Tag Archives: Katie McGarry

Top Ten Tuesday {5}: Books I’ve Read So Far In 2013

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It’s Top Ten Tuesday again, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! This week’s theme is…

Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2013

So I’m looking through my Goodreads to see what books I should put on my TTT, because I seriously cannot remember what books I’ve read earlier this year. And ahhhh there’s soo many that I can put on my list, so many incredibly amazing books that I’ve read so far this year. This makes me so utterly happy. Here are my top ten (in no particular order). You can click on the covers to read each book’s summary!

Crash 2 by Nicole WilliamsClash by Nicole WilliamsCrush by Nicole Williams

1. The Crash series by Nicole Williams has recently become one of my absolute favorite series ever. Seriously, I don’t know why I never read it sooner. It has the perfect romance (okay, it’s not exactly perfect, but I still love it) with a bad boy who is so freaking hot. Jude Ryder is just… *swoon* I HIGHLY recommend this series to romance lovers. It will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love with Jude all the characters.

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

2. So apparently, Unspoken was the very first book I read in 2013. Woohoo, starting off the year with a bang, because Unspoken is one of my favorite books ever! It made me laugh SO HARD I was nearly in tears, but the ending just gutted my heart. WHY DID YOU DO THIS SARAH REES BRENNAN???? Why do we have to wait until AUGUST to read the next book? The wait is torture! I MUST HAVE MORE JARED.

Sins & Needles by Karina Halle

3. Sins & Needles was completely mindblowing. After I finished it, I couldn’t get the story (and ending!!!) out of my mind! It’s such a refreshing and unique story about a con artist, and the whole book was so intense. The plot is insane, but in a good way! I have no idea how the author came up with it, but I’m so glad she did. And, ahem, I may have a thing for hot tattooed men, sooo….

This Girl by Colleen Hoover

4. I’ve got two words for you: Will. Cooper. Colleen Hoover is a god (or should I say goddess?). Her books have all become absolute favorites. This Girl was the perfect conclusion to the Slammed series. I could not have imagined a better ending for Lake, Will, and their families. If you haven’t read Slammed yet, you definitely should! It’s so heartfelt, sweet, and there’s Will Cooper, who is one of the most swoon-worthy boys I’ve ever read.

eleanor & park

5. Eleanor & Park is the most perfect romance book I’ve ever read. I am just in awe of it and Rainbow Rowell for creating a book with the sweetest, most adorable romance ever that captured my heart. It makes me wish I could find something that Eleanor and Park have. Eleanor and Park couldn’t be more different, but somehow, they just worked. Their story is perfection. End of.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

6. I sobbed my eyes out at the end of Clockwork Princess. I was crying and sobbing by BUTT OFF, not only because it was so amazing and beautiful and sad and heartbreaking, but also because Clockwork Princess is the last book in this trilogy. And I honestly can’t think of a series right now where I felt so sad reading the last book because it was the end. Cassandra Clare did an incredible job bringing this series to its conclusion.

with all my soul

7. With All My Soul is also another final book in a series. It’s an amazing end to an amazing series. And do you know how much I love Tod? Because I love him so so much. He’s my favorite forever-19-years-old, blond, blue-eyed reaper cutie. Okay, he’s the only one I’ve read, but still. This book was intense. The entire time, I had no idea what would happen, or if there would be a happy ending, but thank goodness, Rachel Vincent doesn’t disappoint!

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

8. Warner. Warner Warner Warner. WarnerWarnerWarnerWarnerWarnerWarnerWarnerWarner. Oh, sorry. I just had to get that out there. Um, I might have a slight obsession with a guy named Warner, from Unravel Me. He’s just so… beautiful. Incredible. Breathtaking. I was absolutely Team Adam from Shatter Me (book #1), but then… Unravel Me happened. And I did a complete 180 and fell in love with Warner. And his dimples. *faints* God Juliette, I am so freaking jealous of you and chapter 62.

Prodigy_Marie_Lu_Book

9. If you didn’t already know from our review, Shirley, Cathy, and I LOVED Prodigy. It was action-packed and crazy intense. June and Day are total badasses, and I loved them so much more than I already did in Legend. Prodigy is an amazing sequel to Legend, and I’m just dying to read the third book now, because Prodigy’s ending broke my heart.

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

10. So I recently read and reviewed Dare You To, and oh gosh, it was so good. It’s the second book in the AMAZING Pushing the Limits series, and I just fell in love with it. And Ryan! *Sigh* He’s just the sweetest boy ever. The ever-amazing Katie McGarry is a favorite author, and I’m so going to read anything she writes. SO excited for Crash Into You!

So what are your favorite books so far this year?

lacey

Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

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Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Dare You To by Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: May 28th 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback

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….

God, Katie McGarry. You are ruining my life. Not only did Dare You To cause me to not pay attention in class (because I just HAD to read during class. There was no way I was waiting til I got home to read), but also… my standards in guys are getting way. too. high. KATIE MCGARRY YOU ARE RUINING MY LIFE AND I LOVE YOU FOR IT.

In case you didn’t already know this, I loved Pushing the Limits. Like, loved loved loved it. It’s one of my favorite books of all time, and one of the few books that have made my cry a huge, sobbing mess. I rarely ever cry for books (I get teary-eyed more often than crying), but Pushing the Limits was just… incredible. Heart-wrenching. Absolutely fantastic. So if you haven’t read it, you should definitely check it out. But Dare You To is quite different than Pushing the Limits. It has a whole different feel to it that is still simply amazing. We have already been introduced to Beth in Pushing the Limits, and her story is with Ryan. I was pretty surprised when I found out that Beth wouldn’t end up with Isaiah (whose book I am SO EXCITED to read!!!). But of course Katie McGarry would find a way to make everything work out in the end. And it did!

Beth, at the start, is basically… a bitch. She’s very mean and pissy to everyone, including her uncle, Scott, and Ryan. But the thing is, I still liked her character. Yes, she gets very frustrating because of her hesitance and reluctance to have a relationship with Ryan, but I never hated or disliked her for her bitchy behavior. And honestly, her attitude is pretty reasonable, considering her mother is a drunk, a drug abuser, in love with her abusive boyfriend, and doesn’t give a crap about Beth. Beth’s deadbeat father left when she was young. She had no adult to take responsibility for herself and had to grow up on her own. So she’s definitely a tough girl. What I loved and was sad to see go away is Beth’s friendship with Noah and Isaiah. Once she moves in with her Uncle Scott, he wants her to cut all ties to her old life, including Noah and Isaiah. She meets up with them once or twice (and we get to see Echo!!!), but overall, she knows that she’s done with her old life. She’ll never have any best friends as awesome as Noah and Isaiah, but she can’t keep living in the past anymore. She has to move on, and Ryan is a huge part of that process.

Ryan Stone. *swoon* Ryan is probably one of the sweetest, most incredible boys I’ve ever read. He’s not a bad boy. He’s a good guy through and through. I never expected to like reading about a jock, and a baseball player at that, but Ryan is just… amazing. I fell completely in love with him and his heartwarming gestures. Katie McGarry is able to write him in such a way that he has depth, that shows us how much he loves baseball, and that he’s so much more than a jock. And he loves to write too! Rarely do I ever read about a guy who loves to write and can write well, so it was a nice and refreshing change, one that made Ryan all the more endearing.

And that bottle of rain. So. Damn. Sweet. My heart was going wonky for him during that scene.

One thing I love is that Beth is very straightforward. From Pushing the Limits, we know that Isaiah is in love with Beth, but we’re not sure if she feels the same way. In Dare You To, once she meets Ryan and finds a connection with him, she knows that she’ll never return Isaiah’s feelings, because she loves Ryan. And I was so glad that she got that. She shot Isaiah straight down, didn’t allow him to be strung along on a love that would never work. I really liked that about Beth, admired and respected her for it.

I loved seeing both Beth and Ryan grow and mature throughout the book. And the ending was so intense! So did not expect that. Basically, I loved everything about Dare You To, and am so so so excited for the 3rd book in the series to come out! I am 1000% sure that Isaiah’s story will be perfection.

5 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Pushing the Limits series

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry Breaking the Rules by Katie McGarry
Dare You To by Katie McGarry Crash Into You by Katie McGarry Take Me On by Katie McGarry

#1 ~ Pushing the Limits: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#1.1 ~ Crossing the Line: Ebook • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Breaking the Rules: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Dare You To: Shirley’s Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Crash into You: My Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Take Me On: Ebook • Hardcover • Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

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Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits #3
Publication Date: November 26th 2013

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that’s who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she’s just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can’t get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they’ll go to save each other.

Oh gosh, oh gosh, so I have just finished Dare You To today, and what a surprise to see that the cover for Crash Into You has also been revealed! Dare You To was fantastic by the way, and be sure to be on the lookout for my review soon. There will be some major gushing.

I am SO unbelievably excited for Crash Into You. We get a 2-chapter excerpt at the end of Dare You To, and IT SO WASN’T ENOUGH. But I’m so happy that we’re so close to finally reading Isaiah’s book. God, I really, really love Isaiah and am DYING for his happily ever after. November cannot get here fast enough!

Sigh. The Pushing the Limits series is one of my favorites. I just cannot get enough of it!

Reading Order: Pushing the Limits series

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry Dare You To by Katie McGarry Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

#1 ~ Pushing the Limits | Ebook | Hardcover | Paperback | Goodreads
#1.1 ~ Crossing the Line | Ebook | Goodreads
#2 ~ Dare You To | Ebook | Hardcover | Paperback | Goodreads
#3 ~ Crash into You | Ebook | Hardcover | Paperback | Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday {1}: Books Dealing with Tough Subjects

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Today we’re participating in our very first meme that’s hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is:

Books Dealing with Tough Subjects

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John GreenThe Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This book is one of our absolute favorites! Cancer by itself is already a tough subject, and these characters are cancer patients who deal with death getting closer and closer every day. And Augustus Waters? *wipes tear* That boy and this whole book was so heart-breaking and incredible.


Hopeless by Colleen Hoover2. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

This book pretty much tore out my heart. I don’t want to say exactly what happened to Sky, since it is spoilery, but it was one of the sickest, most vile things I’ve ever read. I almost wanted to take a breather, but I COULDN’T stop reading. Loved this book so, so much. Hopeless is a definite must read.

 

3. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarryPushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Noah is an orphan whose parents died while he was still in high school, and he’s fighting for custody of his two younger brothers, who mean the world to him. Echo is a girl who has scars all over her arms and nearly died because of an incident with her mother. Both of them are emotional wrecks and are in immense grief, and I love how they found love with each other in a time when they couldn’t possibly be happy.

Easy by Tammara Webber4. Easy by Tammara Webber

At the start of the book, the heroine, Jacqueline, is attacked and nearly raped by a friend of her ex-boyfriend. The book focuses on the consequences of the attempted assault, and on Jacqueline’s relationship with Lucas, who has a past that was so sad and heart-breaking to read. LOVED this book.

 

5. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja MillayThe Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Nastya’s life was ruined at a very young age from a traumatic event, and Josh doesn’t even care about anything but work ever since lost his family. The two are very broken, but what I love about them and this book is that they find a way to move past and accept their grief and be happy with each other. This book was SO FREAKING AMAZING.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman6. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Mia and her family get into a car accident, and everyone-her mother, father, and younger brother-dies except for her. Mia is able to see what happens while she in a  coma, and we experience the intense grief that Mia goes through, knowing that by the time she wakes up, she’ll be alone in the world. This was so heart-breaking to read, but I loved the 2nd book even better.

 

7. Wait for You by Jennifer L. ArmentroutWait For You by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Avery was sexually assaulted when she was a young teenager, and even though she’s starting college now, the effects of that experience have not waned. She goes through so much emotional pain that you can’t help but wish she gets her happily-ever-after with Cam (who is the most adorable guy ever!).

 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

A fictional book set during the Holocaust, The Book Thief is one of my favorite books ever, but made me an emotional train wreck by the time I was done.

 

 

9. The Coincidence of Kallie and Kayden by Jessica SorensenThe Coincidence of Kallie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

Callie also goes through something horrific, and keeps to herself constantly, never allowing herself to reach out to others. Eventually, she finds a connection with Kayden (who also has problems of his own), but it takes a long while before she can open herself up to him.

 

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher10. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Hannah tells her story through recorded tapes to the people who caused her to commit suicide. There is so much pain and suffering, and the book makes you think a lot about the effect you have on other people and how careful you should act towards others.

 

So, these are our top ten! Let us know which of these you agree with or what books you think should be added. And be on the lookout next week for our next Top Ten Tuesday (the next theme sounds SO FUN)!