Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Two people who seem very different outside.

Echo craves for ‘normal’ sense in her life. After the attack that ruins her life, everyone in the school thinks that she’s a freak. Echo is ready to give out anything to remember the night she was attacked. The night she went from popular into outcast. If she can get her memory of the night back, everything will turn back to normal. Normal.

After the beating in his first foster house, Noah is labeled unstable by the system. The only thing that keeps Noah’s head barely out of the water is his younger brothers. He has to get custody of them. If only he can get hold of the private file about his brothers’ foster parents, he can prove to the system that he’s supposed to be the one who raises his brothers.

When Noah brings Echo to a plot get into their file in their guidance counselor office, that’s what their relationships should be. Partner-in-crime. Friends, maybe. But not lovers. Sparks fly, but surely they are not meant to be?

Two wrongs don’t make a right.

And yet, they do.

Pushing the Limits is sexy, crazy, and realistic. It deals with heavy issues and sometimes, it can be very depressing. If I hadn’t braced my heart for the blows coming, I would have been a mess right now. The characters are very realistic, and the plots are so carefully written that I felt like flowing through the story.

Echo and Noah might be the most defensive characters I’ve ever read. I didn’t warm up to them instantly, but in the end I cared for them like a good friend. They are definitely not perfect, but together, they are strong enough to face whatever in front of them. Echo and Noah… they mend each other’s broken heart. It’s very strange and ironic that both of them think that the other one is too good for them.

Sexual tension between Echo and Noah is so palpable, like blazing fire. As if the air gets electrocuted just by having the two of them near. Trust me, it’s practically impossible not to fall for the romance in the story.

He shifted so that his body rested beside mine, his leg and arm still draped over me. I felt small under his warmth and strength. His chocolate-brown eyes softened. “Being with you feels good. Touching you—” he tucked a curl behind my ear “—feels good. I have never wanted anyone like I want you. There’s nothing you can do wrong when just breathing makes everything right.”

I love the POV in Pushing the Limits. Since this book has dual POV, we have privilege to get inside Echo and Noah’s head. I love discovering shocking things, like Echo’s scars, from Noah’s POV. Noah’s thoughts about his brothers got me a bit teary, because there’s no doubt how much he loves them and how he puts his brother as top priority. Echo’s dark moments felt even more realistic because we experienced them with her. I also really enjoyed the bits of mystery of the night Echo got attacked because we are as much in dark as the characters in the story.

Pushing the Limits is a wonderful read and although some may be put off because of the drama in the story, I really like the character development in this book. Watching them grow up is my pleasure, and I just want to give a big hug to Echo and Noah in the end. They were faced with problems that no teenagers should have ever faced, but after all, they survive.

Because growing up means making tough choices, and doing the right thing doesn’t necessarily mean doing the thing that feels good.

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I rate this book:

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.