Review of Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Title/Author: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Publisher/Date published: HarlequinTEEN, July 24th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "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."

This novel is definitely a step outside of my comfort zone. I don't read a lot of contemporary novels and when I do, they're usually of the cute, fluffy kind. So, this one right here, dealing with tough subjects, is something I pick up with a bit of hesitation.

But I must say that I'm very glad I did! It was amazing and it completely sucked me in and it made me feel ALL THE THINGS!

I really liked both Echo and Noah, they're characters that I could easily imagine having gone to school with me. All their complexities made them seem very real and I just wanted to hug both of them and tell them everything would be alright. They've been through a lot and though Noah appears to be rough around the edges, underneath he's a good guy. And you guys already know how much I love good guys!

I loved seeing Echo and Noah grow as persons throughout the novel and making tough decisions. I loved that their relationship was good for both of them and they're equal in it. I was shocked and horrified by the awful things that had happened to them both, I really want to go all ragey about one of the characters, but SPOILERS!

While I did love the relationship between Echo and Noah, I did think they went from attraction to love REALLY fast. I mean, for two kids who have major trust issues, it happened pretty early on and I was a bit thrown off by it.

But the writing was simply amazing. I was right there with Echo and Noah experiencing it all and the alternating POV made me connect with both of them, which earns Katie McGarry extra brownie points! I found myself staying up at night way past my bedtime to continue reading and not even feeling tired. Also, Pushing the Limits made me cry. And I love it when that happens!

So while I did take issue with the not insta-love, but really-early-love, this was an intoxicating read. I didn't want to put it down and though firmly outside of my comfort zone, I'm so, SO glad I decided to pick it up, cause I would have missed out on a wonderful read otherwise!

My rating: 4,5 stars