ARC Review: Katie McGarry - Pushing the Limits

Katie McGarry - Pushing the Limits

• Pub Date: July 31, 2012
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen
• Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Source: ALA ARC

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

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.

Holy wow. As fast as I read this, I still took my time because I wanted to linger over every word. Echo and Noah have such deep stories to tell. They're troubled by totally different things but find each other in all the chaos. And they have struggles and setbacks, but don't we all? This book really struck a chord with me. I'm so glad Jenny recommended it so highly.

Like I said, I plowed through this one. Each chapter ends in such a way that you just can't put the book down. I just couldn't stop reading. I had to know what was going to happen to Echo and Noah! And I couldn't get over the fact that Echo didn't want to change Noah at all, but he was changing anyway. But this book shouldn't just be about the romance and relationship. Echo and Noah have a lot of difficulties going on in their separate lives. That part is so important to this story! It makes it so complex and unpredictable in a way. Noah is kind of a firecracker, and Echo is so innocent and sad. It all comes together for this great, heartstring-tugging novel. So glad I read it.

As I mentioned above, Echo changes Noah without even trying. To me, this is a bit unrealistic, and I'd hate for teenage girls to read this thinking it may happen to them. Maybe that's just the cynic in me, but all of it seemed like a lot for a high school boy to deal with. Somehow he makes decisions that work, but I couldn't see it happening in real life. Echo changes, too, though. And maybe that helps Noah's transformation as well. Either way, this is a fantastic novel. Can't wait for Beth's story!!

Bottom line: Definitely read this, but don't read it for the romance.

Rating:

4.5 / 5 book sharks!