Book Review~Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To

Author: Katie McGarry

Series: Pushing The Limits #2

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pub Date: May 28th 2013

Format: e-book

Pages: 304

Genre: Romance, Drama, YA, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site

Synopsis: 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....

Rating: 9/10

Source: Netgalley. Thank you to the publishers for giving me a chance to review this amazing book!

Cover Talk: Katie McGarry knows how to pick perfect models for her covers! The models are exactly like Ryan and Beth. I love the cover! The rain ♥ It holds great importance in Beth's and Ryan's relationship and I'm glad they showed that on the cover. And Beth's ripped jeans, how Ryan looks like a jock even at first glance. I think the cover is perfect!

My Thoughts: Katie McGarry has definitely made it to my intant-buy author list. She stole my heart with Pushing The Limits and she was able to keep it with Dare You To.

I will make something clear before I start my review. Pushing The Limits is in my top ten list. I love that book! So my expectations were pretty high for Dare You To. Though Dare You To was not able to meet those expectation, it wasn't that far behind.

The writing was, as usual, amazing! There were so many great descriptions that I even jotted them down in my vocabulary bank (which I keep for writing purposes.) I love how Ms McGarry builds up emotion and her writing just reels me in. I lose myself in the world she creates. I love books that do that to me, and not many are able to do it. Despite this, there were times when I found myself losing interest. But it happened only a few times. You see, I read Pushing The Limits in one go. That book kept my attention for so long. Reading this book, I had to take breaks in between so I read this in parts. 

The story was really good! The mystery, the romance, I loved everything about it! Still, in the beginning some things felt childish... immature. But that feeling went away half way through the book. One thing I really don't like is that this book didn't leave an impact on me. I mean, I enjoyed reading it. But after I had, I forgot about it. Even now, I'm struggling to remember. I don't know if this is my fault or the book's...

I love Beth! As a character she's pretty bad-ass. She's flawed but is also beautiful in her own way. I understand her insecurities and I really feel sorry for her for all that she went through. Ryan was likable. I did not get a crush on him nor did I find him that swoony. But I did like him and he felt very real. I felt sorry for Isiah but I did believe when Beth said that it wasn't romantic type love that Isiah felt for her. Beth's mom really annoyed me. Like seriously, I wanted to beat her up if she was't already getting beaten up by her boyfriend! I really liked Scott. Just like the other characters, he was flawed too but he really did love Beth.

I know this was a really bad review, but I couldn't stop myself from comparing Dare You To to Pushing The Limits. And compared to that, this didn't make it to my favorites. I enjoyed only the second half of the book. I think I just had my bar set up too high and ended up getting disappointed. I can't wait for Isiah's story though! Out of Noah's friends, Isiah was definitely my favorite. And my love for him grew after Dare You To. So I really can't wait to read his story!

Favorite Quotes:

“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.”

“How many more of us are faking the facade? How many more of us are pretending to be something we're not? Even better, how many of us will have the courage to be ourselves regardless of what others think?” 

“This overwhelming, encompassing feeling is love. It's not perfect and it's messy as hell. And it's exactly what I need.” 

About The Author:

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

TV Show/Drama Review~Ms Panda and Mr Hedgehog

Title: Ms Panda and Mr Hedgehog/Ms Panda and Mr Porcupine

Writer: Han Joon-young

Director: Lee Min-cheol

Main Cast: Lee Dong Hae as Ko Seung Ji, Yoon Seung Ah as Pan Da Yang, Choi Jin Kyuk as Choi Won Il, Yoo So Young as Kang Eun Bi

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama

Original Run: 18 August 2012 – 7 October 2012

Running Time: Saturday & Sunday 21:55 

Original Channel: Channel A

No. of Episodes: 16

Language: Korean

Links: MDL ~ Wikipedia ~ Amazon ~ TV Show/Drama Site

Synopsis: Go Seung Ji (Lee Dong Hae) is a patissier who has been an orphan since childhood and has a gruff and prickly personality that matches his nickname of "Hedgehog (Goseumdochi)." He meets the easygoing and sweet-natured Pan Da Yang (Yoon Seung Ah), better known as "Panda," who hires him as the new patissier of Café Panda. Together, the two work to make Café Panda a success while fending off competition from the Saint-Honoré bakery franchise.

Trailer: 

My Rating: 8/10

My Thoughts: Eeeepp!! Donghae! ♥ ♥ ♥ I could go on and on about how gorgeous Donghae looked in this drama!! But lets just review the drama first.

The story was so predictable! I knew what was going to happen from the very first episode, in fact, from the first few scenes. It's not like I read the plot or story-line somewhere else, it's just that the story was very very predictable. At least for me. But that didn't make it any less interesting to watch. Because, even if I figured out how everything was going to end, I still didn't know how everything would unfold. So that was interesting to watch. But the plot-line in general was loosing some reality.

An issue that I had with the drama was it was too confusing in the beginning. It was like I started watching it from the middle instead of the start so there was no introduction to the characters or anything like that. They did eventually get to that but it was frustrating in the beginning. Plus, I don't know if it was the subs or the drama was actually like that, but I didn't get some of the things. Some actions and words were really confusing. So if it weren't for Donghae, I probably wouldn't have watched the show.

The acting was pretty good. Donghae did an amazing job! I liked Choi Jin Kyuk too. I have to say, out of everyone, Park Geun Hyung was the best! Seung Ji's and his grandfather's relationship was so adorable! They seemed like real grandfather and grandson. And I noticed, Donghae acted best in his scenes with Park Geun Hyung which shows that he was comfortable with him the most. Out of all the relationships in the show,  this relationship was my favorite.

My second favorite relationship was Seung Ji's and Won Il's friendship. I've never shipped bromance in my life! Ever! (Except in the earlier seasons of Supernatural.) But I just loved Seung Ji's and Won Il's relationship! It was so cute, the way they teased each other and looked out for each other ♥

My third favorite relationship is the romance between Seung Ji and Pan Da. It was really cute! ♥ It was like 'teenagers in love'. But it wasn't really my favorite romance. And I don't think it was the main focus of the show either. I think they gave more importance to the friendship, which is good. 

I didn't really like Pan Da as a character. Don't get me wrong, I love Yoon Seung Ah! I first saw her in Playful Kiss and I really liked her then. And I think she's really pretty and she did a good job playing the role of Pan Da. But it's the character that I don't like. Though I can't really pin point what I don't like about her. Maybe I'm just jealous she got to kiss and date and hug and lay in bed with Donghae.. *crying*

A character that I really liked, and will probably remember for a long time, is Eun Bi. I don't know why but I just loved the way she spoke! It wasn't elegant or anything, I just found it... amusing. And she was really cute and funny ♥ I also loved Won Yi! She was so bubbly and lovable! 

All in all, it was a pretty good drama. I wouldn't go around recommending it but I wouldn't stop anyone from watching it either. If you love Donghae (like I do) then this drama is a must-watch. Gosh, Donghae looks amazing in the drama! Not that he doesn't look amazing elsewhere. But seriously, I was swooning over his most of the time, so the flaws of the drama didn't even matter to me.

Oh and I almost forgot! The music in the drama was amazing! My favorite songs were Please Don't by Donghae, Don't Go by Donghae and Loving You by Super Junior K.R.Y.

Extras: Time for picture spam! (I do not own these.)

I cannot get over how adorable this is! ♥

I know this is more of a 'Donghae' photospam, but come on! Who wouldn't want to see that adorable face of his?! ♥ ♥

TV Show/Drama Review~You're Beautiful

Title: You're Beautiful/He's Beautiful 

Director: Hong Sung-chang

Producer: Hong Jung-eun, Hong Mi-ran

Main Cast: Jang Keun Suk as Hwang Tae Kyung, Park Shin Hye as Go Mi Nam/Go Mi Nyu, Lee Hongki as Jeremy, Jung Yong Hwa as Kang Shin Woo

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama

Original Run: 7 October 2009 – 26 November 2009

Running Time: 60 min

Original Channel: Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS)

No. of Episodes: 16

Language: Korean

Links: MDL ~ Wikipedia ~ Amazon 

Synopsis: The management company of the idol group A.N.JELL insisted on adding a new singer to the group as the lead vocal, Tae Kyung's voice was hurting. However,the new member, Mi Nam, had to go to the States to repair a botched eye job just before signing the contract. His agent came up with the idea of having his twin sister, Mi Nyu,to stand in for him and pretend that she was her brother. The two of them grew up in an orphanage and Mi Nyu, who was all set to become a nun, agreed to this charade as she didn't want to spoil her brother's chance of fame which would make it easier to look for their mother.

Trailer: 

My Rating: 8/10

My Thoughts: Well, I really enjoyed the drama. It was really funny and entertaining and though the concept wasn't something new, it was pretty good. I really liked the mystery of Go Min Nam's mom and the show was a really good blend of drama and comedy.

I really don't like Park Shin Hye. I don't like Go Mi Nam either. Shin Hye is really not a good actress. At first I thought that maybe it was the character, but I saw Heartstrings and she's the same in that. And Go Mi Nam was such a crybaby and clueless. She was one hell of an annoying character!

I didn't like Tae Kyung at first. But he grew on me. I think Jang Geun Suk is a really good actor! He had to do some pretty embarrassing scenes but he did them with perfection. And I loved his 'cry' scene! In the beginning I used to hate that duck face of his but I ended up loving it. I think Tae Kyung is a great character and Jang Geun Suk played him really well!

My favorite was Shin Woo. He was such a sweetheart and a gentleman! But sometimes I got frustrated with how he didn't convey his feelings to Go Mi Nam. But when he did, I really really wanted him to end up with her!

Jeremy was just so cute and adorable! I loved how he spoke and when he cried, I wanted to hug him. His 'Jolie' was so cute! Lee Hongki did an amazing job!

All the other characters were really great too. Mahanager Ma, Wang Coordi, Yoo He Yi, President Ahn. All of them were really funny and likable.  The paparazzi person and Go Mi Nam's aunt were such annoying characters. But they were funny too. And Tae Kyung's mother was a really great character too. Kim Sung Ryung played her really well.

One thing that bothered me the most were Tae Kyung's and Jeremy's outfits. Jeremy's were so stupid. And Tae Kyung just looked gay. I don't know, maybe they wanted to show Go Mi Nam as a guy so they tried to make others seem more like girls...

The romance fell flat for me. But it didn't bother me either because it was just something happening. Like I didn't really care much for it. I liked the other things in the story better and as I said, I didn't like Go Mi Nam so I didn't really care who she'd end up with. To be honest, the top reason I watched this drama would be because I fell in love with Jung Yong Hwa ♥

All in all, it was an amazing drama. Not number 1 on my list but does come in top ten. If you like to watch romantic comedies, with a few tears and hot boys, then You're Beautiful is your drama ;)

Extras: Picture spam! (I do not own these.)

Book Review~Love Story by Erich Segal

Title: Love Story

Author: Erich Segal

Publisher: Hodder and Stroughton

Pub Date: Januay 1st 1970

Format: Paperback

Pages: 133

Genre: Romance, Drama, Tragedy, Contemporary

Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon 

Synopsis: The Phenomenal National Bestseller and Enduring Classic He is Oliver Barett IV, a rich jock from a stuffy WASP family on his way to a Harvard degree and a career in law.

She is Jenny Cavilleri, a wisecracking working-class beauty studying music at Radcliffe.

Opposites in nearly every way, Oliver and Jenny immediately attract, sharing a love that defies everything ... yet will end too soon. Here is a love that will linger in your heart now and forever.

Rating: 3/10

Source: Bought

Cover Talk: I love the cover! I'd be lying if I said I didn't buy this book because of the pretty cover. I love the hearts and flowers and the soft red/pink ♥

My Thoughts: I did not like this book. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It was okay and I'd probably forget about it soon.

I've heard a lot about this book but it seriously did not live up to the hype. At least not for me. I really don't like insta-love. In fact, it seriously pisses me off! So when Oliver fell in love with Jen on their first date, after he had been rude to her and then forgotten about her, I didn't believe it for a second! Plus, the characters weren't that memorable. Jen was so smart-ass and cocky that it made me hate her. And, though, Ollie was a bit better, I didn't like him much either. The story whooshed by so fast that I didn't feel any connection to the characters whatsoever. I didn't even cry! Which really says something because I'm very sensitive and a hopeless romantic. 

The writing was okay, nothing special. I hated the way Ollie and, especially, Jen talked. But maybe that's how people talked at that time. I also hated the fact that there were so many curses. I don't mind curses but in everyday language? Please, that just kills the purpose of curses.

The only thing I liked (sometimes) was the witty remarks Jen & Ollie made at each other. And the only scene that brought tears to my eyes (which never flowed down) was the last scene between Oliver and his father. Even Jen's death didn't make me tear up.

All in all, it was an okay story. If you want to read it, then I wouldn't stop you or warn you against it but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone either. If you want to read a tragic romance then I'd say A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks is a much better choice.

Favorite Quotes: 

“What the hell makes you smart?" I asked.

"I wouldn't go for coffee with you."

"Listen - I wouldn't ask you."

"That," she replied, "is what makes you stupid.” 

About The Author:

Erich Wolf Segal was an American author, screenwriter, and educator. He was best-known for writing the novel Love Story, a bestseller, and writing the motion picture of the same name, which was a major hit.