Last summer, Juniper Nash kissed her best friend right before his world fell apart. Now, they've mostly pretended nothing happened and they're navigating their friendship through what's sure to be a crazy summer for Juniper, who is also dealing with a potential new stepfamily.

So much of this was adorable; the summer in a small town setting, serious Dawson's Creek vibes. great narrator I really thought I would love it. As a huge fan of Joey & Pacey on Dawson's Creek, and as a person who's had crushes on friends, I generally love that story.... but for some reason Juni just annoyed me. She is simultaneously overthinking things (her whole relationship with Graham) and acting impulsively (with her friends, at the parties, with the theater crew). I also felt like the book was way too long for the story; several times (33%, 65% & 80%) in I couldn't believe how much was still left or imagine where the story was going. I think the issue is when you have a whole TV show like Dawson's Creek or Gilmore Girls, things can build slowly because the character growth and will-they-or-won't-they stuff is the secondary or tertiary story and in this book that's the main plot so it feels lengthy.

I do think the book was well written, I just think that the will they or won't they thing wasn't enough to carry the whole book without any other major plot points. I also think the issues i had with the book would be more easily overlooked by someone still in their teens; I could definitely see this going over well with Sarah Dessen fans.

I wasn't too sure that I would like this story. I don't read a lot of young adult fiction anymore, but the synopsis interested me.

Juniper Nash is sixteen years old and it's the summer before her senior year of high school. She is working at her mom's cafe and participating in the summer theater production. She doesn't like to think about her mom's boyfriend or his daughter, Tallulah, who is a year younger than her. The two girls don't get along and have nothing in common. Junie wants to hang with her friends and hope things get back to normal with Graham. Their friendship was tested last year, and things have been off between them since.

This started out slow for me. I didn't know where the story was going to go. The more I listened, the more it grew on me. The best part of this story, for me, was Junie's relationship with her friends and their strong bond. Juniper, Graham, Milo, Lucy...and even Tallulah. I love that Junie came to realize that her friends are her family and that she doesn't deserve to be treated the way her biological father is treating her.

Overall, an enjoyable story. I listened to an advanced listener copy and the narrator, Jesse Vilinsky, is so good. I could listen to her narrate all day long. I usually like at least two narrators, but her male voice is so good that it didn't seem like it was just one narrator.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and Wednesday Books for my advance listener copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After trying her two books, I think that Samantha Markum is not for me. I am not YA and I realize these books aren't written for me. I usually have no problem getting into YA, though. I just could not stand Junie and her immaturity. After making it over 50% I was hoping to see some more character growth. All the other characters were mature, so I was hoping for a slower growth instead of rushing it in all at the end.
Jesse Vilinsky, however, gave a wonderful performance like always.

I love this narrator! She does all of the Lynn Painter YA audiobooks too, and she is just the best!

You Wouldn't Dare is a YA book that handles some more mature topics and issues in a way that is accessible for YA readers.

What I Loved:
-Portrayal of the difficulties of blending families
-The building of sisterhood between Junie & Talulah
-Themes of found family
-Supportive friendships
-Shakespeare/theater references
-Featuring "real" teen issues: drinking, loss, infidelity, absent parents, dating
-Beach town setting
-Representative cast of characters

Thank you NetGalley orangesky audiobook, publisher and the author for the #gifted ALC in exchange for honest my honest review. Great narration, great production of the book. I really enjoyed this YA and painted a realistic picture of the difficulties teenagers face. The choices they make the ability to rally and support their friends and family. The growth of the characters warmed my heart.

I felt it was a bit long for ya and could have been a bit shorter.

I think this book solidifies Samatha Markum as one of my favorite current contemporary YA authors. her banter is so on point, the slow burn romance is delightful, and the friendships are just as well developed as the romance. Nina Moreno and Sarah Dessen are the perfect comps for this book! It's a really cute coming of age story that takes place on an island off the coast of Florida, full of beach life fun and small town shenanigans. This is a book about family, both the ones you're born with and the ones you choose. Junie has a strained relationship with her father that informs how to treats other people, and it's something she hasn't really realized or come to terms with.

Junie is not a perfect teenager, she's moody and a bit of a drama queen, she's petty and she's a little dense. But, she loves her friends and her mother deeply, and once someone comes under the umbrella of her love, she is a fierce and protective friend. She was such a fun protagonist to follow in this adventure.

Jess Vilinsky was the perfect narrator on the audiobook as well! For a character who is a drama queen with dreams of the stage, Jess's performance really added dimension to her character. It was an absolute treat to listen to!

This is the type of book you stay up until 3 AM to finish, or at least I did.
This book is set during the summer before Juniper Nash’s senior year. She jokingly plans to turn over a new leaf, but reality might actually give her a chance to do so. Juniper, an actress, is hoping to fill the role of drama club president but first must prove she can save the summer community theater production. Not only is she balancing her extra-curriculars, but is working at her mom’s restaurant, adjusting to her mom’s boyfriend and his daughter being in their lives a lot more, and figuring out her complicated friendships. She’s best friends with Milo, but is it too much? Her other friend Lucy can’t seem to understand her at times. And Graham, well, that’s complicated.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. Sometimes I find contemporary fiction audio to be a little cheesy, but this production was great! It had all the emotions, and it was engaging and fun! The lines, especially the comedic ones, were paced/timed well. It was an enjoyable listen.

As for the story, I loved it! I was weary at first because the reader gets introduced to so many new characters just in the first chapter, but by chapter three it was smooth sailing (more or less, considering the dramatics of being a teenager haha). I liked the complexity in each of Juniper’s relationships, they felt like real struggles and each character really helped pushed her story through. I appreciated that these were messy teenagers who made mistakes, all of them had a depth to them that made for an intriguing unfolding of events. The atmosphere was great! It had the perfect small town vibes, the theater production was hilarious, and reading this truly felt like summertime.

You wouldn’t dare is perfect for fans of Morgan Matson (think about a combination of Take Me Home Tonight and Since You’ve Been Gone). Yet this book is unique as it tackles multiple layers of romance, friendship, families in a different and new way. It comes with my recommendation! The perfect summery read.

I really hate when reviews start with comparisons to an already popular author. I know. It probable gives street credibility to new authors, but daggum. It always seems to downplay what the new author has achieved. This was a long listen. I was hesitant to start it because I wasn’t sure I would have the time. The more I listened, the more I made time. Washing dishes, folding laundry, baking bread… I just kept making time because I wanted to see how this realistically flawed protagonist would work her way through the problems she, in many cases, created for herself. Whether by virtue of circumstance or choice, she kept making the wrong decisions & everyone around her seemed to take a hit. But isn’t that reality? The most fortunate of us are able to persevere from self-destruct mode when we are surrounded by a cast of characters who love us—including our flaws. I think this book conveys that & I think that the readers will see that. There were a ton of storylines here & they waxed & waned in importance & relevance, but I think they show a pretty close approximation of the reality of adolescence. The thing right in front of them is the most important thing in the moment—all else is forgotten. The conversations were far beyond anything I could’ve had at 16, but I think they reflect the way that adolescents want to talk or think that they talk. All said, I think this one has potential for great crowd appeal & for a perfect summer read. I could easily see it taking shape as a movie.

The narration was believable and conveyed the appropriate emotions with perfect depth and speed. The shift from male to female speaker can be troublesome, but I think this narrator pulled it off without a hitch because I never noticed the transitions. The audiobook definitely enhanced my read of the text!

This was a cute young adult story that’s part coming of age and part romance with a dash of community theater. Junie is facing a summer of changes but learns that change can be for the better. We get themes of found family and a sweet friends to lovers / second chance romance. Junie could be a bit overdramatic at times but I enjoyed the story overall.

Thanks OrangeSky Audio for my advance listening copy.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of You Wouldn't Dare by Samantha Markum. This is a YA novel that covers many topics, but it just wasn't for me. It was too long, I feel, for the story.

Thanks to Orange Sky Audio for the chance to read and review this audiobook prior to release.

I was sold when I saw this book being compared to GILMORE GIRLS. I can definitely see the similarities in some areas such as a single mom raising a teenage daughter and watching lots of TV together, but for me that's where they ended.

There were a lot of things I liked and a few things that didn't do it for me. I loved the relationship between Juniper and her mom as well as her growth as a person in a lot of areas (her relationship with her dad, and Tallulah for example). I really didn't like the whole reason/ "secret" for her "ruining Graham's entire life"... it just didn't seem in line with the rest of the story, in my opinion.

I definitely liked the last 25% of the book the most and think that raised it from 3 stars to 3.5.

I absolutely loved the narration- so 5 big stars for Jesse Vilinsky as always!

This book will be available on March 28th!

Okay WOW this was so different than This May End Badly but I really liked it!!! Major beach vibes! I wish I read this at the beginning (not the end) of summer. Since I loved This May End Badly so much, I hit request on NetGalley as soon as it dropped. Literally didn’t even read the summary.

So when I finally made the educated decision to figure out what this book was about—after downloading to my kindle—I was like hmmmm am I in the mood for this?? But I will NOT let my NetGalley ratio catch me. No worries though, I really liked this!! Juniper’s voice was so strong and the summery feel made me hate this never-ending heat just a ₗᵢₜₜₗₑ lessᵎ Graham was a tough nut to crack, but he was such a softie. I was definitely most excited to see the bond grow between Junie and Talulah (found family!!).

I did find the way everyone and her mother made her be the bigger person in nearly every scenario where . I stan a petty queen and I absolutely adored when she went all Harper Valley PTA on those bullies at the diner. Air that dirty laundry!! She was flawed but I definitely saw a lot of myself in her.

I also think it was a bit odd to say that she was treating Milo like a boyfriend with no blame being directed his way. He was the one in those relationships and he chose to put Junie first!! Definitely not the most healthy relationship on her end, but that street went both ways. It all worked out in a good way, but I felt bad for Junie, for a while there, she was being dragged at every damn turn.

As for the audiobook, I nearly SCREAMED when I realized Jesss Vilinsky was going to be the narrator. She’s my favorite YA narrator (I found her with Lynn Painter’s Better than the Movies) and I swear she elevates any story she touches. She does a wonderful guy voice is extremely expressive. This would be a lovely audiobook to chill with by the pool/lake/beach if you’re lucky.

Overall, The plot was fun and the second chance kept me guessing for a while there (definitely juicy👀). There were mild Shakespeare and theater kid vibes, so I can see fans of When You Get the Chance and Long Story Short liking You Wouldn’t Dare!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5

A cute coming of age story full of typical teenage stuff. The main character faced a lot of change and a lot of battles but really grew as a person through the story. It was fun to see her start out so happy and then have to make it through some pretty tough challenges- which she handled sometimes poorly but they helped shape her too.

🌀Synopsis
Juniper’s mom just announced that they’re going to move in with her boyfriend- on the other side of town with Junie’s nemesis Tallulah. Now, Juniper is determined to solidify her friendships this summer to make sure they last even after she moves.
Juniper is also trying to help the community theatre put on their best show yet, which requires the help of all her friends. One friendship in particular is a minefield of disaster. Her friend Graham. The two have a long history and their once good friendship has been cracked. As they try to repair it they realize that some old feelings are still there and they really like each other. It takes almost losing him for Juniper to really put her feelings out there and commit to the relationship.

What a cute and hearwarming story. I loved the cozy beach town vibe and definitely wish this was a book I’d read on the beach this summer.

Super cute and definitely recommend to anyone looking for a light YA read this summer.

I alternated between ebook and audio for this one. I'm sorry to say I didn't love the audio for this one.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

If you’re going to consume this book, you want the audiobook! It is narrated to perfection!

This is the PERFECT summertime read. It gave me all the coastal town summertime vibes and being born and raised on the coast it just spoke to me!

Junie is a force! She is extra AF, hilarious, dramatic and fiercely protective of the ones she loves. All she wants is for her summer to be amazing, but blow after blow hits her and with each one, her perfect summer is looking less possible.

The friend group in this book is goals. It’s the group I wish I had as a teenager. But, it’s fragile at the moment. Junie is also factoring her future step sister into the equation, a girl who seems to despise her.

One summer before everything changes… that’s all she asks for. But, you can’t stop change from happening and Junie just isn’t ready.

This book made me CRY! I needed a book packed with some emotion and this hit the spot. Junie was EVERYTHING I needed in a main character. Graham, the boy she told herself to stop having feelings for (one of her best friends) is pure perfection! There was not a single thing, a single moment of this book I didn’t enjoy.

This book has me ready for summer!

Juniper is a mess. But who isn’t?! Graham is a bit guarded and stand off-ish. But who can blame him?!

These two try to navigate a Best Friend group of four (plus Milo and Lucy’s relationships outside of the group) while dealing with first love emotions, a messy past, family drama, a failing community theatre, and biggest of all, will they all be separated after different family/friends??

I loved it. And the town. And the cozy vibe.

As I started reading this I had happy flashbacks to buying similar style books by Sara Dessen when my daughter was a teen. Similar themes like chosen families, absent parent, very deep angsty feelings, life changes and love are all part of the story. It is the summer before her senior year and Juniper Nash Abreheart is trying her best to survive changes. Graham and she secretly were together last summer but things happened and things are still tense in their life long friendship. Her mom announces plans to live with her boyfriend at the end of summer, which Junie is fine with until she realizes they are moving to his house twenty minutes away from her friends. Junie also is spending a lot of the summer working on a community theater production because drama is her first love. In addition the boyfriends daughter Tallulah, a year younger, is now working at her moms family cafe.

Everything is told from Junie’s POV which is very self centric. You hear the longing for Graham, the deep hurt she feels when her dad lets her down yet again. You also get the supportive friend group that have been the extended family for she and her mom. She is old enough to catch when she says things that hurt her mom’s feelings. I really wish there were a few more conversations between her and mom as they are wonderfully connected. I thought one comment particularly should have been addressed. But overall there is real growth in the short months of summer.

Half way through the book I was a solid five stars but dropped a little as the angst dragged on getting repetitive. I didn’t need to know every time she caught a glimpse of Graham's arms or abs. Also the ridiculousness of the date where she self sabotages not seeing anything from any view point but her own made me roll my eyes. I thought her friends should have intervened earlier in helping her sort out her feelings.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would gladly recommend it to teen readers and up. The theme of chosen family really resonates and there are a lot of things to learn along with Junie as she finds her inner strength. I appreciate the added LGTBQ representation in the friend group. There is mentioning of hooking up but this book only shows kissing. This is a sophomore novel and I will look for her other and future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the ARC in exchange for a review. (4.5 Stars)

A sweet story! I got exactly what I expected when I started this audiobook. I'll recommend it to fans of Sarah Dessen!

You Wouldn't Dare, by Samantha Markum, is a fun, YA novel about moving from friends to something more. A soft romance with all the feels. I loved all the characters and found the story to move quickly until suddenly it was over. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. The narrator on this one had a smooth voice and changed it up as the characters changed. I enjoyed listening. As is usual for me, I increased the speed after a while in order to maintain my attention and her voice maintained clarity with the increased speed. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

4.5★

Thoughts: When I think of what YA should be, what it should include and who it should speak to, this is the kind of book I envision. A coming of age story chock full of representation and honest conversations about sexuality, parental divorce and feelings of parental abandonment, this book speaks to the struggles of being a teenager and the concept of finding your people.

I really connected with the MC, Juniper, and her teenage struggles and angst. She showed enormous emotional growth from beginning to end and I think many adolescents and young adults will connect with her and what she goes through, even if they have not been through it themselves.

The found family in this story is one of the highlights for me. A core group of friends, they face the normal wear and tear of friendships (well minus the pretty dramatic issue between Junie and Graham) and come out stronger on the other side. I loved getting to know each of them, and had a lot of fun reading about their experience putting on the Shakespeare inspired community theater production, which was a significant focus of the story.

I listened to this one primarily on audio and have to give a major shoutout to Jesse Vilinksy who nailed it not only as Juniper, but every other character as well. She managed to convey a ton of emotion in her narration of our MC, but also kept each and every character wholly unique.

I am so impressed with Samantha Markum’s sophomore novel, and I cannot wait to read more from her backlist and future work.

Read if you like:
•friends to lovers
•second chance
•lgbtq rep
•drama club
•found family

Thank you to Samantha Markum, Wednesday Books, and OrangeSky Audio for my advanced copies and ALC in exchange for my honest review.