Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

“You're a lot like that bird in the barn. You're so scared that you're going to be caged in forever you can't see the way out. You smack yourself against the wall again and again and again. The door is open, Beth. Stop running in circles and walk out.” 
― Katie McGarry, Dare You To

So I read the first book in this "series" (not really but sort of) called Pushing The Limits, and as much as I liked it, for me it just wasn't a five star book. This one tops the first but I still can't seem to give it 5 stars. Katie McGarry has a beautiful writing style and the whole family dynamic for this book was beautiful for both main characters, as well as their love story.

So in this book it follows a few of the characters from Pushing The Limits, mainly Beth. Her family is in ruins, though she lives with her aunt, it's not ideal, and she still goes back to take care of her alcoholic and secret heroin addict Mother. She carries the world on her shoulder, after an incident as a kid where a man held her at gun point to get money her father owed, after he left after blaming her for ruining his life, her mom stays and gets involved with Trent. A well known criminal who would beat Beth up, and after Beth left to live with her friends in her aunts basement Trent turned her old room into a cookhouse for drugs and continued the beatings on her Mom.

After an incident where Beth takes the blame for her Mother and gets arrested, her uncle comes back into her life demanding custody of his niece. Moving her one town over into his home with his wife who is not at all welcoming to Beth, she enrolls in school with taco boy.

Ryan Stone, soon-to-be pro baseball player, all around perfect highschool jock with his perfect team, perfect family, and perfect life...or so it seems. One night, another night of dares for him and his friends, this one is to get a girls phone number of the opposing members choosing, and Ryan gets Skater Girl (aka Beth). Ryan doesn't lose, but he lost that night, he never got Beth's number. But when he find out that ex-pro baseball player Scott has moved next door and has a niece who will soon be going to his school and wants to feel welcomed he comes face to face with Skater Girl.

With her attitude she never expected even a friendship from anyone, never mind love. Her plan was to run away, and despite her attempts, her old and new friends keep a firm hold on keeping her where she is - Safe. 

This book is really about letting go, Beth had to realize that it's not her responsibility to take care of her mom. And Ryan needs to see that there is more to life than baseball and your image.
They figure it all out together, and manage to save eachother in more ways than one. They fight off ex girlfriends, ex cons, and parents with too high of standards, and in the end it changes everything for the better. There are so many chances in life to do different things and really find out who you can be, letting go of what you're used to or what you've convinced yourself to be right and do what you want and what will make you happy.

“That must be love: when everything else in the world could implode and you wouldn't care as long as you had that one person standing beside you.” 
― Katie McGarry, Dare You To

highly recommend this series, though they're more companion books it's best to read it in order :)

Thanks for reading!