Review: Dare You To - Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To (Pushing The Limits #2)

Author: Katie McGarry

Release Date: May 28th 2013

Publisher:  Harlequin Teen

Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 462

Source: For review

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....

GUYS. I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVED this book! This stunning follow up from Pushing The Limits was even better and dare I say it, I loved Ryan way more than I loved Noah from PtL!

As always, Katie McGarry has a way of making us readers fall in love with each and everyone of her character. In the first book we got introduced to Beth but I admit I wasn't too fond of her then. But with her own book, she got her chance to tell her story and boy, I actually fucking adore her! There's so much more to Beth than you'd think, she's selfless, brave and smart. She'd do anything for the people she love even though they don't even deserve it. And when she acts a certain way, I totally get her. Now, Ryan, wow! I have found a new book boyfriend and that is Ryan Stone. He's soooo swooony!!! Like with Beth, you'd think they are these stereotypical characters but they're really not. There's so much more to Ryan and he's actually such a sweetheart.

THERE'S NO INSTA-LOVE. Actually, there's quite a bit of insta-hate. HURRAH! I want to applaud the author as she has written a love story that is so realistic and HEALTHY. Guys, this relationship is healthy. We need more of this!

Did I ever tell you how much I love reading about love stories that first started as a bet/game/dare? 'Cause I do. And even though we've seen this type of plot before, the author somehow manages to write it refreshing, unique and without being cheesy.

We get to see a lot of the main characters from Pushing The Limits in this book and that was pretty fun too. To see how they're getting on and such. I have to admit, I was such Team Beth and Isaiah back in Pushing The Limits, but reading Dare You To and reading about Ryan, it's perfectly CLEAR that Ryan and Beth belongs together. Now, can I just say how much I am dying for Isaiah's book, Crash Into You? This guy deserves a happy ending, y'all.

What else can I say about this book? The writing was fabulous and while the pacing was at times  a little slow for me, it was undeniably perfect for the book. I honestly can't find a fault in this and I loved DARE YOU TO a million times more than PUSHING THE LIMITS.