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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
4.5 Stars
Also found at:www.areadersdevotion.blogspot.co.uk
This book is a contemporary. This means lots of character development and not a lot of plot. I usually still enjoy the book if the characters are connectable, real and I develop an attachment to them. While I may not be completely in love with them, I still felt a connection.
‘My father is a control freak. I hate my stepbrother, my brother is dead and my mother has … well … issues. How do you think I’m doing?’
What I enjoyed most about this book is how compatible Echo and Noah are for each other. They are both so similar even if they are in slightly different situations. But they both want the same thing; to be ‘normal’. What is ‘normal’ that is the question?
What I love is that both characters change. In many contemporaries it is just about the one character being changed by the other. Here both characters go on their own journey. They need each other.
Oh Noah, you broke my heart. You cannot blame him for who he is after everything he has been through. I’m such a sucker for a tragic character. Noah has been through so much. He has to cope with death, separation and the care system. My first impression of Noah is he is very laddish. A reference to a particular area of the woman’s body showed that. He was also childish and a bit of a cliché ‘bad boy’. But soon we discover his deeper more emotional side. And you start to fall for him. And his brothers are also adorable.
Not only do we get one tragic character but two. Echo has been through her own turmoil too; mental health, divorce and image. But Echo grows as a person. At the beginning she has strong beliefs on people’s motives and personalities. Her journey is learning to get over those prejudices and discovering the truth. Echo needs to establish her identity. The events that occurred before the book have left Echo scarred. She has lost herself and the person she used to be. While I didn’t connect with Echo as much as I did with Noah she is still a great character to follow.
This book wasn’t all about the romance. That was established relatively quickly. It is a story about how these two characters help each other out in their inner battles. While I absolutely loved them as a couple, the romance did get a little sappy in places and a little cliché. It detracts from the realism, in my opinion, because do people really talk like that? I felt like I had entered a fairy tale some of the time.
Oh and Grace is a cow; just saying.
Pushing the Limits is one of my favourite styles of contemporary; two messed up people helping each other through. So many tough topics are discussed in this book. Don’t expect anything light hearted. Apart from the slightly corny moments, this was a great read that drew me into the characters and their lives. A must read for contemporaries fans.
Also found at:www.areadersdevotion.blogspot.co.uk
This book is a contemporary. This means lots of character development and not a lot of plot. I usually still enjoy the book if the characters are connectable, real and I develop an attachment to them. While I may not be completely in love with them, I still felt a connection.
‘My father is a control freak. I hate my stepbrother, my brother is dead and my mother has … well … issues. How do you think I’m doing?’
What I enjoyed most about this book is how compatible Echo and Noah are for each other. They are both so similar even if they are in slightly different situations. But they both want the same thing; to be ‘normal’. What is ‘normal’ that is the question?
What I love is that both characters change. In many contemporaries it is just about the one character being changed by the other. Here both characters go on their own journey. They need each other.
Oh Noah, you broke my heart. You cannot blame him for who he is after everything he has been through. I’m such a sucker for a tragic character. Noah has been through so much. He has to cope with death, separation and the care system. My first impression of Noah is he is very laddish. A reference to a particular area of the woman’s body showed that. He was also childish and a bit of a cliché ‘bad boy’. But soon we discover his deeper more emotional side. And you start to fall for him. And his brothers are also adorable.
Not only do we get one tragic character but two. Echo has been through her own turmoil too; mental health, divorce and image. But Echo grows as a person. At the beginning she has strong beliefs on people’s motives and personalities. Her journey is learning to get over those prejudices and discovering the truth. Echo needs to establish her identity. The events that occurred before the book have left Echo scarred. She has lost herself and the person she used to be. While I didn’t connect with Echo as much as I did with Noah she is still a great character to follow.
This book wasn’t all about the romance. That was established relatively quickly. It is a story about how these two characters help each other out in their inner battles. While I absolutely loved them as a couple, the romance did get a little sappy in places and a little cliché. It detracts from the realism, in my opinion, because do people really talk like that? I felt like I had entered a fairy tale some of the time.
Oh and Grace is a cow; just saying.
Pushing the Limits is one of my favourite styles of contemporary; two messed up people helping each other through. So many tough topics are discussed in this book. Don’t expect anything light hearted. Apart from the slightly corny moments, this was a great read that drew me into the characters and their lives. A must read for contemporaries fans.
Echo has issues she can’t remember the night she got her scars and her father won’t tell her what happened. All she knows is that her mother was involved and because of that there is a restraining order keeping her mother away. The last few years have been tough for Echo her father divorced her mother leaving her for their nanny. Her brother joined the Marines leaving Echo to deal with her parent’s nasty divorce. When he doesn’t return from Afghanistan her mother sinks into depression and Echo is left alone as her father marries Ashley her nanny.
When Echo is giving the chance to make some extra money to fix the car her brother was working on before he left she jumps at the chance. Hoping that fixing his car will heal her heart. Echo knows who Noah is but she doesn’t really know his story. As the two share a few classes she works to help him catch up but learns more about herself than she knew. They each have their own issues they need to deal with hers are finding out what really happened and he wants to gain custody of his brothers. Together they come up with a plan to steal their files but end up falling for each other. As the truth comes out will it tear them apart?
I love Echo she’s got issues which makes her easy to connect with. I loved Noah he’s one of those guys that family is important he’s got issues like Echo but that’s what allows them help each other heal. I can’t imagine being in either ones it can’t be easy but they handle them well. I really fell in love with both Echo and Noah they may very well be my favorite couple of 2013.
I’ve been meaning to read Pushing the Limits for ever but I’m still new to the New Adult genre so I was a little hesitant. I wish I hadn’t waited so long because Pushing the Limits stole my heart. The characters are engaging easy to connect with and I was sucked into the story till the very end. I was dying to know what would happen next and if everything would work out for them. I had a hard time putting the book down with my family in the house for the holiday. The author has created an emotional story that smashes your heart and mends it all within the covers. I love a book that can pull me into the story so much I get emotional for the characters. However it was all worth the emotional roller-coaster because the book is beautifully done. The author has done a brilliant job creating a story that touches the heart. I’m super excited to read the rest of the books because I know from peaking they are characters we got to know in book one. I honestly loved this book it’s a must for anyone who enjoys New Adult. Echo and Noah are my new favorite couple and very well could be the my favorite of the whole year.
It turns out that I read this book already a long time ago. I just forgot the title. Re-reading it was still as awesome as when I read it for the first time.
I loved the story and the characters in this book. However I didn't give it the full 5 stars because I felt some parts dragged a little and I really wanted to hear what happens in their future. I see the sequel is coming out and will be Beth's story which I am excited to read, but I'm a little sad that it is about a guy named Ryan and not about her relationship with Isaiah. I do hope the author continues on Echo and Noah's story though or at least Isaiah's story. :)
Review to come of course! I loved almost everything about Pushing the Limits, especially:
I did not want to stop reading it and I will be continuing the series. I did see Noah's revelation and solution coming but getting there and seeing him grow was a pleasure. So it hardly matters overall.
But there’s something I fucking loathe: fetishizing virginity and slut-shaming.
First let me say, 1.) This is not about a real person’s personal choices, and 2.) It’s not just about Pushing the Limits, it's just the latest I've read with this very common set-up, and 3.) While this will probably sound really mean, I can and did enjoy reading it even though I found it problematic.
I’m not saying being a virgin is disgusting or wrong. What I’m saying this portrayal and narrative is a harmful trope that was born from and perpetuates sexism, purity culture, and toxic masculinity.
Our society is obsessed with controlling women’s bodies and choices. The primary dichotomy running through it all is the virgin versus the whore. The double-standard applies to men where their sexual prowess is something to be celebrated and their “inability to get laid” a weakness.
This plays a huge factor in the underlying message and story plot. The love-angle is built around the tropes: The Unsullied, The Pushy Douche, and Worthy Will.
Echo “saved” herself from her ex, Luke, before the accident even though she loved him and was thinking about it. Now he’s back trying to hit it. Whatever he felt before, if anything, is now gone. His only goal is getting Echo back to plant that first flag.
Both he and Noah have sexual histories of their own, though Noah is more notorious. His skills are touted as a good thing because he knows what and how to do for Echo. He’s the bad boy tamed by the fact that Echo is pure enough to make him commit to her monogamously.
While Echo and Noah’s relationship doesn’t hinge on marriage, it does on the idea of waiting for the right person and the right person being insta-forever love. Plus, they discuss getting married and want to after a short time. In the end, there’s no doubt their love is the forever kind a reward for Echo and Noah following social archetypes.
Echo’s virginity is revealed as a surprise. It’s gimmicky twist meant to explain why Echo doesn’t want to have sex with Luke. Now consent is wrapped in the mix. She could have had sex before and didn’t want to again. Saying yes once doesn’t mean she’s fair game or that she has to justify not wanting to fuck him. But instead, she's a virgin, so back off.
It’s the “No means No” version of consent instead of “Yes! Means Yes!” Consent isn’t to be presumed, it has to be enthusiastically given. Relying on “No means No” opens to door to defending rape when a victim cannot speak up, fight back, or “didn’t deny hard enough” during the attack.
To make sure the point gets across about Echo’s virginity, there’s Beth. She’s the tough bad make-out queen that lap-hops with terrible taste like her momma. Of course, she and Echo don’t get along. Beth isn’t viewed positively until the very end when she softens a bit. Until then it’s all pity and judgement. The last nail in the coffin is finding out someone does love her but her ways are keeping them from being together.
There is small hope that the sequel following Beth, Isaiah, and Ryan will subvert this trope. I wouldn’t be surprised though if Beth is *gasp* a virgin and only makes out with randos because that’s her damage but finds forever love to act right and give it up. Even if it does turn out differently, my point stands for Pushing the Limits.
It’s overabundant in YA and I’m tired of reading the same virgin girl stories, especially in contemporary and romance genres. You can have a love story and epic romance without being a virgin. Where is the sex positivity? I don’t understand obsessing and fetishizing virginity. Why? What’s the fucking point?
It would have been the same without making Echo a virgin. She could deny her ex Luke for the same reason it should have been special with Noah: because that's what she wanted. It's NOT uncommon to be anxious about your body and skills no matter what experience you have. The only thing that was added was reinforcing purity culture. So, again, what's the fucking point?
If it wasn't included, then why? How and why does that change how people view Echo?
Tackling sex this way in YA isn't revolutionary but Pushing the Limits could've pushed the limits if Echo had been like most teens and fucked Luke while they were together. I can't help but think of what if? I would've wrote a whole post cheering for it and young women would have a
Even with all the progressive campaigns and movements, YA and NA are dominated by this ideal. Women can save the day, be a bad ass, be independent but our worth, and morality is still wrapped up in a sexist social construct and bound between our legs. And you better look damn good while do you all of that.
No matter how many glass ceilings are broken, we haven’t escaped the purity pedestal and won’t if we silently accept this dominance. I can’t in good conscious cheer for a great novel and not mention it because that would be silently accepting this perpetuation.
Recommended Reading:
- The characters and their progression
- Unraveling Echo’s mystery
- The pacing and tension
- Echo and Noah’s romance.
I did not want to stop reading it and I will be continuing the series. I did see Noah's revelation and solution coming but getting there and seeing him grow was a pleasure. So it hardly matters overall.
But there’s something I fucking loathe: fetishizing virginity and slut-shaming.
First let me say, 1.) This is not about a real person’s personal choices, and 2.) It’s not just about Pushing the Limits, it's just the latest I've read with this very common set-up, and 3.) While this will probably sound really mean, I can and did enjoy reading it even though I found it problematic.
I’m not saying being a virgin is disgusting or wrong. What I’m saying this portrayal and narrative is a harmful trope that was born from and perpetuates sexism, purity culture, and toxic masculinity.
~~~~~Spoilers Below~~~~
Spoiler
Obsessing & Fetishizing Virginity Tropes in YA
Our society is obsessed with controlling women’s bodies and choices. The primary dichotomy running through it all is the virgin versus the whore. The double-standard applies to men where their sexual prowess is something to be celebrated and their “inability to get laid” a weakness.
This plays a huge factor in the underlying message and story plot. The love-angle is built around the tropes: The Unsullied, The Pushy Douche, and Worthy Will.
Echo “saved” herself from her ex, Luke, before the accident even though she loved him and was thinking about it. Now he’s back trying to hit it. Whatever he felt before, if anything, is now gone. His only goal is getting Echo back to plant that first flag.
Both he and Noah have sexual histories of their own, though Noah is more notorious. His skills are touted as a good thing because he knows what and how to do for Echo. He’s the bad boy tamed by the fact that Echo is pure enough to make him commit to her monogamously.
While Echo and Noah’s relationship doesn’t hinge on marriage, it does on the idea of waiting for the right person and the right person being insta-forever love. Plus, they discuss getting married and want to after a short time. In the end, there’s no doubt their love is the forever kind a reward for Echo and Noah following social archetypes.
Echo’s virginity is revealed as a surprise. It’s gimmicky twist meant to explain why Echo doesn’t want to have sex with Luke. Now consent is wrapped in the mix. She could have had sex before and didn’t want to again. Saying yes once doesn’t mean she’s fair game or that she has to justify not wanting to fuck him. But instead, she's a virgin, so back off.
 |
| Created by Neha Shaw for the Yes Means Yes Campaign |
It’s the “No means No” version of consent instead of “Yes! Means Yes!” Consent isn’t to be presumed, it has to be enthusiastically given. Relying on “No means No” opens to door to defending rape when a victim cannot speak up, fight back, or “didn’t deny hard enough” during the attack.
To make sure the point gets across about Echo’s virginity, there’s Beth. She’s the tough bad make-out queen that lap-hops with terrible taste like her momma. Of course, she and Echo don’t get along. Beth isn’t viewed positively until the very end when she softens a bit. Until then it’s all pity and judgement. The last nail in the coffin is finding out someone does love her but her ways are keeping them from being together.
There is small hope that the sequel following Beth, Isaiah, and Ryan will subvert this trope. I wouldn’t be surprised though if Beth is *gasp* a virgin and only makes out with randos because that’s her damage but finds forever love to act right and give it up. Even if it does turn out differently, my point stands for Pushing the Limits.
It’s overabundant in YA and I’m tired of reading the same virgin girl stories, especially in contemporary and romance genres. You can have a love story and epic romance without being a virgin. Where is the sex positivity? I don’t understand obsessing and fetishizing virginity. Why? What’s the fucking point?
Do you have sex positive book recommendations for me?
It would have been the same without making Echo a virgin. She could deny her ex Luke for the same reason it should have been special with Noah: because that's what she wanted. It's NOT uncommon to be anxious about your body and skills no matter what experience you have. The only thing that was added was reinforcing purity culture. So, again, what's the fucking point?
If it wasn't included, then why? How and why does that change how people view Echo?
Tackling sex this way in YA isn't revolutionary but Pushing the Limits could've pushed the limits if Echo had been like most teens and fucked Luke while they were together. I can't help but think of what if? I would've wrote a whole post cheering for it and young women would have a
Even with all the progressive campaigns and movements, YA and NA are dominated by this ideal. Women can save the day, be a bad ass, be independent but our worth, and morality is still wrapped up in a sexist social construct and bound between our legs. And you better look damn good while do you all of that.
No matter how many glass ceilings are broken, we haven’t escaped the purity pedestal and won’t if we silently accept this dominance. I can’t in good conscious cheer for a great novel and not mention it because that would be silently accepting this perpetuation.
Recommended Reading:
- Admit It: Your Fave is Problematic by Ijeoma Oluo
- “Your fave is problematic”: why are we so bad at talking about diversity in pop culture?
- Virginity in Young Adult Literature after Twilight by Christine Seifert
- Gender, Sex, and Politics: In the Streets and Between the Sheets in the 21st Century by Shira Tarrant
- “Good Girls” versus “Bad Girls” – Virgins & Vamps (The Madonna Whore Complex) by Dr. Sandra Trappen
- Pop Music’s ‘Good Girls’ Complex
I loved this book! This was the most refreshing YA book I've ever read. This book also had the healthiest relationship I've ever read in a YA Contemporary.
I loved this book. When I first bought it I thought the story was going to suck and, after reading, it I've found that what these characters go through is incredible and just made me enjoy this book all the more!
Noah and Echo both have problems, but instead of being super depressing like most books similar to this, their romance makes them stronger and less tragic.
This and other reviews can also be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews and were originally posted there.
Pushing the Limits is the kind of book that makes me feel both lucky and happy I’m a reader! I was totally immersed in the story from the first sentence, and it only kept getting better and better! I fell in love with both Echo and Noah from the very start, and they never ceased to amaze me! These two broken teens, struggling with demons from their past, with trying to reclaim normal, had never talked to each other before they were forced to work together. They both needed something the other could give, but none of them were giving freely at first.
Pushing the Limits really is a story about just that – pushing limits, giving the best of oneself, and trying to hash out a better life than what faith has been dealing so far. Echo is seemingly doing better, but she is still hiding a lot of secrets, both from her therapist and from her friends. The one thing that makes everything difficult for her is that she just can’t remember the day that completely changed her life. She is, however, trying her best to remember, even if the truth scares her almost as much as not remembering does.
Noah is kind of an outcast in school. He’s in foster care, is very angry, and only wants to smoke weed to forget how much life can suck. He used to be a brilliant student, and also a good football player. Until that night, when a fire took both of his parents’ lives, and he was separated from his little brothers. On top of living in different foster homes, most of them really bad, he also carries a big secret, one that he has no idea could help both himself and his brothers if only he dared to trust Mrs. Collins enough to share it with her.
Pushing the Limits is the kind of book that makes me feel both lucky and happy I’m a reader! I was totally immersed in the story from the first sentence, and it only kept getting better and better! I fell in love with both Echo and Noah from the very start, and they never ceased to amaze me! These two broken teens, struggling with demons from their past, with trying to reclaim normal, had never talked to each other before they were forced to work together. They both needed something the other could give, but none of them were giving freely at first.
Pushing the Limits really is a story about just that – pushing limits, giving the best of oneself, and trying to hash out a better life than what faith has been dealing so far. Echo is seemingly doing better, but she is still hiding a lot of secrets, both from her therapist and from her friends. The one thing that makes everything difficult for her is that she just can’t remember the day that completely changed her life. She is, however, trying her best to remember, even if the truth scares her almost as much as not remembering does.
Noah is kind of an outcast in school. He’s in foster care, is very angry, and only wants to smoke weed to forget how much life can suck. He used to be a brilliant student, and also a good football player. Until that night, when a fire took both of his parents’ lives, and he was separated from his little brothers. On top of living in different foster homes, most of them really bad, he also carries a big secret, one that he has no idea could help both himself and his brothers if only he dared to trust Mrs. Collins enough to share it with her.
Engaging characters and a story with emotional depth. Enjoyed this one!