BOOK REVIEW - ARC - PUSHING THE LIMITS by KATIE McGARRY - HARLEQUIN TEEN - 6/5 STARS!!!!! BRILLIANT!!!

By: Katie McGarry
Published By: Harlequin Teen
Released : 31st July 2012
Details: Paperback For Review from Publisher , 376 Pages - ARC

RATING : 6 OUT OF 5 BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN STARS!!

Book Blurb: Goodreads

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. 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.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle :

Dear Katie McGarry,

Your words , your characters, had me crying, more than once, this book felt very real. The characters, their voices, touched my soul deeply when I was reading. Noah’s voice was written with such maturity. On more than one occasion he made me want to shake the system that is in place with some Foster Care kids. It just isn’t fair for the ones that get caught in a net that labels them.

Life tilts for kids like Noah and his brothers and it tears families apart. Noah was such a heartbreaking joy to read, his little brothers made me want to grab my kids and hang on. The outer shell Noah has constructed to hide behind was painful to read but so well written. He has lost so much, but he is a fighter, and once his layers were peeled back, a most endearing human. I absolutely adored his character.

Echo is a character that felt like an open wound that was trying to heal itself. She has no memory of her incident with her mother, her dearly loved brother Aires is dead, and she is scarred for life and trying to find answers. What you did to me with her story........

My heart bled for Noah , Echo, Beth and Isaiah. These characters are so 3 dimensional. They have depth and courage and a lot of pain and heartache. On the outside they appear one way , on the inside they are hurting and taking each day as it comes. Beth really grew on me. Isaiah is such a sweetie with a tough exterior, I loved his passion for the corvette.

Mrs Collins, oh to have more people like her in this world. She is an awesome caring character who was beautifully written. Her intelligence and understanding, and bedside mannerisms were a joy to read. She had that ‘IT’ factor needed to council these kids.

When a boy who just wants to keep his family together and a girl who has been so traumatised she has shut down, are pushed together, the results made me cry and feel all kinds of emotion. This story rocked me to the core.

For a debut author, you made a huge entrance into the literary world, your words are very powerful and I am not ashamed to say, they unhinged me. This is a story that will not go away for a very long time.

My fave scenes were the hamburger scene, the fountain scene and Mrs Collins taking Noah to see something special ( get the Kleenex).

Thank you so much for writing this book, it tore me up in many places but what a pleasure to read such a well written story.

This is one of the best YA reads I have read this year. I think I fell in love with a book.

Michelle