Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry Review

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
★★★★★
Release Date: July 31, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age: YA
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Drama, Realistic Fiction
Format: ebook
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

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.

Pushing the Limits is a raw and emotional journey of two teenagers both searching for answers. This book is one of the most depressing yet uplifting plots I've ever encountered. It's a book I will purchase, read again, shed more tears, and smile. I loved it, I love the intensity, angst, and relationships.

Echo is broken, betrayed by someone she loved and coping as she knows how. Katie's characters are real and full of life, even as their realities crumble they are strong or at least try to be. I've experienced many dramatic stories but none as potent as the lines that Katie feeds her readers. It's unbelievable what these characters endure and still find it in themselves to move on and up.

I can't describe the pain and hurt found in Pushing the Limits. It's emmense. But, beyond the despressing layer is one that is inspirational and will make any reader feel more raw elation than any fictional book I've had the pleasure of reading. Noah is angry and sees things from his own point of view and no one else's. I feel like Echo brings out the best in him, even if the best was sometimes not great. He's troubled and alone, trying to put his life and family back together. I love his strength. Echo is more depressed than angry, but I felt like she wouldn't admit that things were as bad as they were. I loved her devotion and connections to people.

Ms. Collins, their psychiatrist, seemed to be the voice of reason in the book. She was taken much lighter than some of the other subject matter and it broke up the drama a little bit when there were parts of the story set in her office. She brought out a different side of the characters.

This book not only features some amazing lead characters but a great bunch of secondary characters as well. My favorite character from the book is Noah's friend Beth. She was just pretty awesome. I can't wait for the release of Dare You To, which is Beth's story!

So pretty much, I love this book. I love the contemporary romance, that isn't all rainbows and butterflies. I love the group of multidimensional characters, the intense and emotional situations, the mystery behind what happened to Echo. I love it all.