Dare You To
Katie McGarry
Netgalley arc
Amazon Blurb -
"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….
*****
Why do children who are abused, neglected or both still love and feel loyalty to the crappy parent? A child wants to be loved and nurtured so bad by their parent they'll stick around through anything....
Beth is a hard skater girl. Pierced nose, jet black hair, foul mouth. Her aunt has taken her in as a foster child for the cash and lives in the basement along with her best friend Isaiah and Noah. Life hasn't been good to her and she has shut off all feelings of hope behind her tough exterior.
Ryan is the town's superstar baseball pitcher. "The Golden Boy", perfect in every way. Gorgeous, affluent, prominent town family, beautiful home, but is it? Peel away the facade of his home life and what lies beneath is far from perfect.
Ryan and his best buds and teammates Chris and Logan are forever daring each other to do stupid things, on this night at the Taco Bell it's to get a girl's number and a date with her. Chris scores with no trouble, Ryan needs to get the next girl or he loses. In walks Beth, the farthest thing from his type. As he gets closer he see's she is pretty and what starts out as a dare becomes a journey of discovery for them both.
I more than enjoyed this book, I loved this book. Another YA has stolen my heart! There is nothing like a great story and this is it. I even had tears streaming down my face at some points. That's major aces for me. It was a tough subject, and it portrayed it wonderfully, nothing smarmy, phony, or overdone. Katie covered all the bases well, right down to the school's bitchy mean girl. Beth and Ryan are true lovely characters. Ryan is such a gentle sweet kid and Beth, well your heart breaks for her. You will fall in love with them both.
I highly recommend this book. Very light on the love scene side so even a 15 year old will be okay with it. There is a book for Beth's beat bud Isaiah coming out, Crash Into You, and I want to read that too!
5 cannolis
