Author: Katie McGarry
Genre: YA Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: July 31st
See it at Goodreads
"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.
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.
“Luke used to give me butterflies. Noah spawned mutant pterodactyls.”
And now I introduce you to Pushing The Limits: one of my favorite books of 2012.
This book completely took me off guard. I hadn’t expected to love it so much to be bluntly honest about it. Maybe it’s because of all the glowing reviews (I was worried I wouldn’t find it as great as others had)…maybe it’s because it’s a Contemporary Romance without the monsters or strange new world or any major mystery to solve for the characters. I have had quite a growing love for Contemporary through the last year, but they’re still not always so easy to fall head over heels in love with. Pushing The Limits broke the barrier and nudged its way right into my favorites list with some of the other rare Contemporary gems that I’ve come to be entranced by.
Romance can be tricky in this style. It can either come off as really cheesy, not enough of it, or not fitting in my opinion. I’m a bit of a hard-ass when it comes to judging on romance and how the characters interact in these situations, but I was sold here. Echo and Noah are a beautiful couple. They’re not perfect. There wasn’t insta-love or any “cheese factor”. He was protective and friendly, charming and sweet. She was intelligent, witty, and determined. I also adored Beth and Isaiah--Noah’s friends--who had their own stand-out personalities of their own as well.
What I really liked about this book was that while it is categorized as “YA”, this feels so much more than that. It’s unusual and different than most YA and Contemporaries I’ve read. Ms. McGarry colored outside the lines and crafted an amazing story full of unique characters. It was an emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs, twists and turns, and even included some loops and corkscrews. I was laughing one minute and crying the next. You don’t just read this book, you experience it.
You won’t regret reading.
I don't read a lot of contemporary romance since the romance line is often too predictable, but I have read some that I really like. This sounds fabulous. I will have to give this one a try. Thank you for the detailed review.
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