Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Page Count: 384 pages, Hardcover (I read the Paperback edition, 392 pages-Mira Ink)
Date Published: July 31th 2012
Find it on Goodreads: Pushing the Limits
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4.5/5
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.
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.
My Thoughts: I can't really describe how I feel about this book... I loved it way too much!
This is a fantastic book. The writing was delightful and the story addicting. It's not just a fluffy contemporary... This book is filled with subjects not often touched in YA but are deep and important. Filled to the bone with a beautifully simple writing style and a romance that fans of Simone Elkeles will swoon over, this was a book that will keep you reading t'ill early morning.
Echo and Noah were equally amazing characters. They both have their own issues and personalities.They were never flat. I really liked Echo, because she was both so strong and yet had this huge vulnerability to her, which I find to be the best types of characters. She was very sheltered and naive, but that was something she did to herself in a way. Echo has gone through something so terrible and horrible but she can't remember any part of it. When she begins to go see a therapist to try and bring back these memories, she meets Noah. Noah is visually your typical bad boy who couldn't have a care in the world, but he's only like this because society has labeled him after one incident. He plays the part well, until he meets Echo. She and him meet and though they might not really get along right away, there is a connection and they can't seem to stay together. Their relationship was both sweet and steamy. There were moments where I could not stop smiling because they were so cute together, and other moments where I felt like screaming "GET A ROOM!" but then realized that they're in a book... Maybe that's a bit over exaggerating, but you get my drift? Noah and Echo were a couple that I really enjoyed reading about. They understood each other better than anyone else, and they didn't have to change for the other person, but they were able to show their true, better sides. It was really nice to read about a relationship like this. Yes they had their problems and trials, but that was all part of the voyage.
Filled with emotion and tension and secrets, the story was amazing. It was not an instaluv story with cliche teen problems. This book was filled with issues that are rarely touched so deeply in YA. But the great thing about this book was the fact that it also had a light touch to it with tons of humour and reasons to make you smile, made the book not so draggy and depressing. The way it was written was really neat, because like Echo getting her memory back, you find out information throughout the story, not right away. I wasn't left with missing information at the end. While reading, be patient. Your question will be answered sooner rather than later. The story was a tad predictable, but at the same time had me guessing at random what was going to happen next. The story is told in alternating chapters between Noah's and Echo's point-of-views, and the author did that really well. We get to read about how everything is working out on either side of the relationship, as well as what is happening in their own lives. It absolutely aided the way the story flowed and went about. All of the characters were very much there, within the story, and they all had a contributing factor within the story. Noah was probably my favorite character, just because he's so complex and different. He cares so deeply for his little brothers, and doesn't seem to know how to give them what's best for them, but he's trying. He definitely makes mistakes and has flaws, but that made him real. He deals with his demons and he figures out schemes to get what he wants, but he also cares so deeply for the people that he loves, and is still trying to come to terms with his parents' death.
Pushing the Limits was a beautiful read that had me in tears, smiling like a madman, and making me tear my hair out. The story was both original, and not, and all of the characters were amazing. I'd suggest this book to any fans of Simone Elkeles, as well as any fans of contemporaries that are a bit darker and not so typical. Or any fans of a romance that is both the sweetest thing in the world, and really, really hot. One of the nice things about this book was that yes, the romance between Echo and Noah was a huge part of the book, because that's what it's about, but the romance didn't completely overshadow the bigger problems that the characters had. I think everyone should read this book, as soon as possible.
Happy reading!!!
Kristy
Echo and Noah were equally amazing characters. They both have their own issues and personalities.They were never flat. I really liked Echo, because she was both so strong and yet had this huge vulnerability to her, which I find to be the best types of characters. She was very sheltered and naive, but that was something she did to herself in a way. Echo has gone through something so terrible and horrible but she can't remember any part of it. When she begins to go see a therapist to try and bring back these memories, she meets Noah. Noah is visually your typical bad boy who couldn't have a care in the world, but he's only like this because society has labeled him after one incident. He plays the part well, until he meets Echo. She and him meet and though they might not really get along right away, there is a connection and they can't seem to stay together. Their relationship was both sweet and steamy. There were moments where I could not stop smiling because they were so cute together, and other moments where I felt like screaming "GET A ROOM!" but then realized that they're in a book... Maybe that's a bit over exaggerating, but you get my drift? Noah and Echo were a couple that I really enjoyed reading about. They understood each other better than anyone else, and they didn't have to change for the other person, but they were able to show their true, better sides. It was really nice to read about a relationship like this. Yes they had their problems and trials, but that was all part of the voyage.
Filled with emotion and tension and secrets, the story was amazing. It was not an instaluv story with cliche teen problems. This book was filled with issues that are rarely touched so deeply in YA. But the great thing about this book was the fact that it also had a light touch to it with tons of humour and reasons to make you smile, made the book not so draggy and depressing. The way it was written was really neat, because like Echo getting her memory back, you find out information throughout the story, not right away. I wasn't left with missing information at the end. While reading, be patient. Your question will be answered sooner rather than later. The story was a tad predictable, but at the same time had me guessing at random what was going to happen next. The story is told in alternating chapters between Noah's and Echo's point-of-views, and the author did that really well. We get to read about how everything is working out on either side of the relationship, as well as what is happening in their own lives. It absolutely aided the way the story flowed and went about. All of the characters were very much there, within the story, and they all had a contributing factor within the story. Noah was probably my favorite character, just because he's so complex and different. He cares so deeply for his little brothers, and doesn't seem to know how to give them what's best for them, but he's trying. He definitely makes mistakes and has flaws, but that made him real. He deals with his demons and he figures out schemes to get what he wants, but he also cares so deeply for the people that he loves, and is still trying to come to terms with his parents' death.
Pushing the Limits was a beautiful read that had me in tears, smiling like a madman, and making me tear my hair out. The story was both original, and not, and all of the characters were amazing. I'd suggest this book to any fans of Simone Elkeles, as well as any fans of contemporaries that are a bit darker and not so typical. Or any fans of a romance that is both the sweetest thing in the world, and really, really hot. One of the nice things about this book was that yes, the romance between Echo and Noah was a huge part of the book, because that's what it's about, but the romance didn't completely overshadow the bigger problems that the characters had. I think everyone should read this book, as soon as possible.
Happy reading!!!
Kristy
lol. "but then realized that they're in a book..."
ReplyDeleteI don't really like the sound of them needing a room because I really don't want to read about teenagers making out or other things...
I worry that it's about Simone Elkeles. I loved Leaving Paradise but not so much Perfect Chemistry... But this one sounds pretty awesome and you like it so I'll check it out. Thanks for the review (: