Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

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.


My Review:

When I saw this book and some good reviews of it on Goodreads, I became excited to read it.  Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be releasing until July 31st.  When I found it on Netgalley, I requested it and was happy to be accepted.  This book is an amazing blend of characterization, plot, and romance.  I loved it! 

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

This book is narrated in dual POV by both Echo and Noah.  Sometimes, in multiple POV books, I end up liking one POV more than the other.  Luckily, this was not the case in Pushing the Limits.  I loved the entire book, no matter who was narrating.  The first narrator is Echo.  She has scars from an incident with her mother, but she has repressed the memories of it.  She is working with her therapist to gain her memory back.  Noah is an amazing guy who had lost his parents in a fire.  He has been sent to several foster homes, and his brothers are in another foster home.  Though on the outside he appears to be a drug user who usesgirls, on the inside he is a great guy and a wonderful older brother.  He may be one of my favorite guy characters ever.

The secondary characters are also interesting and well-developed.  Echo's dad and stepmom, Ashley, have made some mistakes, but they really do care about Echo.  They have to work on helping her understand that.  I didn't really like Echo's ex-boyfriend, Luke, or friend, Grace, but I did like her friend Lila.  Isaiah and Beth are both interesting characters.  They are like a family to Noah.  I look forward to finding out Beth's story in the next book.  Noah's brothers, Jacob and Tyler, seem like nice kids.  I am glad that Joe and Carrie are actually good foster parents, contrary to Noah's belief.  Luckily, Noah is able to find a solution to seeing his brothers without taking them away from their new family.

The romance in this book is wonderful.  Noah and Echo do not really see each other at the beginning of the book.  They have to actually meet when their therapist, Mrs. Collins, asks Echo to tutor Noah.  Though at first, they didn't like this idea, they both ended up being what the other needed.  Each one helps the other work through his or her problems.  They naturally progress into a couple who seem perfect for each other.  I was glad they were able to work through all of their problems to be together.

If you like YA contemporary romance with some issues covered, read this book.

Katie