may4d40a 's review for:

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

3.0

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This book was way longer than I initially anticipated it to be. I’ve had mixed feelings throughout reading it, but in the end, I was glad that I stuck with it.

Dare You To is the sequel to Pushing The Limits and follows the story of Beth (who we previously met) and Ryan. Beth’s home life is a private and troubling matter that she is not willing to share with anyone. In attempts to protect her mother from going to jail, Beth finds herself in an unfortunate predicament that leaves her with no other option than to move in with her uncle. Beth now has to combat a new aunt, a new school, and new classmates, specifically golden-baseball-star, Ryan Stone. These two characters have their worlds collide and they are forced to deal with each other, all the while trying to find who they really are underneath their concrete facades.

In comparison to the first book, I found this book to be a little forced (and frustrating). It should be well known that I am not one to typically fangirl over sequels (hush, I’ll make as many exceptions as I please) so that might be contributing to my initial hesitancy towards this book.

The characters took some time to accept whereas I felt an immediate likeness towards Echo (and Noah) in Pushing the Limits. Maybe that partially because we’ve had a previous glimpse at Beth’s character, but for some reason I found it hard to latch onto the story and lose myself in it.

I did eventually become engrossed in the story and found myself cheering the two dorks on and gushing like a little girl (though it was accompanied by many eye rolls and exasperated sighs - yes, Ryan is slightly too cheesy). This book was enjoyable to read, don’t get me wrong, but I felt that it was too drawn out.

I was super happy that we got little cameos of Noah and Echo *squeals* albeit they could have been longer and more frequent, but I was happy to see the little babies again (even if they were being gross).

I have to say, I quite enjoyed the character development in this book. Seeing Beth mature, open up, and build a wonderful bond with her uncle was very touching.

I’m pretty sure I am not yet done with this series. So stay tuned.

There are times when you stand on the cusp of moments so huge, you know you’ll remember them forever.

3.5 stars!!