Review: Take Me On

Author: Katie McGarry
Date of Publication: May 2, 2014
Pages: 544
Source: Library

Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they'll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

GOODREADS

Review:
I wasn’t too impressed with McGarry’s Dare You To and so it took me a lot longer than it should have to pick this one up. As you might soon be able to tell not just by the 5 stars but the gushy review to come, I LOVED THIS BOOK PEOPLE!

It’s a rare talent to be able to build a world, give each of the characters in it a life and at the same time incorporate previous characters inconspicuously so that they don’t superimpose themselves and their story on the new one. Take Me On is closely related to Crash Into You and Isaiah’s story and as a result, Isaiah plays the role of a supporting character in this novel. Fans of the previous book got a nice little look into the lives of their favourite characters from the previous novel while also coming to know and falling in love with two incredible new characters, Haley and West. 

Speaking of West and Haley, I adored them from the beginning. They are both troubled and flawed but they are strong people who will go through hell to protect the ones they love and I thought they were very noble, even if some of the things they did were kind of stupid. But hey, we all make mistakes and their mistakes made them human. I couldn’t always relate with them at a personal level because the difficulties they were facing were out of my range of experience like, physical and emotional abuse, severe depression and the impact these illnesses have on a person’s self worth. Nevertheless, McGarry managed to spin a realistic story from which one can learn.

I love it when the characters have a hobby because we all do. In this case it was Mixed Martial Arts (MMA); a fascinating subject. From art, to baseball to drag racing and now to MMA, Katy McGarry has guts! She is obviously trying to bring something new to the table with each book and I love that. 

Though MMA was a motif in the story it wasn’t all Haley and West did, in fact it wasn’t even close. I loved and hated this fact. I’m glad that McGarry didn’t focus so much on the sport to neglect the story but on the other hand I wouldn’t have minded some more depth to allow me to visualize what was happening in the cage.

Something else that steals the spotlight was the use of MMA jargon. There is nothing that makes a reader feel like they are immersed in a new world than the use of relevant vocabulary. Things like “he/she has heart” and “don’t tap out on me” are glued into my memory.  

This is definitely one of my favourite works by Katy McGarry, it’s so real and intense. I was always itching to read it and when it came to an end I felt a sweet feeling of accomplishment and pleasure; wanting more but realizing that there was no more to tell. What a great book to start the summer with. 

-MARI