Actual rating: 1.5 
 So... I didn't like this book. Dare Me had the opportunity to be raw and intense but only ended up being a let down and kind of boring. I'm thinking back to when I was reading it and all I can really say is "meh". The writing felt too choppy for me, like it was trying to have shorter phrases in order to repeatedly emphasize the point. 
 I had zero attachment to any of the characters. I was hoping to like Addy but she never really felt like her own person. I mean, I understand that's part of the point, that she's always associated with Beth, but her thoughts and decisions felt so dumb and meaningless. I tried to understand Addy's attachment to Beth and Coach, but I couldn't. They're so unappealing. Beth at least had some sort of unpredictability, but that quickly lost its lustre as the story progressed. Coach was just boring as hell. 
 I bumped the rating up half a star because of the premise and potential. I love the idea of a high school cheer squad and the reality of its grittiness and desperation. I love when books delve into the intensity between girls and how their relationships with one another are so much deeper than most people think they are. One should never underestimate the power of a female friendship and its unpredictability. I thought this concept could really go somewhere, especially with the tension between best friends, Addy and Beth. Unfortunately, I read this book with glazed eyes and didn't put it down only because it was so short. I'll continue to seek books out with these ideas but this one just didn't work for me at all.