Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Summary from Goodreads

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

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.

Paperback, 416 pages

Published August 3rd 2012 by Mira Ink (first published July 31st 2012) 
 

My Review
 

Pushing the Limits is a book that has been on everyone's lips recently and it's really not too hard to see why, it is a truly  unforgettable novel that will have you hanging off every word. I think Katie McGarry is a fearless author, she tackles harsh issues head on and it makes her beautiful debut so brutally raw and honest that you will find it a refreshing change from everything out there in the genre at the minute. The writing is simply beautiful but I think the best part of the book is the extremely memorable characters who are not perfect but real and easily like-able. I went through a real whirlwind of emotions while reading Pushing the Limits and I took my time reading the book, savouring the details and the journeys of 2 broken teenagers who's beautiful love story touched me. If you haven't haven't had the pleasure of reading this yet then you are seriously missing out!

Echo has been through so much in her life but one horrible moment involving her mother left her scarred and unable to remember the details of the night in question. She has pulled out of social situations, preferring her own company and hiding the scars that marr her body. But when Echo is thrown into tutoring bad boy Noah, things start to change for them both. They both see the same therapist and together they hatch a plan to help each other steal the answers they so desperately seek. 

Noah is everything Echo has been warned against but she soon finds herself falling for this guy who isn't bothered by her scarred body. The pair help each other through some tough, sad and trying circumstances but will their love for each other stand the tests? The only thing for me was the bipolar disorder that Echo's mum suffered from, I think it could of been explained in a little bit more detail for readers, as I'm sure some had probably never heard of the condition before and are now probably a little frightened of it.

The ending is brilliant, I really was completely satisfied. The characters really changed as people throughout the book, coming to terms and making realisations can really make a person grow up. I loved both journeys and point of views but I am eager to find out more about the brilliant secondary character,  Beth, who I think is getting a book of her own 'Dare to You' which I am excited about.

So all in all a real roller-coaster read that is touching, emotional, refreshing and a definite must read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

*Special thanks to Mira Ink for the review copy*

4.5/5 Stars

Carly :)