Review & Giveaway: Pushing The Limits, by Katie McGarry

Published: August 3, 2012
Publisher: MIRA Ink
Format: Paperback, 392 pages

Goodreads description:

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.

The following review is a bit different from how I usually write them. I wanted to try a slightly more concise way of reviewing where I combine my assessment with some personal thoughts, but can still keep it spoiler-free. Not sure I succeeded with trying to keep it short though :P Do you like this type of review or do you prefer my usual one? I'll probably keep using both in the future depending on what suits the book, but I'm curious.

My review is based on a copy provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Review (no spoilers):

This is definitely the best contemporary YA novel I’ve read all year. I was unable to stop and finished it in a day.

The story is told alternately from Echo’s and Noah’s point of view, which gives you a diverse perspective of both of them as well as the secondary characters. Noah and Echo come from very different backgrounds but both of them are damaged in similar ways, derailed from what they wanted in life and branded as outcasts.

I could really empathize with how maddening Echo found her situation. Her arms are scarred, something her fellow students think she did to herself but which she knows was actually done to her by a person she trusted. The problem? She cannot remember a single thing about the entire day when it happened.

But her father, his new pregnant wife, and her therapist can. It’s all right there in her thick file, lying tauntingly in front of her on the therapist’s desk. So when said therapist groups her together with Noah Hutchins so she can tutor him, they strike up a deal and make plans for one of them to steal or at least have a peek at both their files.

Noah hasn’t always been a bad boy. However, after his parents died and he got separated from his two younger brothers in the foster system and is now rarely allowed to even see them, he has been slacking off. He used to be a star athlete. Now he’s a stoner with a reputation of only using girls for one night stands (he’s upfront with them about that). However, what he wants most is to take care of his brothers and save them from what happened to him in the system. He wants his family back together. And Echo might be able to help him with that.

The chemistry between Echo and Noah was amazing right off the bat. It was clear they both wanted each other. However, they also both had reasons to try and stay away from the other. I loved to see their relationship develop and how they learned to become better people and stand up for themselves and their goals. Especially for Echo, this involved going against the wishes of many people close to her who were hanging on to an image of what they thought she should be like.

Not only the main characters but also many of the supporting ones where very well fleshed out. I always knew exactly who was who, how they ticked, what they wanted. They didn’t fall flat for me and they weren’t all the same. I especially liked the therapist, Mrs Collins. She truly had the backs of Noah and Echo and tried her best to help them. There are many novels out there where the ‘shrinks’ are portrayed in a negative light and I’m sure there are those kinds of therapists around, but I really liked that this one was different and really had her clients’ (not the system’s, not the parents’) best interests in mind. She was understanding. She pushed. She listened. She tried to help them so they could help themselves and heal.

I also had a big place in my heart for Isaiah and Beth, Noah’s best friends. They’ve had it rough but the three of them really stick together no matter what, unlike some of Echo’s ‘friends’ like Grace, who will only acknowledge her if she goes back to dating Luke, her idiot but socially acceptable ex. Beth will also be a protagonist in Dare You To, which will be out next year. I've read the snippet attached to my Negalley version and I'm excited to read the rest!

Both Noah and Echo were such strong characters, good people trying to be better than their flaws and face down their fears. To discover themselves and their true potential instead of taking the easiest road. This book was so much more than just a romance. It was an exploration of love, friendship, family, and being true to what you really want. It was a story of heartbreak and how it can be mended. It was a story about how to deal with the death of a beloved person and how nothing is ever the same afterwards. It was real and gritty and didn’t gloss over the hurtful parts. I felt involved with the characters and cried more than just once. The ending was different from what I’d expected but perfect for the book. It leaves room for a sequel but can also stand on its own.

Pushing The Limits is a fast-paced, raw and honest story about teens with real problems. It’s not a light read, but there’s nevertheless a share of humor in there, mostly in Noah’s well-placed comments and the banter between him and Echo. I’d recommend the story to a more mature YA audience, especially those about to finish highschool who are faced with the question of what they really want out of life and what comes next.

Connect with Katie McGarry on twitter or facebook.

Have you read Pushing The Limits? Post your thoughts about the book and/or my review of it below! I love to hear from you guys :)

Annnnd... because I loved this book so much, I've decided give away one UK version paperback or kindle copy - winner's choice (this giveaway is not sponsored by the publisher). Just fill out the rafflecopter form to enter. And yes, it's INTERNATIONAL. See below for the rest of the rules.

Rules:

• open internationally provided The Book Depository ships to you
• you must be at least 13 years old
• only one entry per person / household
• the first entry is free but you have to follow me to unlock the rest
• giveaway ends on August 30, 12:01 a.m.
• the winner will be contacted by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise I'll pick someone else 
• I reserve the right to change entry options or end the giveaway early
• I'm not liable for what happens to your book once The Book Depository has shipped it 
• cheaters will be DISQUALIFIED, meaning I'll delete all their entries and not just the cheating one 

a Rafflecopter giveaway