You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
The best contemporary book I've read this year!! Absolutely fantastic!
Why I Read This
I am going to be completely honest and say that I have been avoiding this series for the last year. Yes, these books have gotten amazing reviews but like I stated in Tuesday's post I sometimes want to shy away from those books that are in the spotlight just because EVERYONE has read them. It wasn't until Book Rock Betty raved about the third book in the series, Crash Into You that I thought maybe it was time to give these books a chance.
Thoughts
OMG! I AM AN IDIOT! Why why why did I wait so long to read this series?! I consider myself pretty sensible and I fall for the nerdy book boys most of the time. I have never ever been attracted to scarred, broken men with tattoos in real life or in books. However, McGarry made me fall hard for Noah. I also enjoyed the mystery that surrounded Echo's scars and found it interesting to piece together all the little clues until I was hit full force with the true story. All the tension between Noah and Echo was pretty steamy and I liked how it all played out. Definitely hoping to see more of them in the rest of the series.
Future Plans
Immediately after finishing Pushing the Limits I started reading Dare You To which I thankfully had the sense to already request from the library. I'll post my review for that one soon. Now, I'm anxiously awaiting Isaiah's story in Crash Into You which won't be out until November. If someone wants to send me an early copy I would be forever grateful. I am anticipating the hot guys, muscle cars...and hopefully previously mentioned hot guys repairing engines shirtless. Gotta love a grease monkey, especially if he looks like Isaiah.
I am going to be completely honest and say that I have been avoiding this series for the last year. Yes, these books have gotten amazing reviews but like I stated in Tuesday's post I sometimes want to shy away from those books that are in the spotlight just because EVERYONE has read them. It wasn't until Book Rock Betty raved about the third book in the series, Crash Into You that I thought maybe it was time to give these books a chance.
Thoughts
OMG! I AM AN IDIOT! Why why why did I wait so long to read this series?! I consider myself pretty sensible and I fall for the nerdy book boys most of the time. I have never ever been attracted to scarred, broken men with tattoos in real life or in books. However, McGarry made me fall hard for Noah. I also enjoyed the mystery that surrounded Echo's scars and found it interesting to piece together all the little clues until I was hit full force with the true story. All the tension between Noah and Echo was pretty steamy and I liked how it all played out. Definitely hoping to see more of them in the rest of the series.
Future Plans
Immediately after finishing Pushing the Limits I started reading Dare You To which I thankfully had the sense to already request from the library. I'll post my review for that one soon. Now, I'm anxiously awaiting Isaiah's story in Crash Into You which won't be out until November. If someone wants to send me an early copy I would be forever grateful. I am anticipating the hot guys, muscle cars...and hopefully previously mentioned hot guys repairing engines shirtless. Gotta love a grease monkey, especially if he looks like Isaiah.
Yes, this is a cheesy teenage romance. It's got some more depth with the issues, but at it's heart, it's still a cheesy teenage romance. But I rather enjoyed it. And I totally teared up near the end. I'm not sure I'll read more, but I did enjoy this one.
I don't know how I managed to read so many fabulous young adult novels this year without ever having heard about PUSHING THE LIMITS. But, when I saw the gorgeous cover on NetGalley, I decided to give it a try -- without knowing anything about the story or plotline at all.
I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed, despite the fact that I'm really not a fan of romantic stories in the least. While PUSHING THE LIMITS is, at its core, the tale of a beautiful young woman with a tragic past who gets swept up in love with a rebellious bad boy who seems to be no good for her, the best and most notable parts of the novel are really the poignant psychological struggles and intense sociological barries that both of the main characters encounter and conquer throughout the story. So, even if you're not one to swoon over the concept of a bad boy turned good for the right girl, I'd still suggest you give this one a chance if you're someone who is really driven towards strong character focused fiction.
So, backing up a bit to the plotline... Echo was once the picture of teenage perfection -- beautiful, outgoing, and intelligent, she ruled the halls of her high school with her stellar grades, popular friends, and dreamy boyfriend. But things changed during the final weeks of her sophomore year when she disappeared for the rest of the semester without any notice or explanation. When she returned the next year, Echo seemed to be little more than a shadow of her former self, keeping herself secluded from her peers and hiding herself in long-sleeved tops and jackets regardless of the weather. Everyone wondered, what could Echo be hiding that was terrible enough to take her away from everything that previously defined her?
Noah is known to his peers as a rebellious, impulsive bad boy, primarily keeping to himself and his two friends who live with him in his latest foster home. Both of his parents died years ago in an accident, leaving Noah orphaned along with his two younger brothers who looked up to him for guidance and support. After using physical force against a previous foster parent in defense of his brothers, Noah was separated from his only family, granted only the barest of vistation rights to his brothers. Determined to turn his life around, Noah vows to get clean, get a job, and fight for custody of his brothers. Such drastic changes soon seem much easier said than done, Noah finds...
And then he meets Echo, through a mutual social worker, and is paired with her in order to get further help with his school work. Echo seems so delicate and damaged, working through repressed memories of a horrible event that left her both physically and emotionally scarred beyond belief. Noah can't let himself get distracted from his goal of gaining custody of his brothers, but there's something about Echo that's so fascinating to him that he can't let go yet...
As Echo and Noah work through the personal devastations that forever changed the course of their young lives, they discover a mutual understanding that has the potential to blossom into an interesting relationship... if only they can get there...
I definitely enjoyed PUSHING THE LIMITS more than I expected, even despite the fact that parts of the story did feel a bit overdramatic and long winded at times. While the romance may have been overdone at points, the depth of the characters and their struggles was intriguing enough to keep me wanting more up until the very last page. I'm certainly not a romantic at heart, but I can't pass up a story that really digs into the gritty psychological issues that manage to be both horrifying and relatable to the reader. I felt invested in Echo's path to memory and recovery most of all, and I very much enjoyed the format of the alternating chapters which managed to give distinct voices to the two main characters while keeping the story flowing cohesively enough to stay interesting.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to read PUSHING THE LIMITS on NetGalley, and I'm curious to see what the author does with the story in the future. Everything seemed so ... finished... in this novel, that I'm not sure where a series might take things from here, but I'm open to the possibilities and will check out McGarry's other works in the future for sure!
I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed, despite the fact that I'm really not a fan of romantic stories in the least. While PUSHING THE LIMITS is, at its core, the tale of a beautiful young woman with a tragic past who gets swept up in love with a rebellious bad boy who seems to be no good for her, the best and most notable parts of the novel are really the poignant psychological struggles and intense sociological barries that both of the main characters encounter and conquer throughout the story. So, even if you're not one to swoon over the concept of a bad boy turned good for the right girl, I'd still suggest you give this one a chance if you're someone who is really driven towards strong character focused fiction.
So, backing up a bit to the plotline... Echo was once the picture of teenage perfection -- beautiful, outgoing, and intelligent, she ruled the halls of her high school with her stellar grades, popular friends, and dreamy boyfriend. But things changed during the final weeks of her sophomore year when she disappeared for the rest of the semester without any notice or explanation. When she returned the next year, Echo seemed to be little more than a shadow of her former self, keeping herself secluded from her peers and hiding herself in long-sleeved tops and jackets regardless of the weather. Everyone wondered, what could Echo be hiding that was terrible enough to take her away from everything that previously defined her?
Noah is known to his peers as a rebellious, impulsive bad boy, primarily keeping to himself and his two friends who live with him in his latest foster home. Both of his parents died years ago in an accident, leaving Noah orphaned along with his two younger brothers who looked up to him for guidance and support. After using physical force against a previous foster parent in defense of his brothers, Noah was separated from his only family, granted only the barest of vistation rights to his brothers. Determined to turn his life around, Noah vows to get clean, get a job, and fight for custody of his brothers. Such drastic changes soon seem much easier said than done, Noah finds...
And then he meets Echo, through a mutual social worker, and is paired with her in order to get further help with his school work. Echo seems so delicate and damaged, working through repressed memories of a horrible event that left her both physically and emotionally scarred beyond belief. Noah can't let himself get distracted from his goal of gaining custody of his brothers, but there's something about Echo that's so fascinating to him that he can't let go yet...
As Echo and Noah work through the personal devastations that forever changed the course of their young lives, they discover a mutual understanding that has the potential to blossom into an interesting relationship... if only they can get there...
I definitely enjoyed PUSHING THE LIMITS more than I expected, even despite the fact that parts of the story did feel a bit overdramatic and long winded at times. While the romance may have been overdone at points, the depth of the characters and their struggles was intriguing enough to keep me wanting more up until the very last page. I'm certainly not a romantic at heart, but I can't pass up a story that really digs into the gritty psychological issues that manage to be both horrifying and relatable to the reader. I felt invested in Echo's path to memory and recovery most of all, and I very much enjoyed the format of the alternating chapters which managed to give distinct voices to the two main characters while keeping the story flowing cohesively enough to stay interesting.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to read PUSHING THE LIMITS on NetGalley, and I'm curious to see what the author does with the story in the future. Everything seemed so ... finished... in this novel, that I'm not sure where a series might take things from here, but I'm open to the possibilities and will check out McGarry's other works in the future for sure!
IT WAS AMAZING, FINISHED IT WITHIN A FEW HOURS!!!! The characters of Echo and Noah are thought-provoking and so easy to connect with. You can feel the connection between them, and you travel their journey with them, experiencing each and every bump in the road along the way. Had me in tears in most chapters, a sign of a good book I say!
Pushing the Limits: Spoiler Review I really loved this book. I really loved both echo and noah as a pair and as their own characters. I loved how this book liked at characters that I don't read about often or situations. It look at the complex issues in foster care and also the simple way things are looked black and white and no shades of grey. I loved seeing noah come to see how much he could give his brothers by staying their brother and not trying to take them from the only life the knew. I think I was even torn at what I wanted it him to do in the end but the book made my invested either way. I really at the end did see a change in noah and that was good.
I loved the mystery aspect that we saw in echo case. I loved how everyone in her life knew the truth about what her mother did to her but she could never remember. I had so many theories and the ending still broke my heart. It is painful but gripping to watch her fall down and just hope to get back up.
I really loved the scene she had with her mother cause it was so gut wrenching to watch and also my heart broke for noah in his scene with his little brothers.
I also loved meeting the issiah and beth that we will learn more about in future books but I have fallen in love with her writing and i am excited to read much more by her.
Check out my video review:
coming soon!
I loved the mystery aspect that we saw in echo case. I loved how everyone in her life knew the truth about what her mother did to her but she could never remember. I had so many theories and the ending still broke my heart. It is painful but gripping to watch her fall down and just hope to get back up.
I really loved the scene she had with her mother cause it was so gut wrenching to watch and also my heart broke for noah in his scene with his little brothers.
I also loved meeting the issiah and beth that we will learn more about in future books but I have fallen in love with her writing and i am excited to read much more by her.
Check out my video review:
coming soon!
The beginning of this book was kind of confusing and a little cheesy. But as the story progressed and you realized more about Echo, it came together. There was really good character development and I really enjoyed the story.
REVIEW: http://theliteraturelion.blogspot.com/2012/12/review-pushing-limits-by-katie-mcgarry.html
Echo was used to being the popular girl with all the friends at her school, until everything went downhill for her. Family issues seem to pile on top of one another, she seems to jump from counselor to counselor, and friends are pressuring her to become normal again. A new counselor, Mrs. Collins, tries to help Echo remember 'that night' - the night in which her mother had a mental breakdown and tried to kill Echo. Soon she gets paired up to tutor Noah Hutchins, resident bad-boy.
For all Echo had dealt with, I think she was dealing with it exceptionally well. I know if my parents had divorced, my mother had a mental breakdown, and my brother was killed at war, I would be in a much more critical condition then Echo. Of course she still had her moments, but she was a strong character. You could tell she grew as a character, but she was already such a complex character in the beginning of the novel. She had her history with her parents, her relationship with her brother, her hidden interests and talents like mythology and art - everything about her added up in unique ways to make Echo.
Also, I particularly liked the strength she showed towards Noah, especially when he was being a jerk. It showed that she still have some control and faith in herself. Speaking of Noah, oh la laaaa! I loved every scene with him! I remember when I was reading this novel, I was also texting my boyfriend and telling him about this "really hot guy" and the first thing he said was: "Let me guess, he's a fictional character." But Noah's life was extremely interesting to me.
Really good overall for a contemporary novel. The romance was good, the mystery was REALLY good, and it kept me on my toes! It rocked as a contemporary novel, but the ending kind of fell flat for me. I really can't wait for the companion novel - Dare You To - which is about Noah's friend, Beth. She really intrigued me so I can't wait for it!
I'm sad to see that everyone else is rating this book five stars, but I can only seem to give it four. It didn't really throw me off the edge and begging for more. It was good, of course, but I can only give it four stars.
Echo was used to being the popular girl with all the friends at her school, until everything went downhill for her. Family issues seem to pile on top of one another, she seems to jump from counselor to counselor, and friends are pressuring her to become normal again. A new counselor, Mrs. Collins, tries to help Echo remember 'that night' - the night in which her mother had a mental breakdown and tried to kill Echo. Soon she gets paired up to tutor Noah Hutchins, resident bad-boy.
For all Echo had dealt with, I think she was dealing with it exceptionally well. I know if my parents had divorced, my mother had a mental breakdown, and my brother was killed at war, I would be in a much more critical condition then Echo. Of course she still had her moments, but she was a strong character. You could tell she grew as a character, but she was already such a complex character in the beginning of the novel. She had her history with her parents, her relationship with her brother, her hidden interests and talents like mythology and art - everything about her added up in unique ways to make Echo.
Also, I particularly liked the strength she showed towards Noah, especially when he was being a jerk. It showed that she still have some control and faith in herself. Speaking of Noah, oh la laaaa! I loved every scene with him! I remember when I was reading this novel, I was also texting my boyfriend and telling him about this "really hot guy" and the first thing he said was: "Let me guess, he's a fictional character." But Noah's life was extremely interesting to me.
Really good overall for a contemporary novel. The romance was good, the mystery was REALLY good, and it kept me on my toes! It rocked as a contemporary novel, but the ending kind of fell flat for me. I really can't wait for the companion novel - Dare You To - which is about Noah's friend, Beth. She really intrigued me so I can't wait for it!
I'm sad to see that everyone else is rating this book five stars, but I can only seem to give it four. It didn't really throw me off the edge and begging for more. It was good, of course, but I can only give it four stars.