a huge fan of Katie McGarry’s debut novel Pushing the Limits so I was hugely excited to read this companion novel following Beth’s story - who was a secondary character in Pushing the Limits. I have to say that as excited as I was for this book I was also a little apprehensive as I wasn’t Beth’s biggest fan in Pushing the Limits and always pictured her ending up with her best friend Isaiah so I wasn’t sure how I would feel about a book from her point of view and a romance with anyone but Isaiah. However I’m pleased to say that Katie McGarry pulled off another gritty and romantic novel!

Dare You To follows a very similar formula to Pushing the Limits. Beth and Ryan both have terrible home lives and diabolical parents. Beth’s mother is a drunk who puts her relationship with an abusive man above her own daughter and Beth is always looking after her when it should be the other way around. Ryan comes from a family that looks perfect on the outside but on the inside they’re falling apart after his homophobic dad kicked out his brother for being gay. His mum and dad sleep in separate rooms and his dad puts a huge amount of pressure on Ryan to live out the dreams he had as a boy. Although both families are very different they were both just as bad as each other and I felt terrible for Ryan and Beth.

I loved Ryan as a character straight away and only grew to love him more as the book went on he’s a genuinely nice guy but he also has a little bit of an edge, which I enjoyed. Although my heart broke at times for Isaiah in this book there is no denying that Ryan is Beth’s perfect match as he challenges her and pulls the goodness out of her. Ryan is exactly what Beth needs as he provides stability and security in her chaotic life. The way Ryan makes Beth feel so special and loved melted my heart; he tames the wild hurricane of Beth’s emotions into a soft and gentle rain.

I found that it took me a little longer to warm towards Beth. She has a tough, hardened exterior and she can be a real pain in the ass. But as the book goes on you see glimpses of the fragile, frightened girl underneath and you soon come to realise it’s all a front she uses to protect herself. Underneath it all Beth has a heart of gold and is incredibly loyal to those she loves. I loved following her journey as she grows as a character and learns to trust and put faith in other people.

Although I didn’t love Dare You To as much as Pushing the Limits and didn’t find Beth and Ryan’s story to be as emotionally compelling as Echo and Noah’s it was still an excellent read in its own right. My only complaint is that although Echo and Noah do feature in this book there wasn’t as much of a catch-up with them as I expected there to be, I really would have liked to have seen a little bit more from them. Overall Dare You To was another gripping novel from Katie McGarry about daring yourself to be a better, braver you and to go for what you want and not take no for an answer, even if saying yes scares you more than anything. I can’t wait for Isaiah’s story in Crash Into You, Katie McGarry is fast becoming one of my must read authors.

 

17 comments :

  1. Ah I'm looking forward to reading this one! I always find it really hard to pick which books I enjoyed more when it comes to companion novels, and this one sounds like it's going to be just as tricky.

    Great review :)

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    1. I hope you love this one just as much!

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  2. I wasn't totally enamoured with Pushing the Limits, so I hadn't made any plans to read this one. It DOES sound good but I think I wanted Beth to be with Isiah too much to read it haha. Thanks for the great review Jess, I'm glad you enjoyed it

    Cait x

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    1. Yeah at first that was hard for me to get my head around but as the book goes on you see why they wouldn't make as good a couple as we'd imagine!

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  3. Like you, Jess I was surprised to find that Isaiah wasn't the love interest. But Kattie didn't disappoint me, Ryan was a much better fit for Beth. As you said, she needed stability and security that Isaiah could not provide (at this point, anyhow). I can't wait to read Isaiah's story! That teaser at the end makes me think it will be amazing. Wonderful review, Jess. :)

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    1. I'm really hoping Isaiah gets a happy ending too! I felt really bad for him on this book!

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  4. I'll get right on this one as soon as I've FINALLY read Pushing the Limits then. Gawd, I bought it before we went on holiday last year, and I STILL haven't read it. Must do better, Ellie. :(

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    1. Pushing the Limits is a very good read! I'm looking forward to hearing what you think when you decide to pick it up :)

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  5. Ooh Isaiah is getting his own story? I didn't know that! Glad though, I want to know what happens to him. I haven't read Dare You To yet but I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if you didn't like it as much as Pushing the Limits. I'm intrigued by Ryan - I thought Isaiah would be the love interest too so I'm curious to see how Ryan turns out, especially since you said he was a great match for Beth. Fab review, thank you :).

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    1. YES! There is a sneak peak in the back of this book! I hope you enjoy Dare You To, Liz!

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  6. Beth was THE character I wanted to know more about when I read PTL so I'm super excited for this book. Really need to read it soon. Glad you liked it! Also, great that Isaiah is getting his own story. Yay!

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    1. You certainly get a good insight into her character in this book, I really think you'll enjoy this one!

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  7. I have Pushing the Limits and Dare you to lined up for June. Can't wait to read them, they sound soo good. Glad you liked this one because I always have a fear of sequels especially when I've been hearing raves for PTL!

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    1. Eeek! I really hope you enjoy both of them Danielle!

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  8. So funny! I'm glad Ryan won you over in the end though! I agree reading Katie's interview mirrored how I felt about Beth and Isaiah as the book went on. I can't wait to meet Rachel, she sounds great!

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  9. I felt exactly the same way about this book! I didn't move me as much as Pushing the Limits, but I still really loved reading it. Beth also took me a while to warm to, though I did appreciate her character by the end. Lovely review, Jess!

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    1. Thanks Sam! I can't wait for book three!

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