Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
July 31, 2012 by Harlequin Teen
Hardcover, 384 Pages
Review Copy

A ton of crap can happen over the course of a few years and for Echo Emerson the crap for her has hit the fan. First her parents divorced, then her older brother and only sibling Aires was killed in Afghanistan, her long time babysitter became her stepmother and a terrible night that she cant remember left her with horrible scars on her arms...but worst of all... is the restraining order the courts placed against her mother for that terrible night, one that through counseling is suppose to slowly bring the memories back, what terrifies her most is actually remembering.

Noah Hutchins knows the lady's, he has the looks and the bad boy attitude down. He's a rebel, he has every girl after him and getting stoned and drunk is like second nature. Things weren't always like that though, a few years ago Noah was a clean cut popular guy who got straight A's and played basketball. He was like your all around American boy....until the night his parents died in a house fire, leaving him and his two young brothers orphans. After being split apart and cast into the foster care system, Noah has faced abuse, neglect and wanting nothing more than getting his family back. Needless to say, Noah has anger issues and due to one incident in a home, by court order he has to go to counseling where he meets Echo and his entire world tilts upside down.

Its not love at first sight, frankly Noah thinks Echo is stuck up, Echo thinks Noah is a loser, but when Echo gets assigned to be Noah's tutor at school things hidden become known and over time the two realize how alike they really are. When the friendship grows and over broken hearts and family issues the two bond and the relationship blooms into an intense powerful romance. Even with odds stacked against Noah and the plans he has that will tie him down as a father, he cant help but want Echo to be a part of it. He feels guilty for wanting Echo first, but knows he has to put his brothers in that place. The pain coming for Echo is going to be brutal, as each counseling session brings her closer to the truth, the only real thing in her life is Noah, but his world is crazy and she cannot get in the way of his plans. Neither can deny that they want to be together but circumstances, life, tragedy... anything you can think of in this type of situation begs to tear them apart, the only question that remains, can they beat the odds and stay together? Well I wont tell...but for sure Noah and Echo's story will surprise you.

Katie McGarry delivers the goods and its not all pretty, even with slivers of romance and the tender pleasantries between our MC's no one can deny that Pushing the Limits is a hard look into the life of two very messed up kids. Individually Noah and Echo each have complex emotional problems, ones that could easily prevent them to move forward, together though they bring out the best in each other and are able to face the horrors of their past which helps both of them move forward to a promising future. Not everyone gets a second chance in life and kids like this don't always get the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, how sweet that Noah and Echo each found their own pots of gold. My eyes cried, my heart swelled and my lips smiled while reading this story, in the spirit of a great Simone Elkeles novel, McGarry takes characters who are broken and the uses the unconventional to bring us a platter shimmering with delicious hope.

Rating

Pushing the Limits is recommended to mature teens {17&up} and contains: Violence, child abuse, drinking, teen parties, sexuality, strong language, attempted murder/suicide, death, grief, depression, foster care dilemmas and strong drug use.

4.5/5- YA-Contemporary
Thanks to Harlequin for Review Copy