Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing the Limits

Author: Katie McGarry

Release Date: 25th July 2012

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

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. 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.

In A Nutshell:

Pushing the Limits had me staying up until the early hours just to read a bit more of Noah and Echo’s story. First of all, the chemistry between the two… Yeesh! It was fiery, highly charged and fever inducing and totally had me blushing at some points. But, it is an emotional roller-coaster as two lost, lonely and broken people attempt to rebuild their destroyed lives. Does that sound too depressing? Never fear, you will fall in love with this book and the characters within.

My Review:

Oh gosh, I’m going to try not to gush too much over Katie McGarry’s debut novel Pushing the Limits. But OMG, love!!!

Ok breathe.

Pushing the Limits had me staying up until the early hours just to read a bit more of Noah and Echo’s story. First of all, the chemistry between the two… Yeesh! It was fiery, highly charged and fever inducing and totally had me blushing at some points.

But in all seriousness, it is an emotional roller-coaster as two lost, lonely and broken people attempt to rebuild their destroyed lives. Does that sound too depressing? Never fear, you will fall in love with this book.

Noah and Echo are searching for ‘normal’ while constantly being haunted by their pasts. Both have a desire for independence, Echo from her father and Noah from the foster system, but are trapped by the guilt and frustrations of the previous years. Echo struggles to live up to her father’s expectations while Noah fights to surpass the low expectations the system and society has always had for him.

Both their stories are ones that show how a life can change in an instant, for the better or the worse. It looks at the meaning of family - in all its variations, loyalty, the power of self-confidence, and how different a life can be when you have someone on your side who believes in you. These are emphasised by the supporting characters such as Lila, Isaiah, Beth and Mrs Collins. In Echo’s case, it interestingly looks at friendships and examines those so-called friends who only want you to be their friend if you are a certain version of yourself. Noah has to learn not to be so controlled by his emotions as he tends to act first and worry about the consequences later. As a kid who has been by himself for so long, he has to realise that he doesn’t have to do everything by himself.

As Echo and Noah search for happiness, be prepared for tears and to fall in love with these characters. They are definitely my favourite YA couple this year!