Daring the Bad Boy

I loved this one. A true classic fun summer camp romantic book. Definitely a highlight for me to read after volunteering at a camp. I would recommend it to all to read - a great ending to summer!

Annie was a classic 16 year old who wants to change herself for the better. Jacob is the Bad Boy who truly wants to get on the straight and narrow but can't overcome his past. Together they help each other overcome things they never could alone. And I LOVED the epilogue.

Just an overall fun quick read that for me is a perfect end to summer.

i never went to summer camp, but i have watched wet hot american summer and sleepaway camp and the parent trap so i'm pretty sure i know what summer camp is all about. daring the bad boy won't really change your mind about any clichés about summer camp, though there is 100% less murders in it than sleepaway camp.

this young adult summer read tells the story of jacob fazio, bad boy extraordinaire, whose run-ins with trouble have condemned him to work as a lifeguard at his uncle's summer camp. jake has to keep on the straight and narrow, breaking the rules can land him in juvie. he's definitely made some mistakes, but he's also carrying around a lot of anger and grief. his mother died of cancer when he was fourteen, and his father handled this by pretending she never existed, moving them out of their home, and starting over somewhere new. this was not the best way for jake to handle his grief, thrust into an entirely new environment when his world had been drastically altered already. so coming into this you have a lot of sympathy for where jake is coming from.

annie mcfarland is our other lead. she's the quiet type, but she's ready for a change. she wants to be braver, more outgoing. she wants to connect with people instead of keeping everyone at arms length. she wants to live her life instead of reading about someone else's. this is her first time at summer camp, and she's hoping it is life-changing. the only problem is that this summer camp is located by a lake and annie doesn't know how to swim. in fact, she has a severe phobia of water related to an incident in her childhood.

after jake saves annie from a near drowning, they start spending time together. and the more they get to know each other, the more they like each other. but jake is a counselor and annie is a camper, and this is one line he is forbidden from crossing. but soon the attraction is too powerful to ignore.

in one of my favorite moments, jake and annie jump off a waterfall together. and the moment of closeness they share is so sweet. jake is so proud of annie for conquering her fears and annie genuinely appreciates how jake is there for her. she asked him to hold her hand and never let go, and he doesn't.

there's just something uplifting about young love, which is why i have always enjoyed a good young adult romance. this reminds me a bit of the old sweet dreams series, so if you liked those books, this one is a can't miss.

mer is one of the best seasons for reading, so why not read a book about summer? Annie is trying to change, only a little bit, to be more alive. She wants to make new friends, and possibly meet a cute boy. Who wouldn't, right?

Jake Fazio . . . Honestly, who can resist a bad boy? Well, it seems Annie was able to resist him for a while . . . Nope. She couldn't hold her ground for long. Jake has been caught by the cops so many times. You would think he was glad to have been given a chance to "pay his time" at his uncles camp. He doesn't want to cause trouble. He just wants to get the summer over with.

But what good book does not have a bit of sweet romance. It does not start right away. Jake is sort of messing around with another junior counselor. Annie is crushing on Kyle, who has dated and kissed every single girl in her cabin. Annie is dared to jump off the dock into the lake, by Kyle, of course. She cannot swim, but she wants to prove that she is not a chicken and wants to take the leap into a different life.

Jake rescues Annie from nearly drowning and in return, Annie saves his butt from his uncle, because they are both out after curfew. Annie then dares Jake to teach her to swim. Or rather, she blackmails him to teach her, or else she will tell his uncle that she saw him with another camp counselor.

This was a great, and super fast read. I read it over the weekend, and in one sitting. I think those are the best. Also, its Entangled CRUSH. I couldn't resist the pull. What can I say? I'm sucker for sweet romances that end in HEAs.

I am such a fan of Monica Murphy's writing! She seems to be able to do it all- between young adult, erotica, new adult- and she does it so well!

This book was just what I needed- a sweet fun summer read! I would definitely recommend this book to any looking for an entertaining "beach" read!