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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
4.5/5 stars
It's a Katie McGarry book. If this isn't enough of a reason to read this book, I don't know what is! She does not disappoint.
It's a Katie McGarry book. If this isn't enough of a reason to read this book, I don't know what is! She does not disappoint.
I love fluffy romance stories, and I wasn't ready for this roller coaster of emotions when I began reading this book.
I liked the way characters where presented, tho I did had my issues with the way they thought sometimes. I suppose we all react differently, but I wanted to shake them sometimes.
I truly enjoyed this book. I thought it was a stand alone tho, I will try and buy the rest of the serie ASAP.
I don't really have a lot to say except that PTSD is a major topic in this book and I really liked the way it was shown. In both fashions, the physical one and the mental one.
Guilt is also a huge topic in this book and to me it was really inspiring to read the journey of both this characters.
Quote: “Falling happens. Jumping you choose, and you choose to do it with me".
I liked the way characters where presented, tho I did had my issues with the way they thought sometimes. I suppose we all react differently, but I wanted to shake them sometimes.
I truly enjoyed this book. I thought it was a stand alone tho, I will try and buy the rest of the serie ASAP.
I don't really have a lot to say except that PTSD is a major topic in this book and I really liked the way it was shown. In both fashions, the physical one and the mental one.
Guilt is also a huge topic in this book and to me it was really inspiring to read the journey of both this characters.
Quote: “Falling happens. Jumping you choose, and you choose to do it with me".
~4/5
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
This was another good book in this series. I enjoyed it quite a lot. Plus, I like that McGarry’s books tend to go by rather quickly, whether good or not.
There were some clichéd decisions made on both parts, but I still really liked the story. I liked Haley and West, a lot. They were good together, and I enjoyed them just as much on their own as together. I liked the ending, for them as a couple, as well as for West and Haley on their own (mostly).
I liked that we got to see more of West’s family. In Crash Into You we saw a lot of them, got to know some of what was going on with them, but it still felt like there was more to be told. Their family is just so messed up. A lot more was made clear in this book, but there still seems like there’s more to be said. Which leads me to why I also think that there needs to be a next book, and it needs to be about Abby and Ethan. I think Ethan has something going on that he needs to work through, even if it’s just dealing with everything that’s happened so far in his family. And Abby definitely has a story to tell. I loved her presence in this book, and I think the two of them need an entire book to themselves.
I also really liked that the novella Crossing the Line was included in this book. I don’t like reading stories online (on the computer or my phone), so I like when the short stories are put into a physical book. And it was a cute short story, I enjoyed it quite a lot. I’d give it a 3.5, maybe 4, stars.
I think Crash Into You is my favorite in this series, but this one is definitely good. I look forward to reading McGarry’s next book.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
This was another good book in this series. I enjoyed it quite a lot. Plus, I like that McGarry’s books tend to go by rather quickly, whether good or not.
There were some clichéd decisions made on both parts, but I still really liked the story. I liked Haley and West, a lot. They were good together, and I enjoyed them just as much on their own as together. I liked the ending, for them as a couple, as well as for West and Haley on their own (mostly).
I liked that we got to see more of West’s family. In Crash Into You we saw a lot of them, got to know some of what was going on with them, but it still felt like there was more to be told. Their family is just so messed up. A lot more was made clear in this book, but there still seems like there’s more to be said. Which leads me to why I also think that there needs to be a next book, and it needs to be about Abby and Ethan. I think Ethan has something going on that he needs to work through, even if it’s just dealing with everything that’s happened so far in his family. And Abby definitely has a story to tell. I loved her presence in this book, and I think the two of them need an entire book to themselves.
I also really liked that the novella Crossing the Line was included in this book. I don’t like reading stories online (on the computer or my phone), so I like when the short stories are put into a physical book. And it was a cute short story, I enjoyed it quite a lot. I’d give it a 3.5, maybe 4, stars.
I think Crash Into You is my favorite in this series, but this one is definitely good. I look forward to reading McGarry’s next book.
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading
Take Me On by Katie McGarry was full of all the elements I felt were strengths in Pushing the Limits — great witty banter between Haley and West, real life complications and issues, an interesting setting (a gym with a lot of emphasis on kickboxing and mixed martial arts), and fantastic burning chemistry.
But there were also some setbacks for me, too. It took quite a long time for me to feel like the story was progressing because the tension and constant back and forth dance between Haley and West’s emotions took quite a long time to level out. I desperately wanted them to make a decision. Could Haley accept that West was nothing like her ex-boyfriend and revoke her decision to never date another fighter? Could West settle down and stop feeling like the world was against him?
Haley’s ex brought out the absolute worst side of her and turned her kickboxing passion into something she wanted nothing to do with. Her deteriorating home life leaves Haley constantly feeling like a lesser version of herself. She walks on eggshells around her uncle who disrespects women (and people in general) in the most awful ways. She’s witnessing her father spiral out of control while desperately wanting him to get his act together and protect her. Even one of her closest friends, her grandfather, doesn’t know exactly what Haley’s gone through; she’s completely secluded herself and withdrawn.
West’s home life is the exact opposite of Haley’s by comparison — he has everything money can buy, lives in a sprawling mansion, and attends one of the best private schools. But when you look beyond all the shiny material things, you see that West’s mother is just as detached as Haley’s father, that his father’s expectations are unnecessarily high, and his sister is in the hospital for something he blames himself for.
Seeing these two broken individuals come together as they figure out how to heal and move past their struggles was probably my favorite part of Take Me On. I loved the symbolism behind the fighting that Haley was teaching West to do (and hoped that she would find worth in herself and start fighting for herself, too). Sometimes I felt like the story was dragging along more slowly than would have been ideal, making the whole book feel a little bit too lengthy. I can understand how in a real-world setting, people with West and Haley’s struggles wouldn’t immediately be able to bypass them and embrace the love being extended to them.
Haley and West’s story was an enjoyable experience that took me into another world and really made my day-to-day issues seem meager by comparison. Katie McGarry did a great job branching out to explore this new fighting dynamic and continues to impress with her ability to heal two broken characters.
Take Me On by Katie McGarry was full of all the elements I felt were strengths in Pushing the Limits — great witty banter between Haley and West, real life complications and issues, an interesting setting (a gym with a lot of emphasis on kickboxing and mixed martial arts), and fantastic burning chemistry.
But there were also some setbacks for me, too. It took quite a long time for me to feel like the story was progressing because the tension and constant back and forth dance between Haley and West’s emotions took quite a long time to level out. I desperately wanted them to make a decision. Could Haley accept that West was nothing like her ex-boyfriend and revoke her decision to never date another fighter? Could West settle down and stop feeling like the world was against him?
Haley’s ex brought out the absolute worst side of her and turned her kickboxing passion into something she wanted nothing to do with. Her deteriorating home life leaves Haley constantly feeling like a lesser version of herself. She walks on eggshells around her uncle who disrespects women (and people in general) in the most awful ways. She’s witnessing her father spiral out of control while desperately wanting him to get his act together and protect her. Even one of her closest friends, her grandfather, doesn’t know exactly what Haley’s gone through; she’s completely secluded herself and withdrawn.
West’s home life is the exact opposite of Haley’s by comparison — he has everything money can buy, lives in a sprawling mansion, and attends one of the best private schools. But when you look beyond all the shiny material things, you see that West’s mother is just as detached as Haley’s father, that his father’s expectations are unnecessarily high, and his sister is in the hospital for something he blames himself for.
Seeing these two broken individuals come together as they figure out how to heal and move past their struggles was probably my favorite part of Take Me On. I loved the symbolism behind the fighting that Haley was teaching West to do (and hoped that she would find worth in herself and start fighting for herself, too). Sometimes I felt like the story was dragging along more slowly than would have been ideal, making the whole book feel a little bit too lengthy. I can understand how in a real-world setting, people with West and Haley’s struggles wouldn’t immediately be able to bypass them and embrace the love being extended to them.
Haley and West’s story was an enjoyable experience that took me into another world and really made my day-to-day issues seem meager by comparison. Katie McGarry did a great job branching out to explore this new fighting dynamic and continues to impress with her ability to heal two broken characters.
Katie McGarry has done it again! I finally feel as satisfied as I did after reading PTL. IMO, Take Me On tops DYT and CIY, no doubt about it in my mind. I think what I loved about PTL was that Noah and Echo weren't always with each other so they grew as characters on their own and dealt with their problems on their own. They only leaned on each other rather than full on depending on the other. I feel like in DYT and in CIY the characters were always together and didn't develop as much on their own. In Take Me On, I feel like the story finally gave me what I loved so much about PTL and I am so very happy about this. Take Me On was another winner in my book! I just hope that one day down the line there will be another book or two about Abby as well as Jax.
This was another one of Katie's easy and adorable romance reads. The characters were super funny and had all the flaws of a teenage romance. I loved the whole book and she did not disappoint.
I was really excited to start Take On Me since I loved the last book in this series. I didn't really like West from the last book, really I didn't like anyone in his family because of how they treated Rachel, but I thought it can't be worse than Beth right? Unfortunately not so much. At least with Beth's story I liked the guy. I didn't like West or Haley in this one. They were both so tedious to read. So whiny complaining poor me attitudes. I did not like it, nor did I understand most of the time. Some spoilers ahead.
So West blames himself for everything. Anything bad that happens is his fault. Rachel's accident at the end of the last book? His fault. Why? I am not sure. He was not driving, I don't even know that he was there when it happened, but somehow she was there because he stole her money so that means it is his fault his dad went crazy and didn't pay attention and got them into an accident that almost killed Rachel. Yep, definitely West's fault...He is also incredibly stubborn in his self hatred and won't listen to anyone. Rachel wants to see him, but he refuses to because she doesn't want to see him. Yeah...cause she would ask for him because she didn't want to see him. That makes sense. He is way too stubborn for his own good and I found myself just being incredibly frustrated with him all the time. Like why are you so stupid? Why do you have to be so stubborn so you keep hurting those you care about? It just didn't make much sense to me.
Then Haley? Well she is not much better. Really they were perfect for each other. They could be all poor me, I am terrible, everything is my fault together. She was a fighter, champion kick boxer, but then she stops one day and refuses to fight again. Why? Well early on you find out that her ex hit her and she fought back, but there seemed to be more to the story. I kept waiting to find out what else happened with the ex to make her give up and not be able to tell anyone what really happened. Well you find out...there is nothing else. Her ex hit her and she fought back and hurt him. So she fought and hurt someone so she will never fight again. Did she never hurt anyone in any of her other fights? Never drew blood? I find that hard to believe. And yes, she should be super upset that she defended herself against another trained fighter...I didn't get it. And no one can ever know because...her brothers will fight her ex for her? I don't know. West ends up fighting the ex and he doesn't win, but he puts up a good fight and then it is over. No more issues with the ex. It just made me go oh...okay....so West fights the ex, ex wins, West still gets "his girl" and the ex is just like cool and leaves them alone. I mean the ex wanted Haley, but West ends up with her so...why couldn't Haley say anything before? I mean the ex really didn't do anything so...It was that easy to solve her issues? Why was she so stubborn and set against accepting help from anyone? From telling anyone what happened? I kept expecting more, a greater conflict, and it just wasn't there so the whole thing seemed pointless.
So between the two of them and the oh no something bad will happen! Must keep everything a secret. Wait nothing happens? Of the story I just didn't enjoy this book. I was so disappointed, especially after I loved the last book so much. Oh well. Not the story for me.
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
So West blames himself for everything. Anything bad that happens is his fault. Rachel's accident at the end of the last book? His fault. Why? I am not sure. He was not driving, I don't even know that he was there when it happened, but somehow she was there because he stole her money so that means it is his fault his dad went crazy and didn't pay attention and got them into an accident that almost killed Rachel. Yep, definitely West's fault...He is also incredibly stubborn in his self hatred and won't listen to anyone. Rachel wants to see him, but he refuses to because she doesn't want to see him. Yeah...cause she would ask for him because she didn't want to see him. That makes sense. He is way too stubborn for his own good and I found myself just being incredibly frustrated with him all the time. Like why are you so stupid? Why do you have to be so stubborn so you keep hurting those you care about? It just didn't make much sense to me.
Then Haley? Well she is not much better. Really they were perfect for each other. They could be all poor me, I am terrible, everything is my fault together. She was a fighter, champion kick boxer, but then she stops one day and refuses to fight again. Why? Well early on you find out that her ex hit her and she fought back, but there seemed to be more to the story. I kept waiting to find out what else happened with the ex to make her give up and not be able to tell anyone what really happened. Well you find out...there is nothing else. Her ex hit her and she fought back and hurt him. So she fought and hurt someone so she will never fight again. Did she never hurt anyone in any of her other fights? Never drew blood? I find that hard to believe. And yes, she should be super upset that she defended herself against another trained fighter...I didn't get it. And no one can ever know because...her brothers will fight her ex for her? I don't know. West ends up fighting the ex and he doesn't win, but he puts up a good fight and then it is over. No more issues with the ex. It just made me go oh...okay....so West fights the ex, ex wins, West still gets "his girl" and the ex is just like cool and leaves them alone. I mean the ex wanted Haley, but West ends up with her so...why couldn't Haley say anything before? I mean the ex really didn't do anything so...It was that easy to solve her issues? Why was she so stubborn and set against accepting help from anyone? From telling anyone what happened? I kept expecting more, a greater conflict, and it just wasn't there so the whole thing seemed pointless.
So between the two of them and the oh no something bad will happen! Must keep everything a secret. Wait nothing happens? Of the story I just didn't enjoy this book. I was so disappointed, especially after I loved the last book so much. Oh well. Not the story for me.
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
