Monday, August 13, 2012

"Pushing the Limits" by Katie McGarry

4 - 4.5 stars

Story (synopsis from Goodreads):
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.

This was an amazing, at times heartbreaking story about two lost souls finding each other. Echo and Noah (love their names, btw) were just incredible. As a pair and as individuals.
They're both in extremely hard situations, one is orphaned and fighting for the rest of his family, while the other is trying to cope with the betrayal of a loved one and loss of her brother and part of her memory. They're both miles away from being perfect, but when they are together it just doesn't matter. Following their seperate and shared paths was a beautiful experience.

I could go into more detail, but I just don't think it would give you more helpful insight into this great book. My words wouldn't be able to convey how deeply this story and its characters touched me. It's something you have to experience for yourself. But let me tell you this - "Pushing the Limits" is heartbreakingly emotional, wildly romantic and somehow manages to stay positive throughout all the turmoil the protagonist have to go through. So maybe you're wondering why I didn't give the book five stars. It's because I had one major issue with the story:

The only thing that bothered me was that the drama between Echo and Noah reminded me a bit too much of "New Moon", but thankfully without the love-triangle (-> "I'm leaving you for your own good. You'll be better off without me.") Unlike the rest of this book their reasoning just wasn't believable for me.

Apart from that I couldn't have been more delighted by this book. It isn't an easy read. It's actually emotionally exhausting at times, but ultimately rewarding. So if you think you could enjoy a story like that I would strongly recommend to order it right this second. You won't regret it.

2 comments:

  1. This book sounds amazing and I had to put it on my iPad!! :)

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    1. It's such an emotional story with so many perfectly imperfect characters. I really hope you'll like it as well!

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