Review : Take Me On by Katie McGarry

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Take Me On (Pushing the Limits #4)
Author : Katie McGarry
Publication Date : May 27th 2014
Publisher : Harlequin Teen
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Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they'll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

Personal Thoughts

Katie McGarry is one of those authors whose books I never mind reading despite sometimes not enjoying the actual characters (Dare You To for example). There is something almost magical about her writing style because it pulls you in from the first page and keeps a tight leash on you. I've read all four books in the Pushing the Limits series and I think Take Me On might be my favorite of all four.

Katie McGarry has a knack for writing characters who are troubled or have troubled pasts. Yes, I admit that all of her characters are starting to blend together a little, but that doesn't mean they aren't different in their own ways too. The reason Take Me On might be my favorite book in the series is because Hayley and West, I found, were much more relateable than the other characters because the issues that they go through are ones I feel a lot of people might go through. It also helped that I loved both Hayley and West equally unlike some of the other books where I seemed to prefer one character over the other, leading to some frustration. Hayley's family has lost their home and have to live with an abhorrent uncle who rules the house almost like a tyrant but because they have no choice, they tolerate the man without a word. Hayley went through a really rough phase after her family fell into poverty. In addition, she was forced to abandon kickboxing after a terrible incident with an ex-boyfriend who refuses to leave her alone. Hayley was a character who was easy to sympathize with. She was down-to-earth, caring and despite hating the situation that she was in, she stomached all of it without a complaint because of her love for her family. My heart broke for her, but at the same time, I was also very proud of her for being such a strong young woman in the face of all the obstacles.

West, too, was battling with his own issues, mostly his guilt over his sister, Rachel's car accident, that has basically left her paralyzed. He struggled with the indirect role he played in landing his sister in hospital. West refused to budge from the idea that he was useless and really not worth a thing, especially when his dad threw him out of the house. Over the course of the book though, we watch as West becomes this mature man, growing into a responsible person and learning to deal with his really messed up family. Throughout this all, West and Hayley met and became anchors to each other, preventing each other from drowning in all their issues. Their chemistry together was formidable and I personally think they were Katie McGarry's best couple as of yet. They are intense together, but they don't smother each other either. They allow themselves to grow in the presence of the other and it also helped that there wasn't too much drama preventing them from being a couple. My only complaint about this book would be its length. At 440 pages, Take Me On was quite a hefty read and there were definitely parts in the book that could have been compressed, but this is obviously a personal preference of mine because I tend to prefer my YA contemporaries on the shorter side. Other than that though, I thought Take Me On was entertaining and an absolutely lovely read. It was also a delight to meet some of the old characters, especially Rachel, Isaiah and Abby. I definitely can't wait to see where Katie McGarry goes in the future with her writing. She's definitely one talented author.

Fans of Katie McGarry should have no trouble enjoying this latest book in the series. With her signature writing style, her tortured characters and her gorgeous romance, she managed to make me fall in love with Take Me On.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for the e-ARC of Take Me On.