Rating: ★★★★

Love. A four letter word that has so much meaning to it and can make one do anything for someone. Even though challenges are thrown at relationships, hopefully love wins in the end, and that is what Katie McGarry depicts in her book. Dare You To  is not just a romance. It is a romance filled with the hardships in life and the decisions people have to make in order to be happy.

Meet Ryan Stone, a baseball player who has a chance to make it pro right out high school. He has everything he could ever want, yet he has nothing that makes him happy. Sure, he loves playing baseball, but he mostly does it for his dad. Truthfully, Ryan loves to write fiction stories about zombies. Also, his family is falling apart. However, nobody in town knows because he is told to play the “perfect child.” His parents marriage is holding on by a string, and he is not allowed to see his brother anymore.

Now, meet Beth Risk, whose life is anything but perfect. Beth has a very troubled past. Her father left her family when she was very young, and she blames herself for it, as does her mom. Beth’s mom can be described in one word: trouble. She has an abusive boyfriend, does not eat, only drinks alcohol and much more that Beth does not want to know. Beth takes care of her and herself. On top of that, Beth’s best friend, Isaiah, is in love with her, but she does not feel the same way.

But, one night her life changes forever.

First, Beth would do anything to protect her mother, even kill her abusive boyfriend. Unfortunately, the police show before she can do anything, and when she gets taken to the police station, the person who bails her out is not her mother, but Scott Risk, her uncle. Scott left Beth when she was a child, and she has never forgiven him. Scott has one condition–Beth comes to live with him in Grovetown, Kentucky and forget her old life.

To the reader’s surprise, Beth and Ryan end up going to the same school. They have met before, but that was only because Ryan was dared to ask for her number.  However, they start talking and getting to know each other, but Beth will never put her guard down and let herself get hurt. Even though she starts getting these deep emotional feelings for Ryan, Beth will not let herself feel them because she does not want to fall for someone. All Beth wants is to run away with her mother, but with Ryan in the picture, that is a hard thing to do. Who will Beth choose? Will she stay in Grovetown with Ryan and let herself trust someone for the first time in her life, or will she run away with her mother, to protect her from her boyfriend and herself?

I give this book a four out of five stars because it is really well written, and it gives so much detail on every page that I feel everything a character feels. McGarry gives so much description and puts so much intenseness into her characters that it makes the book come alive while it is in one’s hands.

Also, this book switches point of views of characters. Every other chapter it is either Ryan’s point of view or Beth’s point of view, and I love that because one gets to understand each main characters feelings.

The reason I give this book only four stars is because of Beth. I know that she has a very big decision to make, should she choose her mom or should she choose Ryan, but she takes way too long to come to a decision. Yes, there should be a certain length to let her make up her mind, but I think McGarry drones on for too long, which makes the book get a tad boring. But, that is the only thing that I dislike about the book. Otherwise, it is a great book to pick up and start reading.

Putting this book down is a very hard thing to do. It is full of passion and tenderness that will make one just want to read it over and over again. This is my second time reading it, and it is the second book of the Pushing the Limits series. However, one does not have to read them in order because each book deals with different characters. Ryan and Beth are one of my favorite couples because of their complete opposite situations.

So, who will Beth choose in the end? One must read to find out.