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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
3.75 Stars!
This book is well worth the read! It's raw, edgy and the characters manage to break your heart while giving you hope at the same time. I enjoyed the alternating POV's and watching the romance grow between two very unlikely people.
Echo and Noah have both experienced horrific tragedies and are left to cope with finding a new normal pretty much on their own. (At least that's how they see it.) Not knowing who to trust is hard but through their combined circumstances Noah and Echo discover "normal" isn't always what it seems and love can find you when you least expect it.
Both of these characters are strong and Noah is completely swoon worthy despite his tough guy attitude and his potty mouth. ;) It was interesting to watch Echo's transformation and the fact that she was able to hold on to certain "things" throughout the story was refreshing.
Sometimes you read a book like this, and the pain and brokenness of the characters is too much often leaving you worse for the wear. Not so, with this story. Even though I was a roller coaster of emotions the message of hope and life being full of possibilities came through loud and clear. (for me anyway.)
I was also impressed that the first line in the acknowledgements was
"God - Luke 1:37" ("For nothing is impossible with God." ~ Luke 1:37)
This book is well worth the read! It's raw, edgy and the characters manage to break your heart while giving you hope at the same time. I enjoyed the alternating POV's and watching the romance grow between two very unlikely people.
Echo and Noah have both experienced horrific tragedies and are left to cope with finding a new normal pretty much on their own. (At least that's how they see it.) Not knowing who to trust is hard but through their combined circumstances Noah and Echo discover "normal" isn't always what it seems and love can find you when you least expect it.
Both of these characters are strong and Noah is completely swoon worthy despite his tough guy attitude and his potty mouth. ;) It was interesting to watch Echo's transformation and the fact that she was able to hold on to certain "things" throughout the story was refreshing.
Sometimes you read a book like this, and the pain and brokenness of the characters is too much often leaving you worse for the wear. Not so, with this story. Even though I was a roller coaster of emotions the message of hope and life being full of possibilities came through loud and clear. (for me anyway.)
I was also impressed that the first line in the acknowledgements was
"God - Luke 1:37" ("For nothing is impossible with God." ~ Luke 1:37)
Emotional, with learnings about the society and the struggle on both teens until they find their place in the world, "Pushing the Limits" speaks of the relationship Echo and Noah develop from dual POV, as also their thoughts and feeling for each other.
I liked the plot, the setting and the way things worked out between the two. :)
For me 5 of 5 stars
I liked the plot, the setting and the way things worked out between the two. :)
For me 5 of 5 stars
Hace tanto que no lloraba asi con un libro... Ame cada instate al leerlo<3
★★★
Bueno, otro libro x a la lista.
Eco es una chica con muchos problemas, Noah también y bueno. En verdad nada más. Se ayudan a superar sus problemas y eso.
Bueno emmm. Mi primer problema es que se intentó incorporar recuerdos, pero olí lograron confundirme en que estaba leyendo.
Mi otro problema es que fue muy x, poco memorable. Hecho de mejores y perores maneras miles de veces. Mientras escribo esto me estoy quedando sin opiniones porque así de x fue.
Bueno, otro libro x a la lista.
Eco es una chica con muchos problemas, Noah también y bueno. En verdad nada más. Se ayudan a superar sus problemas y eso.
Bueno emmm. Mi primer problema es que se intentó incorporar recuerdos, pero olí lograron confundirme en que estaba leyendo.
Mi otro problema es que fue muy x, poco memorable. Hecho de mejores y perores maneras miles de veces. Mientras escribo esto me estoy quedando sin opiniones porque así de x fue.
SPOILERS!!!! Good story line... Echo' emotional unstable, has night terrors and is haunted by her past that she doesn't remember needs money to fix her dead brothers car, gets a job if tutoring Noah' at first she thinks Noah is a jerk but that's until she starts to understand him and learn about his past, she started to fall for him. Along that path she started to remember more about her past but doesn't see the whole picture, all she knows is the reasons she has scars up her arms is because of her mother (really enjoyed this story line it was not only a romance but also a mystery, trying to figure out Echo's past, and also finding out why Noah had a Social worker along with Echo)
6+++ captivating, obsessively readable, perfectly imperfect stars.
I am almost at a loss for words after finishing this book.
It has been sitting on my Kindle for so long, and I honestly have no idea why it took me this long to read it.
Over the last several months, I have been unable to read much YA fiction. I'm not sure if i was burned out on it, or if I just attempted to read too many books with similar storylines, but my list of YA books i haven't been able to finish is ridiculously long. But in much the same way that Colleen Hoover knocked me on my ass with her ability to blow the YA/NA genre apart with amazing characters and stories that captivate the imagination, Katie McGarry has given us Pushing The Limits. Hands down one of the the 5 best books I have ever read in my lifetime. Period.
I could sit here and go over every aspect of the book that I loved. Tell you all about the plot and the brilliant way that McGarry made this world come alive. But so many others have done a far better job than I ever could at expressing how much this story means on an emotional level. This is not your typical story of teen angst with cookie-cutter characters that everyone knows all too well. This story is dark and edgy. And raw. The pain and loneliness that both Echo and Noah feel...it's real and I felt and breathed every last bit of it right along with them.
When i write reviews I usually try and give an overview of how the book made me feel, and what I was thinking as i finished it. But, to be honest...this book had me feeling so incredibly emotional by the end that I would sound like even more of a sappy fangirl than i normally do when discussing a book that made this much of an impact on me. So...instead i decided to just go for stream of consciousness this time around.
In Echo and Noah, McGarry has given us two of the most beautifully and realistically brought to life characters that i have come across in a long time. They are both far from perfect, and neither one of them always make the right choices. But, they are strong and passionate, and deeply devoted to each other and their own unique versions of 'family'. Echo is one of the most inspiring and strongest female characters i have seen...especially in YA...in years, and I loved her to pieces. And Noah was the perfect blend of cocky 'bad-boy-who-really-isn't-bad, and sweet and vulnerable. He loves Echo and his little brothers so fiercely and his desire to have a real family again is heartbreaking, and it is impossible not to want him to find happiness.
This book was beautiful, and romantic. And sad and heartbreaking. And uplifting and full of hope. It made me feel so many things, and cry the ugliest of tears. But then it made me smile and laugh like a crazy person. It touched me on a very deep and personal level, and I will never forget the experience.
I am almost at a loss for words after finishing this book.
It has been sitting on my Kindle for so long, and I honestly have no idea why it took me this long to read it.
Over the last several months, I have been unable to read much YA fiction. I'm not sure if i was burned out on it, or if I just attempted to read too many books with similar storylines, but my list of YA books i haven't been able to finish is ridiculously long. But in much the same way that Colleen Hoover knocked me on my ass with her ability to blow the YA/NA genre apart with amazing characters and stories that captivate the imagination, Katie McGarry has given us Pushing The Limits. Hands down one of the the 5 best books I have ever read in my lifetime. Period.
I could sit here and go over every aspect of the book that I loved. Tell you all about the plot and the brilliant way that McGarry made this world come alive. But so many others have done a far better job than I ever could at expressing how much this story means on an emotional level. This is not your typical story of teen angst with cookie-cutter characters that everyone knows all too well. This story is dark and edgy. And raw. The pain and loneliness that both Echo and Noah feel...it's real and I felt and breathed every last bit of it right along with them.
When i write reviews I usually try and give an overview of how the book made me feel, and what I was thinking as i finished it. But, to be honest...this book had me feeling so incredibly emotional by the end that I would sound like even more of a sappy fangirl than i normally do when discussing a book that made this much of an impact on me. So...instead i decided to just go for stream of consciousness this time around.
In Echo and Noah, McGarry has given us two of the most beautifully and realistically brought to life characters that i have come across in a long time. They are both far from perfect, and neither one of them always make the right choices. But, they are strong and passionate, and deeply devoted to each other and their own unique versions of 'family'. Echo is one of the most inspiring and strongest female characters i have seen...especially in YA...in years, and I loved her to pieces. And Noah was the perfect blend of cocky 'bad-boy-who-really-isn't-bad, and sweet and vulnerable. He loves Echo and his little brothers so fiercely and his desire to have a real family again is heartbreaking, and it is impossible not to want him to find happiness.
This book was beautiful, and romantic. And sad and heartbreaking. And uplifting and full of hope. It made me feel so many things, and cry the ugliest of tears. But then it made me smile and laugh like a crazy person. It touched me on a very deep and personal level, and I will never forget the experience.
Pushing the Limits was great! It fit my mood perfectly and was quite a surprising contemporary YA read. It was grittier and deeper than what I expected and lot more mature, despite the ages of the characters. It had a very New Adult feel in terms of maturity without the steaminess that contemporary NA is starting to becoming known for. I feel like the whole girl/boy with issues finds someone who loves her/him in spite of them theme can be really cliché, but Pushing the Limits had a wonderful execution and wasn’t predictable or cookie-cutter by any means.
I loved the characters. At first, with a name like Echo, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the characters. But Katie McGarry did such an amazing job developing the characters and their backstories. Their stories made sense, their personalities were shaped by their circumstances, and their behavior reflected it. Noah was such a likeable guy, too. They had friends who had their own distinct personalities and no one in the book felt like a placeholder.
A plus for any YA novel in my eyes is parental involvement. Pushing the Limits not only had parental involvement, but it also had other authority figures, too. Echo and Noah weren’t off gallivanting through the town at all hours of the night. They were home in their beds and at school every morning and when they weren’t at school, there was a reason or some sort of consequence. In short, it was like real life. I absolutely loved this aspect of the story. I always feel like not having a schedule like that makes a contemporary YA seem ridiculous and unreal when a contemporary should feel real and relateable. Pushing the Limits didn’t have any plot holes where the characters are off having their own conflicts without adhering to standards that real life teenagers are held to.
Falling in love and finding love in the midst of pasts, baggage, issues, etc, if done correctly, is one of those plots that can be done a million times but it’s still worth reading/watching/enjoying over and over again. Pushing the Limits was one of those stories that really resonated with me for various reasons, some having to do with my own life and some having to do with the book itself and how well it was executed. It was enjoyable and completely relateable, meaning that I didn’t feel like I had to suffer from the exact same circumstances as the characters in order to understand them.
I highly recommend Pushing the Limits for anyone in the mood for a good contemporary YA romance. The characters had issues and conflicts, but it doesn’t involve anything over the top (such as terminal and heart breaking diseases) like a lot of satisfying contemporaries (Yeah, I’m looking at you, Nicholas Sparks.) No, it doesn’t have that quirkiness that comes with a John Green contemporary. But it is totally and completely satisfying in its own right.
I will definitely read more from Katie McGarry!
*picks up Dare You To immediately*
I loved the characters. At first, with a name like Echo, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the characters. But Katie McGarry did such an amazing job developing the characters and their backstories. Their stories made sense, their personalities were shaped by their circumstances, and their behavior reflected it. Noah was such a likeable guy, too. They had friends who had their own distinct personalities and no one in the book felt like a placeholder.
A plus for any YA novel in my eyes is parental involvement. Pushing the Limits not only had parental involvement, but it also had other authority figures, too. Echo and Noah weren’t off gallivanting through the town at all hours of the night. They were home in their beds and at school every morning and when they weren’t at school, there was a reason or some sort of consequence. In short, it was like real life. I absolutely loved this aspect of the story. I always feel like not having a schedule like that makes a contemporary YA seem ridiculous and unreal when a contemporary should feel real and relateable. Pushing the Limits didn’t have any plot holes where the characters are off having their own conflicts without adhering to standards that real life teenagers are held to.
Falling in love and finding love in the midst of pasts, baggage, issues, etc, if done correctly, is one of those plots that can be done a million times but it’s still worth reading/watching/enjoying over and over again. Pushing the Limits was one of those stories that really resonated with me for various reasons, some having to do with my own life and some having to do with the book itself and how well it was executed. It was enjoyable and completely relateable, meaning that I didn’t feel like I had to suffer from the exact same circumstances as the characters in order to understand them.
I highly recommend Pushing the Limits for anyone in the mood for a good contemporary YA romance. The characters had issues and conflicts, but it doesn’t involve anything over the top (such as terminal and heart breaking diseases) like a lot of satisfying contemporaries (Yeah, I’m looking at you, Nicholas Sparks.) No, it doesn’t have that quirkiness that comes with a John Green contemporary. But it is totally and completely satisfying in its own right.
I will definitely read more from Katie McGarry!
*picks up Dare You To immediately*
When we met Echo, she's simply broken. She doesn't live her life; she walks around in a cloud of misery. She is separate from everyone and everything in her life, that is until she meets Noah. Noah is going through quite a bit as well; a few years ago his parents died in a house fire and entered the foster system. He's had a rough go of it and is having a difficult time getting his life back on track.
Much like the main characters, as the reader, you experience a complete range of emotions in regards to the other characters. You think you have your mind set about how you feel about them and then suddenly everything changes. I loved this. McGarry was able to not only get you to feel strongly about things, but was able to convince you that you were wrong in the end. I don't know about you, but this rarely happens to me when I'm reading. I get a feel for characters or situations in my mind and then I stick to it. I never really flip-flop about my decisions, I stick to my guns to the end. So the fact that by the end of the book my mind, just like the Echo's and Noah's, had been changed really impressed me.
I loved the dual narration of the book. McGarry flips back and forth from the perspective's of both Echo and Noah. They both had distinct, likable voices that kept me interested in their separate stories as well as their combined relationship. That being said, the main issue I had with this book was rooted in Noah's narration. He is constantly referring to Echo as a siren, nymph/goddess and it just didn't work for me. I mean, I can't say for sure, but I cannot imagine a teenage boy running around thinking those things. Unless of course this was a fantasy and she actually was a mythological creature.
That being said, I felt the book seem to drag a bit. It's not that I found it boring, it's just that it felt long. I was interested in what McGarry had to say, it just felt drawn out at times.
Much like the main characters, as the reader, you experience a complete range of emotions in regards to the other characters. You think you have your mind set about how you feel about them and then suddenly everything changes. I loved this. McGarry was able to not only get you to feel strongly about things, but was able to convince you that you were wrong in the end. I don't know about you, but this rarely happens to me when I'm reading. I get a feel for characters or situations in my mind and then I stick to it. I never really flip-flop about my decisions, I stick to my guns to the end. So the fact that by the end of the book my mind, just like the Echo's and Noah's, had been changed really impressed me.
I loved the dual narration of the book. McGarry flips back and forth from the perspective's of both Echo and Noah. They both had distinct, likable voices that kept me interested in their separate stories as well as their combined relationship. That being said, the main issue I had with this book was rooted in Noah's narration. He is constantly referring to Echo as a siren, nymph/goddess and it just didn't work for me. I mean, I can't say for sure, but I cannot imagine a teenage boy running around thinking those things. Unless of course this was a fantasy and she actually was a mythological creature.
That being said, I felt the book seem to drag a bit. It's not that I found it boring, it's just that it felt long. I was interested in what McGarry had to say, it just felt drawn out at times.
This was one of those books that I got halfway into and then decided it was not for me, but I needed to finish it for the goodreads credit, so... haha.
This is VERY much a high school book, with insta love and lots of jumping to conclusions, and lots of dramatic moments that made me roll my eyes hardcore. Maybe 16 year old me would have liked it, but I did not.
This is VERY much a high school book, with insta love and lots of jumping to conclusions, and lots of dramatic moments that made me roll my eyes hardcore. Maybe 16 year old me would have liked it, but I did not.
I feel I need to swear to get my point across about how angry this book made me.
I really liked Echo, Noah, Isaiah, and Lila.
All of the adults, with the exception of the therapist, are fucking assholes;
Echo's father is incompetent, despicable, and all around piece of shit.
Echo's step-monster is pathetic, probably slutty, and just a straight up bitch in every meaning of the word.
Either her step-monster is a slut or her father likes 'em young, this relationship is fucked. She was Echo's babysitter when she was younger.
Noah's brothers' adoptive/foster parents are straight up evil bastards, fuck "we didn't want you to take them away", they didn't let him see them, kept information about their family a secret, dug up dirt on a fucking 17 year old kid like a fucking bitch, and it took Noah sneaking over to see them to get visitation. Fuck whoever stuck them in a house away from Noah in the first place. Why didn't these people just take him in too?
Echo's mother is truly insane and unapologetic about the shit she did to her. Fuck her.
One problem I had with this book, other than the adults, was the insta-love and Echo actually forgiving her awful, shitty father and needy step-monster.
I really liked Echo, Noah, Isaiah, and Lila.
All of the adults, with the exception of the therapist, are fucking assholes;
Echo's father is incompetent, despicable, and all around piece of shit.
Echo's step-monster is pathetic, probably slutty, and just a straight up bitch in every meaning of the word.
Either her step-monster is a slut or her father likes 'em young, this relationship is fucked. She was Echo's babysitter when she was younger.
Noah's brothers' adoptive/foster parents are straight up evil bastards, fuck "we didn't want you to take them away", they didn't let him see them, kept information about their family a secret, dug up dirt on a fucking 17 year old kid like a fucking bitch, and it took Noah sneaking over to see them to get visitation. Fuck whoever stuck them in a house away from Noah in the first place. Why didn't these people just take him in too?
Echo's mother is truly insane and unapologetic about the shit she did to her. Fuck her.
One problem I had with this book, other than the adults, was the insta-love and Echo actually forgiving her awful, shitty father and needy step-monster.