Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

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.

How do I even begin to describe how I felt about this book? I've been lucky lately in my reading choices, but this book...blew me away..

Noah and Echo have been through Hell and back, losing the people they love and fighting to survive the impossible obstacles life seems to be handing out in unfair proportions. They come from completely different "social circles" {which makes me remember why I hated high school}, but find themselves pushed in each other's paths at every turn. They've both been torn to pieces by life, so the understanding each has for the other makes it easy for them to become friends...and well..I'm sure you can guess the rest ;).

The writing style is witty, hilarious, heartbreaking, and almost philosophical at times with Echo's and Noah's thoughts always going to that deeper level that most teenagers are lucky enough to avoid. My favorite aspect was how the author did two different points of view, perfectly executed. Each chapter was either from Echo's or Noah's mind, and it was so completely awesome to get to know each of these characters on an intimate level. Their voices are so distinctly different and seeing the same situation from two different perspectives was refreshing. 

Noah, Noah, Noah. Oh, how I adored Noah. {so much so that I did a blurb about him here..} He is the perfect mix of sweetness and rebellion with a distinct voice that's difficult to ignore. He grabs your attention with his 'crude' {according to Echo} language, makes you laugh with his mischievous sarcasm, and gets you weeping with how deeply he feels. He makes a lot of mistakes and is blinded by his emotions, but he always {well mostly always (;} has the best of intentions. Noah is the guy that looks beyond surfaces to find the beauty that is truly there ~ how can you not just fall in love with him?

Echo, I think, has been through more pain than any person should have to endure. She's been betrayed by those she trusts most and has issues believing that anyone does or could love her. Her friends are jokes {excepting Lila, who grew on me} and her pops is this control freak who has a hesitancy in telling Echo he loves her because of his own guilt. At first, I was annoyed with Echo as she was constantly worried about what others thought, especially in the 'social world' of her high school. She even dates this completely obnoxious jock because her "friends" think it will get her social status back up to par. NO thanks. But Echo is insecure at that point, and as she grows on her own {and with a little of Noah's help}, she realizes what truly matters to her.

I love how the characters stand on their own ~ the story isn't entirely revolved around their relationship but how they grow as individuals as well. The attraction is obviously there, but the relationship is slow and sweet, and good-ness can they break your heart. The dozens of different emotions we experience from both sides, both in regards to their relationship and their dramatic lives, is almost overwhelming at times. There is so much pain that they keep bottled up, but there's also so much hope. I keep talking about drama and pain, but there's an abundance of love and understanding in this novel as well. You can't have one without the other. This story comes to life; it's so tangible that you can't help but become completely absorbed to the point that you feel as if you are a part of it.

This story of struggle, growth, forgiveness, compassion, and standing up for who you really are is seriously the best book I've read in 2012 thus far.

It's beautiful, scars and all.

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Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~