Review - Daring the Bad Boy (Endless Summer) by Monica Murphy

Title:Daring the Bad Boy

Author: Monica Murphy

Category/Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publication Date: August 22nd 2016
Publisher: Entangled Teen Crush

Truth or Dare was never this much fun...

Annie McFarland is sick of being a shy nobody. A session at summer camp seems like the perfect opportunity to reinvent herself—gain some confidence, kiss a boy, be whoever she wants to be. A few days in, she’s already set her sights on über-hottie Kyle. Too bad her fear of water keeps her away from the lake, where Kyle is always hanging out.

Jacob Fazio is at Camp Pine Ridge after one too many screw-ups. Junior counseling seems like punishment enough, but the rigid no-fraternizing-with-campers rules harsh his chill. When a night of Truth or Dare gets him roped into teaching Annie how to swim, she begs him to also teach her how to snag Kyle.

Late-night swim sessions turn into late-night kissing sessions...but there’s more on the line than just their hearts. If they get caught, Jake’s headed straight to juvie, but Annie’s more than ready to dare him to reveal the truth.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains references to drinking, sexual situations, adult language, and an intense bad boy hero who will melt your heart.

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

3 “Summer Camp & Bad Boy” Stars

ARC via NetGalley

Thank you, Entangled Crush!

I normally have a lot of luck with Entangled Crush books, and though this one wasn’t the best I’ve read from the publisher, it was cute and entertaining enough… until the end happened and almost ruined the book completely.

“Daring the Bad Boy” follows the story of Annie and Jake, and since this is dual POV we get to see inside these character’s head, which is something I often enjoy.

The author did a good job making the voices distinctive most of the times, but I have to say Jake’s POV was the main reason I kept reading. I can’t really say I connected with Annie in the beginning and, though she grew on me in the middle, her actions in the end cemented my feelings for her. And they were not the best feelings.

Jake, on the other hand, was a likable character.  He had enough drama in his life to make it work and he was level-headed most of the time. I liked that he helped Annie with her swimming lessons, even though she sort of blackmailed him into it. He had a lot to lose by being around her and sneaking out at night to help her, but he still did it.

My biggest problem with Annie in the beginning was due to the lack of consistency and logic in her actions. It didn’t make much sense to me that she’d accept the challenge to jump in the lake at night when she knew she couldn’t swim. What exactly did she think would happen? That she’d magically learn how to swim in time to avoid drowning and dying? I mean… it just doesn’t make any sense. AT ALL. And it made me roll my eyes far back, which isn’t something you want your readers to do early on.

I get that Anne went to summer camp searching for the new, more adventures version of her, but it still didn’t sound like a logical decision. For someone who was trying hard to impress the boy she was crushing on (a crush I can hardly understand in the first place), she made the stupidest decision ever when she jumped. It would’ve been a much better plotline to have someone accidentally (or not) throw her in the lake instead.

When she turned to Jake for help on learning how to swim, she started showing a different, more likable side of her. That was when the story got much better. I wish the romance aspect of the story had started sooner, but it came and it was cute, so I was satisfied. I enjoyed watching Jake and Annie go from strangers who didn’t really like each other to friends to more.

The problems was, when they finally got to that point, Anne decided she was going to take a thousand steps back and become someone else entirely. Who was that girl who gave the boy she just started seeing an ultimatum? One that didn’t even make sense… Again. And what she did next? Wow. That was just wrong in so many levels that I can’t even begin to explain it. It irritated me in a different level, and so did the author’s treatment of their relationship after that incident. Again, it made no sense that Jake was the one apologizing to her first, because Anne was the one who was in the wrong. She should’ve gone after him! Why didn’t that happen? No idea.

I have to say that the author kind of saved the ending with that prologue because it was really, really adorable, and it made me forget how angry I was at Anne. Sure it was Jake being cute and a great boyfriend that had me swooning and not anything Anne did, but it was still the right call because otherwise the story would’ve ended on a bad note for me.

Despite my problems with one of the main characters in the beginning and the end of the book, the story was saved by Jake’s great chapters, the cute “getting to know and fall in love with you” parts, the solid middle and the great prologue.

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.