Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: July 21st, 2012

Source: Public library :)

 

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

Review: Holy crap on a stick, I loved this book so much.

I will admit that I let the cover of the book sway me into not reading it. I can't explain why but for some reason once I laid my eyes on it I was like NO THANKS and didn't contemplate picking it up...until I saw two of my favorite reviewers have differing opinions on it. I wanted to know what camp I'd fall into so I decided to give the book a try. And....it won me over. Big time.

My goodness, this story. Echo and Noah are both broken little creatures that you just want to hug but you also want to push their faces together and scream at them to kiss. And they do but there's more to the story than that of course. As much as I enjoy a good love story (and these two crazy kids have that), I was blown away by how emotionally raw this book was. I legit shed some tears when I read this story. Echo and Noah's backgrounds are both incredibly heart-breaking, but Noah's hit me harder. I can't even. *pulls out some tissuse*

Katie McGarry also demonstrated how amazing she is when it comes to crafting characters. Everyone ranging from Noah and Echo to their friends and family felt tangible and they were all the kinds of people that you would meet in real life. McGarry didn't hold back on how people can be big dirtbags, but she also shows how some people can be great in small ways (I particularly liked Lila, Echo's friend from high school). As for Noah and Echo...both of them on their own are very strong people in their own right. I loved reading about them as individuals, and I loved reading about them as they fall into a friendship and as they fall gradually in love. It had all the highs and lows of a genuine relationship.

Final Verdict: You know when you finish reading a book for the first time, you're in that crazy-in-love-I-wish-it-never-ended stage? I kind of wish I could hop into a time machine and read this book again for the first time....I'm sort of jealous of those people that WILL pick this up and read it for the first time. They're getting such an awesome reading experience. Sigh. This book was like crack. I couldn't get enough of it and I'm so annoyed at myself for taking so long to read it. I almost let the kissy cover fool me. Oh well. NEVER AGAIN. I'm already excited for Katie McGarry's new books that are coming out soon! They feature secondary characters from PtL and I can't wait to read about their stories!

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