Pushing the Limits

By Katherine Garbera

"Houston, we have a hot-astronaut problem " 

Survival expert and control freak Jessie Odell has faced the most hazardous environments on earth. Training astronauts should be a cakewalk. Nope. Enter candidate Hemi "Thor" Barrett and his hot, ripped bod, and suddenly Jessie is breathless with raw excitementsomething she hasn't felt for a long, long timeand it scares her to death. 

Hemi isn't just some sexy distraction. Jessie actually likes the guyand that makes him more treacherous than an Everest ascent. It also means Hemi's that much harder to resist. With every hungry, heat-fueled encounter, Jessie skirts closer to that dangerous edge. Falling for this space cowboy is definitely high stakes but could the payoff be worth the risk?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Blaze
• Release date: Jan 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781488010880

Katherine Garbera

Katherine Garbera is a USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 novels, which have been translated into over two dozen languages and sold millions of copies worldwide. She is the mother of two incredibly creative and snarky grown children. Katherine enjoys drinking champagne, reading, walking and traveling with her husband. She lives in Kent, UK, where she is working on her next novel. Visit her on the web at www.katherinegarbera.com.

Reviews for Pushing the Limits

[wjbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesome, totally completely beyond Awesome.. I wonder if we could come up with another term: breathtaking, awe-inspiring, magnificent, wonderful, amazing, stunning.. could we use anymore words??!!I knew I was missing out with this series, and I can not wait to start the second book. Hopefully, I can get caught up and be up-to-date with the series. I can not wait to see what will be in store for me as I take the journey to find out about Noah, Echo and all the others.The road of emotions you will ride through is so overwhelming, but I can promise you it is worth it. It is worth even the tears that will be shed, and the smiles that will broke through, I promise.Echo was pretty amazing. She has flaws, and issues. Throughout this book you will come to realize who she is, find out what black hole has been in her mind, she will also figure out how to find herself.Noah has a dark side, but he is also lost for many of reasons. He definitely values his family, and he doesn’t want nothing to stop his love for his brothers. I am glad he got to see the truth before the darkness took everything he ever wanted.Everyone in this book has a purpose/importance, and I loved watching the characters come together. I loved that life wasn’t perfect, people made mistakes, and love didn’t just happen. Love did happen, but it wasn’t the “swoon” love at first. I loved how they had to battle each other, and learn to let go before the other one could fall. Falling is not all about falling in love, but it is also about falling into getting to know yourself, your well-being and what makes you whole. Okay, enough of me rambling, just go get this series! “Let him be, Beth. Sometimes you can’t help who you fall for.” – Isiah ― Katie McGarry

[karen813 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pushing the Limits is the story of Echo Emerson, former it-girl, and Noah Hutchins, current bad boy and how they saved each other. I thought this story was very well told and well written. I connected with the characters and loved learning more about both of them. The format, alternating chapters from Noah's point of view and Echo's point of view, worked really well. It was great to hear from both characters and find out what was motivating them throughout the story. I loved that the story was not all about the romance between the characters (although the romance was perfectly done) but was also about the support these two damaged teens were able to offer to each other. All in all a great read and I'm looking forward to reading Beth's story next! This review is based on a copy of the book provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

[brandileigh2003 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the best contemporaries that I have read in a long time. Both of the main characters have been through so much and show so much strength and determination to live and press through. It is amazing how Katie McGarry wrote them to both be in so much pain and deal with things differently but still connect on such a deep level. Echo really came into her own throughout the book, and the journey was hard, emotional and affirming to watch. She was a character that I connected with right away and I rooted for her to stand up to her dad in the right ways, connect with Mrs Collins who is her councelor working through things with her, and to find her own normal. It really does add an element to the story about her brother Aries. He was a Marine and died in service. I feel for her loss, but I feel that through her memories he made such an impression. His sacrifice, and his love for his sister when he was there. This is such an important topic to read about too, I have friends who are serving and I used to be in JROTC, but honestly, I have no idea what it's like to sacrifice so much for our freedom, both the men and women serving, the families back home waiting or the ones who have died and again the families feeling the loss. Noah personifies bad boy, but we get to see his soft spots, his love for his brothers, and how he slowly lets people in. Like the councelor said to him at the beginning there is so much potential in him, academic and otherwise. I really loved how he admired Echo, and how he treated her with respect. He brings out the best in her, and that is quite a quality in a guy. Sure, he has his moments where he is a jerk, especially before he knows her, but when their friendship really develops, its beautiful to watch. It really melts my heart how he doesn't define her by what happened to her, and how comfortable he is with her scars, where it freaks most others out. He really did it for me, and I loved the hotness going on between them. There were some really swoon worthy moments, hotness and sweetness both were covered. The layers to Noah really amazed me though. It wasn't only his attitude and actions towards Echo, but his all encompassing love for his brothers. It is such a beautiful relationship drawn out here, and I can't say much without spoiling, but Noah's heart and motivations where they were concerned made me almost cry. Katie McGarry painted some amazing pictures here about family--through Ashley and Echo, how their relationship changed, to Echo and her brother Aries relationship. Also with Noah and his blood brothers that he is seperated from (in different foster homes) to his non-blood brother and sister Isaiah and Beth, how circumstance can really draw people together, closer than family in some ways. I love the dual perspective of the book, hearing from both Noah and Echo really adds to the story, and it also attributes to the good pacing. We have all of these internal battles going on, but it never feels repetitive, and it plays on my emotions. Once I picked this book up, I did not want to stop reading it. Their story was like crack and I couldn't get enough.

[dawn94-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of Echo, a high school senior whose life took a drastic turn 2 years ago. She may have blocked out the memories of that night, but they still affect her greatly. When she begins tutoring Noah, the bad-boy stoner with the leather jacket, she can't imagine ever "being" with him. They come from two different circles, after all. But, as time goes on, the pull they feel toward one another only increases. There's much more to this book: Echo working through her repressed memories, Noah working to get custody of his brothers, how these things affect their relationship with one another. I was completely engrossed in the story, reading it in less than a 24-hour period. I liked the main characters, as well as the side characters. There was a believability to it all. And the fact that all the storylines were wrapped up in ways that I fully approved of was an added bonus. :) I highly recommend this book to fans of Young Adult Romance (and it's only 31 cents for Kindle right now)!

[readingbeader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having read the second book in this series first, I wanted to go back and read about Noah and Echo. Ms. McGarry did not disappoint. Some tough issues are dealt with, and feel real. I like the way she writes her characters and dialogue. Sometimes I got annoyed at Echo, but realized that many of my students probably feel just like her, they just want someone to love them, and can't see when someone does.

[bonniemarjorie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pushing the Limits is a contemporary YA story about romance and friendship and dealing with loss. Echo was involved in an accident with her mother but the trauma was so strong that her mind has blocked it completely. All she wants to do is remember, but is she strong enough to handle the truth? Noah is still dealing with the loss of his parents in a house fire and is struggling to survive the foster care system. He was separated from his two younger brothers and all he wants to do is obtain custody of them so they can all be a happy family again. Echo and Noah have both suffered in life but are complete opposites of each other, yet they fall for one another just the same.I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: YA contemporary is not my go-to genre. This book sat on my shelf for years because lets be honest, that cover screams nothing but high school! romance! angst! drama! to me. I was surprised that while the romance (and yes, all the angst and drama one could ever hope for) is a major part, the story possessed a depth I was not expecting. Echo and Noah were individuals that had been forced into growing up sooner than necessary due to incidents in their life and Pushing the Limits is their coming of age story that treads the line between YA and NA and will be well-liked by fans of both.Pushing the Limits was entertaining and I read it fairly quickly, however, it didn’t manage to generate much in the way of opinion. I was overall a bit indifferent about Echo and Noah’s story. While I appreciated the complex and separate side stories of both characters, it was all too melodramatic for me in the end. The romance was given some time to develop so instant love wasn’t a real factor, but once the romance started it, the seriousness between the two progressed at the speed of light. There were the obligatory ‘I love you’s’ thrown around and the constant use of ‘babe’. While the characters stories possessed depth I didn’t feel that their romance did. The story suffered in pacing during the second half and would have benefited from a trim in length as it only succeeded in adding more of the already abundant melodramatic flair. Excessively long yet still compulsively readable, it disappointed by ending too predictably. I seem to have nothing but negative things to say, yet I did enjoy the read overall. It’d be worth it to give the author another shot to see how she progresses as a writer.

[dgoo_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A heartbreaking, engrossing story of two teens torn from their families, both sufferers of traumas. Though seemingly from opposites sides of the tracks--or lunchroom, more apt--they find solace, love and family in each other. Though no paranormal romance, there is plenty to be of realistic interest here. Teens coming of age in a super extraordinary set of circumstances instead of a supernatural world. I'm a big fan of young adult literature that deals with complex issues, and this novel delivers. I'd probably give this 3.75 stars here if I could, but I'll go ahead with the four, since for the non-paranormal young adult coming of age/romance/with likely a larger audience to include adults novels, it's one of the better ones I've read.

[sedelia_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book about two troubled teens trying to work through their issues and figure out their futures? Yes, please. Pushing the Limits is filled with drama, serious issues, and some very touching moments. Dealing with themes such as friendship and family, this is something that I think everyone can relate to.What Katie McGarry does is perfectly set up a situation with two characters that are impossible not to like. Told from both of their perspectives, I rooted for Echo and Noah from the very beginning (individually and as a couple). What I liked about them is that they are two responsible teenagers in very bad situations. These weren't even situations they brought upon themselves, but things that just happened and made a major impact on their lives, forcing them to deal with horrible things. I hate when authors portray teenagers as shallow and whiny; McGarry gives her characters something real to be troubled about and has them fight for what they want instead of sulking in their misery.And my goodness, does McGarry know how to craft an un-put-downable story! Don't even try to stop reading at the end of a chapter, because it won't happen. I would promise myself to only read a few chapters, only to find a few hours later that I've read a quarter of the book. It's a fast read that goes by even faster, because you won't want to stop reading. The characters sucked me in, and I found myself always needing to know what happened next.There were some problems with this novel. For one, the adults didn't seem very realistic to me. They were too over-the-top, not willing to listen to the teenagers or talk the problems out with them. While I'm sure this happens, I would have liked there to be a better balance. For most of the novel, it seems like the only two adults that really care are the therapist, Mrs. Collins, and Echo's former art teacher. Also, the connection between Echo and Noah got too strong too fast. I did like that the relationship took some time to develop, but it only took a couple of short meetings for Noah to start obsess about Echo. And there are some incredibly cheesy moments, but they are interspersed with some really sweet ones, so there is a balance, at least.Because of those problems, though, I had a hard time deciding what to rate this novel. While I was bothered by some things, I liked the characters, the themes, and how nicely the story unfolded. What it came down to was the fact that I enjoyed every second of reading Pushing the Limits, and I couldn't put it down. In the end, that's all that matters for me.*I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

[thebumblegirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have to say, Katie McGarry has a way with words, she sent me through an emotional roller coaster right along with her characters... and her words, Echo and Noah's love story, has left a mark on my heart.Echo and Noah have more in common than they think - they both used to lead the perfect teen life: popular, gorgeous, outgoing, smart and with promising futures. Until separate tragedies happen to both that leaves them physically and emotionally scarred forever. When Echo and Noah meet they were set on the fact that they would lead very different and lonely lives from what was expected. And that they would never have anything in common, least of all, get along - how will they ever be able to get through their mandatory tutoring sessions? Watching Echo and Noah let their guards down and try to trust and understand each other is not easy. Their stories and hurts run deep. The connection between the two runs even deeper. This is not your typical love story. But it is definitely one with no regrets, full of hope and wonder.And do not underestimate any of the secondary characters! Each and every one of them will leave their mark on you too. They each have a story to tell, and Katie McGarry is able to show you just enough to let you know their stories to sympathize with them... or not. Katie McGarry's writing is beyond mesmerizing! This is THE contemporary of the year!And I have to add - in the back of the (ARC) book, the author shares a playlist for Pushing the Limits. All of the songs listed are wonderful and include music by Patty Smyth, Train and Kings of Leon...One of my most favorite songs of all time: Crash Into Me by The Dave Matthews Band is listed!!! And this is the song that she listened to every time she had to write a kiss scene for Echo and Noah :)

[annejhoyce · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love me some Contemporary Romance so when I read the synopsis on Goodreads, I just knew I had to read this. See, this book is more than your typical teenage romance. It does play on cliche things but there is mystery beyond what is presented. The romance part itself, was just.... If I let out a dreamy sigh, will that get the point across?First, We have Echo Emerson. A girl who was once the it-girl, had the it-boyfriend, was in the it-circle, had a full family until a tragic night during her Sophomore year. The mystery of it is that she cannot remember what happened on her own. She was so emotionally and physically scarred by the experience that her mind shielded her away from the memories of it. She kept to herself and eventually became a loner. Until the last semester of her senior year, she almost find herself in verge of "normality"... Then we have Noah Hutchinson. The bad boy. The stoner. The walking one night stand. But there's more to the boy than the smoke that comes from his mouth or his bad grades in Physics. Once upon a time, he was once your typical "Homecoming King". He had popularity, played for the basketball team and most importantly, a loving home with a beautiful family but all was lost after the fire that took both of his parents. All he was left with was his little brothers but they we're eventually taken from him as well. As graduation nears, he's counting the days where he will get full custody and be with them again but nothing is as simple as it seems...Through circumstances, those two we're forced to work with each other. Tutoring set up by none other than, Mrs. Collins. The new social services counselor dead set to help both of them. Echo with her memory block and Noah with his fight for himself and his brothers. As they spend more time together, they find out that they are so much more similar than they have thought. Eventually, an intense attraction builds up between the two and even with their own denials, the fire that has been set cannot be extinguished.They have both gone through so much and it was hard not to have an instant soft spot for them. So as for character development, my heart just melted into tiny little bubbles of happiness. This book did not disappoint. They grew as individuals and with each other. It was done without any lack of emotional turmoil but done tastefully. With emotions being said, let me get out the easiest one, and that is ANGER. There's a few things I didn't like but I don't think they we're meant to be liked anyway. I cannot get over the whole "public" friend BS. I'm sorry, her friends we're so worried about her social status rather than her actual needs? They might have meant well but I can't even get past that one except for Lila. Lastly, Echo's parents and Ashley? Well, I'll leave that one for you to find out because I have a few choice words that won't sound too good right now.But with Anger, there is also LOVE. Love for that everything that's happened because I officially love this book! I shed a tear or two at some emotional points, swooned over Noah and his love for Echo & his brothers, for Echo to find her backbone. I love the fact that this was written in alternating POVs. It confuses readers when they're not done right but in this case, they blended in so smoothly! I can still hear Noah's thoughts in my head right now..... *starts daydreaming. Call me cheesy or hopeless romantic but I would have never thought the word "Siren" could be such a sweet endearment but Ms. McGarry definitely made that work for Noah. Despite the weirdness of it, I loved Echo and Aires' name. So unique and pretty. I loved Isaiah and Beth's character. They're the best sub-characters you will ever get from this book! Maybe, besides Mrs. Collins. Everyone else was... difficult.The book was simple enough for a contemporary read but the contents we're pretty potent that I'm sure I won't forget about this one anytime soon. In fact, I could use a little bit more of Echo and Noah in my life! Definitely purchasing a paperback copy of my own and I'll make sure to watch out for Ms. Katie McGarry's future work because Pushing The Limits have exceeded expectations.

[mariannelee_0902 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pushing the Limits More reviews can be seen on my shared blog, Boricuan Bookworms

I have a thing for books about good girl meets bad guy. I’ve read my fair share of these books, and I think that I already know everything about them. But this book… well this book definitely surprised me.

Echo Emerson is the school freak. She used to be popular, until the day she disappeared from school and returned as a different person. A person who hides the scars on her arms and can’t remember much of what happened and how she got them. Suddenly, Noah Hutchins, the girl using bad boy, comes crashing into her life with his sexy smiles and irresistible looks. She doesn’t want to fall for him and become another one of his plays, but he acts different with her. He understands and protects her and makes her feel normal. Too bad that Noah has problems of his own, and neither of them can fully love each other without risking important things from their lives…

Pushing the Limits isn’t only about what happens to the good girl when she falls for the bad guy, no. This book is about so much more than that. It deals with real problems and gives us real solutions. It’s about love, family, and most of all trust.

This story is told from both Echo and Noah’s points of view. They both were really nice narrators, but I found I loved Noah’s chapters more just because I wanted to know what was under his “tough guy” shell… and because of his crude honesty.

I didn’t know much about Echo Emerson, other than she kept to herself, she was smart, a redhead and she had big tits.
“Echo, you look…” he let his eyes wander down my body and then slowly back up. A wicked grin spread across his face. “Appetizing.”

Now Echo for me was a different story. Echo broke my heart in every chapter, because I hated seeing her so sad.



I just wanted to pick her up and hug her until she stopped being sad. Echo was the best friend I’d love to have.

Also, the romance in this book was beautiful. I loved seeing how Noah and Echo’s relationship developed into a wonderful wonderful thing. Noah has reached the top of my book boyfriend list, and will definitely stay there sharing the spot with another Noah I love as well…

It was nice to see that not only did Echo need Noah, but Noah needed Echo. They needed each other to keep sane. Echo was basically Noah’s first girlfriend, and although he was terrified, he took the plunge because he genuinely felt something for her.
“Echo, I can’t tell you what’s going to happen because I don’t know. I don’t hold hands in the hallway or sit at anyone else’s lunch table. But I swear… that you will never be a joke to me and you’ll be much more than a girl in the backseat of my car.”

Those words right there made me melt. Those words made me completely forget about how Noah was the biggest player in the world, and made me want to yell at Echo “WHAT ARE YOU DOING STANDING THERE! HURRY UP AND FALL IN LOVE!”.


Other than the romance, I loved how family was touched in this book. In most YA novels, the family basically doesn’t exist, if only to be a placemat in the story. Here, family is a very important aspect. Echo’s family is practically in tatters, and we get to see how they develop and mature around this. We see tons of character development, not only from Echo, but also from her dad and even her stepmom.

Noah’s family doesn’t stay behind either. Noah jumps from foster home to foster home, but now he’s finally stayed in a home long enough to actually form a bond with their parents. Problem with this is that he’s separated from his two brothers, 8 and 5 years old. His brothers are the world for him, and it hurts him to be separated from them. It actually hurt me that Noah felt as much pain as he did.



Also, this book has amazing secondary characters. Mrs. Collins is definitely my favorite one. She basically saved Echo and Noah. Without Mrs. Collins and her therapy sessions and her overall understanding of teenagers, I'm pretty sure this romance would not have ocurred. I loved Mrs. Collins because she was the superhero of this story.

Katie McGarry is one of these authors who I’d love to meet and give a big hug. She created a wonderful story with wonderful characters and wonderful situations that just steals your heart. I borrowed this from the library, but I’ll be sure to buy this book (and it’s sequels) so I can read (and cry into, and yell at, and laugh with) as many times as I want.

Rating: Without a doubt, 5 stars.

[tabathav_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh Sweet Freaking EPIC. McGarry literally rocked my life with Pushing the Limits. I read this in one sitting, which we all know doesn't happen to often with me. I just couldn't put it down! Think about your favorite book, now duplicate that epic and you get the epic that is Pushing the Limits. (You like my mad math skills, huh?!) It's taken me awhile to write this review because I had no idea what to say. I had so many thoughts that I wanted to get out about this book and it was just one big rambling mess every time I tired to write it lol. So, lets get down to business and see how good this turns out! Echo - is one amazing girl. She went through HELL and, unfortunately, remembers nothing. All she has to show for that night are the scars she keeps covered on her arms, and a mother she is not allowed to see. Her dad.. well, he is something else altogether. To Echo, the aftermath of that night caused her to lose everything. Her mother, her social life, her boyfriend, her friends.... Stuff like that is hard to bounce back from, but don't count her out just yet. She started seeing Mrs. Collins, the counselor at school - and this woman is all kinds of awesome. She starts working with Echo to get her to "remember" that nights events, so maybe Echo could begin to move forward and not be "stuck" in that one night. Then you have Noah. Oh.Em.Gee! (Where can I get me one of him?! Seriously.) Like Echo, Noah went through his own version of hell. Now him and his two brothers are in foster care. While his brothers were placed together, Noah has been bounced around from home to home, finally ending up in a home where he meets the two people who become "family" - Isiah and Beth. Noah is interesting, to say the least. The way his mind works fascinates me. I constantly want to know what he's thinking! He's like a buried treasure, you have to dig and dig and dig, but when you get to the inner thoughts, it was totally worth the wait! All Noah is concentrating on right now is turning 18 and getting his brothers back, aside from that - he could careless about things. Then Echo comes into his life in the form of a tutor, assigned to him by the lovely Mrs. Collins - who Noah also happens to see. Neither one of them are considered popular - so life gets a tad complicated when Echo's old boyfriend and friends try to reappear in the picture. (This is where my love for Noah jumps FULL FORCE into freaking awesome!) These two literally complete each other. I loved watching them fight, deny, and overcome everything to finally end up where they did. & if you haven't read this book, let me just tell you, it's an amazing ride to watch! Noah sees Echo for the girl she is NOW, unlike everyone else who wants her to be the girl she WAS. He sees HER and all anyone else sees are the scars. On the same hand, Echo gives Noah something more to look forward to.. a new reason to want to be.. better. McGarry also happened to write some amazing secondary characters. I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some Beth. She is so interesting and I cannot wait to read her story and learn more about her! She kept me intrigued the entire book! Isiah is also another one. He just seems... complex, yet simple at the same time. I also want to see if he and Beth end up making anything out of it. I enjoyed the way she wrote the "bromance" between Noah and Isiah. Lastly, you have Mrs. Collins. To me, this book would have been not so epic without her. She literally made some parts of the book. We all need someone like her in our lives! I think the only complaint I have with this book was Echo's dad and his wife. She just annoyed me to no end and I wanted to just... kick her. I couldn't wrap my head around her father - AT ALL - especially whenever everything came to light. Honestly though, I could read Pushing the Limits again and again, and it would NEVER get old. Katie McGarry did one amazing job with this!

[becky_jean_12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Contemporary romance—especially YA contemporary romance—isn't really my thing, so I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It has its flaws, but the author manages to avoid cliches and keeps the characters interesting.

So, what does this book do well?

Firstly, in a land of insta-love YA novels, the romance here is surprisingly well-developed. Granted, our main characters are teenagers, so there's a certain amount of attraction from the get-go. Even so, both characters are cautious about jumping into anything, and spend plenty of time getting to know each other.

Secondly, our female protagonist, Echo, doesn't let any boy bully or pressure her into anything she doesn't want to do (sexual or otherwise), a pleasant change from the date-rapey love stories running rampant in YA right now. Since I just recently finished Kresley Cole's Poison Princess, a novel in which our main character is willing to sleep with her boyfriend to keep him from dumping her, I appreciated Echo's backbone here. I don't really care whether my YA characters have sex or not (I know some readers do), but hey, rape culture gets under my skin anywhere I read it.

Thirdly, the characters are complicated and well developed. It usually seems like one character is the flawed one in these types of stories, while the other one is the perfect person who shows us what true love really is. Here, both characters are pretty messed up. And sometimes, their outside issues take precedence over their relationship, which was realistic. Mostly, though, Echo and Noah are stronger together than they are apart, which was a positive take on things.

Unfortunately, the complex characters sometimes are a little too messed up, to the point where it pulled me out of the story. Not only is Echo's brother killed in Afghanistan, she was attacked by her mother, AND her father is a neglectful asshole. Not only were Noah's parents killed in a horrific fire, his foster families are abusive assholes, AND he does drugs. At times, it can get a little soap opera-y, making Noah and Echo feel more like characters on a page than real, actual people.

That being said, both Echo and Noah grow and change by the end of the novel, and although Ms. McGarry tackles a lot of issues in one novel, there's more hits than misses.

[islam_a · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My first review and book of 2020 and I loved it so much! I wish I read this sooner, but I’m glad I made this my first read of 2020!!! 5 stars!!!!

[mirandalg14 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars. There was some good emotion here and a lot to deal with. Dings for all the unneeded swearing. And the whole "bad boy changed for good" thing was kind of annoying. There is not a redeemable person behind every jerk and I don't like it when girls are repeatedly told to go for someone who will probably always be a jerk. And one of my top pet peeves is the pet name baby. Super annoying.

[khal_khaleesi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

(This review can also be found on my blog The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl).

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry has been one of the books I'd been looking forward to reading even before it came out. I finally caved in and bought the book off of Amazon. I must say that it was money definitely well spent!!

Echo is a senior in high school who goes from being one of the most popular girls to a social outcast almost overnight. There was something that happened to her to make her become a social pariah. It has something to do with the scars on her arms, but she can't remember what happened. Noah is a stoner bad boy who has a bit of a reputation when it comes to girls. He's been around the block when it comes to girls. However, he didn't bargain for Echo. Can Noah help Echo remember?

I love the title of Pushing the Limits. It is a very suitable title especially when it comes to Noah and Echo. Each character must push their limits in this book.

I'm not really big on the cover. In fact, I really don't like it. To me, it's a rather bland cover. Again, this book takes the easy way out by just featuring a photo of Echo and Noah. I do prefer the US cover to this book, but even that one isn't great. Still, don't judge this book by its cover because otherwise you are missing out!

The author definitely got the pacing right with this story. It is not dull at all, but is, in fact, a very thrilling, fast-paced story. The chapters flow into each other very easily. Not once does the pacing slip with Pushing the Limits.

I enjoyed the dialogue between the characters in this story. Even the internal dialogue was very good. The only thing that really annoyed me was how Noah went on about how hot Echo was, how great her body was, etc. I know he's a teenage guy, but come on, he's supposed to be in love with her. It seemed to me, based on his dialogue, that a lot of the times what he was feeling was more lust than love. I also hate how he called Echo "baby" all the time!!! GGGRRR, a few times here and there was enough, but all the time!?!

So yes, this brings me on to the characters. I thought the characters felt very real. They were definitely well thought out. My favourite character was Beth. I loved her sarcasm, and sarcastic characters just seem to win me over all the time! The character of Echo was well planned. She came across as a confused teenager who just wants answers which, I believe, is what the author was trying to portray. Echo is a character who is very easy to relate with and very easy to like. Noah is also a well developed character, but I just found him annoying as stated in the previous paragraph. He came across as way too much of a horn dog for my liking.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry is definitely a well executed and emotional story. The plot is amazing, and the characters feel real. I felt that there was at least one character featured in the story that everyone could relate to.

I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 16 . In fact, I'd go as far as to say that this is one of those books that everyone should read before they die!

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry gets a 4.5 out of 5 from me.

[bookwhisperer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel offered a very similar feel to my beloved favorite Beautiful Disaster. The abruptness and volume of intensity overflowing from these pages affected me just as deeply throughout. Pushing the Limits is the type of the story that will capture your attention long after the last page. These characters will imprint and influence readers with their deeply devotional stories. With the mysterious history for these two victims readers will be captivated and enticed through the rough beginning. Unknowingly, by passing the rough new start to a relationship, and jumping right into the meat of the story. As I raced for the end I fell in love with this story inside and out. Out is the overview of a victimized young girl and man that just happen to be thrown together. The outcome is obviously the powerful romance that will offers a brighter ending for our two characters. The inside is the perfectness of these two characters their finding just what they need. After the continuous failure of Noah's efforts, after the loss of his parents, he has all but given up. With the sole goal of obtaining custody of his two younger brothers; he slides through life just to get by. Until he meets Echo. Echo is the complete opposite with her over baring Father, and dysfunctional family. This is where things really began to get interesting. It is easy to tell you what we know: Echo has arms covered in scars that she knows her Mother has something to do with, but everyone that can refuses to give her any information. The one other person that could provide this information would be her Mother, but the restraining order has forbidden her from even speaking to her. We also know that as if her life was not dysfunctional enough she has had to endure the tragic loss of her brother Ares. Lastly, and to pour salt in open wounds her longtime babysitter is her new Stepmother. All of these developments occurred in the same length of time creating quite a story that Echo has to contend with. As I am sure is easy to grasp that all of these facts load up to a big pile of CRAP!!!! This story is about unfolding each one of these areas, and forming each of the finite details into a clearer picture. As well as, building this heart stopping romance that will leave readers breathless. I loved every inch of this story, and would absolutely list it as a BOOKWHISPERER RECOMMENDATION!!!! 

[brenda14_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great characters with amazing chemistry and flaring passion. Not only those it have intense scenes it also has funny and cute moments.

[booksovertv · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Favorite of the year!

Pushing the Limits is a well written tear jerking page turner. With every turned page I was more impressed. My heart went out to Echo and it breaks for Noah. They are both courageous albeit naive. In this novel there was a bit of everything a reader of Contemporary Fiction looks for and expects, well done!


I would like to thank Netgalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[liindasnow97 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Never judge a book by it's cover has never described something so right.I hadn't given this book a chance because, honestly, that cover made me think this was going to be a book about lots of physical activities (if you know what I mean ;) ).I was pleasantly surprised. This book was amazing, I loved the story of Noah and Echo and I liked their individual stories, too. Being in their heads was hard, specially near the ending when everything is either getting a closure or turning out to be something different.I think I fell in love with Katie's writing style, and I'm so glad I already bought the next book in the series, since I want to keep reading about this characters I loved (I think the next is Beth's story? That sounds interesting!)Anyone looking for contemporary YA romance with a strong story should read this book.

[zabetreading · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes

Cover Impressions: The cover is ok. It doesn't even come close to showing what a great book this really is. I am happy to see that Noah and Echo are pictured as described (even down to the long sleeves - though I would like to have seen her in gloves). The lighting is well done, but I'm not sure this one would stand out very well on a shelf.

The Gist: Overnight, Echo Emerson went from Miss Popularity to the High School Freak and no one knows why. The horrible scars on her arms prove to Echo that something awful happened that night, but she can't remember. Under the guidance of a new therapist, she meets Noah Hutchins, a boy who is not only dark and dangerous, but just as damaged as she is. Fighting their undeniable attraction, they set out to reveal each other's secrets. In order to do so, they must each let their guard down and let the other in.

Review: 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. I have already listed Dare You To (Beth's Story) as to-read and will count down the days until it's eventual release sometime in 2013.

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 16 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Kissing, Sexual Acts, Vulgar Sexual Language.
Violence: Fist Fight, Drugging, Attempted murder
Inappropriate Language: Varied and Often: Fuck, Tits, Dick, Ass, Shit, Bitch, Jesus Christ, Pussy, Slut, Bastard, Whore

Substance Use/Abuse: Underage drinking, Marijuana use,

Notable Quotables:

"She'd come home with me to act as my barrier for Family Firday - or as I liked to refer to it, Dinner for the Damned."

"No. I like my brian cells. I find they come in handy when I ... oh, I don't know ... think."

"Luke used to give me butterflies. Noah spawned mutant pterodactyls."

[bishhy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Having been through a traumatic event in her life, Echo finds herself wanting to know what happened that night she ended up in the hospital, fighting for her life. What she wants? To be normal again. And she isn't finding normal going back to her douche ex boyfriend, nope, not that dumb jock. But bad-boy Noah Hutchins, leather jacket wearing, weed smoking, butterfly pterodactyls making boy whom Echo finds total and utter peace with. But Echo isn't the only one with problems, no siree. Noah Hutchins used to be that all star kid with popularity running through his veins, up until losing both his parents in a fire and placed into foster care. Noah finds himself jumping from foster home to foster home, losing himself with each passing day. The only thing making him try? His brothers... and Echo.I absolutely loved this book. It kept me turning the page in anticipation. Gahh. If Noah Hutchins was real... and a bit older, I would be all over that and STAT! Noah Hutchins is a bad boy with a heart of gold. Slacker ways but the most beautiful brown eyes that show the most caring you'll ever need! *sigh* I'm telling you.. sigh now, and prepare to do a lot more sighing when you read this book! Noah Hutchins will pull at your heartstrings ladies! We're first introduced to Echo in the beginning of the book, talking with her counselor/therapist/psycho driver and afterwards runs into Noah, whom exudes badass with ease. I found Echo to be really weak. I understand she's been through some shit and has lost nearly everything in her life, but my gaaawd! Grow a back bone! She practically let herself be talked into certain situations where a simple "no" would have sufficed. But, no. Because she's the victim and will forever play the victim, she'll lay down and play dead when you tell her to. Her friends? What friends? Don't even wanna walk down that alley. I loved this book, but the characters drove me nuts! Which then made me love the book even more. But seriously? The adults in this book needed some major smacking around a time or two. What I liked about this book was that it was really easy to read. Aside from the heart-wrenching moments and the sighing (YES, MORE SIGHING!!), Ms. McGarry really knew how to draw you in AND keep you in. Yeah, I disliked the adults with a passion. Yeah, I wanted to throw a fit and smack some sense into some of the characters. BUT, I wouldn't change a thing about this book. The character speak to you, the words practically pop out and paint a vivid image for you, making you want to reach in and do a lot of cooing and cuddling to ease the pain going on. What I didn't like... well, this should be obvious. THE ADULTS. Seriously, not adults at all. I'm not even going to go into more detail with that one. I would definitely recommend this book. It's heart-wrenching and totally throws some perspective in your eyes. If you don't mind a few of your heartstrings being plucked at, or keeping a box of tissues by you, then by all means, go out and get this book! You wont regret it.

[alcarinqa_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pushing the Limits is about a good girl and a bad boy and their romance in a high school setting, so I hope you'll forgive me for going into it thinking of a YA Walking Disaster. I was expecting a violent guy, a good girl who hides her real nature, and a weird, nonsensical situation that throws them together with light smexy times to follow. But this book has none of that - it's about two people who have lost the trust of everyone around them, who are genuinely broken and are trying to achieve 'normal', whatever that might be.I was sucked into the story from the very first chapter, in which Echo and her family meet a new school counsellor. The next chapter is told from Noah's point of view, but I didn't realise until a few paragraphs in! Then I rejoiced: dual perspective, yay! Both Noah and Echo are painted vividly and came across as realistic characters for me. I have to admit I didn't like Noah in the beginning, I feel the author placed too much emphasis on how he thought that all girls exist just to please him (he has this weird idea that wearing a tank top under the low-cut blouse is an invitation to ogle, which ... it's not!). But he eventually grew on me, and I could see he genuinely cared for his brothers and wanted the very best for them, and loved Echo a lot. Noah isn't exactly bad - he's just as lost as Echo but he's found a different way to deal with it.Echo is my favourite character - I think she's strong and deals with all the difficulties in her life well. She makes a few decisions I didn't agree with, but I liked it when her friends called her out on her bullshit and she actually took a few brave steps towards recovering because of it. Her character development is amazing, and I sympathised with her a lot even while shaking my head at some of the things she did. In particular, I hated her friends, even Lila the best friend. They were a poisonous bunch of vapid fools who encouraged her to date someone who pressured her to have sex just because he was a jock and it made 'sense'. I know that in high school there is a lot of pressure to be 'normal' and to not draw attention to one's self, but the whole situation made me very uncomfortable.I really liked the character of Mrs. Collins, the school counsellor. She wasn't traditional by any means, and by making her a clinical psychologist the author gave Collins a lot of freedoms and (unrealistic) tendencies, but I liked it. It was so cute that she approved of Noah and Echo's relationship when everyone else was too busy judging them.Aside from the romance, I loved how gritty this book is - it doesn't shy away from mental illness and depression, from PTSD, from the unfortunate realities of the foster care system. I was struck by how real Pushing the Limits feels, how it could have been set at any high school, how it could have been about people I went to school with. There is nothing contrived or unrealistic about the plot, it's a natural progression from hanging out, to finding out how much Noah and Echo had in common, to them becoming friends and helping each other overcome their fears and mistrust of others. And if there's kissing along the way, all the better!Pushing the Limits is less about the romance between a bad boy and a good girl, and more about how they have been let down by everyone that was meant to help them. It's less about the kissing, and more about how Echo and Noah grow, find strength in one another, and come to trust those around them. It's a realistic, edgy book that I really enjoyed, and I'm looking forward to reading Dare You To.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.

[aoibhealfae · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I've been trying to finish this book and it kept being in my DNF-ed for ages. In fact it took me two years and I've been reading the galley version of this book and I still have a hard time digesting through this book. Most of the time I expected its due to the formatting but most of it is because I really don't like and care enough for the story nor for the characters nor the style.

The copy I'm reading doesn't have the necessary part to make the separate narrative to carry its individual distinction. I found myself being confused by a dual narratives. Often I was in the guy's head and then suddenly everyone addressing the narrator as Echo and vice versa. They nearly have the same voice and it seem melded together. I guess maybe it was due to them being tortured and scarred souls or something. Maybe its a good thing since if the writing itself took an effort to read, its easier to see where the nice things are. But apparently I still find myself being too emotionally uninvested in these two characters nor with the story.

I have enough problems in my life as a teen and I was a wreck as a teen (frankly who wasn't) and I've been all socially outcast in three states, being called something I'm not and whole balloon of drama and stuff and I've tried using the counselor approach several times in my life and it didn't work for me since I have issues with people who think they can read people professionally but I sort it out eventually and I have my own reading and writing to keep me sane and a therapy. But curiouser, neither the characters doesn't connect with me. While most think it was too realistic or deep but all I see was superficiality and fictional characters with their personality spread thinly and in a dire need for attention or decent bitch slapping. I like the male POV but soon the narratives was too nonsensical for me to make sense of everything. I simply don't care about the unnecessary dramas.

Seriously, Kafka's Metamorphosis at some point did have the whole "everyone and everything is against you for absolutely some weird no reason" alienation right but when you constitute it into one brooding guy with some issues and a girl who are too focused with herself and concerned about people around her to function properly, it does make the necessary attention span went out of the roof. I guess I know why some of these contemporary YA (or chic lit or its new name the New Adult) never click with me.

And I have a problem with books with too many characters in it. I read too many books and known too many people so names tend to come in one ear and out the other unless you hook me to a real person with a face on it. But as soon as I lay my eyes on a chapter of this book, the book exploded into a serious case of too many people and too many drama. I know it was common for stream of consciousness things but all these characters without unique descriptives are just name lists rather than actual characters.

While I appreciate a good deal amount of fictional romance in my otherwise romantic loveless life, the great girth of this book seem to revolve on the unnecessary drama element and loads of talking and touching and expressing feeling at the emotional level that plot took a minor role over the character dramas. While I understand family drama completely but maybe my experience with teenage angst was on different level that the book didn't synchronize with me at all. I guess to me the book have the same level as every Malay contemporary dramas people make these days with its stick people spending too much of their time and soul on each other and down to some psychological illness that maybe or may not be realistic. Honestly, that was plain excruciating for me in writing form as it does in real life. There is a bigger world out there and the world don't revolve around singular pronouns and apparently some mean people too. The book is relevant to a degree if what you seek was the drama part but on the overall execution part, it was poorly done. Too repetitive. Too boring. Too predictable and very unexciting. I know some Harlequin and bodice rippers that are better at these kind of cliched dramas that sometimes did touch my medium sociopathic heartstrings but for its length and effort, its too hyped to make the experience worthwhile.

The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[staciesnape-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Warning: May contain spoilers Echo Emerson was the girl in school that everyone wanted to be and every guy wanted to date, but when she up and left for months, only to return with scars on her wrists and arms, she's an outcast. Her father doesn't listen, her step mother (once babysister) is pregnant and her mother is no where to be seen. Why? because she's the one that hurt Echo.Echos mother suffered with bipolar disorder since she and her brother were a kid, but after coming of her meds to paint one day, Echo wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of how she got there. One thing is certain though, her mother tried to kill her. In the space of 6 months Echo not only lost her mother but her brother too, who died in the army, leaving nothing behind for her but a car.Noah Hutchins, once a model student and basketball player, is a stoner guy in foster care after he's parents died in a fire leaving him and his 2 brothers orphans. Fleeting from one foster home to the next because of violence, Noah is willing to what ever it takes to get back on the straight and narrow in order to hopefully get his brothers back, who at the moment he only gets to see for an hour of supervised visits fallowing his last fight.Thrown together by the schools new guidance counselor, Echo starts to tutor Noah, she does it for money to do up her brothers car, and Noah needing to get his grades up. Both have been through hard times in the past two years, but by becoming friends and finally learning to trust someone, they learn to not only deal with it but move on. They find love, friendship, acceptance and Echo slowly gets her memory back while Noah figures out its ok to let people inMy thoughts? it was a very well written book dealing with horrific things. The characters each have a little story of their own and you really get a feel for all of them. (well.. apart from some of Echo's friends. But they aren't really a big issue in the book). One of my favourite characters was Beth, even though she did annoy me at times, and one of the reason's why I haven't said much about her is I know the next book is about her so I'm going to save what I have to say about her till then.

[summerskris_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Noah and Echo are two very real and human characters. Echo cannot remember the day when she got the scars on her arms. Her family is affluent, but her family is broken and she wants to get out of her house. Noah used to be the golden boy until he got stuck in the foster system; for personal reasons, he can't wait until he turns eighteen and graduates high school. Both characters have been assigned to the new school counselor, who is very interested and gets very involved in their lives. While I knew she meant the best for them, I couldn't help but hate her along--and everyone else-- along with Noah and Echo in the beginning. The emotions are so powerful and there.Noah and Echo help each other to heal from their troubled pasts, I would certainly recommend it based off this premise. The romance is edgy and will appeal to those who love passionate love stories with a slightly forbidden element because of the couple's different social circles. For some reason, it didn't work very well for me, which may be because Noah and Echo don't really commit to each other until towards the end of the book. Mostly, they're using each other in order to resolve their respective conflicts while mostly trying to ignore their strong attraction for each other.I like Noah's friends much more than Echo's friends. While Noah's friends are stoners, they feel real. Echo's friends are concerned with image and pressure Echo into sitting at the cafeteria and trying to regain her old status in the school when she doesn't want it anymore. They think that she was happy with her old boyfriend and try to set them up with each other, although their relationship was over even before her "accident." I do not approve of friends pressuring friends to do something they don't want to do, much less to have sex. As if sex can fix a broken relationship, especially when that's why a couple broke up. I don't like how Echo allows her friends to push her into doing things that she doesn't want to do, though I understand that she wants life to go back to normal just as much as her friends. And I'm happy about how she grows over the course of the novel and learns how to speak her mind and do what makes her happy.Pushing the Limits is about letting go of the past and moving towards the future; it is about healing. It is filled with raw emotions and a chemistry that Noah and Echo cannot ignore. It is frustrating. Noah and Echo want things, but they are constantly battered by obstacles: parents, memory loss, social care, the law, youth and inexperience. Much more than a love story, it is about two broken individuals trying to make a place for themselves in the world. The story explores the topics of foster care, memory loss, and bipolar disorder. There is language and suspicion of a suicide attempt. I would not recommend this to a younger teenage audience because of the contemplations of marriage immediately after high school and mentions of sex and drugs.

[literaryperuser · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Both Noah and Echo carry a great burden. Echo is trying to remember and Noah is trying to forget. Echo suffers from amnesia after an event that left her physically scarred. No one will tell her what happened for fear that she will suffer from a psychotic break. She feels alone in a house filled with the ghost of her dead brother, the shadow of her manic depressive mother, the pressure of her controlling father and the irritation of her former nanny turned new stepmother. Echo wants to remember what happened to her. She wants control over her own life. But mostly, she wants someone to love her most and put her first.Enter Noah, a senior that cuts class, smokes, gets high and spends his free time with a less than savory crowd. What people don't know is that before a fire killed his parents in his sophomore year he was just like them, a basketball star with great prospects. Now he is in the foster care system that has failed him. So, he works to earn money. He is determined to graduate high school, get an apartment and a job so that he can get custody of his two younger brothers. He is steadfast in his mission that his brothers will not undergo the pain he had at the hands of inept foster parents.Can Echo and Noah give each what they really need? Or will their time together just destroy what little sanity each has left?McGarry writes a wonderful romance that shows that their is strength in surviving tragedy. Her characters have depth and learn about themselves even when it seems like the world is pushing them away. A fabulous read.

[amberfib · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pushing the Limits is a beautiful story of love, loss, and forgiveness. Told in alternating points of view, switching between first-person Noah and first-person Echo, Pushing the Limits tells the story of two broken teenagers who find strength within each other. Both Echo and Noah have their own unique, tragic, and heartbreaking stories of loss. McGarry switches from one POV to the next smoothly, and all of the characters are well-developed. There is just enough suspense and mystery to keep the book interesting, but not so much that it overwhelms the romance between Noah and Echo. This is truly a story for everyone. I think that almost everyone has been picked on in high school. Because of that, Echo is easy to relate to. You can't help but feel bad for her. She used to have it all, then after something horrible happened to her, she lost everything. Her desire for normalcy annoyed me, but that is only because I know (now that I'm an old woman of 30) that normal is overrated and doesn't actually exist. It seems to be one of those things that most people strive for, but no one can achieve. However, she's a likable character, and she grows so much over the course of the novel. I really enjoyed watching her come to terms with her past and figure out her future. Noah is a bit frustrating, too, but also likable. He's definitely a flawed hero. He's extremely emotionally damaged from the death of his parents and loss of his brothers to the foster system. He's in the system, too, and has had awful luck with foster parents. Because of this, he tends to lash out at people and be a jerk for no reason. He, also, wanted to get his version of normal and wanted to rebuild his family. I wanted to shake him at times and tell him that you can't go back in time. He grows as much as Echo does throughout the novel, and I also enjoyed watching him come to terms with everything. The plot itself is beautiful, and the romance is sweet. The way Noah and Echo supported each other and never judged one another is touching. The story line is intriguing. Echo lost her memory of the night she received her scars, and throughout the book she remembers more and more from that fateful day. Because of that, I was engaged throughout the novel, putting the pieces together, right along with Echo. Everyone in her family, and her counselor, knew what happened, but they wouldn't tell her. She'd tried to remember once before, and she had a mental breakdown. It was extremely suspenseful every time she remembered something. It was almost as if I felt her worry of another mental breakdown, right along with her. While this is going on, we also get to witness Noah trying to put his life back together, even though he was labeled as "emotionally unstable" by the foster system after he hit his first foster father. I enjoyed learning his reasoning behind his actions and watching him try to be the person he wants to be. The pacing for the story was perfect, and the ending ties everything up wonderfully. Warnings: Drug use, underage drinking, obscenities, and a sex scene (though it's barely skimmed over. Nothing smutty or trashy, and no detail) do occur in the novel, so this book may be best for 14+. The drug use isn't glamorized, though. I appreciated that. Overall, I'd recommend Pushing the Limits to almost anyone. If you enjoy good contemporary romances that have characters who are trying to overcome extreme obstacles, then this book is definitely for you.

[anniejonas · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Characters: Echo Emerson:I didn’t like her character. She seemed so arrogant and too sensitive most of the time, especially in the beginning. Yet at other times she would be sweet and delicate. It was strange to see that her character would just randomly fluctuate, which is why I cant say I like or dislike her because i’m not really sure what she was actually like. Forget her mom being bipolar, I thought ECHO was bipolar. Noah:I know he was supposed to be hawt and sweet and all that but I felt his character was just…wrong. He cussed in every sentence and objectified women. Then, suddenly after he meets Echo, who is apparently extremely beautiful, he falls madly in love with her? He turns into this total sap who only thinks about Echo, in fact, he asks her to…marry him. No joke! I’m sorry, but that just doesn’t make any sense. And, can he please PLEASE stop adding the word “baby” to every single freaking sentence! It was so annoying, he would be like:“I love you baby”“You are so beautiful baby”“Baby, what’s wrong?”DOES HE HAVE NO OTHER VOCABULARY!? Plot:The beginning of this book was great! Super entertaining and fast paced. It was nice seeing the banter between Echo and Noah before they started reminding me of the couple from the Secret Life of an American Teenager, which I HATE!The story starts off with both the main characters being as messed up as you can get. Echo, once a popular girl with a jock boyfriend, has become a pariah and somewhat psychotic teenager. You see, in her sophomore year something bad happened to her which caused her to have these HUGE scars on her arms. The catch? She can’t remember that night. At all. Apparently, it was too traumatic so her mind repressed it. I was intrigued and couldn’t wait for her secret to be revealed! When that time came, I was regretful because it was quite early in the book meaning the next 200 pages or so would be filled with her inane crying and insipid behavior. At the end, in like about three paragraphs, she comes to terms with her messed up life and problems and suddenly realizes what she has been doing wrong. She miraculously fixes her problems, and i mean ALL her problems with her boyfriend, mom, and crazy dad and step mom in a Kodak worthy moment That’s right, Echo’sentire conflict was solved in three paragraphs after she changed her way of thinking. Apparently, she had been thinking in a very narrow-minded, pedantic way so when she finally realized that, she was able to fix her way of thinking and magically mend all her problems with a new approach on life. Who knew her problems, which had seemed oh so grandiose, could be solved in three minutes? Wow, thanks for giving me a four hundred page book when it could have easily been 3. Noah, on the other hand, has just one problem, albeit, an extremely large problem occupying his mind. How to get his brothers custody. You see, Noah is an orphan and is parents died in a fire (Could this be related to another fire? Someone call the Baudelaire orphans!) So Noah, also know as the fourth Baudelaire to me, was carted from foster home to foster home. He hit his first foster father because the guy was hitting his own kid but seriously? Two wrongs don’t make a right! His logic is messed up: guy hits son so I hit guy? That doesn’t make sense! You got mad at the guy for hitting his kid but then you hit him, doesn’t that make you exactly like the foster guy? This, of course, caused Noah to become a criminal in the eyes of EVERYONE. Which sucks for him because he really really wanted to take care of his brothers. But maybe he should have thought about that before he hit someone, huh?Not that it matters. It just makes him even more determined to win custody of his two little brothers so they can live with him. Yes, his two brothers should leave the mansion where two loving foster parents who actually care and love them are and come live with their brother who is a is school senior with a criminal record whose only aspiration is to fry burgers. Why, this makes perfect sense.No matter how many people tell Noah, his brothers are happy where they are, he doesn’t leave them! Throughout the entire novel, he fights with reason and adamantly protests that he should have custody of his brothers. Finally, at the end, he’s like “Hey, my brothers are happy here, and I can’t offer them the life they deserve on my nonexistent salary. Here foster parents, you can keep them and I will visit. Maybe.” So at the end, he finally gets a clue! Too bad we had to endure 400 pages of him saying I NEED MY BROTHERS! (When they didn’t need him…) Ouch, unrequited love, that’s gotta to hurt… The love:Echo and Noah. I admit they are a cute couple and truly deserve each other for multiple reasons: 1. They both are said to be attractive (personally, i wasn’t buying it but *shrugs*) so Noah and Echo, great couple!2. They both are messed up but when they’re together they are less messed up so YAY! Their relationship totally works! 3. They have some serious physiological problems and authority issues. Maybe, together they can face them? (In the end, they both do so DOUBLE YAY!) At first, Noah and Echo were admiring each other’s aesthetically pleasing outward appearances while exchanging heated banter. Why? I have no idea but they hated each others guts, or really the stereotype which they thought the other person for, but that was before the stereotypes they had built for each other were shattered as they grew to knew each other. (And eventually fall in love). As they got past their mutual distrust of each other, both Noah and Echo were able to get to know each other and their relationship grew at a slow, sweet pace that made perfectly good sense. What I disliked was HOW their relationship grew. I felt I was transport back into the 17th century because Noah did EVERYTHING! I felt like he was courting her! He was the first to say the l word, he was the first to take every step forward all while Echo just sat there…WTF?But besides that, they were a great couple and seemed to work. Overall:3 and 1/2 of five starsI had high hopes for this book, unfortunately, this book did not meet them. While it was good, it was not AS good as I had thought it would be. Pushing the Limits had a great concept but I didn’t think the execution worked out. It was very entertaining in the beginning but tended to drag towards the middle and end. At some points, I was even hoping for the book to end. The plot was also unclear, the summary makes it out to be some sort of thriller involving two teenage ruffians but in actuality, it was severely lacking in plot with no issues despite the mental barriers the characters had placed. That was one of the things that irked me about the book, that the problems weren’t resolved but the characters actually changed their prejudiced thinking and reexamined their “problems” just to realize they were wrong all along and that the problems were in fact, not real. This was a good book, but it wasn’t particularly outstanding and I wouldn’t voluntarily read it again.

[ilikethesebooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Holy wow is this novel filled with emotions. From steamy sexy times, to painful therapy trying to uncover an event too traumatic to remember, Katie McGarry's debut, Pushing the Limits, really covers the full spectrum of emotions. This novel is a must read for any contemporary lover.This is going to be a short review because I honestly cannot think of a single thing that I didn't like in this novel. Everything aspect that makes up a great contemporary story is here and the level of emotional depth is consuming. The main characters, Echo and Noah are each trying to recover from their perspective trauma, the only difference is Noah remembers and Echo does not. Little do they know that to get through their past, they need to do it together. Noah and Echo have such a perfect and realistic relationship because their relationship is not perfect. Echo is having a hard time dealing with change. She wants normal, but she doesn't really even know what that is now. The closer she gets to Noah, the more she resents him for both making her move on and changing her perspective of normal. It takes a lot for these two to accept each other and accept the new versions of themselves. Their relationship is rocky, yet incredibly sweet. I loved Noah because he is definitely a boy (because so many YA heroes don't resemble real teenage boys) and in no way is he perfect. Although this seems somewhat inconsequential, I really loved the structure of the novel. Each chapter switches between Noah and Echo's point of views, which really worked in this instance. In addition, the chapters are not titled or numbered, something that adds a surprising amount to the story for being something so little and easily looked over. It makes the story seem continuous; less of a story and more of the truth. Overall? You'd be crazy if you skip over this one. Read it. Enough said.