Author: Katie McGarry
Genre: Young Adult, romance
Published on: July 31, 2012 by Harlequin Teen
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...
Although I don’t read much YA, Pushing the Limits caught my interest because of its favorable reviews. It’s also promoted quite often on Twitter. This book (and its series) seems to have a large fan following. The cover art also looks great, so I bought the book. (Update Jan. 2020: The series that includes this book has received new covers. They look simpler but are still good.).
Pushing the Limits is written in the first-person POVs of Echo Emerson and Noah Hutchins. And yeah, I too noticed the heroine’s got an unusual name. Noah himself wonders what kind of mother would name her daughter “Echo.” We meet them one day during their senior year of high school. Although they’ve met before, Echo and Noah haven’t spoken to each other. They come from rather different worlds. Noah believes that Echo is the kind of girl who takes what she has for granted. She comes from a far more privileged home. In truth, Echo has as many hardships in her life as Noah does.
To their chagrin, Echo and Noah are about to see more of each other. The former’s school psychiatrist has asked her to tutor Noah. He’s not exactly failing; he’s simply going a bit off the track. Noah has gained a reputation as a womanizer slash stoner. In the past, Noah used to be at home in Echo’s social group. A tragic accident led Noah to become a ward of the state. He is now resentful about life and his poor luck. Despite that, Noah’s never had suicidal thoughts. He has two little brothers whom he strives to take care of.
Noah and Echo grow to like each other as they spend time together. They both find that they had a wrong perception of the other. Echo’s opinion of Noah becomes even more favorable when he provides a way for her to fix her late brother Aires's car. Soon after, Echo and Noah are drawn further together by a common goal. They both share the same psychiatrist, who has thick files on them. Echo and Noah want to read their files for different, but powerful reasons.
Against all odds, the pair of misfits fall in love. Echo is reluctant to give in to her feelings at first. The social punishment Echo will face if she dates someone like Noah will be worse than even she has faced. For his part, Noah doesn’t believe he’s good enough for her. That doesn’t stop him from continuing to seek Echo’s company. Noah’s drawn to her the way he’s never been to any other girl. One of the reasons is Echo’s scent, which I found a little amusing. According to Noah, Echo smells like warm cinnamon and sugar. That does paint a vivid picture in one’s mind. I agree that a girl who smells like a bakery would be irresistible.
After reading the book, I thought that Pushing the Limits is as great as people claimed it to be. Echo and Noah are a couple unlike any most readers will have met. Part of their attraction is that they’re not cookie-cutter characters. Noah is not only a devil-may-care stoner, and Echo isn’t the freak her peers believe her to be. They are two teenagers with hardships that most older people haven't experienced. The way the author developed her two protagonists is superb. I didn't like that Pushing the Limits was quite gloomy. It could have used a bit more sunlight throughout. Still, this book is one of the best I’ve read. You can’t finish it without believing Katie McGarry is a skilled author. The way she weaves this story is remarkable. I highly recommend it to fans of YA romance.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
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