Review : Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Summary (from Goodreads)

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.

Personal Thoughts

I love reading YA contemporary romances because they are so fun to read. I knew before starting this book that this wasn't going to be a typical contemporary story. It's much more intense and drama-packed than usual books of the same genre. To be honest, it was a little refreshing to read such a book.

Pushing the Limits tells the story of two teenagers, Echo Emerson and Noah Hutchins, who surprisingly get together. Before an incident that even she can't remember, Echo was a popular girl who had popular friends and a popular boyfriends. Soon, she becomes a social pariah of a sort because of the 'freaky' scars that covers her arms. All Echo wants is to go back to her normal life, but how's that even going to be possible when she can't even remember how she got those scars ?
Noah is battling with his own issues. After his parents' death, he and his younger brothers were integrated into the foster home system. All he wants is to gain custody of his brothers and make them happy, but who will that be possible if he has no job, no house and no money to cater for their needs ? 

The book is told in the POVs of both Echo and Noah. Although I'm not a huge fan of alternate POVs, this one worked perfectly for me because it was easy to see the Echo was a girl and Noah was a guy by the author's writing style.
Echo was one of the most depressed characters I've ever come across while reading. Honestly, she was so broken that I couldn't help but feel her pain. I think the author did a great job at capturing her emotions. Her scars and memory-loss left her completely shattered. Confused and vulnerable, she didn't know what to do. To top it off, she's not allowed to speak to her mom, her brother had just died and her dad had gotten married to her baby-sitter and they were now expecting a baby together. All of this was just too much for Echo. Plus, most of her friends were behaving awfully with her. They laid conditions before they could become friends with Echo again. What kind of 'friends' are these people ? Because of all of the above, I felt sympathetic towards Echo and I wanted her to have a happy ending. Over the course of the story, she began to take small steps to recall what happened the night of the incident. Slowly, although painfully, she gained a few recollections of the event. No matter how tough it was for her, she was willing to take these steps because she wanted to get back her old self. I thought it took a lot of courage on her part to do what she did. I can't say for sure that I connected with Echo because I've never gone through what she has, but I did try to understand the emotional battles that she was fighting all by herself.

Noah was a typical bad boy. He drank, smoked, took drugs and was a womanizer. Like Echo, he too was a very broken character. His parents' death had left him devastated. He was convinced that his brothers would be the happiest with him and Noah was the kind of brother who loved his brothers so much that he was willing to give up a whole chunk of his life in order to raise them as a father. This side of his was probably was my favorite personality trait of his. I really loved the strong bond that he shared with his little brothers and the very few moments that he got to share with him during visitation hours was simply heart-warming. His protectiveness of them felt genuine and palpable. Noah may have been a bad boy with his snarky comments and constant flirting, but inside he was a sweet boy with a big heart. 

Noah's and Echo's relationship was the common opposites attract kind. Their attraction to each other was instant, but they both try hard to fight it off, in vain. Their romance might have been sappy, but it worked. I think the fact that they supported each other throughout the difficulties no matter what is what made me appreciate their relationship. It was definitely very rocky with all the obstacles and non-stop drama that they face, but I did enjoy the sweet moments that they shared together.

The secondary characters in Pushing The Limits were absolutely fabulous. With their distinct personalities, they formed quite a humorous blend. My favorite out of all of them was Mrs Collins, the school's new therapist. She was such a wonderful character. She directly and indirectly helped to bring Noah and Echo together. That she was devoted to help both Noah and Echo was clearly visible throughout the story. She was, in a way, the glue that stuck Echo and Noah together. She was more of a mother to Echo than Echo's mom had ever been and she was more of a guardian to Noah than anybody had ever been. 

Pushing The Limits was a story about growing up, learning to accept who you are and letting off the past. It might have been a romance story mostly, but it was a book that had depth and spread numerous beautiful messages. Katie McGarry writes beautifully. Her writing was engaging and pulled me in from the first page. I really look forward to seeing Beth's, a secondary character from Pushing The Limits, story soon.

The wonderfully crafted characters, the tender romance and the intense situations in Pushing The Limits will have you reading this book until the early hours of the morning. This is beautiful story is one that will appeal to many readers and I do recommend this book to lovers of YA contemporary. 

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Big Thanks To Harlequin Teen for providing me with an ARC of this book.