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: 129945190X
• ISBN13: 9781299451902
• Publish Date: 1 January 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 25 February 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Harlequin Teen
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[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".

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of Dare You To from Harlequin Teen via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*

Dare you to is an enthralling story of the golden boy who might not be all that golden, and the bad girl who ends up being more scared than anything else.

This and other reviews can also be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews, and were originally posted there.

In Dare You To, the readers follow Beth, from Pushing the Limits, and Ryan who lives in Graveton. Beth’s uncle, Scott, gets custody of her after she is arrested – only to protect her mom - and moves her to his huge mansion in the country.

[kimbacaffeinate]

I adored Pushing the Limits with Noah and Echo and was excited to read Dare You To by Katie McGarry. I found it to be a raw, brutally honest portrayal of a dysfunctional family and the depiction of the main character, her emotions and struggles felt breathtakingly real. I quickly consumed this and look forward to the third book Crash Into You. Three word review: raw, emotional, realistic.

In this second book we get up close and personal with Beth Risk and the drama she faces on a daily basis as she tries to take care of her mother. When the cops are called, Beth takes the heat and is whisked away to her Uncle’s home. A new school, the loss of her friends, an Aunt who doesn't want her and the need to protect her Mom have Beth looking to escape. She meets Ryan Stone; high school athlete, and dropped dead gorgeous. He’s able to get under her skin and begins to peck away at the carefully constructed wall she has built around herself. The tale that unfolds was bittersweet as Beth learns she is not her mother’s keeper.

Beth is angry, loud, fouled mouthed, and broken. Despite being annoying at times, I couldn't help but love her. She loves her friends Noah and Isaiah and works so hard to take care of her mother. She has been abused, and taken advantage of. She dresses in black, even dyes her golden tresses black. She smokes pot and drinks just to escape and dull the pain. I knew someone very much like her in high school. Her emotions, fears and reactions rang so true. Her self-esteem is a mess, she is snarky and attacks when her emotions threaten to surface. Isaiah and Noah are present in some scenes but this is really Beth's story. They realize she needs to be separated from her mother. Her interaction with Isaiah are emotional and felt very surreal. Ryan is a guy who looks like he has the world in his pocket. He is a good kid trying to please everyone. Athletic, with a killer smile you cannot help but like him. He has family secrets and the perfect nuclear family you see isn't the one that reveals itself within the walls of their home. The romance was slow to build and I enjoyed watching it unfold. I felt all of the characters were fleshed-out and the secondary characters in school are the classic ones that seem to creep into every story. We get the mean girl, who does catty things, the well meaning friends and the classic sidekicks.

While the romance takes a lot of stage time, there is a lot more to McGarry’s story. She addresses some really big issues, like homosexuality, drug abuse, physical abuse and the effects these play on children and families. The tale focuses on Beth and her issues and this was well done. Beth is broken, has abandonment issues as well as trust issues. I loved seeing her grow, and trust. There are some raw tender moments throughout the novel and not just between the couple. The romance developed slowly and there is some heat, but it was discreet. The interaction between Beth and her Uncle touched me, as did a few other events. Overall, I think McGarry delivered and while it isn’t always easy to get all warm and fuzzy about Beth you have to appreciate what a realistic character the author created.
ARC received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[boghunden]

When I started reading this book, I remembered why I loved [b:Pushing the Limits|10194514|Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits, #1)|Katie McGarry|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322770025s/10194514.jpg|15093690] so much. Katie's writing is just beyond amazing. I mean, it's not that special or complicated, it's just accurate. The way she's able to switch the POV without the reader being confused is great.
When I got a little further I thought it was very slowpaced. It took too long for Beth and Ryan to actually meet and cross each other's lifes for real. Tbh, it was quite boring :/ It left me feeling sad, because my expectations for this book were high - very high.
I went on reading and I'm so glad I did. What a rollercoaster ride this book was! I didn't cry, but I couldv'e easily done so. It filled me with laughter, joy, hope, sadness, doubt and so on. I think I felt each and every emotion throughout this book.

The characters were so well described and I found myself wondering from time to time, who the bad one was. Was it Beth? Or was it Ryan? Now, I know who it was supposed to be, but honestly I think both maincharacters had that "bad" side to them which I liked. There were a few references to Noah and Echo and I liked how we got to know (a little of) what happened to them after [b:Pushing the Limits|10194514|Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits, #1)|Katie McGarry|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322770025s/10194514.jpg|15093690] ended.
Beth's best friend Isaiah was my favorite character throughout the book. I really had a hard time keeping my tears inside whenever I read something about him. Fortunately, the next book in this series will be about Isaiah and I cannot wait.

The reason this book gets 4/5 stars, is because of the slow start and the ending, which I wasn't quite fond of.

[Cocktails and Books]

Aye! This was a tough one! When I picked this up, I had been in a bit of a reading funk and wanted something to pick me up. It wasn't one of those happy go lucky books, but it was one that blew me away with it's storyline and fabulous characters.

Beth Risk wants nothing more than to protect her mother. But when her mother's bad habits land her in trouble with the police, the uncle she looked up to but lost comes back into her life and tries to set her on the right course. But Beth's sense of duty to her mother goes against everything her uncle wants and into the path of Ryan Stone, the one boy that makes her wish for a different life.

This was one of those stories that reminded me of how not everything is as it seems. Both Ryan and Beth hide behind people's perception of them but their stories were actually very different. Despite the circumstances on how they came together, Ryan and Beth both were able to see each other for who they are. They found kindred spirit in each other and discovered just what they were capable of when they had each others backs.

The subject matter was tough. Abuse, drug use and homophobia were key elements to Ryan and Beth's story and weren't pretty. Those elements of the story were gritty, dirty and unpleasant. But they also brought out a strength and determination in the characters that was remarkable and awe inspiring.

This will definitely not be my last Katie McGarry book. She has me hooked with her engaging characters and storylines.

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews

Dare You To is an emotional whirlwind of a book that fans of Pushing the Limits are sure to love! Was it as amazing as Pushing the Limits? Well, I personally enjoyed Noah and Echo's story more. But Dare You To was still a strong book, riddled with family problems, emotional traumas, physical abuse, and a sweet and passionate first love.

My favourite thing about Dare You To was the way Beth and Ryan challenged each other. They pushed each other out of their comfort zones and called each other out—but in a supportive way. Many of you are probably wondering, "Why doesn't Beth end up with Isaiah?!" Well Katie McGarry herself said it beautifully:

When I began to examine Beth and Isaiah closely, I realized that in order for them to find peace they needed to be challenged by someone else. Beth and Isaiah are very similar and Isaiah completely enables Beth's behavior. The two of them had a lot to work through, and as I began plotting, I realized they couldn't grow as individuals as long as they were together.
—Katie McGarry

This is SO TRUE. And that's also why Beth and Ryan are perfect for each other. They both have their own problems, but they're not afraid to challenge the other person. Ryan doesn't let Beth do whatever she wants; he doesn't let her get away with running away and hiding. They force each other to open up and because of that they grow and expand emotionally. That makes them such an amazing couple.

There is actually a surprisingly large amount of baseball in this book. It was a side story that I really enjoyed! Ryan struggles between baseball as a career path—something he's worked towards his entire life—and his newfound passion for writing. This made the book very relatable because so many high school kids go through this! We question our passions, our futures, and what we're going to do with our lives. What if we change our minds? What if we no longer want to do the thing that we've always done? What if we want to move on or try something new? It's scary as hell but I love how Ryan got the opportunity to explore this!

Beth did annoy me sometimes. She was just SO self critical. She was always putting herself down, she never thought she was good enough, and whenever someone said they cared about her or loved her she just immediately said "You're wrong" or "You're lying". To a certain extent, I understood it. She had a hard life, was hurt a lot, and was brought down by people. But towards the end of the book, it started really getting under my skin. I think the problem was that because of the dual points of view, I knew that Ryan really cared about Beth. So to see her CONSTANTLY shrug it off was frustrating!

Besides, I'm not worthy of that type of love.
—Beth, Dare You To

Guys like you don't fall for girls like me.
—Beth, Dare You To

Although I really enjoyed Dare You To, Pushing the Limits still holds the top position for me, but Dare You To was still a great book!

Katie McGarry has done it again, and I'm absolutely psyched for the third book, Crash Into You (which will be about drag racing, from what I gather—awesome!

[Kelly]

http://divainpyjamas.blogspot.com.au/

Not nearly as engaging as Pushing the Limits, but still entertaining and touching. You will warm to Beth and discover there is far more to her character than at first glance. Ryan is engaging but his lack of back bone is frustrating. This book carries on the series theme of two people being complete opposites, finding hope in what looked like a bleak future. Recommended for fans of Echo and Noah, and the third and final book in the series will be Issah's story.