The Best Reader: Katie McGarry

Dare You To by Katie McGarry
Published: Harlequin Teen (May 28th, 2013)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 462 pages
Series: Pushing the Limits, #2
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…

Prize:
1 winner will receive a si gned ARC of DA RE YOU TO by Katie McGarry.

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Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen (July 31st, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 384 pages
Source: Author (Thank You!)
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
SO WRONG FOR EACH OTHER… AND YET SO RIGHT.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

Review:

I'm behind on my reviews (by a lot!) but I just had to share my thoughts on this book. Pushing the Limits was such a fantastic, emotional rollercoaster. Katie did a brilliant job developing the characters and explaining what they had been through.

First, Echo's life changes drastically and she can't remember what happened to cause it. She knows that something terrible happened to her but the memories of that night have vanished. Through therapy she is trying to piece together that night. At school, people whisper about her and her popularity changed overnight. I felt horrible for Echo. I truly felt her pain and anguish about her situation. I can't imagine having a memory completely gone like that.

Noah, unlike Echo, has always been a bit of trouble maker. It's as if he has a shield that he uses to keep him from getting hurt. When Noah meets Echo the sparks fly, but I'm not talking about romance. They share quite a few unpleasant words and it's fun to see their relationship change.

We get to hear from the POVs of Noah and Echo, which is needed for this story. This allows us to really get to know the characters and see their past. I honestly had no clue what had happened to Echo and that mystery kept me on the edge of my seat. Through Echo's relationships with Noah, it's as if she can finally start to figure out the tragedy she went through. The flashbacks are more frequent.

I fell in love with Noah in this book. Truly, head over heals, in love! He may have been a bad boy but it was obvious how strongly he felt for Echo. Their romance was beyond a teenage love. I really felt they shared a stronger bond.

I was so excited to find out this was a series. I know the next book focuses on Noah's friend Beth, but I'm still looking forward to reading about her and hopefully getting an update on Noah and Echo!