PUSHING THE LIMITS by Katie McGarry

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published July 31st 2012 by Harlequin Teen

ISBN: 0373210493

Source: Harlequin Teen

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

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: 


Contemporary reads are not my first love but I have had the extraordinary luck of picking reads that have been amazing.  PUSHING THE LIMITS by Katie McGarry is one of those reads that stick with you and make it hard to pick up another book because it stays on your mind long after you're finished reading it.

Katie McGarry has done a fine job of showcasing two protagonists that I could not help but become attached to. Echo Emmerson was a talented and popular girl but a string of horrible incidents changed everything and now she finds herself in mandated therapy sessions. All she wants is for her life to get back to normal but the loss of her beloved brother, a restraining order against her mother and her father's new wife makes it anything but normal. In her attempt to reach normalcy she conceives of an idea that requires a bit of cash, something that she is very short on but her counselor comes up with a solution that will provide Echo with the financial assistance she needs by becoming a tutor. Enter....Noah Hutchins, the gorgeous tough-guy that everyone knows about. Noah has had a few horrible life altering incidents to rival Echo's. He became an orphan at a young age an then was placed in the foster care system with his younger brothers, and when he tried to do the "right thing" it only labeled him violent and he was taken away from his brothers. Now he is on a mission to get them back and tutoring sessions with Echo is his only way to reach his goal. They are opposites but it is only cover because Echo and Noah are more alike then they care to believe and unknowingly, together they begin a journey that will bring forth much pain, sorrow and ultimate healing.


Can I just say that I adored this book. It made me laugh, cry and cheer for this couple unlike any other before them. Echo, at first timid and broken emerged stronger than ever before while Noah's need to have his family back tested his resolve and in the end it was his ability to acknowledge the truth that ultimately set him free. At first it was cute to witness their witty banter but as their relationship deepened the honest emotions that they expressed towards one another made my heart melt. In fact it makes me want to re-read this story all over again and I must admit that now I have a little Noah crush going on right now that I wholly give into.

Pushing the Limits is unlike any book I have read before. It has an amazing cast of memorable characters, moments of sheer heartache and at it's core a love story that is inspiring. I would recommend this read for older teens because of the sexually charged content and frequent drug use that frequents this story. Yet, I find that although it is prevalent in this story it is not thrown in for shock value. It is blunt and fresh to witness and worth ever second reading it.