Synopsis: "I can't remember the night that changed my life. The night I went from popular to loner freak, and my family are determined to keep it that way. They said the therapy was supposed to help. They didn't expect Noah. Noah is the dangerous boy my parents warned me about. But the only one who'll listen. They only one who'll help me find the truth. I know every kiss, every promise, every touch is forbidden. But what if finding your destiny means breaking all the rules?
Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry is a heart-wrenching novel about two broken teens, Echo Emerson and Noah Hutchins, who are struggling to put the shattered pieces of their lives back together and unexpectedly find love along the way. The two are thrown together at the lowest point of their lives; Noah is on the brink of losing all contact with his younger brothers, the only family he has left, to their foster parents following the death of his biological parent, and Echo is battling with the memories of the most horrific night of her life. But the two quickly learn that the best way for them to get what they want is to work together.
Any book that gets you out of a reading slump is a pretty damn good book. Following my completion of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green I slipped into a reading slump, that is until I found Pushing The Limits. Everything about this debut novel from McGarry is beautiful, mysterious and heart breaking. McGarry's writing style is so effortless and enjoyable to read and as a result I was captivated by this book from the very first line.
The novel alternates between the POVs of both Echo and Noah and I absolutely loved that. Generally when it comes down to romance you tend to find that it's told from just the one point of view, so as a reader you struggle to understand how the other person is feeling and have to read 'I love you' a hundred times over throughout the book to be reminded that the other person probably feels the same way. The differing POVs also highlight just how different Noah and Echo's worlds are and showcase some pretty intense issues which include neglect, lies, self-loathing and abuse.
It was so refreshing to come across a novel where it wasn't love at first sight. Watching Noah and Echo learn to trust and open up to each other was really sweet and believable to read, but despite this the romance isn't the core to the story. Instead the story focuses on the personal journeys and struggles of both Echo and Noah. It's not a story about typical teenage dramas like girls fighting over boys and boys getting into fights for the sake of getting into fights, it deals with real issues that damage so many people on a daily basis. As a result you quickly sympathise with both characters and want to do nothing more than comfort them and hear their stories so you can help.
Both Echo and Noah are miserable in their lives, having faced a wad of bad luck, and it was so hard to process which of the two made my heart break more. As previously mentioned McGarry's writing style is so beautiful and well written that you understand the character's frustrations and anger at the systems and rules which are screwing up their lives as though they were your own. Within her style, McGarry successfully keeps the reader guessing throughout, you have the gradual understanding and development of Noah's past and how he came to losing his brothers and then you have the confusion and anticipation of what happened to Echo that resulted in her mind blocking out the night that changed her life for the worst.
Pushing The Limits is a captivating story that showcases the beauty of real love and the extremes a person will go to to protect the ones they love and overcome the demons that are fighting them from within.
I give Katie McGarry and Pushing The Limits ★★★★★
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