ARC Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Release Date: July 31st/12.
Publisher: HarlequinTEEN
Source: ARC from Publisher
Synopis courtesy of Goodreads:
"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.



My Thoughts:
INTENSE!


This read was a roller-coaster of emotions. McGarry does a great job of blending conventional drama plot-lines with a certain edge, in her debut, told from the duel perspectives of Echo an Noah. This book deals with many conflicts: personal identity, family, loss, while blending in a steamy romance from an unconventional couple. Definitely not a read for the faint of heart, I, myself, cried two or three times while reading Pushing the Limits.


Echo has many physical and internal scars that she carries around with her each day. She can't remember how she got these scars, but she knows her parents are hiding something- adding a certain blend of mystery to this read. Her relationship with her father and step-mother (who happens to be her old baby-sitter) is strained to say the least. She feels lonely, replaced and unloved.


Enter Noah, the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. But don't let his "I couldn't care less" attitude fool you. He has the capacity to care very deeply, and this is showcased through his interactions with his younger brothers and his willingness to be the shoulder, that Echo needs, to lean on. Like Echo, Noah has many familial issues and has experienced a great loss. I cried at the injustice he faced on a daily basis, and must applaud McGarry for forcing such strong emotions out of me while reading Noah's narratives. 


The romance blossoms between these two is filled with sexual tension and excitement. Readers will definitely be rooting for them. Although I feel the need to warn younger readers that there is some mature scenes, nothing graphic though. I personally, couldn't get enough of these two and would love a continuation should McGarry decide to write one.


Overall, I would recommend this read to fans of Simone Eckles or those who enjoy well-written contemporary YA with some heated romance!


Happy Reading!!!