Book Review - Pushing the Limits

Pushing the Limits - Katie McGarry
Release Date: July 31, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 392

Buy the Book: Amazon

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.

Synopsis and cover taken from Goodreads.   

My Review:

I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this one and I am proud to say I understand where all those people come from. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry is one thought provoking and enigmatic book. I for one absolutely loved it!

Reading the synopsis for the first time it reminded me of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles one of my all time favourite books. But upon reading the book itself  it proved to be much more than a book like Perfect Chemistry. It was its own book and I loved it for that.

Pushing the Limits follows two troubled teens from different sides of the social spectrum who through a series of events are put together. Echo Emerson is the ex-miss popular of the school and Noah Hutchins is loner/junkie of the school. When the two collide it would be an understatement to say that 'sparks fly'. They aggravate each other yet they also understand each other more then anyone else ever could. 

I seriously loved all the characters in this book. I felt they were all well rounded, realistic and lovable. You also get a good taste of each of the main characters as the book is formatted in chapters that alternate between Echo and Noah's points of view. 

Echo's world was turned upside down after an incident with her mother that left her marked for life and struggling to put back the pieces of her shattered life. She struggled throughout the book with her insecurities and her lack of memory from that night. But she didn't sit back and whine about it throughout the book, instead there were moments when she showed her strong nature and personality. Those moments slowly increased and by the end of the book her growth along with the others was really rewarding. 

Noah was another of those male characters who have the bad boys bravado but are actually good in the inside. He is a caring guy who is trying to deal with the lemons that life keeps dishing at him. His relationship with his brothers broke my heart. Sometimes I had to stop and really take in the conversations. I loved how much he cared about his family and showed that through constantly persevering to do what was best for them and to make his parents proud.

Something else that I absolutely adored about this book was how great a role the side characters played. The families were present instead of being introduced and then disappearing for the rest of the book. Which in the end helped with the realism of the book and really boosted how much I enjoyed the book.

Overall, Pushing the Limits was a refreshing read. It dealt with some dark and serious matters but in a very mature and realistic way. The love story was a great touch and the characters were among my favourite. All in all, a fantastic book deserving of all the hype.