I wanted to love this one as I throughly enjoyed the authors first book ,'This May End Badly', but I gotta say this one kind of fell flat for me. There didn't seem to be much of a story involved, I was about halfway through and it felt like it was still just settling up for the main story. They spend the whole book rehearsing for this musical, but then kind of just pass over the final dress and performances like there was nothing building up to them.

I also regret to say that didn't feel much chemistry between Junie and Graham, nothing that really made me want to root for them. I wanted to love them, but I just couldn't.

This one unfortunately ended up being a DNF for me. But I was hoping to if not loved it to at least liked it because I was a huge Sarah Dessen fan and I love Gilmore Girls. I think I hyped it up to much.

I absolutely adored Markum’s debut novel and this second book did not disappoint. This book is quite different from “This May End Badly”, so if that one wasn’t for you, the you should still give this one a try.
This story has us enjoying the summer by the beach, which brought me back to summer with all the sensations that come with it (the smells, the heat, the waves… everything).
Juniper is a bit of a disaster, never on time for anything and doesn’t always think before she does something. During the previous summer, Juniper secretly dates (make out sessions) with her close friend Graham. However, she manages to single-handedly ruin that friendship (may have inadvertently helped someone have an affair…). The end of the friendship is more because she cuts herself off due to the guilt, and not even because he cuts her out. This makes their foursome friendship a little awkward during the school year. Can they become friends again? Well, Juniper’s world just about explodes when her mom decides they are going to move in with her boyfriend and his daughter, Tallulah (she has a quite the chip on her shoulder, so how is Juniper going to work this one out, seeing as she’s not much better 😆), on the other side of the island, her dad remains aloof (will he or will he not show up at the end of the summer?), and friendships are rocky (because everyone thinks she’s controlling her best friend Milo, because he keeps putting her first). We have Long Story Short vibes with the whole community theatre vibes (instead of camp), but this is where some of the friendships are tested or their bonds become stronger. Definitely felt the angst, as well as the love in the air.
The book is fast paced because there is so much going on. This can definitely be read in one sitting. Sometimes I wanted to smack some sense into Juniper, but most of the time I was rooting for her. The side characters are great too. I don’t want to say more because I don’t want to spoil it. Definitely a book to pick up when you’re need a pick me up from a long winter and want to feel those summer vibes or in the middle of summer when you’re devouring summer reads!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing for providing me with an eArc. The opinions above are my own honest opinions.

this was such a fun little read!! i'm so thankful to netgalley for letting me read this one early!! if you like sweet and cute characters, then pick this one up!!

It’s the summer before Junie’s senior year. She’s ready to do community theater and spend the rest of the time with her 3 best friends Milo, Lucy & Graham as she gears up for senior year. But everything is suddenly changing. Her best friend Milo is starting to date someone and isn’t always with their friend group, her mom wants them to move in with her boyfriend which puts Junie in close proximity to her “step-sister” Talullah who she doesn’t get along with, the theater production keeps running into issues, and a mistake last year with Graham has thrown off their whole friend group. Junie doesn’t like change, especially as it’s about to mess up her perfect senior year. With the help of her friends, she tries to accept all of these changes and make it the best summer yet.
Wow, this book had a lot going on. I’m not sure I even realized it until I was trying to summarize and couldn’t fit it all in. But I thought it was so well done. There have been a few YA books recently where the protagonist was dramatic and whiny and I was scared that I was phasing out of YA. While Junie does have a bit of the flair for the dramatic, I found her so realistic and relatable. This book felt like I was back in high school and trying to figure the world out, except I would have killed to have friends like hers. Junie was going through a lot of hard things, but the tone still often felt so lighthearted and fun in this beach town. I also really appreciated the growth that Junie showed as everyone around her pushed her to be better.
I have hope for my reading the YA genre again thanks to this book, and will be looking for another book to give me similar feels soon.
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Perfect for fans of Nina Moreno, Gilmore Girls, and Sarah Dessen, You Wouldn't Dare will wrap you up in a sun-drenched, salt-scented hug and refuse to let you go." - Amanda Quain, author of Accomplished: A Georgie Darcy Novel

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.
This was such a cute book. I absolutely devoured it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own

Thank you netgalley for providing me with a free digital copy of You Wouldn't Dare in exchange for an honest review. This book was absolutely delightful. It's the perfect light cozy summer read - perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen or Jenny Han. This very cute coming of age story follows the quirky and dramatic Juniper Nash as she navigates through a life changing summer. This book had a lot of heart and kept me smiling the whole way through. It's a must read for any YA Romance fan,

looking for a beachy read?

This one is perfection! Two best friends who take things a little farther...but then are not sure what to do with that.
Reminders of what it's like to be a kid and not in control of your life. This book is about friendship, family and young love.

Both Junie and Graham are well developed characters and the book is so well written.

I will DEFINITELY be recommending this one to YA fans at the library!

This book took me right back to the roots of what got me loving to read. Light-hearted and honest, it genuinely made my heart so happy.
This was such a welcome break from what I typically read. The cast of characters was so loveable, even down to the most minor. Junie and her friends were refreshing and felt like real people. It almost brought a nostalgic feeling for simpler times.
Very reminiscent of the likes of Sarah Dessen, this is a quintessential, coming-of-age, summertime read that will have you rooting for the main character in all aspects.
While this could be categorized as a romance, there is so much more to it than that. It is a story of a girl who can be so sure of herself but completely blind to what is going on and what people think of her. Full of what I would consider typical teenage drama when it comes to family and friends, I wouldn’t say this book was cliched at all. And while Junie can be a little – less than observant – when it comes to those around her, she is such a likable character, and her growth is undeniable.
This book has that satisfying pull of will-they-won’t-they that makes you want to cheer at the end.

I’d like to start off by saying a big thank you to Wednesday books and Samantha Markum for sending me a copy of You Wouldn’t Dare. After reading This may end badly last year I had high expectations for Samantha Markums next book and she did not disappoint. This is a super lighthearted read and I loved seeing the main character’s development throughout the book. I also loved seeing the fun relationship that the town has, kind of like a Gilmore Girls vibe. 4/5 stars

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me to read the arc of Samantha Markum’s new book.

I was so excited because I loved her first one and knew this one would be just as good. Junie and Graham’s storyline was intriguing and the conflict was different than any other YA I have read. Graham is sweet and kind and understanding; I wish Junie would have been there for him more after the incident even though she had a part in the deception. My other wish would be to know more about Tallulah’s hardship. Fleshing out the animosity between the two girls would have helped me understand why they hated each other a little more. Loved the basketball team taking part in the play and how she captured the lives of teens in a small town.

Another win for me! This story is engaging and sweet. I will definitely buy this for my library!!

This is a lighthearted YA Contemporary, full of beachy summertime vibes, in which we follow Junie through a summer full of strong friendships and changing family dynamics. She is an enthusiastic theater kid and is involved in the summer's Community Theater program, to which she and her friends recruit lots of people from their high school to fill the cast of the Shakespeare comedy. Between the cast and crew, there's enough drama and comedy to create a whole second play.

Junie's busy summer also includes working at her mother's restaurant, where she is forced to spend time with Tallulah, the mother's boyfriend's daughter, as a way to manipulate the girls into getting along. Junie does get to enjoy the beach, and theater rehearsal, with her closest friends, including the handsome and witty Graham; her long-time friend and the previous summer's summer fling. Graham's family changed in a drastic way the previous summer and he and Junie are still ironing out the details of their 'friendship' or 'relationship' and it is so much fun to read!

Samantha Markum does it again and has written what could be the best summer YA read for 2023.

I knew from the moment I finished This May End Badly that I would be reading whatever came next from Markum. Her sophomore novel You Wouldn't Dare replicates the same brilliant characterization and emotional depth from her debut and delivers a tender and relatable friends to lovers romance that brought me back to the days I used to devour Sarah Dessen books.

There are two things Markum does exceptionally well in her writing. The first is her ability to create beautifully messy female main characters, that you make you want to cheer for them just as much as cry with them. JN is far from perfect and her flaws are both endearing and frustrating. Her journey in this book was incredibly relatable and had me hooked every step of the way. I will attend the Juniper Nash Cry Fest any day.

Markum also develops the most endearing found family. Both of her novels now have showcased a diverse cast of characters that all bounce off each other and contribute to the plot in a perfect way. The core four friends in You Wouldn't Dare all stood had their own personality that had me wanting to be friends with all of them, and the underlying narrative of family being the people who choose to be there for you really hit home and had me tearing up.

I gasped, I cried, I laughed out loud. This book was perfection from beginning to end. I can't wait to make everyone I know read it and I cannot wait to get my hands on whatever Markum releases next.

Four friends have been inseparable. But one summer things changed. Juniper and Graham had a summer fling, but in the middle of it all, Juniper became privy to information that completely changed her friendship with Graham, and almost destroyed it. While spending a year trying to get things back to the way they were, finally it all comes out. Other big life changes are coming as well. Juniper’s mom is dating Tallulah’s dad, and when Juniper finds out they are moving in together, she is terrified. Tallulah does not like her! Juniper is forced to face her past decisions, present biases (and misunderstandings… she’s kinda clueless) and work towards her future hopes, life unravels and then comes back together beautifully.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this romance between friends and having the friend group put on a play and her family life change. I adored her friends and the romance. Yes she was a drama queen and made things all about her at times. I loved her soon to be sister.

Dear publishers: please stop marketing everything as a rom-com. This is a sweet, sincere celebration of community, friends, and found family set during the summer before a teen's last year of high school, when questions about what happens next abound, but the family home is still front and center. It's a coming of age story told with wit and heart and sharp writing and great dialogue and lovable characters who are flawed in real, relatable ways. These are all wonderful things and this book deserves to find the readers who love those things. Not readers who are looking specifically for a rom-com and may find themselves misguided at both the tone and content of the story.
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Rather than follow a singular, central plot thread, Markham weaves together several subplots--a troubled community theatre project, a contentious race for an important student office, a merging of households as the heroine's mom and her boyfriend plan their cohabitation, an absent and neglectful father, the jealousies that arise when friends form new romantic relationships, seemingly unattainable goals for college, summer job challenges, a past error of judgment to atone for, and an intense animosity to mend between the heroine and her mom's boyfriend's daughter. Amid all of that, there is also a very sweet romance, but it kicks in during the last third of the book and is far from front and center amid all the other goings-on. I really enjoy Markham's sense of character and setting, something I loved in her debut as well, and her dialogue is so crisp, it makes the story whip by. The story feels like the beautiful cover, like that time of life when a great evening with a good friend is everything. I hope the right readers find this one. And I hope they're delighted with what they find.

Ah, teenagers messing up with their friend group. My favorite kind of story.

I feel like this book doesn’t quite fit into that genre, however. While yes, Junie messes up and causes a little bit of awkwardness in her friend group, the main person she messes up with, Graham, isn’t truly angry at her. He’s upset, sure, but he’s allowed to have feelings, and he can recognize that this issue is larger than Junie.

So why did I like this book, if there isn’t really teenage drama?

You Wouldn’t Dare reads a little like a day-to-day, slice of life story as we follow Junie, our main character, struggling with a lot of changes. Her mom and her mom’s boyfriend are getting serious and want to move in together, forcing Junie to get closer to Tallulah, who doesn’t really like her. Her father, who only calls when he needs something, is promising to come to her latest play, but everyone around her believes he won’t actually show up. And things are awkward in her friend group while they try to figure out their dynamics.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the friend group, which had a really interesting aspect to them. They traded in favors, keeping physical reminders (in the form of pieces of paper or cloth or whatever they could find) of who owed who what. I thought it was really fun to see these favors get traded around, and it was definitely a large aspect to the story of this book!

I also really enjoyed seeing the relationship between Junie and Graham grow as they worked through the awkwardness of being friends who had crushes on each other. Graham in particular was such a soft character! I’m gonna paint my nails for him.

A big part of this book is community and finding people who care about you, a lesson Junie needed to learn as she worked through the issues with her dad. I enjoyed meeting all the side characters and seeing them stick together, especially as Junie learned that even though she would be moving a little farther away, her friends and family would still be around to support her!

In all, I liked this book a lot, though it wasn’t my favorite book by Samantha Markum. Still, I can’t wait to see it get published so everyone else can read this cute story!

A cute and heartwarming coming of age story about love, forgiveness and family. I adored Juniper and the secondary cast as well. You can't help but love Graham and hope the two of them finally get on the same page with things. I appreciated that love wasn't always the main focus Juniper had to deal with but rather life, friendships and family issues as well.

This had everything I love about YA books---a core group of friends, some quirky characters, and the cutest romance. The problems Junie faces are relatable and I love how everything resolves itself in the end. A lesson on what and who truly matter in life.

I loved this book. It was so great to read this and the cover is perfect. Thank you for this ARC. I can't wait to read the next book by this author!