Happy Monday, Dear Reader!!!! We’re SUPER-DE-DUPER excited today
because we’re helping to kick off an amazing tour!!!
Most of you know how much we ADORED Katie McGarry’s debut YA Contemporary, Pushing The Limits, and so when we had the chance to be part of the tour for it’s follow up, Dare You To, we SQUEED big time!
Then we said, HELLZ YEAH!!!!!!!
For those of you who haven’t yet experienced the AWESOME-SAUCERY that is Katie McGarry’s writing, we’ve got all the important info below.
But FIRST we have a couple of amazing things to share….
*drum roll*
*building the anticipation*
*Danny and Heather smack Pushy and yell, JUST GET ON WITH IT!!!!!*
Okay, okay!!! So here, for your Monday Morning pleasure is a song from the Dare You To playlist and an excerpt from the book that goes with it, hand picked by Katie herself!
“Scott told me you had blond hair,” says the woman.
I swallow, but it’s hard to do when my throat tightens. The little girl I used to be, the one with blond hair, died years ago and I hate thinking about her. She was nice. She was happy. She was…not someone I want to remember.
“Why is your hair black?” The lawn ornament at the other end of the kitchen island has officially become annoying.
“What are you exactly?” I ask.
“This is my wife, Allison,” my uncle says.
The Cheerios catch in my throat and I choke. “You’re married?”
“Two years,” says Scott. Ugh. He does that googly-eye thing Noah does with Echo.
I slide another spoonful of Cheerios into my mouth. “When I’m done—” crunch, crunch, crunch “—I’m going home.”
“This is your home now.” Scott has that calm tone again.
“The hell it is.”
Allison’s eyes dart between me and the knives. Yeah, lady, a couple of hours in jail and I’ve moved from destruction of property to sociopath.
“Maybe you should listen to her,” she says.
“Yeah,” I say through more crunches, “maybe you should listen to me. Your wife’s worried I’m going to go all Manson and slit her throat while she sleeps.” I smile at her for effect.
Color drains from her face. At times, I really enjoy being me…
Oh, Beth….I know I thought of Pink when I read about her in Pushing The Limits and we see so much more of her tough side and the reasons behind it as we read her story in Dare You To!
So are you totally intrigued????
*Pushy claps her hands*
Because, of course…there’s a giveaway too!!!!!
The wonderful folks at HarlquinTEEN are offering an AMAZING giveaway to go along with the tour and you can enter today!!!!
Everyone who enters at any of the tour stops can win their choice of either Pushing The Limits or Dare You To.
(there’ll be one winner per stop, see the full list of stops below)
PLUS, one lucky winner will get to go home with this SUPER COOL prize pack!
The prize pack includes:
- 1 copy of Pushing The Limits
- 1 copy of Dare You To
- 1 brown leather cuff bracelet
- 1 iPod
- 1 iTunes gift card
- 1 personalized Dare You To baseball jersey
All you have to do is enter via the widget below…
About Katie McGarry
Katie 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, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of the full-length Young Adult novels PUSHING THE LIMITS and DARE YOU TO, and the e-novella CROSSING THE LINE. Her debut novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS, is a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and an RT Book Reviews 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel. Writing has given Katie an excuse to pursue her passions. Research for her books has provided her with the amazing opportunity to train with baseball players, ride along in a drag car at ninety-six miles per hour and experience boxing and mixed martial arts. The most memorable moments for Katie are when she speaks to groups of teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out of reach. Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, at Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.
Find Katie McGarry :
- website | Katie McGarry on the HarlequinTEEN website
- Follow her on Twitter
- Like her on Facebook
- Become a Fan on Goodreads
Find Dare You To and Pushing The Limits
- Dare You To: Goodreads | Amazon
- Crossing the Line: Goodreads | Amazon
- Pushing The Limits : Goodreads | Amazon
About Dare You To
An emotionally-charged roller coaster ride that will keep you turning the pages well into the night, DARE YOU TO tells the story of seventeen-year-old Beth Risk, who finds her life turned upside down at the beginning of her senior year. Forced to leave the mother she’s always protected and the only friends she’s ever known, Beth must start over at a new school, in a new town, with an uncle she hasn’t seen in years. The last thing she wants is to catch the eye of the town’s golden boy, popular jock Ryan Stone, who seems determined to win her over for all the wrong reasons. But when she discovers that Ryan has secrets of his own, Beth is drawn to him despite herself. Soon she’ll have to make a choice—between the past that beckons her back, and the life she never dreamed possible. With PUSHING THE LIMITS, Harlequin TEEN introduced a singular new voice that continues to resonate with teens and adults alike. With DARE YOU TO, Katie McGarry cements her place as a master of contemporary young adult fiction.
About Pushing The Limits
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.
Tour Schedule
Follow the rest of the Tour for more wonderment about Beth, Ryan and DARE YOU TO!!!!
Monday, April 29th – Bewitched Bookworms – Excerpt & Song
Tuesday, April 30th – Harlequin Blog
Wednesday, May 1sh – The Irish Banana
Thursday, May 2nd – Review – Tyngas Reviews
Friday, May 3rd – Evie Bookish
Monday, May 6th – YA – Bibliophile
Tuesday, May 7th – Review – Real of Fiction
Wednesday, May 8th – Book Swarm
Thursday, May 9th – Review – Book Nook
Friday, May 10th – Alice Marvels
Monday, May 13th – Xpresso Reads
Tuesday, May 14th – Review – Chapter by Chapter
Wednesday, May 15th – Book and A Latte
Thursday, May 16th – Review – Blog Girl
Friday, May 17th – Supernatural Snark
Latest posts by Pushy (see all)
- Pre-Squee about… Icebreaker by Lian Tanner – The Hidden Series - April 8, 2015
- The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black - February 19, 2015
- Guardian by Alex London - February 12, 2015
I like YA Contemporary because it gives me a nice break from the YA that I’m use to reading.
Reply »
I love the romance and different situations that YA Contemp bring
Reply »
I love a lot of the romance in YA Contemporary novels. I especially love when they have happy endings! 🙂
Thanks for the chance!
Rose recently posted..Interview & “This or That” With Rhiannon Paille
Reply »
I love the chemistry between the characters and the different ways contemps can occur in…
Reply »
I like that they show a gritty realism. Teenage years aren’t all true love and sweet sixteen parties. It’s tough and emotional and not always happy. I like seeing the different hardships characters face, and how they choose to handle it. It’s a nice break from the paranormal and fantasy books that I read so much of.
Thanks so much for this giveaway- I love that shirt (and I LOVED Pushing the Limits)
Jillyn recently posted..How NOT to Train a Zombie by Annie Rachel Cole
Reply »
It’s times like these I wish more giveaways were international. That’s some awesome swag and I can’t enter to get it 🙁 Oh well!
Bec @ Ransom Reads recently posted..Aristocrat’s Ransom: Paper Towns
Reply »
LOVE YA Contemporary because of the characters and the plot that they have to go through to come out changed and different and stronger. The emotion is perfect:)
Thank you:)
Reply »
OH MY GOSH! This is such an awesome giveaway! 😀
I love the happy endings in YA Contemporary novels. They are more prevalent than in other genres, and I haven’t seen many (any?) that are unhappy for the protagonists.
Thank you for hosting part of the tour, and for the giveaway!
Alyssa Susanna recently posted..Review: That Time I Joined The Circus by J.J. Howard
Reply »
What I like most about YA novelas is period they live in. I want to go back there and just live it with the charaters 🙂
Reply »
I DON’T KNOW IF I CAN HANDLE THE HEAT!!
I lent my ARC to a student and she came in the next day raving about it. She’d stayed up until 2am and finally had to go to bed because of school the next day (well, that day). I’d say she’s in love. Me, too!!
Mary @ BookSwarm recently posted..Multiple Minis: Young Adult Edition
Reply »
The romance and connection 2 people in love share! Thanks for this AMAZING giveaway! 🙂
Reply »
I’m not huge on romance but I really enjoy YA Contemporary which may seem strange for others. I find that YA Contemporary is written so differently to other Romance books.
I mainly enjoy it for the innocence in the relationships, that butterfly feeling I get in my stomach when I’m reading the book, it makes me feel like a giddy school girl again LOL
Reply »
I like how they’re more true to life. They give me more of a thrill =)
Heather Cranmer recently posted..Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness: Book One) by Kellie Sheridan
Reply »
I love that it’s easier to relate to the characters! Not so much when you’re dealing with vampires and werewolves and dystopian novels. Plus the romance… always the romance! 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway!
jaime recently posted..Review: Parallel by Lauren Miller
Reply »
I enjoy reading these kinds of books. It kind of reminds me of young love/new love. Thanks for the giveaway.
AH recently posted..Reviews: Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz and Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Reply »
I enjoy all kinds of genre’s but YA Contemporary is great because it gives me a little bit of a trip down memory lane, at least in the romance department and it’s nice to step back and remember what it felt like to be in love when it was a fresh new feeling.
Reply »
What I love the most is the romance between the characters and the connection that they have. Thank you for the amazing giveaway!!
Reply »
I’m desperate for a YA contemporary novel with white hot passion, the search for that once in a lifetime love and a story of how one guy who can see past a tough girl’s defenses.
Reply »
Sadly the international fans are always forgotten in so many giveaways 🙁
Reply »
I love YA because I can forget my own problems. YA problems are nothing like mine so I feel I can escape for a bit
Reply »
Young love – it’s so pure and new and refreshing. I love that the most.
Reply »
First loves that are so amazingly strong… remind me of my first 🙂
Reply »
i love YA becuse of the thrill of young love and it`s just lovely 🙂
Reply »
I love that they are pretty much always happy endings and i think the characters are usually more real. (if that makes sense!)
Reply »
I have a 14 year old that absolutely DEVOURS YA books! I’d love to win this prize for her! Thanks and have fun with the blog tour!
Reply »
I love the character dynamics!!
Reply »
Thanks for the awesome giveaway! I love how creative and refreshingly original the NA/YA authors are now 🙂
Reply »
I love contemporary YA because it’s real life – stuff you’ve been through yourself, characters and situations you can relate to or sympathize with, and the characters have real-life motivations – love, fear, anger, jealousy, etc.
SweetMarie83 recently posted..Review: Entanglement by Dan Rix
Reply »
I love the romance and being able to connect with them.
Reply »
The question is what is not to love about YA cont? I love the romance, the unique stories, and the relatable situations! Thank you for this amazing giveaway!
Reply »
I love the how intense the falling in love part is in the YA books. Teenagers make everything more dramatic.
Reply »
I like a good old fashion novel every once and awhile. And you can sometimes find it in contemporary YA book.
Reply »
I love Adult contemporary because it feels real and with all the fantasy and paranormal i read sometimes a dose of sexy realism is exactly what i need!
thanks for the giveaway and as always an awesome tour for an amazing book & author!
Reply »
I like the sense of place, whether it’s the setting or hobbies the characters have.
Reply »
LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! I just pretty much all things Katie McGarry. And Pink:) SO excited to be a part of this tour!
Reply »
I love the escape that YA romance books offer. You can forget your own problems for a while and become emersed in someone else’s world.
Reply »
I love the pacing of YA books and Pushing the Limits was one of my favorites, I will be reviewing Dare to You at the end of the month and cannot wait!
kimbacaffeinate recently posted..Review: Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
Reply »
I love YA contemps because of their authenticity. (Well, the good ones anyway.) Unlike fantasy or PNR, there are no mythical creatures or crazy supernatural world-building; contemporary stories strictly rely on the characters, their distinct voices and the realistic situations they face. And because of that, I think these stories are harder to write in a way, which is why I have a great appreciation for them.
Reply »
I like contemporary because it’s different from other YA books in the sense that it feels more real, like it could really happen verses fantasy where it is all make believe. This giveaway is so awesome! 🙂
Reply »
Omg EEK! Pink is like only one of my favorite artists EVERZ!! I’m so happy about this whole post and to be part of the tour!
Reply »
The thing I love most about contemporary YA is that it’s relatable. I love fantasy, but contemporary is stuff I can see happening and people dealing with real problems.
Reply »
I love the reality of the situation. How somewhere inthe world this is someones life, and that there is a way for it to get better not like if you became a vampire and had to abondaon your whole family and lvie with strangers and change your whole life as opsed to killing your family.
Reply »
I love it because of the powerful, hear wrenching story but still somehow give off a fun, light read.
Reply »
heart wrenching story…sorry for the typo
Reply »
I love Beth and Ryan and every other character in this book x
Reply »
The romance of course! It pulls you in. 🙂
Reply »
I love most about YA Contemporary novels the romance and characters
Reply »
I love most about YA Contemporary novels the romance, characters and action
Reply »
I love that I can see myself having a similar love! 🙂
Reply »
I like the romance but I read a lot of fantasy and dystopian and it’s just like anice break and I love them!
Reply »
What I love most about YA Contemporary books are how real and emotion they are. There is always a epic romance that makes the book come alive.
– Beckie
Beckie recently posted..ARC Review: Belonging by Karen Ann Hopkins
Reply »
I love how real the situations feel and how relatable the characters are.
Reply »
I love contemporary books because I’m huge romantic plus they could be cute, funny, light or emotional , easy read books
Reply »
I love that it is realistic and i can really relate to some of the stories. Also, the cute romances and drama of the characters’ lives are SO interesting and entertaining!
Reply »
I love contemporary YA because it’s real life – stuff you’ve been through yourself, characters and situations you can relate to or sympathize with, and the characters have real-life motivations – love, fear, anger, jealousy, etc; Along with it keeps me connected to my YA side which I use to relate to the junior and high school I counsel
Reply »
like the characters
Reply »
I love contemporary YA because it brings the peer pressure of teen lives. The stories relate to what teenagers are facing today. Another thing about contemporary YA, the stories are clean that I can recommend them to my sisters’ and friends’ teenagers without worrying about the contents.
Reply »
I’m new to contemporary YA, have heard great thing about this author’s books.
Reply »
I love YA Contemporary Romance books because the characters are relatable explore a lot of the same issues that I’ve dealt with as a teenager. Plus it doesn’t hurt that the guys, especially the bad boys, are typically HOT!
Reply »
I love how they portray relevant issues of young adolescents and at the same time show how they try to resolve them, and mature in the process.
Len D. recently posted..When Google Reader is Dying.
Reply »
What a great giveaway! WOW. Katie always has the best prize packs! It’s amazing.
Okay, the thing I love most about YA contemp… Definitely that I FEEL it. These are things that happened to me in high school as well ( okay, maybe not ALL the time) but I love relating to them and I Loooove the romances!
Brittany @ The Book Addict’s Guide recently posted..DNF Reviews
Reply »
I love the concepts authors writes and the romance 😉
SassyCat’s Books Review @KatN21 recently posted..Cover Wars
Reply »
I can’t wait for publication day!
Reply »
My favorite part is when the struggle is overcome and in the story and the confidence it gives the characters. It is also great being able to share these with my daughter!
Reply »
I love the newness of falling in love and the self-discovery aspects that are usually in YA contemp novels!
Thanks,
Leanne
Reply »
I love the fact that it’s still fiction that I can get lost in, but it’s realistic, so I can relate to it better 🙂
Plus, the romance is always so swoony!!
Reply »
The romance is always just so swoon-worthy and beautiful! Ugh, love it! (:
Thanks for the chance!
Reply »
I love that contemporaries really tell current, concrete stories. These are the books that reflect the teens who read them. Sometimes, in order to deal with a problem, it is easier to go through it with a beloved character. Contemporaries can definitely save lives!
Elisquared recently posted..NPM: 6 Favorite: Prose Poetry and Poetry
Reply »
My favorite thing is the thrill of falling in love <3
Reply »
I love the realistic situations and the happily ever afters that come with the complicated but oh so good romance!!! LOVE LOVE LOOOVE IT! 😀
Maida @ Literary Love Affair recently posted..One Year Blogoversary Celebration
Reply »
I love who real they are! I can usually connect with the characters easily like i can do with Kaite’s characters! Hope i win! Love this series!!
Reply »
I had not read any new contemporary until Pushing the Limits. i LOVED it. I have aways read paranormal. i loved it and its because of Katey’s book that I am looking forward to Dare you to.
Reply »
I read Pushing the Limits and really enjoyed it. It reminds me a lot of Simone Elkeles’ books, which is a good thing. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
Reply »
i love this series!
Reply »
I love the romance and can relate to the high school life.
Reply »
I love YA contemporary novels because of the real situations that characters find themselves in. Fantasy & sci fi just don’t compare!
Laura R recently posted..Waiting on Wednesday: Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2) by Katie McGarry
Reply »
What I love the most about YA is that it seems to take me away from the real world for a while. Yes I know most books do that for me but for some reason YA seems easier to get into, years ago I use Harlequin (as in between books – a way to separate books), now I use YA, it makes me feel good and unless it is a series, a way to go from one book to another without saying “was that in this book or the last one”
I love all the YA Series I have read as well! Although I am 52 years young, I really wish I had books like this when I was younger!
Reply »
I love the hope that comes from characters successfully dealing with tough times in their lives and finding something better.
Reply »
I love the roller coaster of emotions in YA…. but still appreciate a HEA.
Reply »
I love YA because they have the best dimensional characters and romance!!!
Reply »
I love how it’s easier for me to relate to and I love how it takes me back to a more innocent time in my life when I was younger
Reply »
What I love most about YA contemporaries is reading about first love and getting to experience it again vicariously.
Reply »
I love that sense of becoming your own individual. There’s also that thrill of experiencing so many emotions and events for the first time.
Reply »
I love how relatable and real they are!
Reply »
I like that the situations are more realistic than other genres, so you can get lost in the book easier!
Reply »
I love being able to connect to the characters & when they’re flawed.
Vivian recently posted..Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Reply »
I love how they make me feel every emotion & it doesn’t matter if it’s sadness or anger, it feels real & I love when a book can make me feel as if I’m a part of the story. I like how characters come to life and are relatable. I like being able to sit down for hours and just escape for a little while.
Reply »
I love the characters.
Reply »
I love YA for the characters trying to find themselves, developing into the adults they are going to be and gotta admit, the romance.
Tanya @ Mom’s Small Victories recently posted..Bout of Books 7.0 Readathon Goals and Updates
Reply »
I love the romance
Hailee Tocco recently posted..Hooked (Hooked, #1)
Reply »
The range of emotions, the roller coaster of feelings, the soft and sweet romances, the rough and tumble romances. The happy endings!
Reply »
It’s like getting to relive my youth vicariously through the characters and therefore being more awesome and adventurous than I was back when.
I am right there with Pushy on the Beth/Isaiah thing. I remember the night after the house party thinking ‘Yep, they’re going to make a great book…can’t wait’. But then I got that book 2 teaser chapter at the end and thought ‘oh no she (yes you Katie) didn’t!’! But after it all settled in I realized this means we can get Isaiah’s story in book 3 (Please, Please, Please). I loved Pushing the Limits and both Beth and Isaiah. Dying to read Dare You To!!!
Reply »
I love YA because it takes me back to when I was young. I’m not old or anything, but I’m an adult. I have a lot of responsibilities and it’s nice to escape in a good YA book.
Reply »