Review: Pushing the Limits

Pushing the Limits

Katie McGarry
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Released: July 31, 2012

Description from Goodreads:

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

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.

Let me just start by saying, Wow. This book was amazing? Wonderful? I need to go find a thesaurus for more adjectives. Awe-inspiring. Remarkable. Magnificent. Stupendous. Need I list more? For being a debut author, Katie McGarry hit the ball into the ballpark. This story is beautifully crafted, never leaving me bored, always wanting more. You feel as though you are going through the ups and downs in Noah and Echo's life right alongside them.

The names are so unique and quirky. I love Echo's name connection to Greek Mythology. I am a HUGE fan of Greek Myths and any mention of Greek Mythology immediately catches my attention. Even the other characters have names that are coming up in popularity but don't sound fresh out of the 1800's.

Now let's just focus on the characters. Noah and Echo are like two broken, scarred souls. It's official. These two are probably the top fictional characters that I really feel so sorry for. Echo struggles to keep her sanity while Noah tries to keep his family together. Echo has to deal with her over bearing father who pushes her to do things he has planned for her and her new step-mom-who-was-once-her-old-babysiter-but-is-self centered-and-pregnant. Yikes. Noah is trying to come to terms for his parents' death and pray that his younger brothers grow up safe and sound.

I would tear up everytime I read about Noah and his brothers. His loyalty to his brothers is outstanding and he would do anything to protect them, without worrying about the concequences. He is the same with Echo. He loves her and will do anything to get her to smile. He is probably one of the only characters who look past Echo's haunting scars and sees the terrified girl underneath them. Other people recoil at the scars that wind up her arms, Noah just sees her and treats them as beautiful. That guy is so sweet. I just immediately fell in love with him.

I can totally relate to Echo. She's insecure about her scars, worries about the gossip that circulates around the school about her. She wants to go and relive the past so she can change it until she sees fit. I get that. If the same thing happened to me, I know I would probably try to do the same thing. I know I would most likely cover the scars. I know I would go and hide behind my books instead of delving back into my normal life.

That brings me to the concept of "Normal." Echo's friends are really sucky if they think that bringing her back to her life beforehand would solve everything. They only really care about their social status and Echo's. They think popularity is the center of the universe. Having Echo date her creepy ex from before? Yup, that will get the rumors to stop. Having Echo sit back at their lunch table? Sure, people would come up to her again.

Lila is probably the only one of Echo's so called friends who actually truly cares about her. She is the friend that you definitely want by your side. I don't think Natalie should count. She only goes along with it because Lila forces her to. Just forget about Grace. She could only be friends with Echo as long as Echo followed her ground rules. Honey, that isn't a friend. That's a snobby witch. Her ex, Luke, says that he loves her, but as soon as he saw her scars, he became immediately disgusted. What a group of friends Echo has right there.   

Even though they semi redeem themselves in the end, I still cannot stand Echo's father and Ashley (Step-mom). They were some of the people who kept Echo in the dark. Ashley is too stuck on herself. Her father is just trying to rob Echo of her personality. I tried really hard to understand their actions, but just gave up. I really don't care for them at all. Natta.

The best part of the book? It was a happy ending! About 3/4 of the way through, I started having these nagging thoughts that the book was not going to be a very sastifying ending. I was almost scared to finish it. But I am so glad I did. BECAUSE IT IS JUST WONDERFUL! And so so so so happy and uplifting. I personally cheered for Echo and Noah. Katie McGarry, you are a goddess. Thank you for finally letting the characters have a happy ending. This is the first book in a while that I have read that actually ends happy. THANK YOU. I salute you. You are amazing. I will read anything you write.

So yeah. In my opinion, this book definitely deserves the five stars. You care so much for Echo and Noah and you want them to have a happily ever after. And you get it. Their love story just makes you want to cry because you just feel so darn proud of them for conquering everything that their dark pasts forced upon them. If you were even considering buying this book, drop the other one in your hand right now. Buy this one. It is something that you would never regret. I'm already reading it a second time. I love it that much. It's inspiring and something different from a lot of the other books that I have read so far this year. I'm begging you, READ THIS BOOK. Please.

Review by Caly