Review Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To
Author: Katie McGarry

Published: May 28th, 2013 
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 304

Source: for review
Series: Pushing the Limits #2

"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...

You know that feeling that a book is so awesome, you just don't know where to start your review? That's me right know. Pushing the Limits was my favorite book last year. And I admit I was a bit afraid starting Dare You To, because my expectations were so high. And guess what? Dare You To is even better than Pushing the Limits! I almost screamed when I turned the last page. I want more!

In Pushing the Limits we met Beth as one of the friends of Noah. I must admit I didn't really like her in PtL, but that definitely changed in Dare You To. Her mother is an addict and she tries to save her, but when things go to far and Beth goes to jail her uncle bails her out en "forces" her to live with him and his wife. That's were Beth meets Ryan, the star player of his football team. He seems to have it all. 

Beth really grew on me. I would never say she's an amazing person, but I have to admire her perseverance. Nothing can stop her if she makes up her mind about something. 
I loved Ryan. On the outside he seems to have it all. But nobody sees his parents aren't speaking to each other when no one's around. Or that his brother isn't welcome anymore because he's gay. 
And that's exactly what makes Beth and Ryan so perfect for each other. They have their problems, but they're also perfect for helping each other. They're, just like Noah and Echo, perfect for each other. 

Katie McGarry is definitely one of my favorite authors! She has an amazing writing style and the way she tells the story is so beautiful. You're really there with the characters. And she gives you all the feels! It's almost impossible to put into words how amazing this story is. You just have to read it and find out for yourself. 

Pre-order Dare You To right now! And the moment it touches your mailbox: start reading it! 

Waiting on Wednesday (33)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I'm waiting on 

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To

Author: Katie McGarry

Will be published on: May 28th, 2013 (Harlequin Teen)
Series: Pushing the Limits #2

Synopsis from Goodreads: 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...

Pushing the Limits was my favorite book last year, so of course I can't wait for this one! It's going to be amazing, I just know it!

What are you waiting on?

Cover Reveal: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

I always get really excited when I see a beautiful cover, especially when the book isn't published yet. It makes the waiting a little bit better! 

Dare You To

Title: Dare You To

Author: Katie McGarry

Expected publication: May 28th, 2013 (HarlequinTeen)

Series: Pushing the Limits #2

Pushing the Limits was one of the first contemporaries I really enjoyed reading and made me a huge fan of the genre. It's even one of my favorite reads this year! So of course I'll read Dare You To! I may or may not have screamed a bit when I saw the cover was revealed. Not because I like it that much (I do, but I like the one of Pushing the Limits better), but mostly because it's one step closer to publication day!

What do you think about this cover?

Review Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing the Limits

Author: Katie McGarry

Published: July 31st, 2012 (Harlequin Teen)

Pages: 409
Source: for review

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads: SO WRONG FOR EACH OTHER...AND YET SO RIGHT.
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.
But when Noah Hutchins, the smokinghot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

First a huge thank you to Harlequin Teen for providing me a review copy! And a huge thank you to Lili from Lili's Reflections. Without her I wouldn't have read this book so soon!

Last week I was in a reading slump. I was struggling to finish books and I wanted it to end before it got worse. So I was doubting about what to read next: a comfortable read or what I thought I had to read, because my review pile just gets bigger and bigger. After I tweeted Lili said I really had to read Pushing the Limits. And she was absolutely right! Wow, what a book! Just amazing! You're missing something huge if you're not reading this! 

When I first read the synopsis I wasn't convinced. I haven't read that many contemporary and I was a bit hesitant towards it. Why? I have NO idea! Well, I'm over it now! After reading some amazing reviews on other blogs I decided to request it on Netgalley and I got approved (obviously). 

This book has everything you ever could want in a book! It has an amazing story, a writing style that immediately pulls you into the story and the main characters are so real. I had no difficulty connecting with them, even with Noah. 

The story is told from two perspectives, Echo's and Noah's. They both have their secrets and difficulties they have to overcome. Noah's parents died in a fire and he's trying to get custody over his little brothers when he hits eighteen. He wants to be really bad ass and maybe he is, but I loved him! He  cares about his brothers and wants them to be together. 
Echo is a totally different story. Something has happened that she can't remember. She only has the scars on her wrists as evidence of that terrible day. Throughout you learn what has happened to her. 

I'm so impressed by Katie McGarry. She really knows how to build tension in a story. Everything came at the right moment. Gradually you learn a bit more about Noah and Echo and that made it so hard to put this book down. You want to learn more about their pasts. Also Noah's story is told gradually. And their relationship is so beautiful. What I don't like in other books is when a love story is so obviously not real life material. And this totally was. They could walk right out of the book and the story would be exactly the same! 

I can gush all day about this book (and maybe I should!). But I think I made my point. You have to read this book! I'm all for contemporary now!