A review by elyssam
You Wouldn't Dare by Samantha Markum

emotional funny lighthearted tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This is the type of book you stay up until 3 AM to finish, or at least I did. 
This book is set during the summer before Juniper Nash’s senior year. She jokingly plans to turn over a new leaf, but reality might actually give her a chance to do so. Juniper, an actress, is hoping to fill the role of drama club president but first must prove she can save the summer community theater production. Not only is she balancing her extra-curriculars, but is working at her mom’s restaurant, adjusting to her mom’s boyfriend and his daughter being in their lives a lot more, and figuring out her complicated friendships. She’s best friends with Milo, but is it too much? Her other friend Lucy can’t seem to understand her at times. And Graham, well, that’s complicated. 

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. Sometimes I find contemporary fiction audio to be a little cheesy, but this production was great! It had all the emotions, and it was engaging and fun! The lines, especially the comedic ones, were paced/timed well. It was an enjoyable listen. 

As for the story, I loved it! I was weary at first because the reader gets introduced to so many new characters just in the first chapter, but by chapter three it was smooth sailing (more or less, considering the dramatics of being a teenager haha). I liked the complexity in each of Juniper’s relationships, they felt like real struggles and each character really helped pushed her story through. I appreciated that these were messy teenagers who made mistakes, all of them had a depth to them that made for an intriguing unfolding of events. The atmosphere was great! It had the perfect small town vibes, the theater production was hilarious, and reading this truly felt like summertime. 

You wouldn’t dare is perfect for fans of Morgan Matson (think about a combination of Take Me Home Tonight and Since You’ve Been Gone). Yet this book is unique as it tackles multiple layers of romance, friendship, families in a different and new way. It comes with my recommendation! The perfect summery read. 
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