Take Me on (Pushing the Limits, #4)

by Katie McGarry

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

This series continues to be oddly addicting despite every book being nearly the same. Take Me On follows Rachel's brother, West, and newcomer Haley. West has just been expelled and his father kicks him out of the house. He meets Haley as she's being followed by some guys who want to jump her for her father's medication, but little does he know that she's capable of fighting for herself. Haley is a trained kick boxer, although she's given up after an incident with her ex-boyfriend. Now the two are being terrorized by said ex, and the only way to get him off their backs is in the cage, and Haley's the one to train West.

I really liked Take Me On, but it was more for the individual problems of West and Haley rather than for their romance. I feel like I've read this same relationship a million times already, but I do think the author does a good job of creating interesting characters. I was worried that West's plot was going to creep over in the rich boy slumming it kind of cliche, which it kind of does, but not really. West and his father have a major blow out, but West takes it in stride and really works at taking care of himself even though he's living in his car and has no money to eat. He's been under his father's thumb his whole life, and doesn't really feel part of the family. He also harbors a lot of guilt over Rachel's accident, and I loved that we got to continue her story somewhat. West's story ends up being very much about him getting control of his life, and I enjoyed it.

Haley's story on the other hand was a bit harder for me to get into. Her family has been homeless until her father's brother takes them in, but he is not a nice person at all. He gives them curfews, which is fine, but he actually makes them sleep outside if they don't make it, even if it's freezing. He also doesn't let anyone have an opinion about anything. However, we're never given a reason for this behavior. He was very one-dimensional and only felt like a way to make Haley's life more miserable than it was. I also had trouble believing this rift between her and her grandfather over joining her ex's gym and giving up fighting. Her grandfather came across as more of an asshole than the tough love kind of figure I think he was meant to be. I did care about her issues with her ex-boyfriend. He had hit her, which is why they broke up, but she hasn't told anyone that. I think hers was an important story to tell because love isn't suppose to hurt.

I feel like I'm running out of things to say about this series. It's just really good and Take Me On is no exception despite some rough patches. The romance didn't quite do it for me, but I really enjoyed everything else. There's a lot of Abby in this one, being her enigmatic self, so I'm hoping that means her book is next. I have to know what this girl is up to! I haven't a feeling it's not drugs, since that seems too obvious, and that's not Abby's style at all.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.