Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

This never happens. But it still
pretty much gets to the heart of the
book. Aka feelings and feel-ups.

I apparently like books about southern teenagers dealing with hardcore life issues (foster care, arrests, druggie parents, abuse, you name it, they deal with it). Thanks to Simone Echols and Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits series, there are a fair number of these books to go around. And after reading Dare You To I am ready to read more.

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth." "No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again.... "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... (GoodReads).

Honestly, that top quote embarrasses me enough that I considered cutting it from this blog review. But I am keeping things real, for the readers!
Originality: 3. Wrong side of the tracks heroine finds love with varsity athlete. We have met all of these kiddos before on TV and in books and movies, but its still fun to visit.
Absurdity: 4. I feel like every time teenagers do stupid things stemming from a lack of communication I am frustrated and find it absurd. I need to learn. This is apparently an essential part of YA life.
Level of Paranormal Romance: 7.  Let me reiterate: wrong side of the tracks heroine finds love with varsity athlete.  So this is not a pioneering setup but HECK YA for McGarry's ability to write some great romance scenes.
Level of Harry Potterness: 2/8. OK so this book is not exactly high on literary qualities, but it gets a 2/8 because I LIKE BOOKS WITH COMPANION NOVELS. I am ready to go read Pushing the Limits, the first book in this series about some of the background characters here.

PS: I have assigned this book a theme song. Love, as Beth NEEDS TO GET HER HEAD AROUND (and here I shake her shoulders cause she is a fool) is all about trust.

PPS: I am pretty sure this song dates me but whatevs, its a keeper.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received a review copy from Harlequin (UK) Limited via NetGalley. Happy reading followed. (We do not accept or receive compensation for reviews at YAF and WS.)