Title: You Wouldn’t Dare
Author: Samantha Markum
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publishing On: March 28, 2023
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: digital (Netgalley)
Pages: 368
Synopsis:
A rom com about trying to have the summer of your life before everything changes – only to realize change might be exactly what you need…
When Juniper Nash Abreheart kissed Graham Isham for the first time, she had no idea it would nearly be the end of their friendship.
More specifically, she had no idea that the terrible, unforgivable thing she did to keep their summer fling a secret wouldn’t just ruin their friendship, but also Graham’s entire life. Now, months since the fallout, Junie and Graham spend most of their time sidestepping conversational landmines on the journey back to normalcy.
Junie is sure the strangeness between her and Graham is her biggest problem – until her mom hires Tallulah, her boyfriend’s surly teenage daughter, to work at their family café, and then announces they’ll all be moving in together at the end of the summer. The only bright spot ahead is Junie’s dad’s upcoming visit, just in time for her community theater production. And then poor turnout soon threatens that.
But when Junie starts to realize the feelings she swore to take care of last summer have lingered, saving her production and managing her hostile relationship with Tallulah might be the least of her problems. Graham isn’t just off limits – their friendship has been mended to barely withstand a breeze, and the gale force of Junie’s feelings could be just what breaks them.
Samantha Markum’s You Wouldn’t Dare is about the risks and triumphs that come with being brave enough to take a chance at what you really want, including love.
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
I adored Samantha Markum’s debut This May End Badly last year (My Review), surprising myself by giving the YA book five stars, so when I was invited to read her follow-up, You Wouldn’t Dare, I jumped at the chance, even though this one sounded so very different. And You Wouldn’t Dare is very, very different from This May End Badly, but one thing is the same: Markum knows how to write strong lead characters in the midst of change.
Set over the summer in the small Florida beach town of White Coral Key, it’s a story about heartbreak, found family, making mistakes, and accepting change. Junie has been treading water for the past year to keep her friend group together, to find some semblance of normality between her and Graham, as well as their best friends, Milo and Lucy.
Everything is changing so quickly, I can barely catch my footing.
Samantha Markum, You Wouldn’t Dare
First, I think the publisher may be misleading readers a bit with the tagline labeling this one as a rom-com. While there are light and humorous aspects, this novel definitely dives into deeper territory with some serious situations. And, while I enjoyed You Wouldn’t Dare, especially all the friendship dynamics, there were things that bothered me and kept me from being consumed in the story, making this one harder to review.
As the book begins, the reader can tell something has happened that shifted these friends’ relationships. I was confused at first, having to go back and read the beginning because it seemed understood that the reader knew what had happened. And when I couldn’t find anything, I figured it would be revealed slowly, that it was a mystery to be solved. However, it was eventually just revealed all at once, and not in a shocking or surprising way. It felt like a missed opportunity, and I was confused as to why it wasn’t simply revealed in the beginning.
But that might be a me-thing because I haven’t seen anyone else mention it in an early review. And I do tend to overanalyze sometimes.
One thing that is similar to Markum’s debut is how well she develops her characters. Junie and Graham are layered and complicated and engaging. While Graham is a sweetheart, Junie is hard to love at times, but I appreciated that human aspect of her. The side characters are fleshed out, as well, although there are so many in this book—including Junie’s fellow community theater group, fellow employees, and the eclectic community that made up Junie’s found family—I often had to go back to figure out who they were. This is when reading an ebook helps, and searching by name quickly satisfies my confusion.
One of my favorite relationships was the one between Junie and Tallulah. Since their parents are dating, they are thrown together quite often, and Junie is determined not to like Talullah. Which may not have helped me sympathize with Junie, but seemed very realistic. Meanwhile, Tallulah is dealing with her own demons, and it was refreshing to see Junie mature, growing past her personal animosity.
I do wish there had been more time devoted to showing the readers the friendship between the four main friends: Junie, Milo, Graham, and Lucy. I felt like we were told they were best friends since childhood, but not given very many examples to make it convincing. Especially between Junie and Milo and Graham and Lucy, respectively. The romance between Junie and Graham is given plenty of backstory to support it, and I wish the friendships had been handled the same way. Once again, this may be a me-thing.
I did love the beach setting. In the beginning, I was getting We Were Liars vibes, and I have such nostalgic memories of reading that one beachside. You Wouldn’t Dare would be a good one to read on the beach or by the pool, as well, enhancing that summer-feeling.
Overall, You Wouldn’t Dare is a satisfying story, and worth the read. I enjoyed hanging out with Junie and Graham, and their beach community. It had me wishing to pack my bags and find a quaint seaside town of my own!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
(All quotes are taken from the advance copy and are subject to change in final print.)
Rating:
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About the Author
Samantha Markum
Samantha Markum was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where she got her great literary start writing Newsies fan fiction in middle school. She went to high school and college in Florida, and eventually moved to Los Angeles, just so she could complain about how much she missed In-N-Out once she left. She currently lives in her hometown of St. Louis. This May End Badly is her debut novel.
A Song For A Book
I’m not sure why, but when I think of music for friend groups, I think of Lorde. I chose a Lorde song for Markum’s debut This May End Badly, so I decided to stick with my instincts. I’m choosing to highlight “Still Sane” by Lorde, which gives me a summery feel, as well.
Today is my birthday and I’m riding high
Hair is dripping, hiding that I’m terrified
But this is summer, playing dumber than in fall
Everything I say falls right back into everything
I’m not in the swing of things
But what I really mean is
Not in the swing of things yet…
Have you read You Wouldn’t Dare? Did you add it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
I agree with you about the rom-com label, but we know they love to slap that on all books. The romance wasn’t even front and center. This was Junie’s story. The strength of this book, for me, was the exploration of the relationships. I adored it.
Yes, they do love to slap on that label! This was a sweet friendship book. I’m excited to see what Markum does next, since her two books have been so different. And also very impressive.
Thanks for mentioning this isn’t actually a YA rom-com. I haven’t read anything by this author yet, but I think I’d rather try This May End Badly first.
If you prefer an academic setting with secrets and pranks and a fall setting, I’d say go with TMEB. While I liked both of her books, it’s still my favorite.
Nice review, Dedra. I am not a huge YA lover, so I will probably pass on this one. I’m glad you enjoyed it even if it wasn’t what you were expecting.
Thank you Carla! <3