Dare You To

This is not your typical YA romance book. For example, there are no "good girl falls for the bad boy" moments in this one. In fact it's just the opposite. Ryan is an all-American good guy and Beth is a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed party girl. They love each other deeply but have many emotional and physical challenges to over come. I loved listening to their journey. This book reminded me alot of "The Sea of Tranquility", however, it wasn't quite as good as that one.
This was an enjoyable listen that was well worth my credit!

Ok so I loved this book. The story is compelling with just enough depth and the romance is the perfect mix of hot, sticky, and sweet.

Katie McGarry's book Pushing the Limits is not a must read, but would give you a different perspective on the main character before starting this one.

The male reader is eh.. alright, but the female is fantastic!

Overall I recommend Dare You To to any lover of YA fiction.

Okay first let me say that TECHNICALLY this is book 2...audible hasn't linked them but it is, Pushing the Limits was book 1...BUT....this is a fine stand alone read, I should know because I didn't read book 1 and other than a few references I wasn't lost.

Secondly...this IS a young adult novel...emphasis on adult. If the "F" bomb is not to your liking AVOID this book! But if you are looking for some graphic steamy romance in a step by step how to manual format...well this is not the book for you either! It is a romance, but it is PG-13, not R, or X!

I don't think the blurb does it justice so let me just say golden boy meets girl from the wrong side of the tracks...he lifts her out of her self made heck hole...and she brings him down from being perfect. Beth has a good heart, but she did not win the parent lottery, she loves her mom, but will that love in turn get her killed? Ryan has known his whole life that he wants to play baseball at the pro level...that is until Beth came along and made him question what it is that HE wants...will these two be able to get on the same page...or will this be just another chapter in their lives.

This story was really nice...one of my biggest pet peeves in books is when the writer makes up drama for the sake of drama...and that didn't happen here. These "kids" have some tough issues they deal with....bad upbringings, police involvement, estranged family members, friends that want to be more than friends, homophobic parents, small town mentalities, and above all is it possible to love someone too much.

Great read, highly recommend it...but while it will interest you, it won't keep you on the edge of your seat. Is it worth $20??? Well...probably not, but for sure credit worthy!

this book is so far outside of what I normally read/listen to but I was in the mood for a sappy love story that had a happy ending. I picked this book because it was in the teen section and was more likely to end well. its an old story a girl/guy from the wrong side of the tracks falls in love with a member of high society, but it was told very well. I think the best part for me was how the author told the story from both of the lovers perspectives' and managed to bring them both to life.

Beth, she managed to overcome so much adversity though out the book and even though she only did it because of the help of others she did do it, and looking at her mom in comparison it just proves that you have to want to change before you can.

this is a first for me with both of the narrators but I was impressed and thought they sounded good together, the only think that did not jive well was the voice difference they used for Beth's mother it was a small thing but it did stand out to me.

yes, I normally don't say that in this section but I can say that I did not want to put this book down I even stayed up half the night listening to it knowing I had to work in the morning. I was riveted to the drama of the story.

again this is not the type of book I normally listen to or read but I think I just may revisit this author and get the other books in this series...the ones available on audible anyway.

I'd rank Dare You To in my top 5.

I'd compare Pushing the Limits or Falling Into Us to Dare just because of the issues that happen throughout this story and the YA feel of it.

I liked the way Brittany performed Beth's character.

I was able to hold back any tears but I did laugh a couple of times. I was also a bit angry a couple of times.

Ah it is to hard,

but here are some general thoughts when thinking about this book

-first person rotating male/female point of view
-loyalty
-love
-abuse

This book is similar to the authors other stories, they follow a very similar story line. High schoolers, trouble with their home/family life, find each other, fall in love, and are very loyal to each other.

Not that I am aware of, but they did a great job on this one. It was very enjoyable to be able to listen to both a male and female narrator. It makes the book a little less corny sounding.

Yes it was, I didn't want to stop listening.

definitely worth checking out, it is a YA type story, love and romance, but no real steam. Very PG-13, but it had a great story line, that kept you interested and on your toes about what would happen.

The only reasons I read this book were because a) I really enjoyed Noah and Echo's story and hoped to learn more of their outcome and b) I wanted to read Isaiah's story and thought "Dare You To" was needed - it wasn't. This book was beyond just being a letdown. I'm more annoyed with myself for wasting the credit because I knew Beth's faux-edgy character was not worth a story. Ryan was adequate as a character..his most notable drawback being the repeated use of his tag line "I don't lose". The 'dare' angle was poorly executed and only served to undermine the author's efforts of trying to make the characters seem more mature and deep - they weren't. The situation with Beth's mother's extremely physically abusive boyfriend at times dominates the book and not wanting her mother to get into trouble is not reason enough to allow such abuse to go on. Trent's character openly deals drugs and beats women like it's his job, but the cops can't arrest him, yet Beth supposedly breaks the windows of his car and she is immediately sent to jail...really?

There are so many points where Beth's characterization breaks down, e.g. slapping Noah and breaking ties with Isaiah because they literally prevent her from being killed by Trent, but slinking away in uncertainty when rumors started by a mean girl leads to kids laughing at her at school...really? The whole 'Isaiah and Beth as best friends' angle felt contrived and relies too much on the reader to accept it with no foundation in the actual story. Overall, Beth is the worst character, but I knew this when I read "Pushing the Limits", and her hatred of Echo, which continues to this book, is inadequately explained nor resolved. I knew I was in trouble when after only two and a half hours I was checking to see how much time was left. Not sure if I'll get Isaiah's book at this point because he was so poorly portrayed - he prostrated himself for Beth, with no real explanation of why she was worth it, only to have her fall for the attractive jock anyway.

Narrators were good..they sounded age appropriate and did adequately with opposite sex characters. I would listen to them again, but I don't feel compelled to seek them out.

I read Pushing the Limits, the first book in this series, over a year ago, but it didn’t take me long to get reacquainted with the series. I think it actually worked to my advantage to start fresh since I didn’t miss the characters as much from the first book. I quite liked Dare You To, I daresay even more than Pushing the Limits, and read straight on through to Crash into You afterwards.

Dare You To is from the POV of Beth, a side character from Pushing the Limits, as well as a new character named Ryan. Beth has had it rough, taking care of her drug addict mother and trying to fend off the guys her mother brings home. She’s taken on much more than she should and things are at a breaking point. But, she loves her mom and wants to do everything she can to protect her.

Ryan, on the other hand, seems to have had a much easier time of things. He’s a star baseball player but his dad is really micro managing him, and he’s not just about baseball, you know? From the outside, Ryan’s family is keeping up appearances, but from the inside it’s all falling apart. I kind of love that he falls for “bad girl” Beth, and they have a lot to offer each other. Ryan and his friends are into dares, and Beth is his biggest challenge, and surprise, yet.

Beth is prickly and hard to get to know, and when circumstances lead to her moving to a new town to live with her uncle (and former Yankee player) Scott, she’s really out of her comfort zone. Taking care of her mom was such a big load that she doesn’t know how to let go. I felt for Beth, and admired her courageousness, and her strong will. I enjoyed seeing her character develop over the book, as her icy exterior starts to melt away.

It was easy for me to get behind Ryan and Beth as a couple, since I didn’t have Pushing the Limits‘ Beth and Isaiah fresh in my mind. I definitely was ready for Isaiah’s story though, after this book.

There are strong supporting characters in the book, like Beth’s childhood friend that she reconnects with, Lacy. Ryan’s brother Mark is estranged from the family, and he adds an interesting element to the story also.

I listened to the audiobook, performed by Brittany Pressley and Christopher Gebauer. The pair is well suited to play Beth and Ryan, with Ryan sounding like the golden boy, and Beth sounding a little rough around the edges. They were believable in their parts, and with the secondary characters as well. I felt emotionally connected to the story through their performance, and this was an audiobook I didn’t want to stop listening to. Since I enjoyed it, I picked up the next book on audio as well, even though there are different narrators.

Katie McGarry writes a gripping series full of emotion and adrenaline, and she has a knack for writing authentic well-rounded characters. There are several characters I can’t wait for her to explore in future books. I like that she writes about tough issues, and does not shy away from the angst, but at the same time you know she’s going to fix everything she breaks. It took me some time to catch up with this series, but I’m fully on board now.

I really think this novel is much more geared for teens and I would not have liked it at all if I would have been reading it. The story was alright, a bit predictable but I did enjoy the narrator's voices, especially Beth's.

I liked the rawness of Beth's character. She's a character more real to life than most characters tend to be, but then again, McGarry's last book was the same way. Well done!

Beth, because she's so innocent event though she thinks she's a badass and loser, and she's ignorant to what life's possibilities are which I believe a lot of youth in her situation would view life too. She's guarded with good cause, but she's also smart and witty and compassionate and it makes for a very compelling/complex character. This is a gritty story, not sugar coated at all, it's real to life and I like that. Even Ryan's life is far from perfect beneath his all-star, boy-next-door exterior.

No I never have before. I thought Brittany was a perfect fit for Beth, but Christopher was only okay. It's nothing against his narrating because he's great, but I can't picture the character the way he's described when I'm listening to Christopher. He sounds too nice, maybe even too young. I'm not sure.

I love this author and I'll definitely be listening to the next book.