Review Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing the Limits

Author: Katie McGarry

Published: July 31st, 2012 (Harlequin Teen)

Pages: 409
Source: for review

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis from 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 smokinghot, 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.

First a huge thank you to Harlequin Teen for providing me a review copy! And a huge thank you to Lili from Lili's Reflections. Without her I wouldn't have read this book so soon!

Last week I was in a reading slump. I was struggling to finish books and I wanted it to end before it got worse. So I was doubting about what to read next: a comfortable read or what I thought I had to read, because my review pile just gets bigger and bigger. After I tweeted Lili said I really had to read Pushing the Limits. And she was absolutely right! Wow, what a book! Just amazing! You're missing something huge if you're not reading this! 

When I first read the synopsis I wasn't convinced. I haven't read that many contemporary and I was a bit hesitant towards it. Why? I have NO idea! Well, I'm over it now! After reading some amazing reviews on other blogs I decided to request it on Netgalley and I got approved (obviously). 

This book has everything you ever could want in a book! It has an amazing story, a writing style that immediately pulls you into the story and the main characters are so real. I had no difficulty connecting with them, even with Noah. 

The story is told from two perspectives, Echo's and Noah's. They both have their secrets and difficulties they have to overcome. Noah's parents died in a fire and he's trying to get custody over his little brothers when he hits eighteen. He wants to be really bad ass and maybe he is, but I loved him! He  cares about his brothers and wants them to be together. 
Echo is a totally different story. Something has happened that she can't remember. She only has the scars on her wrists as evidence of that terrible day. Throughout you learn what has happened to her. 

I'm so impressed by Katie McGarry. She really knows how to build tension in a story. Everything came at the right moment. Gradually you learn a bit more about Noah and Echo and that made it so hard to put this book down. You want to learn more about their pasts. Also Noah's story is told gradually. And their relationship is so beautiful. What I don't like in other books is when a love story is so obviously not real life material. And this totally was. They could walk right out of the book and the story would be exactly the same! 

I can gush all day about this book (and maybe I should!). But I think I made my point. You have to read this book! I'm all for contemporary now!