This was a sweet read that reminded me of the cute Sarah Dressen books I read growing up.

There was just a sweet innocence to the story and it brought me back so many feels!

you wouldn't dare take you on a summer vacation to an island in Florida where we follow a young girl who loves theater and who has a big change coming up in her life. Within this story we watch our main character falls back in love and learn a bit of self worth. now I will say trigger warning for flaky fathers our mc father is mention with in this book but our mc only talks to him a few times though out the book. Now I will say our mc father remind me so much of my own and how the mc was scared that anything she said or did would cause him to abandon her for good. seeing myself in the main character broke my heart knowing people like her father never change and doesn't care about anyone but them self. over all I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is high praise from a millennial woman, but... Samantha Markum could easily be the next Sarah Dessen.

And yet, that compliment was meant to cushion some of the blow because... I didn't love this. Having read Markum's debut (This May End Badly), I'm noticing a lot of the same issues here that I had with that. For starters? It's too long. More is not always better. This book could greatly benefit from being edited down... and adding smoother transitions to help with some of the pacing. Like her previous book, Markum also throws a lot of characters our way early-on, many of whom were not vital to the overall plot.

I say that Markum could become the next Sarah Dessen because of the small town vibes. The motley crew of characters. The way she could very easily bleed some of the characters and details from this book into another. She has a great knack for banter, but it was often overshadowed by the scattered storyline.

We're introduced to our protagonist, Junie, and given a pretty extensive look at her situation, ranging from her friend group (that eventually sort of just fizzled away as the plot progressed), to her family dynamic (which includes moving in with her mother's boyfriend and his daughter, who she doesn't get along with... not to mention her flake of a dad that never seems to follow through on anything), to the restaurant she works in (that her mother owns and has a full cast in itself), to the theater club she's joined (with, you guessed it, even more characters). Many of the subplots here felt underdeveloped. While I appreciate feeling immersed in a character's world, it felt like the author bit off more than she could chew... and that some of these storylines never seemed to go anywhere.

I've failed to mention that Junie's attempting to become president of her school's drama club, has a failed romance with one of her best friends that involves yet another convoluted subplot, and is frequently accused of having feelings for her other best friend. It's all just... really messy.

With more focus and development -- and cutting out some of the less necessary storylines -- this could have been great. It's lacking the depth and cohesion I found in many of Dessen's novels, but... there's definite potential.

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

This is a classic summer YA read. Friends, drama, beach days, first love; this book has it all! The audio is very well done and I'll definitely read something else by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for my complimentary e-arc of this book. All opinions here are my own.

*4.5 stars

MARKUM HAS DONE IT AGAIN! I never cease to be in love with every piece of writing she does, and I still leave with the feeling that I always want more from her books. This book was the perfect spring break/summertime read that I was craving. This story only solidifies by love for Sam and her books. I still continuously reread her debut, and I just know that this book will be right up there with it.

Following June and Graham throughout this story is full of trials and tribulations. The messiness that sometimes reminds you a book is fiction feels rooted in personal relationships that you find in real life. Discovering who you are as a teenager is hard, but this story encompasses the personal relationships between everyone, and it really, really, REALLY makes me want to vicariously live through these characters lives.

I'm usually not a huge proponent of friends to lovers, but Markum executed this beautifully without me thinking about the cliche that the trope is. I love how readers are thrust right into the actions, so the plot isn't wasted on buildup, allowing readers to really experience and get to the heart of this story. (That I am, in fact, obsessed with)

The only thing that seemed to be lacking was a bit of production at times. Occasionally, I wanted more of a plot point or more of a side character to be hammered out, but that's really just personal preference and didn't detract in any way from the overall book.

Banter, humor, heart, and characters and plot that I cannot stop thinking of. This is a perfect friends to lovers, summery book that must be added to TBRs IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!


Thank you to the author (the wonderful and magnificent: SAMANTHA MARKUM, publishing house (St. Martin's Press), and NetGalley for a copy of this book. I have received this as an arc in exchanged for an unbiased review.

samantha m knows how to write a FUN SUMMER TIME BOOK

i loved everything about this. i felt like i was right there with Juniper and Graham and all the messiness that lead them exactly where they needed to be

These books make me want to go back to childhood so bad! This story was so sweet and held on to my heart! Thank you for the book!

This was a DNF for me. Just wasn't in the mood to read through it - maybe I will come back to it someday!

I always love a book that provides the main character with a cast of funny and supportive friends. I especially liked that this book made sure to stress the important reminder that a guy and a girl can be best friends without there being anything romantic about it. This book even took a trope I hate - friends to lovers - and found a way to make it so that it didn’t bother me once. I think it has to do a lot with the fact that we start the book in the middle of the relationship between Graham and Junie, rather than waiting for them to start realizing their feelings. Either way, it was just pure joy to read this book, as I often found myself physically grinning while reading it.

I had soooo much fun reading Samantha Markum’s last book, and I’m glad to say her debut was not a fluke. Although they are very different books with very different settings, you will still enjoy this second book if you liked her debut novel. You’ll even find it hard to put this book down, as it’s the kind that makes you want to keep reading.

If you love a good Emma Lord book, you’ll probably love this book by Samantha Markum.

Thanks so much to the author and Wednesday Books (St. Martin's Press) for the gifted physical ARC of this book, as well as to Netgalley for the gifted e-copy, in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } My reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW: major injury to a minor, infidelity, discussion of death, underage drinking

When I first learned about this book I heard it being described as "Gilmore Girls-like," so I will say that I had pretty high expectations going in to it - but I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint!

First let's look at the characters - and I'll just do a brief overview because there were so many fun characters at the core of this story! Junie, our female lead, is far from a perfect character, but I think that's a big part of her charm. She is sassy and yes, very melodramatic - but she's a teenager in a theatre department, so what else would you expect? As a former theatre kid myself, I found her dramatics and drama club related goals to be almost too familiar to me.

And her two primary relationships being built in this story - her romance with Graham, and her friendship/sisterhood with Tallulah.
She and Graham had such a lovely relationship - I think it was a great balance between the history that they had and the chemistry in their interactions with the inherent fears and risks with a friends to lovers relationship. I was absolutely rooting for them throughout the story, and I loved watching their romance really rekindle.
But I will say that I think Junie and Tallulah's relationship was the one that made me feel the biggest feelings while reading this book. It's easy to understand how these two characters got off on the wrong foot and had a hard time getting going from there, and getting to see them slowly thaw towards each other and really get to a solid point of caring about each other and looking after one another by the end of the book was really lovely to see.

And I can't talk about this book without mentioning the setting, because much like Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls, this small beach town really was a character all it's own! To say that I wanted to move in and work at a cute little bookshop in this town and hide away from my other responsibilities for the rest of my life would be a gross understatement. This was a perfect summer read, and I only wish I had a more beachy location to enjoy it in.

Overall I would recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers who are looking for something fun and easy to get them into a summery mood. While there are some tougher topics and a few tense scenes (take a look at the trigger warnings above before jumping in), I think that the perfect way to read this book would be on the beach or somewhere else warm and sunny with some sort of tasty treat - maybe a cocktail, or a lemonade, or an ice cream cone. Doesn't matter, just settle in and get comfy! If you enjoy it like I did, then you'll probably be there for a while.

Junie is your typical teen girl finding her way through the challenges that come with that age. She enjoys spending time with friends and participating in theater. Her and her “friend” Graham share a kiss. In effort to keep it a secret, Junie does something that ruins their friendship. They attempt to try and repair their friendship, but it’s super awkward. To add to her stress, her mom hires her boyfriends daughter, Tallulah, to come work at their family restaurant and also announces they’ll all be moving in together. Junie tries to distract herself with prepping for her upcoming theater performance and her dad visiting, but soon even that hangs in the balance. To top it off, after everything Junie has done to Graham, she begins having real feelings for him. The question is should she take the risk and pursue a chance at what her heart wants or should she leave it all in the past?

I felt like this story was more of a coming of age story than it was a rom-com. It’s the perfect summer read! I liked the cozy beach setting and enjoyed “meeting” all the characters. There’s quite a few subplots woven into this story which creates a lot of dimension.

Thank you to NetGalley + Wednesday Books for the ARC.

This was a feel good read. I was invested in Junie and Grahams romance. I love watching Junie make a big change and stand up to her father. It was nice seeing her change with her friends.

Title: You Wouldn't Dare
Author: Samantha Markum
Release Date: March 28th, 2023
Page Count: 363
Format: Netgalley/Audiobook
Start Date: June 1st, 2023
Finish Date: June 5th, 2023

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

This book had such interesting vibes. There's the southern small town vibes. The insecure in their skin teenage vibes. The reckless vibes. I could go on. I will say that my little southern heart was so thrilled for the Publix mention. That's a really big deal to me. Not only is it an amazing store with the best tea I've ever had, but my mom worked there for twenty years. I'm very familiar with the company. But I digress. This isn't a review on Publix. This is a review on the book. I think I read somewhere that this had Gilmore Girl vibes? I mean I guess I can see it a bit. With the single mom and small town vibes. There's also the absentee dad as well. That's as many similarities as I see. I really am glad that I got to read this book. There's a part of me that kind of hopes for a sequel. One that takes place a few years down the road just to check in on all of the characters in the book. I'm sure they will stick with me for a long time. The cover is really adorable as well!

The characters in this book felt real to be. This is a mix of heavy and light. Juniper Nash isn’t perfect, she is flaws, she has made some questionable choices, but she has a good heart. And she has a cool mom, a quirky beachside town, and the best friends she could ask for.

Juniper is planning to really make the most of this summer. It’s the summer before senior year. Her and her lifelong best friends all live my each other and Juniper knows they may be further apart when college starts. So, this summer has to count, it has to be great, cause this is the year before everything changes.

Except everything starts changing early.

First there’s the lingering drama in her friend group.
She has her best friend Milo, and her other lifelong friends Graham and Lucy.
But last summer, Graham and Juniper had a secret relationship. And Juniper did something majorly questionable to keep people from finding out about them before she was ready. And that bad decision resulted in something way more explosive than she could have expected.
And that “explosion” hit Graham directly.
I’ll be honest, the reveal completely shocked me. Wow! I wouldn’t have ever guessed.

And second there is Juniper’s mom’s relationship.
Juniper is absolutely fine with her mom’s boyfriend. He seems like a great guy. But she doesn’t get along with his teenager daughter Talulah. And her mom drops a bomb on her, they will be moving in with her boyfriend and his daughter in a few months.
This devastates Juniper. She loves her town. She loves her best friends. She doesn’t want to be 4 miles away from them (yes, 4, it’s not a big move. But they practically live in each other’s back yards right now).

Juniper is going to learn that sometimes you can’t fight changes. Sometimes you have to learn to live with them.
Her relationships with her friends and Talulah all evolve.

I enjoyed this story. It wasn’t always light. But it was always summery.
I loved this group of friends. I thought the teenage boys were written as very sensitive and lovable characters. And I loved their history and cute little traditions. I loved “the Juniper Nash cry fest” and the tradition of bartering favors with each other.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!

3.5⭐️

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. I didn’t love the first one if we’re being honest. It had a lot to do with the MC. I can’t lie, I didn’t love the MC for this one either. I will say eventually I started to like her more. I found her so selfish and it drove me crazy.

This gave me Gilmore Girls vibes and I loved that.
While the romance was adorable, I don’t think it’s the main focus in the story.
It has so many perspectives on relationships and family. I loved seeing the blended family side of it. It’s so common now that I love to see it being portrayed.

Overall this was an adorable book perfect for summer. If you’re looking for something light then I recommend this one.

I made it 22% through this book before deciding to DNF. I really really enjoyed Markum’s first book, and this one is a very different vibe. I may come back to it one day, but at about a quarter in I mostly was confused about who was who, and didn’t feel invested at all in the plot.

Junie Abreheart has a tight group of four friends: two boys and two girls. One of the boys has been her best friend since they were tiny. The other is who her heart skips a beat for. Last summer, they had a secret fling. But something she did ended that — and nearly ruined their friendship. This summer, she wants their friend group to be totally back to normal. But she can’t help but wish she could go back to kissing Graham.

Raised by a single mom in a close, relaxed community in Florida, Junie is doing well overall. But a couple of problems arise this summer: one, her mom tells her they’re going to move in with her boyfriend. That includes moving out of their cute house on the “hippie” side of town and into the doctor boyfriend’s upscale neighborhood. Plus, she’ll have to live with his daughter, Tallulah, who’s pretty much impossible to like.

The second issue is the community theater production. Junie loves theater and is looking forward to the play planned for summer. But when few people show up to put it on, she has to draw on all her resources (namely, her bestie, Milo) to drum up any and all possible bodies to participate. That big ask requires her to owe a big favor to Milo. Their group trades in various levels of favors, and this one is the biggest possible.

By the end of the summer, it would be ideal for her to be able to get along with Tallulah, accept living in a different house, have a great play production under her belt (and be elected drama club president), and have a completely comfortable relationship with Graham. That’s a lot to ask. But could she even ask for more, like a return to romance with him? Readers get to go along for the summer with Junie, having some delightful and sweet experiences along the way.

You Wouldn’t Dare is just what you would want in a good young adult summer romance: light moments with friends, chemistry and banter with a love interest, and fun times.

A cutesy book. The characters are well thought out, making them likebale from the start. Romancey beach read with a likeable writing style

You Wouldn't Dare gave major Sarah Dessen vibes that I just loved. I love a good friend group and I felt that all our characters were unique and interesting. The story of the future step-sisters felt very believable. I would read more books set in this same coastal town.