Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Release Date: July 31, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Rating: Enjoyable

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. - Goodreads

Like a lot of fellow bloggers, as soon as I saw the cover and summary of this one I immediately added it to my wishlist because it sounded like a fantastic read. My contemporary binge also pushed my decision.

Pushing the Limits was a great read, and while I was expecting a light contemporary (I have no idea why, considering the summary mentions the scars), in actuality it covered much deeper issues than I had originally thought.

I really loved Echo and Noah's relationship, as it wasn't just there for the sake of it. The two of them helped each other grow and deal, and it felt like a meaningful romance plot. Noah definitely had more of an impression on Echo's character growth than she had on his, so the sides weren't particularly equal. That said, Echo played an important role in Noah's life as well.

Noah was such a lovely guy. Unlike Alex Fuentes from Perfect Chemistry, who I keep seeing Noah get compared to, he wasn't overly arrogant or pig headed. Echo was also wonderful, and I loved learning about her family and home life, as well as delving deeper into her past. The whole mystery of what happened to her and how she got her scars was intriguing. I thought it was pretty obvious what had happened to her, but I wasn't sure exactly how it had happened and so I was kept intrigued right up until the end.

The tiny references to Greek mythology - Echo and Aires' names - was wonderful. I'm a mythology buff and so this was something I really enjoyed.

Katie McGarry has such a great writing style and I really enjoyed the alternating points of view which she made flow so well. She tackled such important issues incredibly well, and I applaud her for it. I'll definitely be checking out more of her work in the future if she comes out with anything else. If her future books can make me feel for the characters like I felt for all of these - including the secondary ones - then I am sure to love them.

Honestly, the only issue I had with this book was the way Noah kept calling Echo 'mine' and 'baby'. I admit, I cringed every time he said it. But that's just personal preference, right?