Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Dare You To
    Unavailable
    Dare You To
    Unavailable
    Dare You To
    Ebook465 pages6 hours

    Dare You To

    By Katie McGarry

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "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 Beth finds herself starting over at a school where no one understands her. 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. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image is risking everything for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all .

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin
    Release dateMay 1, 2014
    ISBN9781460321041
    Unavailable
    Dare You To
    Author

    Katie McGarry

    KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

    Read more from Katie Mc Garry

    Related to Dare You To

    Related ebooks

    Children's Social Themes For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Righteous

      Jan 22, 2019

      Righteous
      8 min read

    • Article

      All Of Us Here

      Jun 4, 2020

      All Of Us Here
      6 min read

    • Article

      You Exist Too Much

      Jun 5, 2020

      You Exist Too Much
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Fortune Teller

      Jul 10, 2021

      My head has a liquid feel to it as I stumble down the street. The bottle of red wine in my belly making it seem like my limbs have become balloons, and at any moment they might float away. Next to me, Michael has a stupid whiskey grin stretched acros

      18 min read

    • Article

      Book Extract

      Jan 20, 2020

      My year off was also interesting, in that I didn’t feel any less loved, or cherished, or wanted. Why? Because my life is already rich with soulmates, and I got the chance to behold that. You don’t have to shag someone for them to be a soulmate. We do

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Invitation

      Aug 21, 2023

      York, October 1644 Before I’ve even mustered the courage to knock, the door to the townhouse flings open. I drop my hand. “It is me, John Falmouth,” I say and wince at how loud my voice carries into the night. My greeting falters when I look up and n

      6 min read

    • Article

      Not That Story

      Oct 28, 2017

      Not That Story
      7 min read

    • Article

      “Apparently Life Goes On …”

      Jan 25, 2023

      “Apparently Life Goes On …”
      7 min read

    • Article

      “Apparently Life Goes On ...”

      Jan 29, 2023

      “Apparently Life Goes On ...”
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Kind Of Magic

      Apr 1, 2024

      A Kind Of Magic
      7 min read

    • Article

      Australia Reads At Home

      May 18, 2020

      Australia Reads At Home
      7 min read

    • Article

      Cross My Heart

      Sep 1, 2022

      Cross My Heart
      6 min read

    • Article

      Festival

      Sep 15, 2018

      My husband, who loved festivals, who was a great fan of festivals, wanted to get to the square in time for the first band at eleven o’clock. From bed, the dog and I watched him dress. He tried on various T-shirts, declaring some of them too tight and

      13 min read

    • Article

      Philip Roth

      Jun 4, 2018

      Philip Roth
      25 min read

    • Article

      La Bohème

      Mar 1, 2022

      ON A SATURDAY or Sunday afternoon in the cold early months of 1988, I sat alone at a table for two in a Greenwich Village diner, twenty-four years old, hopelessly young, my notebook open in front of me. At the table next to mine were three people, al

      13 min read

    • Article

      Woman About Town

      Jul 28, 2022

      Woman About Town
      5 min read

    • Article

      Cold Calling

      Jan 18, 2021

      Two or three phone calls per week. Every week for six months. All more or less the same. “Hello Mrs Redmond, this is Martin/Tim/Alice/Marmaduke [I’m serious], I’m calling from your internet provider to let you know that your broadband server has been

      6 min read

    • Article

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time

      Dec 1, 2023

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time
      9 min read

    • Article

      Love That Hurts

      Apr 16, 2020

      Tony Hannington, 56, Herne Bay, Kent Settling on the sofa, I took a swig of my drink. Bit strong, I thought to myself, wincing. It was a Friday night in November 2013, and after a long day at work, this glass of Jack Daniel’s was just what I needed.

      7 min read

    • Article

      It Takes Blood And Guts

      Nov 21, 2020

      I’m sitting on Skin’s terrace in Ibiza, soaking up the late summer sunshine via the magic of the internet. It’s the closest I’ve come to travel since the start of the panny danny and looking out my window at the dark Edinburgh sky, I’ll take all the

      6 min read

    Reviews for Dare You To

    4/5

    250 ratings40 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5

      This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes

      Cover Impressions: For regular readers of YA romance, this cover is sure to please. The models represent the characters well, the scene is hot and steamy and the backdrop and font add a touch of edge and interest. For me, as an often reluctant YA romance reader, it is a little too run of the mill to match up with the phenomenal writing that I expect from the author of Pushing the Limits.

      The Gist: Beth Risk is constantly trying to save her mother. When she comes to the rescue once again, she ends up in jail and is bailed out by her uncle on one condition - that she leave her friends and mother behind to come live with him. Under her uncle's watchful eye, she tries to make a place for her in a town that she thought she had left behind and finds love in the most unlikely of places - with the town's golden boy. Ryan Stone appears to have it all, but is dealing with a seriously fragmented family and trying to decide if the future that he has worked so hard for is his own dream, or his father's.

      Review:

      Dare You To had some pretty big shoes to fill. Katie's last book, Pushing the Limits, easily made my top ten of last year. While the follow up is enjoyable, it is not nearly as strong as its predecessor. I found the characters this time around to be harder to connect with. I liked Beth from the previous novel, but her dogged determination to rescue her mother was hard to watch. Ryan, however, I really didn't like. He claims to be a gentleman who insists that men treat women with respect, but from the very first scene he showed that (particularly through his "dares") he is just as capable of demeaning women as the next guy. My dislike did fade as the book went on, but it made the first half a little difficult to get through.

      I was glad to see that the whole dare thing was put to bed fairly quickly and that it didn't result in the expected cliche (a la She's All That and a thousand other movies). The connection between Beth and Ryan was HOTTT, though I could have done with a little less on again, off again. I was also happy to see some depth of Ryan's character once we begin to learn a little more of his family situation. McGarry really knows what she is doing with character development. Dare You To shows a nice juxtaposition between the "golden boy" and the damaged girl and explores how both of their lives are challenging even though only one appears so from the outside. Beth begins as the complete badass that we remember from Pushing The Limits but sees some considerable growth by the end. The scenes with Beth and her mother were heartbreaking, terrifying and made for some real excitement to what is not a particularly action fueled plot.

      Dare You To was not a particularly weak book, but it did take me a considerable amount of time to get through. I am chalking this up to my difficulty connecting with the characters and my inability to immerse myself in a plot that is mainly about the romance between two teenagers. I would still recommend this as a strong contemporary romance for those students who love that genre.


      Teaching/Parental Notes:

      Age: 16 and up
      Gender: Female
      Sex: Kissing, intercourse between teenagers (not graphic)
      Violence: Physical Fighting, Child (Teen) Abuse
      Inappropriate Language: Ass, Fuck, Dick, Bastard, Whore, Slut
      Substance Use/Abuse: Underage drinking, marijuana use, heroin use
    • 3/5
      I was a little wary of Dare You To - could this book be as emotional, as edgy, as Pushing the Limits? Could I believe in the premise and not scoff at how the two protagonists predictably find each other in the darkest hours of their lives. The short answer: yes, and yes. Dare You To showcases the same attention to detail and character development that I loved in Pushing the Limits, but is a totally different work of fiction.Beth is hard character to like, but I managed it anyway! She's stand-off-ish and doesn't let anyone close to her - she learnt early that loving someone gives them power over you, and she's always been betrayed by the people she's dared to love. Beneath her hard exterior there is a girl who just wants to be loved and trusted, and love and trust in return, but she's buried pretty deep. Ryan, the surprisingly likeable baseball jock, seems to have a perfect life, but when you look deeper he's just as torn as Beth. He and his friends have a ritual of asking one another on dares, and Ryan hates to lose. So when he's dared to get the number of a Biker Chick, Ryan meets the challenge head on, but quickly finds that Beth isn't going to start worshipping his smile like everyone else. Whereas Noah and Echo came from places of equal darkness, I feel like Beth really opened Ryan up to the reality that he still had control over the things that were wrong in his life, while Beth had long ago lost control of hers. But Ryan gives Beth the strength to make same incredibly tough decisions, so the situation equalizes in that sense.I didn't like how Ryan initially reacted to suggestions that he could play baseball and go to college. It displays a level of shortsightedness I can't abide. I understand his dreams are of making it big, being a millionaire and perhaps never needing to work again, but I find it distasteful that he scoffed at the idea of having a back-up for so long. Another thing that I really disagreed with in this book is how Beth's uncle Scott blackmailed her into living with him - going as far as to threaten that he will make sure her mother goes to jail - to ensure that Beth dresses the way he wants, eats what he wants, and associates with people he approves of. Scott threatens Beth with her mother's fate when she is caught with a smoke, which is a disgusting over-reaction in my opinion.The final thing that made me uncomfortable in Dare You To is a scene where Beth just wants to get away from Ryan, and Ryan, angry, grabs and kisses her. I'm not a fan - I don't really care how much a character likes it in the end, I think if a girl makes it clear she's not interested, no one has the right to force themselves and show her that she does, in fact, want it. What made it worse is that Ryan says he's angry when he does it, and it makes me afraid this kind of behaviour is portrayed as okay.Since friendship is a theme that's explored in the book, I was interested to note that Ryan's friends are the most supportive, amazing people around, and I was glad. I liked Lacy, who used to be Beth's best friend before Beth was forced to move away, and the rest of the gang were cool too. I think they were well drawn characters, and they felt real and distinct to me. I didn't like Gwen, nor how she was painted as 'bitch-blond-from-hell' - it feels like lazy characterisation - at least show us why she's like that. On the other hand, I was confused by the small roles that Isaiah and Noah play in Dare You To: they were so loving and supportive of Beth in Pushing the Limits, but here she's fighting with them and they're never open to the idea that she could make friends in her new school. Beth wallows in the fact that Noah has Echo now, and blames Echo for all sorts of ridiculous things, and I got a little tired at how she spent so much time pushing her only friends away.I liked Pushing the Limits a little better than Dare You To, but I think it's a personal preference where I liked Noah and Echo a lot better, and understood and sympathised with them more. But Dare You To is still a great book that I enjoyed, and I can't wait for Crash Into You, and seeing Isaiah find his happy-ever-after.A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.
    • 5/5
      I received this book for review from the publisher via Netgalley.

      4.5 stars, rounded up to 5

      When I first requested Dare You To, I knew very little about it, other than that several people were really excited about it. When I realized it was the sequel to Pushing the Limits, I wasn’t sure what to think. I knew a lot of people really liked Pushing the Limits, but I hadn’t read it yet. However, I requested it and was approved and committed to reading it. Once I finished Pushing the Limits, I was super excited to read Dare You To.

      I wasn’t sure exactly what to think going into Dare You To. I absolutely adored Noah and Echo from Pushing the Limits. Their story was super emotional but very romantic and heart-warming at the same time. Beth’s role in Pushing the Limits was fairly minor, as one of Noah’s friends, and honestly, she was kind of a bitch. However, I kept an open mind.

      After an incident with Beth’s mother and her mother’s boyfriend, Beth is arrested. Her father’s brother blackmails her mother into signing over custody to him, and Beth is not happy about it. We don’t find out the full story right away, but Beth feels like he abandoned her when she was younger and resents him coming back in to control her life now, especially since his taking custody means she has to move to a new town with new rules, one of which that she have no contact with her mother or old friends.

      With some help from her uncle, Beth quickly meets Ryan, a baseball player from her school, and the boy she met at a Taco Bell when the story first opened. They had a bad first meeting, and they are both very unsure of the other. However, they start to form a very hesitant friendship and find themselves spending more time together and getting to knew each other a little more.

      Unlike with Pushing the Limits, I didn’t find myself immediately drawn in to the story of Dare You To or really relating to Beth. We know a little bit of Beth’s story from Pushing the Limits, so we know she’s had a rough life. Because of this, she’s got a very tough exterior. She has walls upon walls built up around herself, and she doesn’t really let anybody in. However, she really grows a lot throughout Dare You To, and I found that really interesting to watch. I also didn’t really care for Ryan. He has a very demanding father, but in comparison to Beth, Echo, Noah, and Isaiah, he pretty much led a charmed life. Sure, things aren’t perfect, and his home life is uncomfortable, but his situation really pales in comparison to the others. He was kind of frustrating and annoying with his “I don’t lose” personality, and his fascination with Beth seemed a little unbelievable at first. However, as the story progressed, I felt like he redeemed himself, and I started to really like him, too.

      In several ways, I actually found Dare You To to be a more emotional story than Pushing the Limits. Though Echo had some bad history with her brother dying and the situation with her mother, she did have a father and stepmother who cared about her. Beth’s father left when she was young, and her mother is an alcoholic with an abusive boyfriend. For this reason, she has really grown to have major trust issues and very low self-worth. Even as things heat up with Ryan, she strongly doubts his feelings for her. Also, every scene involving her mother was heartbreaking in one way or another. I really felt like Beth was a more tortured soul than Echo was, and as I learned more about her history, I found myself really liking and caring about her.

      Overall, I really thought that Dare You To was a great book and would highly recommend it, especially if you loved Pushing the Limits. It may take you a bit longer to get into it because Beth and Ryan are such different characters from Echo and Noah, but I think that once you do, it will grab you and not let you go. It releases next Tuesday (May 28th), so definitely pick it up!

      This review can also be found on my blog, Mommy's Reading Break
    • 5/5
      WOW, this was a fantastic read. I was up way to late because I couldn’t put it down. It didn’t hurt that Beth lived in the city where I grew up and that I had friends from Ryan’s County.

      Ryan is the star ball player for his High School and has the perfect family. At least that’s how it all looks from the outside, but it doesn’t feel so perfect when you’re on the inside. Ryan misses his brother and behind closed doors his parents’ true feelings for each other are let out. It appears they can’t stand each other. His dad acts as if his brother no longer exists and refuses to allow Ryan or his mother to have any contact with him. All Ryan is focused on is making into the Pros and his dad is just as obsessed with it, so much that it’s not clear whose dream it really is at times. Then Ryan is dared to get Beth’s phone number and that’s when his life starts to change. At first he doesn’t see anything past Beth’s hard exterior, but that’s OK ‘because she’s just a dare and he’ll never see her again, right? Wrong, Beth’s uncle brings her to Ryan’s small town to get her away from her mother. Ryan has to deal with his dysfunctional, yet perfect on the outside, family and figure out what he really wants. He also has to fight to be his own person, making his own decisions. Ryan has to overcome the “dare” and the hurt he’s inflicted on Beth to get her to trust him and her love for him.

      Beth is from the wrong side of the tracks and has the attitude to go with it. She’s never had it easy, always struggling for food, clothing, and most of all a parents love. Beth’s best friend is a tattooed “tough” guy that looks out for her. They also drink and drug together, until Beth takes the fall for her mom and is “rescued” by her long lost Uncle. Beth doesn’t want to go with Scott, she doesn’t want leave Isaiah or her mom. Beth lives with her aunt, but makes sure her mom eats. There would be no one to look out for her mom when Beth’s gone. Beth has to struggle to overcome her past and learn to let her mother go (if she can).

      This is a touching and dark journey of two young people falling in love and fighting to be with each other on top of finishing their last year of high school. This is listed as young adult, but I would say it’s for mature young adults due to the subject matter; there isn’t any sex in this book.

      (I received a copy from the publisher for an honest review)

      Also posted on Darker Passions
    • 5/5
      Another great book by Katie McGarry!

      Emotional, Romantic, & Suspenseful....
      Beth is stubborn, but she has a heart of gold. Taking care of her mom is her number one priority. No matter what others tell her she is always trying to protect her mom from the crazy, drug addict boyfriend. She has guards up and is determined to let no one else in. When Beth meets Ryan though her eyes are opened up to trust & love. He shows her that it is okay to want to stay in one place. Their relationship goes from bitter to sweet as the book progresses and they quickly became one of my favorite book couples.



      What starts as a dare soon becomes so much more...
      Forbidden love... maybe? Beth is from a rougher family. Ryan is an athlete with uptight, control freak parents. They forbid him to be with Beth, but that doesn't stop him. His passion toward her outweighs everything else. He puts his heart on the line and even his life at one point.


      I loved this couple so much and the storyline consumed me from page one. The characters help one another to expose their inner desires and wants. They each go into the book thinking their future has one path and come out with a whole new outlook.



      I highly recommend it to all YA & NA readers.
    • 2/5
      This is probably a really awful review. This series is getting quite predictable. Two "messed-up" people get together, stuff happens, relationship drama (yada yada), then happily ever after. *sigh*
    • 5/5
      Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said? This is one hell of a book. It had big shoes to follow- Pushing the Limits and it more than filled those shoes. It was Cinderella's glass slippers, those thigh high black boots you wore this winter, those platform stripper heels that made you feel so sexy when you wore them out at night. That was this book!Ryan is the kind of boy you bring home to mama. He treats girls with respect, he listens to his mom and dad (too much) he hangs with his boys on the baseball team. He gets great grades, he's got his future all planned out. And he can read Beth like it's written all over her face. He is a good guy, really good!And Becca, she's about as opposite as Ryan as you can get. But her motives are as pure as Ryan is. She's been the adult in her family for as long as she can remember carrying not only the physical burden of being the parent, but the emotional burdens of one parent's betrayal and the other's constant disappointment and failures. It's understandable that she runs like a scared rabbit every time someone tries to get close.Small towns are so hard to live in, everyone knows everyone's business. Gossip goes around like a cold in an elementary school. And small minds tend to breed in small towns. So when gossip goes around about Beth, it's bound to flourish and undermine any good Beth has done or shown.The thing I like most about McGarry's writing is, that though there is drama, it's a believable kind of drama. Ryan's got the perfect life on the outside. But just underneath the surface, he's facing all kinds of turmoil. And it's very realistic, what's going on behind the scenes. It's probably happening in big and little cities all over the world as you read this. And Beth's story, while her exact story may have been a bit dramatic, the bottom line was, family and what she felt she owed her mother. Trying to save her, even if it hurt Beth in the process. That kind of thing happens all the time. People go down in flames all the time because they stayed too long for the kids, or tried to work it out, or trusted one too many times. McGarry's story shows the consequences of staying.Like Pushing the Limits, this is definitely geared toward the more mature YA reader for it's drug use, violence and sex. I highly recommend this novel to anyone that enjoyed Pushing The Limits, loves contemporary YA, YA romance, and coming of age stories.I received an electronic copy of the advanced readers copy of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review. This did not affect my review or influence my opinions of the novel.
    • 5/5
      Wow. Just, wow. When I first met Beth in Pushing the Limits, I saw a rough around the edges girl who didn't take any crap from anyone and who had had to deal with more in a short life than most people do in 70 years. In short, I saw me.

      I felt an instant connection to the character, but then, to see all that she has truly had to endure in her life, even my hardened heart broke a little bit.

      I am forever the cynic when it comes to romance. I am not the girly girl who gushes over romance novels, or every chick flick that hits the theaters. I am the one who sits back and goes "Yeah, that just doesn't exist in real life," to the chagrin of all of my friends.

      I am the skeptic, the one who questions everything, and yet in reading this book, I found nothing to question. It felt right. It felt like it was natural and that Ryan and Beth were meant to be together.

      I will admit that I really dislike Ryan's father because of how he treated Mark. That kind of made me angry. And how controlling he was. But I can't get into that without giving things away.

      In the beginning, I hated Scott, but he grew on me and I realized he really did care and wanted to do the right thing.

      I was so glad to be able to be given the opportunity from the publisher to have read this story and to continue the series and get to know these amazing characters.

      It's like the books are connected, but not exactly sequels either.. Each one seems to have a little bit of a different plot. I have never read a series before that took that path, and I really, really liked it.

      If you want to know more about Beth and Ryan, you really need to pick up the book and read it.
    • 4/5
      AH, the intensity of young love!
    • 4/5
      I must admit, I was a little disappointed when I saw that we were getting Beth's story and the guy she was falling for was not Isaiah. After all, after the first book, I was pretty sure Beth and Isaiah were going to end up together. But then I met Ryan and, in all honesty, he is completely perfect for Beth. This book had all the intensity and emotions that Pushing the Limits. I was surprised at how much I ended up liking Beth. I didn't care for her at all during Pushing the Limits but once I got in to her head and started seeing where she was coming from, I loved her. The chemistry between Beth and Ryan was off the charts. If you want a good romance with lots of feels, this would be a perfect read for you.

      Now let's move on to Isaiah's story and find out who the perfect girl for him is!
    • 4/5
      This review and more can be found on my blog: The Muses CircleWhat can I say about Dare You To without my review sounding redundant? From some of the reviews I have already read, I think other die hard Katie McGarry fans are walking away from this highly anticipated sequel feeling the same way I do. Dare You To confirms a few things. One, Pushing the Limits, book 1 in the series, was not a fluke. Some authors write amazing debuts but have trouble delivering the same impact with their sequels. I'm happy and relieved to say that Katie McGarry won't be going anywhere but to the top. After reading Dare You To, there is no doubt that she is an amazing writer, that she knows how to write characters so well that they feel like they are right in front of you, and most of all, she has the ability to evoke strong emotions. In Pushing the Limits, I was in a constant state of tears and felt a heaviness in my chest. In Dare You To, I felt a range of emotions, everything from exasperation, frustration, to outrage. However, there were a few minor issues I had with the book that kept me from giving it a perfect 5 star rating.First, here are a few things I loved about Dare You To. I like that Katie McGarry used alternating point-of-view to tell Beth and Ryan's story. Considering the fact that they are so different and that McGarry had a huge job to do in convincing us readers that they belong together, it was almost essential to use this so we can get in both of their heads. Because let's face it. If you've read Pushing the Limits, then most of you, like me, wanted Beth to get with Isaiah. So being able to get to know Ryan personally and to see how Beth truly felt about Isaiah did help me to cope with the fact that this was Beth and Ryan's story, not Beth and Isaiah's.As she proved in Pushing the Limits, McGarry has no problem pushing boundaries. There are so many authors out there that take on controversial topics but fail in the execution because they are too worried they might offend someone or they feel they need to tone it down for fear that publishing companies will pass them by. Not McGarry. When she commits to a tough topic, she runs with it and stays true. Beth's story is not easy breezy to read-- she has had a very rough childhood. Imagine growing up with alchoholic/drug abusing parents. Imagine your own mother telling you that she hates you, that it's your fault that your father left. Imagine watching your mother get beat over and over again by different boyfriends and then they start beating on you. It would mess up any child. So Beth curses, and she smokes weed to take the edge off and to forget painful memories. Does this mean she is a horrible person? Absolutely not. But if you think this book sugar coats anything, you are wrong. If you are sensitive to cursing, drug use, drinking, and sexual situations, then I suggest you toughen up and go into this book with an open mind. Because this is where Katie McGarry truly shines as an author. She brings a gritty, realistic quality to her writing, just like NY Times & USA Today's Best Selling Author Simone Elkeles is known for in her Perfect Chemistry series. And this is why teens and adults alike are dawn to their novels time and time again.Lastly, I can't move on until I mention one more important factor that Katie McGarry is a master at and that is creating memorable characters. I know I and other reviewers keep going back to where it all started, book 1, Pushing the Limits. Here is the dilemma. If you are just jumping on board and haven't read book 1, a part of me rather you just read Dare You To first. Sounds weird I know, but I think I myself would have had a much easier time accepting Beth and Ryan's relationship without knowing what happened between Beth and Isaiah in book 1 (oh and trust me, there is a scene in book 1 that is burned on the back of my eyelids that had me thinking WITHOUT A DOUBT that Beth and Isaiah would be together). But then on the other hand, to fully understand Beth, and who she considers her family--Isaiah and Noah, you need to go back to the beginning. That being said, I love that Katie McGarry added in a few scenes with Isaiah and Noah (my heart was pounding when they came to Beth's rescue earlier in the book) and most of all, that one scene with Noah and Echo. This couple burned up the pages in Pushing the Limits and I think the author knew how much fans were hoping for a little Noah and Echo action. There definitely was a scene stealer and that was when Beth took Ryan to one of her kind of parties. In the back yard, Noah was lying in a hammock with his girlfriend Echo and when Noah noticed Ryan staring too long at her, he threatened him to keep his eyes to himself. So incredibly sexy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we will see more of them in book 3.Now to what I had issues with. It's sort of hard for me to focus on just one thing that bothered me about Dare You To. I feel like it is the culimination of a bunch of little things that caused me to drop my rating down to 4 stars. A part of me may still not be completely sold that Beth belongs with Ryan, but that doesn't mean by the end of the book I think she belongs with Isaiah. Sounds weird, I know, but I guess as much as Ryan is a likeable, relatable character with his own set of issues, he just isn't as memorable like Noah and Isaiah are. The heat that I felt between Noah and Echo is not the same thing I felt between Beth and Ryan. But if I sit back and think about it, every relationship is different and so is how love is expressed with other couples. Some people love widly and passionately while love grows slowly and quietly with others. So who am I to say that what Beth and Ryan feel is wrong?My major issues lie with things being left unresolved between certain characters. Without divulging too much, things with Ryan and his dad felt...unfinished. I know that in real life, not everyone has perfect relationships with their parents, so I wasn't expecting a fairytale ending. But we never really get to learn why his dad feels the way he does about his oldest son, Mark, and Ryan. Enough said about that because I don't want to spoil anything.Beth's relationship with her Uncle Scott and his wife, Allison, also fell a little flat for me. I wanted to find some redeeming qualities for Allison, Scott's wife. Yes, there is the little scene at the end where it looks like Beth and Allison may have buried the hatchet, but we never really get to know her. I get that Scott himself had a rough childhood and the easiest way for him to keep the demons away was for him to move away and be with someone who wouldn't remind him of his troubled past. But I would also like to think that Allison has a big enough heart that she would love Scott, shady past and all. Unfortunately, most of the book she acts like an uppity b*tch!Now to Beth's uncle, Scott. We learn that Scott didn't have an easy upbringing himself and he knows what it's like to struggle. Beth remembers when her uncle used to wear baggy pants and talked like a gangster. So what bothered me was all the stipulations he put on Beth when she comes to live with him. I get the no drinking, no drugs, even no smoking cigarettes. But making her change her clothes (she likes to wear ripped jeans and tank tops, like that is a crime!) and not allowing her to buy black hair die??? I wouldn't even consider Beth "goth" but trust me, I work in a school and I see kids wearing worse clothes than ripped up jeans. My point is, I think Scott and Allison spent way too much time on Beth's outward appearance rather than focusing on her inner issues. Scott obviously knows she has been through some major trauma. And when you find out one of the reasons why Beth likes to die her hair black...my heart really did hurt for her. I guess what I am trying to say is, I was waiting for a huge heart to heart conversation between Scott and Beth but it really never happens. I wanted Beth to finally break down and let out all of that pain because keeping that sh*t in is nothing but poison.Dare You To is a solid sequel that really leaves no doubt as to how talented Katie McGarry truly is. Even though I felt there were a few things left a bit unresolved, I can somewhat accept that because life doesn't always fix itself right away. It may take years before Ryan's father finally comes around to accepting both his sons' choices. It will probably take a lot of time for Beth to break the chains of guilt and responsibility she has had on her shoulders, and Ryan will have to find patience because Beth still has a lot of issues to sort out. I myself have to remain calm and patiently await Crash Into You, book 3, which is Isaiah's book. Because I'm not going to lie, things were left unresolved between Beth, Isaiah, and Noah as well. For thematic reasons, I get why because it is a given that Isaiah has to work out his feelings for Beth and I am sure she will make quite a few appearances. But I can't help but feel that Beth owes Isaiah, Noah, AND Echo an apology. There were quite a few times when I wanted to shake her because the boys wanted a better life for her, they loved her that much. And how many times does Echo have to prove herself to Beth? But we never get that moment of epiphany from her. But I just have to keep reminding myself that it's going to take time for Beth to sort out her issues. After all, how can you recognize and accept love if you can't respect and love yourself?Reviewed by: Mia @ The Muses Circle
    • 5/5
      Absolutely loved it
    • 5/5
      my, god. it was stunning. absolutely stunning.
    • 5/5
      Even better than the first one. I've read it twice already, loved it both times.
    • 4/5
      Beth and Ryan definitely seem at odds in the beginning. Those situations always make for the best stories though. Beth is cast as an outsider from the beginning. Interestingly though, she does have a friend there but it’s also Beth’s internal feelings of being an outsider that make her distance herself from everyone. I liked the characters in this book. They were a group of close-knit kids. It was interesting to see how they differed from the inner city kids where Beth had come from. They were all close-knit, all just kids, but with very striking differences in some ways. I’m giving this one 4 daring kisses!
    • 5/5
      Grab a box of tissues before you start Dare You To. It is one of the best books I have read this year, but let me tell you, I bawled like a baby in some parts. You feel what Beth and Ryan are going through. This book couldn’t have been put together any better than it is. The story is told through the eyes of both Ryan and Beth.They each come from different homes, with their own problems. They first meet through a dare between Ryan and his friends. What starts as a dare turns into so much more.Once the ball starts rolling each has decisions to make that will greatly effect their lives.Ryan is dealing with hiding a family secret, pretending in public that his family isn’t breaking up, and what to do with his future.Beth has to decide to help her mother. If she’s left along too long her boyfriend Trent may give her a beating that she won’t be able to recover from. She also knows that if it’s not her mother he kills it may be her. Given a chance for a new beginning in a new town, she now has to decide what path to take.
    • 5/5
      How often do you read a book that grabs your insides and twists them—hard? How often do you find a book that changes your mind about a character? How often do you find yourself worried sick about the outcome of a book? It's rare for me to find such a book, but when I do it's an instant keeper, one that I can't stop thinking about, long after that last page is turned. Dare You To is such a book!I can't say that I am surprised that I loved this book. After all, McGarry already proved her talent with Pushingthe Limits, which I adored. In PTL, I was unsure that I would ever like Beth. Okay, let's be honest—I was certain I would always hate her; she was, simply put, such a hard bitch. But as DYT began, and more of Beth was revealed, bit by bit, I came to realize why she acts the way she does. Before too long, I was anxious for her to realize what her life could be if only she'd put the past behind her and start living her life the way she wants. And as Ryan started to steal my heart (which he did!), I was cheering for him and Beth. They deserved their chance at a HEA, screw what the world thinks of them together.I really connected with Beth and her relationship with her uncle, Scott. Why? Because, like Beth, I was close to my youngest uncle as well. Much like Scott, my own uncle was a pre-teen when I was born. And there the similarities end; my life wasn't a copy of Beth's, nor was my uncle's a copy for Scott's (other than the fact that both were good men who loved their family). But that strong bond between them touched me, reminded me of my own childhood. I lost my uncle, four years ago this month, and to this day it still kills me inside to know that he's no longer here. What does this have to do with the story, or the author's writing talent? Nothing, really. But I think it's important that a good book has this affect, allowing you to find such connections while reading. Regardless of anything else Beth did or went through, this is what I will always connect with her over, and yes, even envy her for, as she still has years ahead of enjoying her uncle's company.4.5 STARS! Truly, I can't even begin to explain how much I loved this book, nor can I tell you why. But I can tell you this: McGarry has a fan for life! Two books so far and both have broken my heart, twisted me into knots with worry...yet in the end, put a happy smile on my face. Emotional, and all to realistic at times, Dare You To is going at the top of my list of favorites. I will be buying myself a copy to keep alongside PTL, and I cannot wait until Isaiah's story is finally here. Until then, I think I need to read a few lighter novels. Every time I pick up a novel from this author, I cry even as I find myself thoroughly enjoying the journey. Thank you, Katie McGarry, for another amazing story!~ * ~ * ~For my full review, including favorite book quotes, please visit my blog, TBQ's Book Palace.I received this e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.TheBookQueen
    • 5/5
      The best book I've read in a long time. I'm going to read every single book in this series now!
    • 4/5
      More like 3.5
    • 4/5
      Beth Risk has had a rough life. Abandoned by her father at a young age, she spent most of her childhood growing up with her mentally unstable, alcoholic mother. In the past year or so, she hasn't felt safe at home, and with good reason - Beth's mother's newest boyfriend, Trent, beat the living tar out of Beth, and so she moved into the basement of her Aunt Shirley's home, along with two of Shirley's foster kids - Noah (the main male character in Pushing the Limits) and Isaiah (his book is next in the series, Crash Into Me). But Beth takes the rap for her mother, who is on probation, and is arrested for something she didn't do. Next thing Beth knows, her long absentee uncle, Scott Risk, a famous baseball player, is back in her life - and has sole custody of her, moving her away from downtown Louisville and everything Beth has known. Now Beth has rules, a curfew, and a pesky neighborhood jock named Ryan who wants to get into her uncle's good graces.Beth was my favorite character in Pushing the Limits, the first book in the series, and so I was excited to read her book. I can really identify with her character; although my upbringing wasn't as bad as hers, it certainly wasn't pleasant, either. I could definitely relate to the physical violence, the culture of drugs at home, and the absentee parents who feel more like dependents than actual parents. So I could "get" Beth - her fear of growing to care for someone only to have her heart broken when they leave, her instinct to run as soon as something is overwhelmingly difficult for her to face, and her tendency to push everyone away in an effort to keep her heart safe. Ryan seemed like a perfect fit for Beth. Although his life was far from perfect, he proved to be a steadying presence in her life, and he could empathize with her even if he couldn't completely understand her. He and his friends took dares a little too seriously, but they're high school kids. And I loved the fact that Ryan was a virgin and Beth wasn't - kick the "the girl has to be the virgin but the guy never is" trope to the curb!Recommended.
    • 5/5
      First I would like to start of by saying that yes this is the 'second' in the series there isn't an awful lot about the previous characters and where as I would advise you read the 1st one before this, I cant imagine it be that big of a deal if you didn't. Right, now on to the actual review. I should probably say that one of the main reasons I was reading this to start of with was because I'm not only very behind on my reviews but I'm very behind on my netgalley reading list, I'm magpie like in the sense that I get distracted by pretty things e.g books haha, but since being able to read The Geography of You and Me, I sorta made a pledge to myself to this year catch up on all the books I've been given permission to read early and haven't. Also, I was a really big fan of the first book and cant believe it has taken me this long to read this one.Anyway like the summary suggest, this book is about two very different main characters. We have Ryan, the jock baseball player who has an obsession with dares and Beth, the deeply troubled young girl just trying to last long enough to escape. Ryan seems to have it all, good looks, great friends, lots of money and above all a loving family. What people don't know is that things aren't always what they seem, Ryan's family are falling apart and all of their money is tied up in his baseball, something his dad pushes him hard to succeed in. Ryan on the other hand isn't sure that's exactly what he wants to do anymore, unfortunately try telling that to is dad.Beth on the other hand has very little other than her mother, and she doesn't even have that most of the time. Her mother is a drug addict, and her dad is a no show, she's pretty much had to look after herself her whole life and the only people that she trust are Noah and Isaiah, they are the only people who know what's going on in her life and still stick around.After a run in with the police, Beth is sent back to her hometown to live with her uncle who wants her to cut of any and all ties, trying to give her a second chance. But after dare gone wrong, Ryan and Beth's path cross for the first time threatening Beth's fresh start.. At the start neither one can stand the other as they are such worlds apart, and what started off a nothing more than a dare and a chance to meet Beth's famous uncle, slowly turns into a friendship, if not more. Too bad Beth has other plan's and Ryan doesn't seem to be the only one fighting for her affection.This heartfelt book is a good coming of age book, a book that shows you two people are never as different as they may look from affair and all in all a book that teaches you to look beyond the cover because you are only seeing what you want to see, not what's really going on.Basically, I really liked this book, granted I didn't like it as much as the first because my heart belongs to Noah and Echo but I still really liked it as Beth was always one of my favourite characters in it and I was dying to know more about her. Katie McGarry really know's how to write a good story, unrealistic and more suited to a movie at times, but non the less damn good.I would recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary :)
    • 4/5
      Beth is tough. Her mom is an alcoholic, her mom's boyfriend beats up Beth and her mom as often as he feels the need, and Beth's only solace is her two best friends Noah and Isaiah. But when Beth gets sent to jail for something she didn't do, her long lost uncle shows up and forces her into his custody. She hates him and his stuck up wife and just wants to run away with her mom and out of this world. She just wants to run. But her uncle puts her in a new school, a school where she sees an old friend she knew as a little girl. Ryan is in varsity baseball, popular and has his dreams and future so close he can reach them but on a night after a game in Taco Bell, he is dared to ask the girl working the counter out. She tells him to leave her alone and he keeps flirting but little does he know he's met his match. He's used to winning but the Taco Bell girl (Beth) doesn't give in easy. So when Beth starts going to his school, he tries to befriend her, basically because of the bet but mostly because her uncle is a famous old Yankee baseball player and is his god. They make an odd pair but after a while they are totally in love with each other. Which complicates things because Ryan's family just want him to focus on baseball and baseball only, Beth is white trash to them anyway. And Beth needs to get her mom and run away. But Beth soon realizes her mom is too far gone. Ryan and Beth's story was awesome, a must read.
    • 4/5
      I absolutley loved Pushing the Limits so I knew I would be reading more of her books. Dare You To was a good follow-up to Pushing the Limits, I loved that we got a little update on Noah and Echo. Beth is Noah's foster sister so that have a brother/sister relationship.Beth's life is just a mess, not her fault though. She has the bad girl look and doesn't have time for guys like Ryan, the jock. Ryan takes on a dare to date Beth and that turns into something more than what they both are expecting. Beth and Ryan both try to fight it, they run into many obstacles and people trying to force them apart. They literally have to fight to be together, I'm all for making love stories more realistic but it just seemed like they really had a lot of problems between the two of them to just be together.I do have a complaint though, all the swearing. It's just so surprising how much the f word was used. It's completely unnecessary, this is aimed for teens and young adults. I guess when the word is not part of your vocabulary and you're intelligent enough to come up with another word than a nasty swear word, it's just appalling. Rant over.I'm looking forward to reading Crash Into You and see what's in store for Isaiah, I really liked him and what him to find someone to love too.
    • 5/5
      NOTE: I received this eARC from Netgalley.

      This is one fantastic book! I loved it from cover to cover, and will be sure to re-read it.

      I can't think of a strong enough word to describe the story in this novel. Perhaps phenomenal, or brilliant? I don't know but it was both of those and so much more!

      After reading Pushing the Limits, I was expecting something grand from Katie McGarry in this one, and Alas! I'm not disappointed at all.

      There was supertastic passion, there was hot-bordering-on-mad romance, there was real friendship and true loyalty. There was also a terrifying drug addiction, domestic violence and problems that could make your head spin and your heart beat hard in your chest. No wonder I enjoyed every second of it.

      I think it's safe to say that Dare You To was better and even more satisfying than Pushing the Limits. The characters were as realistic and believable, and sometimes even more so - I mean, I felt like they were the next door neighbors that I was secretly spying on!

      The first chapter met me with a cocky dude (Ryan) who was ready to do anything when he was dared to. Including getting the goth chick (Beth)'s phone number. Well, let me tell you the truth - that made me dislike Ryan right then and there. A good smack on his face would've made me happy. So when Beth held her ground and put him in his place, I wanted to high-five her! Brave, brave girl!

      However, when the next chapter rolled in (and pretty much all the rest of the book until the very end), I felt a bit disappointed in Beth. She's pretty, she's daring, she's bad-ass. And she's smart, really. Yet, even though a saving boat comes to her(in the face of her uncle) to grab her and pull her away from her miserable life, she decides that no, staying in the mud with all the violence, the drugs and the unknown dangers was better for her. How extremely stupid! Don't get me wrong, I get it - she loved her mom, and wanted to get through the problems with her. But goodness! There just HAS TO BE a reality check somewhere, right?

      Good thing that no one actually left her to do things on her own. Which is why I got to love Ryan. He lost the cocky attitude, the know-it-all face, and all the things he had as a rich boy. And he just stretched his hand toward Beth and offered her himself. That was so especially romantic! I mean, he changed for her, he even put himself in danger for her. Now that is what I call a guy in love. May the earth be blessed with more guys like Ryan.

      And, if any of that wasn't super awesome by itself, I also got a glimpse of Noah and Echo too! I just can't wait to read about Isaiah and his story next! Woot woot!
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars
      Sigh. Couldn't stop reading this.
    • 4/5
      AH, the intensity of young love!
    • 4/5
      Though I've not actually read any reviews of Dare You To, I've seen some ratings roll in and some status updates, so I'd seen enough to be wary. I was immensely impressed with McGarry's debut and very excited about her sophomore novel, but also hesitant in case my love for the first turned out to be a fluke. Thankfully, for me, Dare You To is, if anything a stronger read than Pushing the Limits, since, ultimately, I find both Beth and Ryan to be more compelling leads.Now, I do warn you that Beth and Ryan are both rather awful people as the novel opens. Ryan starts out as that cocky jock asshole, used to always getting what he wants out of life. He's basically Freddie Prinze Jr. from She's All That, making dares with his buddies about girls. Specifically, he and his friend Chris dare each other to get girls' numbers at the beginning of the book. The way he thinks about girls made me want to smack the smirk off his face. Beth, too, is a handful. She makes horrible life choices, and is an asshole to the people trying to help her.If you stick with them though, Beth and Ryan do really mature through the course of the book, as they realize what's important to them and face up to their demons. They're young and completely screwed up by their parents, so it's a wonder they make as much progress as they do. Both of them, though, have good hearts from the start, even if they don't apply them as well as they could. For example, though Ryan may think unflattering things about girls from time to time, he does treat them well, dares aside, even refusing to allow his friends to call his ex-girlfriend evil, despite her manipulative nature; he cared for her once and won't see her maligned.Beth is pretty much emotionally ruined, unable to trust anyone but Isaiah and Noah. She has good reason, since most people either leave her or hit her or both. Her mother is an alcoholic and a junkie, unwilling to leave her drug dealing boyfriend, Trent, not even for her daughter's sake. Even so, Beth takes care of her, even to the degree of taking the fall and getting arrested for a crime her mother committed. Beth's determination to protect and save her mother is evidence of her good heart, but it's also tragic, keeping her from doing what's best for herself. Children really do want to love their parents, even when they shouldn't.Speaking of bad parents, it's young adult fiction, so Ryan has them too. His mother and father live a life of social events and pretending to be the perfect family, when actually they just kicked his older brother out after Mark revealed his homosexuality. Ryan feels abandoned by Mark and stifled by his parents. What I love about Ryan's story is that he's actively making choices for the future: whether to pursue a career in major league baseball or to go for college and consider writing as a career. Not enough YA actually deals with thoughts of the life beyond high school.As in Pushing the Limits, Katie McGarry wrote the book from the perspectives of both of the main characters. Yet again, she does a phenomenal job writing two distinct points of view, neither of which reads like Noah or Echo either. Color me impressed. McGarry even managed to sell me on their romance, though I was skeptical at first. Ryan's actually a really sweet, respectful guy under the swagger. He's very up front and good at communicating, and that's something Beth needs and isn't good at herself. This is another romance where the tropes are sort of turned on their head, with the tattooed bad girl and the more innocent guy. He embraces feelings and she just wants to keep things physical and temporary. Also, they become more social as they get closer, rather than descending into the couple cave, which is great too.My only qualms are these: the melodrama and Ryan's writing. Though I think it's well done, the drama of it all did seem a bit over the top at times. I let that slide in Pushing the Limits, but having both teens have terrible parents again and dealing with a lot of the same issues was a bit too much for me. Then there's the apparently amazing story that Ryan has written, which gets him nominated for a literary award and scholarship. That's all fine, except that he apparently wrote Warm Bodies, which is weird to me.In Dare You To, Katie McGarry dares to take a risk on characters who aren't as likable on the outset. If you can keep an open mind, that gamble pays off in the end, but, of course, that's not for everyone. With this, I can confidently declare myself a McGarry fan, and will be eagerly anticipating Crash Into You, Isaiah's story.
    • 5/5
      My Opinion: If I was worried when I began reading the second installment of Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits series that it wouldn't be able to measure up to the first book, which I absolutely adored and couldn't rave about enough, then my mind was set at ease very quickly because yes, I loved this book as well!! Dare You To tells the story of Beth Risk, who was introduced to us in Pushing the Limits as one of Noah's friends, and if Noah's story tore at your heart, then get ready to be emotionally pummeled again by Beth's. Beth had a really horrific home life with an absentee father and a mother who might as well have been gone for all the good she did Beth. Instead of her mother taking care of her, it was Beth who made sure the bills were paid and there was food on the table, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep her mom off the booze and pills and away from Trent, her abusive boyfriend. One night she makes the decision to cover for her mother yet again and is sent to jail for her troubles. Her uncle Scott, her father's younger brother, bails her out and tells her that either she goes to live with him and his wife, or he will make sure her mother goes to jail for good this time. This may sound harsh, but Scott's really a good guy who regrets not being there for Beth growing up and who only wants Beth to have a life of her own as a teenager should without constantly worrying about her mother. Unfortunately, Beth can't just walk away, which causes lots of trouble in her home life. Beth has spent so much of her life putting up walls to protect herself emotionally that when she meets a good guy who wants to get to know her (albeit on a dare!) she won't let herself get involved with him. But Ryan is nothing if not determined, and as he repeatedly puts it, he doesn't give up until he's won whatever challenge is in front of him, and Beth proves to be his biggest challenge yet!As with Katie's first book, I am totally in awe of her writing ability! She seamlessly weaves stories full of dark and light, push and pull, and tragedy and triumph. She completely draws you into her character's lives until you feel like you are living right alongside them! As with Pushing the Limits, Dare You To is told in two POVs: Beth's and Ryan's. The characters have very distinctive voices so it is easy to switch between them, and this way of writing gives you much more insight into the characters than you would have gotten otherwise. One of my favorite parts of the book tells you so much about Beth in just a few paragraphs:Ryan's name is read and he answers with a deep, soothing, "Here." Taking a chance, I peek in his direction and find him staring at me again. No smile. No anger. No cockiness. Just a thoughtful expression mixed with confusion. He scratches the back of his head and I'm drawn to his biceps. My traitorous stomach flutters. God, the boy may be an ass, but he sure is built.And guys like him don't go for girls like me. They only use me.I force my eyes to the front of class, pull my knees to my chest, and wrap my arms around them. Lacy invades my space and whispers to me, "I'm glad you're back, Beth." A sliver of hope sneaks past my walls and I slam every opening shut. Emotion is evil. People who make me feel are worse. I take comfort in the stone inside of me. If I don't feel, I don't hurt.Damn!! I get chills just typing it! What an awesome writer Katie is! You can feel Beth's pain plain as day, in just a few paragraphs, which is why it's so sweet to watch Ryan move slowly to gain Beth's trust and not scare her away. It's not easy for him, but it's awesome for us readers! I'm really psyched to read about Isaiah's story in the third book of this series, Crash Into You, and I am giving Dare You To 5 very enthusiastic stars :DI received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
    • 5/5
      I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed the first book in this series (Pushing the Limit) so much, but at the same time wasn't convinced it would get as high a rating from me, because I wasn't all that fond of Beth's character in the other book. She was prickly and difficult, and really hard to love--especially since she was always so critical of Echo, one of Limit's two protagonists. I was more than pleasantly surprised, then, to find that Katie McGarry really made me a Beth fan in this one.That's not to say she didn't still have her flaws--Beth is still critical of Echo; and oh my goodness, does she make some poor choices in this book. She is still prickly and difficult, but I *get* why she's that was so much better now. Even while her one-track mind and blindness about certain aspects of her life drove me absolutely crazy at times, McGarry made me believe that they were reasonable responses for Beth to make. I admit that I too was surprised at first after I finished Limits when I found out that Beth's book wouldn't feature Isiah as the hero. I have to agree with McGarry, though, that he and Beth ultimately wouldn't work together. Beth needs someone who is different than she is in order to make her see things about herself that Isiah never could--he's too much like her and had been too close to her for too long to really "see" her the way Ryan can--if Beth and Isiah had stayed together, neither one of them would have been able to break out of the pattern that their lives had become. I know there's lots of Isiah fans out there, but he and Beth just wouldn't have worked. Really. But there's hope! Isiah's book is next :)Ryan...oh, Ryan. I wasn't at all convinced at the beginning that I'd even like him. The dares! The attitude! Seriously, could this guy's life be more perfect? We soon discover, though, that things truly never are as they seem on the surface, and soon my heart ached just as much for him as it did for Beth. McGarry really blew me away with this one.If I had to find a flaw, it would be that the ending seemed just a little bit too easy. But really, given how much more this book was than I'd initially expected, it's not even a half of star blip.So...how long until Isiah's book?
    • 5/5
      DARE YOU TO is an emotionally intense story with two very likable main characters. Ryan Stone looks like the perfect kid—a real golden boy. He is handsome; his parents are well-off; he is a star baseball player. But no one sees the hidden Ryan with constant pressure from his parents to be perfect. They don't see the fights that are constant between his parents. They don't see the older brother who was kicked out the house when he told his parents he was gay. They don't see the kid who is torn between his father's constant pressure to become a pro baseball player out of high and the possibility that he could go to college to further his gift as a very talented writer.Beth Risk is the girl from the wrong side of town with Goth make-up and a real potty mouth. They don't see the kid who has had to be the adult in her relationship with her alcoholic, drug-addicted mother. They don't see the kid who is afraid to trust because everyone she trusted betrayed her. They don't see the kid who can't understand why anyone would love her.Beth and Ryan meet because his friends dare him to ask "the Skater chick" for her phone number. She shoots him down which really irks Ryan because he hates to lose at anything. But then Beth shows up as the new kid at his high school. When Beth gets in trouble with the cops by taking the blame for something her mother did, her Uncle Scott, now retired from his pro baseball career, swoops in and convinces her mother to give him custody so that he can give Beth a better life. Beth goes through all kinds of adjustments as she moves in with her uncle and his wife. She doesn't want to be there because she knows her mother needs her to protect her from the abusive boyfriend who has beaten both of them. She doesn't want to try to fit in at a new school. And she sure doesn't want to spend any time with Ryan when she learns that he is trying to get close to her to win a dare.It takes a lot of time and missteps and miscommunication before Ryan and Beth come together. Both of them grow and change a lot during the course of the story. Fans of romance will really enjoy getting to know Ryan and Beth and will love reading their story.