Author: Katie McGarry
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: HarlequinTeen Australia via NetGalley
Goodreads
Acclaimed author Katie McGarry returns with the knockout new story of two high school seniors who are about to learn what winning really meansReview by Nara
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.
I almost feel like I'm repeating myself over and over with reviewing McGarry's books. They're all well written, have distinct characters with very different (and swoon-worthy) romances and have just enough drama to keep the story flowing without tipping over into that realm of too angsty. If you've enjoyed other titles in the Pushing the Limits series, you're probably going to enjoy Take Me On too.
I must admit, I probably didn't like the romance quite as much in this book as I did in Dare You To and Crash Into You- most likely because the romance was a touch too speedy for my liking (although I definitely wouldn't call it instalove. Insta-attraction maybe). Ignoring the speed, the romance, as always, is very well done. You can really see the chemistry between Haley and West.
If I had to pick up on a flaw, for some reason, even though the storylines in McGarry's previous books have been similarly dramatic/dipping into the criminal underworld etc, it particularly bugged me in this book. It just didn't seem quite as realistic as the other books. I'm not quite sure why it's in this book in particular that these plotlines seemed extreme, because thinking about it, the story of Crash Into You is actually probably more unrealistic.
I'm quite intrigued by Abby. She made an appearance in previous books, and in this one you learn a bit more about her, but she remains quite the mystery. I really do hope McGarry writes a book about her because her character could use a bit more development (in the sense that I would like to find out a bit more about her background).
Overall, while not quite as good as Dare You To or Crash Into You, Take Me On was another excellent installation in this series, and I will certainly be continuing with the series in the future.
Really liked it
Ratings
Overall: 8/10
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 1/5
