Pushing the Limits

Jumping on the Awesome Book Band Wagon in 3...2...1... WEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Confession time: were it not for the amazing reviews from other bloggers, I never would have picked up this book. I don't read a lot of contemporary fiction and I tend to steer clear of books that appear to focus mainly on a romance ESPECIALLY if they throw out the words "soul mates" or "destiny" (which the UK version does - right on the cover). But Pushing the Limits, is not one of those books. Yes, the romance is a big factor, but it loses center stage to some wonderful character development with a smattering of mystery.

McGarry has a remarkable skill in writing broken characters. Echo and Noah both had moments that forcibly grabbed me and threw me into their world. It is not often that a book can evoke such a strong emotional response in me, but this one succeeded. There were several instances where I blinked back tears or fought the urge to shake somebody (usually Echo's parents). The two main characters felt so real that I could easily picture them sitting in my classroom, trying to be invisible, while I sit behind my desk trying to think of a way to reach them. Those are the type of students that break your heart - when you can see so much potential being smothered by so much pain. As characters, Echo and Noah are always compelling, often raw and never boring. They carry the story and have the kind of chemistry that makes the reader's heart race right along with them.

I was impressed by the manner in which McGarry tackled the relationships not only between Echo and Noah but between all of the characters on the periphery, especially Noah and his brothers and Echo and her parents. It was heartbreaking to watch Echo interact with her "friends" and family as she struggled to meet their demands and win their love and to stand by while Noah spent supervised visits trying to maintain his connection to the two little boys who were his whole world. Throughout the novel, I was pleased to see a great deal of growth in both characters, but a realistic journey to it. There were struggles, there were setbacks, and, in the end, there were issues that weren't exactly solved, but where steps had been taken down the right path.

The writing in Pushing the Limits is clean (though I wish Noah would have laid off the siren and nymph comparisons) and the plot moves at a steady pace. In character driven novels such as this it is easy to let action and excitement fall by the wayside, but the truth behind Echo's scars is revealed in such as way as to keep the reader engaged. As Echo's memory returns in snatches, we begin to see the true horror and sadness behind what happened to her and how broken her family truly was. In splitting the narration between Echo and Noah, McGarry ensures that each chapter leaves the reader wanting to turn one more page, read one more line until, if you are like me, you have finished the entire book in just a few short hours.

The only mark against Pushing the Limits is that the sexual nature and vulgar language would prohibit me from recommending it to my Junior High students, though I highly recommend it for teens over 16 and adult lovers of YA novels.

Katie McGarry has earned a fan for life. On to the next in the series!

I'm not even sure where to begin with this review. I completely and utterly adored this book. It's definitely in my top 10 for the 2012 year, and one of my favorite books ever. It's one I can read multiple times and still enjoy. The story of Echo and Noah is hauntingly beautiful. It made me laugh, cry, swoon and crave more.

My heart ached for Echo. Katie McGarry does an incredible job of making the reader feel the emotions of her characters. I felt what Echo felt, I felt her disappointment, frustration and need for acceptance. I also, uh, had no problem feeling her attraction to Noah. I love a good "bad" boy. I love a good story of redemption, and this is it. Noah likes to think he's a bad boy, but he inside he's a big softie *swoon*. The secondary characters are crucial to the story line and not just there for show. I'm so excited to read the companion novel all about Beth!

This book is so full of emotion. It brought out all the feels! I recommend it to those who love contemporary romance with real emotion. The book actually seemed real to me. The characters are real to me, the setting is real to me, and the emotion was extremely real. I cannot wait to read more by Katie McGarry!

Echo Emerson thinks that she is doing fairly well, considering all that has happened in her life-- her brother has been killed in the war, her father has married the woman who babysat her and is expecting a baby, and there is a restraining order against her mother. Little wonder that she is having trouble keeping up with grades, dealing with her boyfriend, and taking part in the activities she enjoyed before everything fell apart. She doesn't appreciate counseling all that much, but when she is assigned to tutor Noah, she finds that it's not so bad. Noah's parents have died in a house fire, he's in foster care, and his younger brothers are with a different family. The two are drawn to each other over their shared problems, and working together helps them to heal.

This book blew me away. I was expecting your basic contemporary love story, complete with misunderstandings and a love triangle. I wasn't expecting to have my heart ripped out of my chest, in the best way possible, but that's what I got.

Yes, this is a contemporary love story. Yes, there are misunderstandings. But this book is so much more than that. It's a raw, honest look at damage and scars and the cost of healing. It's a celebration of the human spirit and of those who dare to step into the messiness of life and love the broken. It's a hard-won triumph as two people who've been hurt in terrible ways fight for normalcy and healing and end up finding strength and love.

I devoured this book. Stayed up late. Got up early. Couldn't stand to stop reading. I am now a lifelong fangirl of Ms. McGarry's and will happily read everything she ever writes. Even her grocery list. What a stunning debut.

It's raw, edgy and the characters manage to break your heart while giving you hope at the same time. I enjoyed the alternating POV's and watching the romance grow between two very unlikely people.

Echo and Noah have both experienced horrific tragedies and are left to cope with finding a new normal pretty much on their own. (At least that's how they see it.) Not knowing who to trust is hard but through their combined circumstances Noah and Echo discover "normal" isn't always what it seems and love can find you when you least expect it.

Both of these characters are strong and Noah is completely swoon worthy despite his tough guy attitude and his potty mouth. ;) It was interesting to watch Echo's transformation and the fact that she was able to hold on to certain "things" throughout the story was refreshing.

Sometimes you read a book like this, and the pain and brokenness of the characters is too much often leaving you worse for the wear. Not so, with this story. Even though I was a roller coaster of emotions the message of hope and life being full of possibilities came through loud and clear. (for me anyway.)

I was also impressed that the first line in the acknowledgements was

"God - Luke 1:37" ("For nothing is impossible with God." ~ Luke 1:37)