Dare You to (Pushing the Limits, #2)

by Katie McGarry

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... Beth Risk has spent her whole life hiding the truth about her family, and never letting anyone get too close. Suddenly sent to live with uncle she barely knows, she's struggling to start afresh in a new town and at a new school that doesn't get her. At all.

Ryan Stone is the school's gorgeous golden boy-with secrets he can't tell anyone. As Ryan and Beth dare to let each other in, they're treading on dangerous ground - and the consequences could change their lives forever.

Praise for Bestselling Phenomenon Katie McGarry

"The love story of the year" - Teen Now

"A real page-turner" - Mizz

The Pushing the Limits Series

1. Pushing the Limits

2. Dare You To

3. Crash Into You

4. Take Me On - coming 27th May 2014

• ISBN10: 0373210639
• ISBN13: 9780373210633
• Publish Date: 28 May 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Harlequin Teen
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[pagingserenity]

In Pushing the Limits, I didn’t really like Beth all that much. I thought she was a bit rude and annoying, especially since I loved Echo. That being said, I think Dare You To does a really great job showcasing the other side of Beth. I loved getting to know her background story and see her relationships with her family and Isaiah, instead of wanting to slap her, I felt sympathetic. Ryan, on the other hand, he, I wanted to slap at times. I felt like he acted a bit dumb and but I still enjoyed the arc his character took.

I think Dare You To is a character driven novel. Not much happens (that I can remember) plot wise and the conflicts that occur solely revolve around the characters themselves and the ones around them.

[Sam@WLABB]

Another great installment to the Pushing the Limits series. A whole series of changes are put into place for Beth, when her uncle returns and gets custody of her. She struggles with many demons: trust issues, self worth issues, issues of abandonment, abandoning her old life to embrace a new one. So much to that girl. And the real dilemma comes in the form of Ryan, a talented and popular baseball player who seems to have it all, when in realty, he too has personal struggles to attend to.

As always, we get a great book boyfriend. Ryan is sweet, respectful, patient and charming. He was multifaceted as well, which made him more interesting. We met Beth in book 1, where her life kind of sucked (no, it sucked), so I was rooting for her the whole time, and I was happy to see there was a lot more to her than we had previously known and it was interesting to learn about her life before and how it contributed to her current situation.

[lizarodz]

4.5 stars

Pushing the Limits was one of my favorite reads of last year. I got Dare You To at BEA this year (signed and everything!) and it took me way too long to read it. In order to make myself read it I signed up for the blog tour of Crash Into You (come back tomorrow for that review and an awesome giveaway!) I think my hesitation was due to the fact that this is Beth’s story and I didn’t particularly liked her in Pushing the Limits. Thankfully, it seems impossible for Ms. McGarry to write a ‘bad’ book.

Dare You To is, as the title suggests, about daring to do new things, daring to believe that there is something better, daring to love even if you’re afraid. Also, there are some dares in the story.

Beth is very hard to like. She appears to be strong, uncivilized, rude, fearless, and this façade hides her true self. She’s had a really hard life and has been in situations that no child should be in; I felt the horror of her life and the sense of unfairness of it all. She took on too much responsibility and her need to keep her mom safe cost her a lot. I also didn’t like the way things went down with Isaiah. I think Beth was unreasonable with him and Noah.

Even though Beth saw her uncle as a traitor and resented his intervention, it was the best thing that could have happen to her. She was able to find a savior and a second chance at a better life.

Now, on to Ryan. I loved Ryan. He’s a jock and has, in appearance a golden, perfect life. He’s talented in both the sport and writing and he’s conflicted on what to do after high school. He has a tight group of friends that happen to love dares. That’s how he meets Beth, because he’s dared to get her phone number. Beth and Ryan’s relationship evolves slowly. Initially, they detest each other, but become friends and shortly after, more than that. I love that Ryan didn’t allow Beth to run away or hide her feelings and thoughts. They dare each other to be better and to love each other in the best way they could.

The writing is as good and amazing as it was in Pushing the Limits. However, for more that I tried, I just couldn’t make myself like Beth. I understand her and the awful life that she had, but I just can’t make myself like her. I think that by the end of the book I was able to see her more through Ryan’s eyes. Another think that I don’t particularly like is reading about baseball, but that’s just me.

Come visit again tomorrow for my review of Crash Into You, which is Isaiah’s story and the next companion book in the series.

About the cover – I’m not a fan of this cover either. The models do like similar to what I imagined the characters to look like, but the situation doesn’t seem real (or applicable to the book).

[KitsuneBae]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

This review first appeared on my blog at: Thoughts and Pens.

Luxa: Well…well…well… I really think that you’re slowly warming up to me and to our nice little chit chats.

Me: Huh?

Luxa: Don’t deny it. You’re looking forward to this. If truth be told, this is the best thing that ever happened to your bookish life.

Me: Err~ The last time I checked your invitation letter, there was no mention that this is going to be a flatter party. Can we just move on?

Luxa sighed.

Luxa: You’re such a party pooper. Right. So what happened? You were practically gushing about Pushing the Limits and giving it the high five. How come this book fell short of half a star?

Me: Hmmn… For some reason, Beth annoyed me. Don’t get me wrong though. I love Beth. I love how kick ass she is. I love her smart mouth. But I was really frustrated at how she handled the issues concerning her mom, Isaiah and Ryan.

Luxa: I remembered you telling me about a biker chick named Beth. So I am assuming that this is the same one?

Me: Yes.

Luxa: So explain… Based on this summary, Beth seems like someone very capable. I think I’m gonna be bestfriends with her.

Me: Nyay! Beth will give you the run for your money so don’t think about it. Anyway, you’re right. Beth, with her attitude, would really give someone the impression that she can do anything that she wanted without anyone’s help. She exactly showed that in this book. However, her self-pity and determination to be stupid sometimes stupefied me.

Luxa: Determination to be stupid? As in like you?

Me: Shut up. Don’t steer the conversation to me. Okay. Here’s the short version of Dare You To’s story. For some crucial reason which I cannot divulge for fear of spoiling your dear audience, Beth transferred to another town leaving Noah and Isaiah behind. So in this new town, Beth met a whole new cast of characters including Ryan, her new love interest. Everything was actually going well with her life but apparently, that everything would oftentimes go downhill because she just refused to help herself and her mother. I understand that she loves her mother and wants to protect her but well, she could have done better. Deep inside, she knew that her mother was in deep shit but she failed to find a way to really help and at the same time, teach the latter a lesson. Beth’s kind of selfless letting her mother use her for all the wrong reasons. But really, I would’ve admired her more if she’s both cunning and selfless.

Luxa: Maybe I will have to bring a recorder next time. That was very long and kind of boring.

Me: Once again, shut up!

Luxa waved her hand.

Luxa: So whose team are you on? I actually expected for Isaiah to end up with Beth. Boy Tattoo and Biker Chick would certainly make a handsome couple.

Me: Err~ I think I’m one of those few who are happy that Golden Boy Ryan caught Beth’s heart. They’re the exact opposites and Beth seriously needed someone like Ryan. Isaiah’s good but he always let Beth has her way. Meanwhile, Ryan is the type of guy who has more finesse but doesn’t hesitate to challenge Beth. To put it simply, they’re your perfect example of opposite poles attracting each other.

Luxa: Sounds like another swoon worthy romance. How is the romance of Dare You To different from Pushing the Limits?

Me: Uhm…to be honest, Dare You To’s romance has similarities with its prequel. Two different teenagers struggling to rise from their own battles and then falling inlove at some point. But what sets it aside from Pushing the Limits is that we’ve got Beth and Ryan instead of Noah and Echo.

Luxa: My… my… I think you’re losing you’re losing your touch. Seriously, you deprived yourself of sleep just to read the same story all over again? I still have a lot of books in the library in case you’re running out of–

Me: Hep, hep, hep, that was a joke alright? Dare You To’s romance unfolded because Ryan took a very brave step in pursuing Beth despite the odds. Unlike Noah, Ryan took an immediate step to win Beth. He immediately decided that he liked her never caring if she would fit in or not. He doesn’t have Noah’s doubts or angst. He’s just decided on winning Beth.

Luxa: Okay. Fine. Whatever. So what else is worth reading about this book besides the “worth the whole world romance?”

Me: Everything. I mean, just like Pushing the Limits, Dare You To offers us another painful truth about the other face of humanity. In this book, I was shown the finer details of child abuse, drugs, a family that is falling apart because of a son who wanted to be his real self. Ryan is a brave guy but when it comes to his family, he just let things happen even if it’s hurting him…even if his whole being is screaming from the need to break free. The issues presented on Dare You To is as messy and as real as Pushing the Limits.

Luxa: I think I’m going to pass on this series.

Me: Aw. Your soul will be damned for eternity. You will have restless nights if you do that.

Luxa: Doesn’t make a lot of difference. Reading this book and the rest of the series will also result to that.

Me: Damn!

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Dare You To is not as good as Pushing the Limits. There is a pretty good story here, and I liked it for the most part, but I didn't feel that same emotional pull as the first book. I wasn't exactly a Beth fan to begin with, but I thought she would have an interesting story. She does, but I came to like her even less. I also assumed that there would be more Isaiah, but nope. He's got his own book, and Beth's love interest is the newly introduced, Ryan. Luckily, I liked Ryan and found his life story much more interesting than Beth's. Their romance was okay, but I didn't like them together as much as I did Echo and Noah.

Dare You To opens up with Beth taking care of her drunk mother, but it all goes awry and she gets arrested. Beth didn't do anything other than be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but she takes the blame so her mother won't break probation. She is way too loyal to a woman who cannot get her act together, or just won't. It's obvious to everyone but Beth that her mom is never going to change and it's not her place to intervene, especially when it may get her killed. It's a terrible situation, but I couldn't feel bad for her, especially after her uncle bails her out, gets the charges dropped, and doesn't say anything to the cops that would get mother arrested. Beth promptly tells him that he ruined her life. Um, what?! He just saved her life and kept her mom out of jail, which seems to be Beth's only concern. It's hard to root for someone when they're so dead set against accepting any kind of help. Her uncle even takes her in and tries to give her a better life, but all Beth does is throw around the f word and provoke his wife.

Ryan is the town golden boy, and is on track to play professional baseball after graduation. He's also addicted to dares. That's how he first meets Beth, not expecting to see her again, but then she transfers to his school. The whole bet thing is very She's All That, but I'm glad there wasn't some huge blow up about Beth discovering she was a bet. She knew about the initial bet, and when it was over, they developed a real relationship. Anyway, Ryan has to have some kind of drama, too. I wasn't sure about it in the beginning, since it had to do with his brother getting kicked out of the family for being gay. However, as the book moves forward it becomes clear that the real problem is between Ryan and his dad, and his brother's coming out just happened to be a turning point in the relationship. I also really liked how focused on Ryan's life after high school the story was. He's contemplating pro ball, or college where he can be a writer and play for a college team. Of course, this causes more daddy drama.

I liked Dare You To, but it wasn't emotional at all. Beth was extremely unlikeable, but she does change a bit toward the end (something that seemed to have been reversed in Crash Into You). Did I like her by then? Not at all. Did I understand her misplaced loyalty to her mom? Nope. Was I happy she was saved by the power of love? Sure. I just really don't have much to say about it, since it is a character driven book, but I didn't like half of the main characters. Also, this may seem random, but my brain kept wandering back to the fact that Ryan kept calling Beth "skater girl." Her description is not skater at all, except for maybe her Chuck Taylors. I have like 50 pairs of those, and I'm not skater at all. Maybe there's just a different criteria in Kentucky?

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Rowena]

If you read Pushing the Limits then you’ll remember Beth from Noah’s background. Beth, Noah and Isaiah are foster siblings who banded together and vowed to always be there for each other. Noah and Isaiah are in the foster program and they live with Beth’s Aunt. Beth’s family life isn’t the greatest and to stay out of the way of her mother’s abusive boyfriend’s way, Beth stays with her Aunt as well. Throughout this whole book, you’re left to guess why Beth sticks by her no-good, loser of a Mom and when you finally find out why…you understand. And it’s a good reason because it’s a believable one. One that caught me by surprise, though it shouldn’t have because it’s so obvious.

I really enjoyed getting to know Beth, even when it was hard to like her. She had her reasons for acting the way that she did and though her personality is gruff, she’s still a connectable character. You develop feelings for Beth over the course of the book and you really want things to work out for her. I thought McGarry did a wonderful job of fleshing her character out and making the reader sympathize and even empathize with her.

Ryan Stone has his own problems that he’s working through in this book and you really get into his story and into his character. I loved the hell out of Ryan and the way that he just kept right on coming back to Beth, even when she made it painfully obvious that she didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Seeing the two of them come together and really start to understand the other made for a great story.

There were things that bothered me about this book but none of those things ruined the book. The way that Beth’s uncle kind of bulldozed his way into Beth’s life left a bad taste in my mouth at first, especially his methods but as you continue to read, you start to realize that the way he handled things wasn’t perfect but it was probably the only way that Beth would have gone to him, willingly. At first, I wanted to punch Scott’s wife, Allison but even she grew on me as the story progressed.

Overall, this was a really good read. One that I really got into and one that I couldn’t get enough of. I was bummed when I finished it that I went back and re-read my favorite parts. These characters come alive for you and they really stick with you. I definitely recommend this book to lovers of Pushing the Limits and to lovers of contemporary YA or NA. This was worth the time it took me to read it.

[nitzan_schwarz]

2013 cleaning my shelves challenge

4.5 stars
Sigh. Couldn't stop reading this.

[rakesandrogues]

Originally Posted at: http://muggle-born.net/dare-you-to-by-katie-mcgarry-book-review/

When I first started to read Dare You To by Katie McGarry, I just wanted to do eyeroll after eyeroll. I must have been craving a lot of diversity in my reading at the moment because I kept thinking to myself: #whitepeopleproblems. Basically, everyone in Groveton, KY sounds white… there’s a dash of minorities when the main character goes back to Louisville, but that’s about it. I just felt distanced from the main characters because of this.

But you know what? Katie McGarry actually got me to care about the main characters, Ryan and Beth, so that was a big check plus in my book. I was able to empathize with Ryan and Beth and their not so perfect life. I even felt myself getting teary-eyed at some parts. McGarry knows how to get readers at their heartstrings. They did have legitimate reasons to be a bit whiny about their problems, but after a while it did start getting repetitive.

In terms of the romance, the cover says it all. Katie McGarry knows how to write a good kissing scene, and afterwards, you’ll just want to find your own boy to make out with. Though there’s instant attraction between Beth and Ryan, there’s a build up to their relationship. It doesn’t feel like insta-love, even if you know very early on that the two characters are bound to get together.

Despite my initial dislike for the setting and characters, I ended up liking Dare You To by Katie McGarry – definitely enough to check out the rest of her books.

[ellieroth]

Publicado Originalemente: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Esta es la historia de Beth. Sé que muchos se preguntarán: ¿Beth no quedó con Isaiah? ¿Quién es ese Ryan que viene a malograrlo todo? Si tuviste un ataque de celos como yo (ojalá, porque no quiero sentirme la única loca), aquí viene la respuesta, a Katie le encanta hacer sufrir a su lectores. Personalmente tenía una valla muy alta con tRompiendo las Normas, la historia tomó los tópicos de toda la vida y lo hizo algo bastante diferente, así que Dare You To lo tenía un poco difícil conmigo.

La narrativa de McGarry sigue siendo muy entretenida, con un lenguaje fluido y muy buenos diálogos. Solo que el libro no me gustó tanto como el anterior. Ryan me parece demasiado simple, no porque sea "un chico bueno", sé que tengo debilidad por los bad boys, pero eso no tiene nada que ver, solo que Ryan como personaje protagonista no me convenció, no me hizo surgir ningún apasionamiento hacia él. La verdad es que Ryan no tiene mucha gracia. Es lindo, pero ahí nada más.

Yo sé que una gran preocupación para gran cantidad de los que esperaban el libro era Beth-Isaiah. Luego de leer la sinopsis ya me veía odiando el libro, a Beth y/o Katie. Yo tengo un trauma con la traición (tan solo de pensar en una me hace doler el corazón) Katie lo supo manejar bien, no sé si me hice a la idea muy rápido o qué, lo lamenté por Isaiah pero citando a otro libro: "When is right..."

No lo tengo especialmente ningún voto negativo o alguna razón importante para criticar el libro, sinceramente me gustó pero no logré conectar completamente con los protagonistas. Rompiendo las Normas conquistó mi corazón de una manera que Dare You To no pudo, quizá porque tenía algunas semejanzas con Noah y Echo, algo que no pasó en ésta segunda parte de la serie.

Katie no exagera con los clichés, dándonos una trama directa, con un argumento que con muchos otros escritores pudo ser tan solo uno más pero que ella vuelve memorable. Si bien Dare You To no se ha vuelto mi favorito, pasé un buen momento leyendo y espero ansiosa la tercera parte de la serie: Crash Into You (Pushing The Limits #3) ¡La historia de Isaiah! Que dicen será extremadamente dolorosa ¡Yay!

Reseña completa: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

[Amber]

This review has also been posted on Books of Amber
Oh yay, another book this year that has disappointed me, despite the fact that my expectations weren't even that high. I had a few issues with this one, and I don't know if I'm being overly sensitive, but as someone who has experienced abuse and has grown up surrounded by it, I think it's okay for me to judge? Maybe. I tried not to whine and complain all over the place, but I felt like the points I make are important.

I love Beth so freakin' much. She has some major issues, and I think in the wrong hands her character could have been awfully annoying and possibly also rather offensive. But McGarry did a fantastic job with her. I was able to connect with her easily, and I could relate with what she was going through in some instances. I especially loved her relationship with Scott, her uncle, and how that developed throughout the story. I think it might be close to becoming one of my favourite relationships in YA.

And then, just to put a downer on the whole thing, there is Ryan. He was hot, yes, but sooooo annoying. I've noticed that the guys in this series like to refer to their girlfriends as "my girl", and say things like "she's mine." NOPE. I hate that. It seems overly possessive, and just UGH. It makes me cringe. Other than that, there were no annoying nicknames, thank the gods.

Anyway, Ryan got on my nerves a lot. I didn't feel any chemistry between him and Beth, and this was possibly caused by how I felt about Ryan, because a lot of people seem to love them together. I saw Ryan as controlling. When Beth didn't want to do something (i.e. talk about personal things, like her mother), Ryan would force her into it. He bloody well knew that she was going through something major, and yet he still pressured her into telling him, and even went as far as physically restraining her until she admitted to the things he wanted to know about. I'm sorry, but that is not how you treat someone who has been abused. There were also a couple of instances where he forcibly kissed Beth, and she initially struggled to get away and he wouldn't let go until she succumbed to his kiss. I feel sick just thinking about it. I know that McGarry (probably) didn't mean for it to be that way, she may have felt it was hot or romantic, but it just screamed control issues and abuse to me.

I'm not one of those people who is bothered by the slight Isaiah/Beth/Ryan love triangle, either. In fact, I don't like her with either of them, so...

Overall I most certainly liked and enjoyed this book, but that was mostly because of Beth and Scott. (Has anyone caught onto the fact that he's married to someone called Allison? Scott and Allison. Allison and Scott. Teen Wolf, WOOP WOOP!) I think that the dark subject matter was dealt with fairly well, if you ignore Ryan. But if you think too much about it, you might realise that their relationship isn't healthy, especially since Beth is already openly "broken".