Jul 31, 2012

{Review + Giveaway} of Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the LimitsPushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

GENRE: YA Contemporary
THEME: Romance / Drama
RECEIVED: Received at ALA
AUTHOR BLOG: Katie McGarry's Site

BLURB:
"My father is a control freak, I hate my stepmother, my brother is dead and my mother has...welll...issues.  How do you think I am doing?"  - opening line of Pushing the Limits  

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. Echo and Noah couldn’t be more different, but they find themselves united by a common goal: to sneak into their court-ordered social worker’s case files in order to learn the truth about themselves and their families. What they didn’t count on is falling in love -- and now 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.

REVIEW:
Contemporary young adult books with romance have seriously been replacing the paranormal genre for me lately. Once again another author has written a book that brought real life teen situations and really captivated me as a reader. I was sucked into Katie McGarrys story and emotionally hoped for the best with her two lead characters, each were broken and really needed each other for support. I absolutely enjoyed this novel and cant wait for more books by this author.

Pushing the Limits really pushed the limits for the lead character Echo. She’s a girl who once had what every girl in high school wants, popularity, a cute jock boyfriend and all the best friends she could ask for. But one night left alone with the one person a young teen should be able to trust, left her scarred and with a broken spirit. Now an outsider Echo feels she lost everything, especially with her damaged family not making it easy on her. Until the day she ends up tutoring Noah, another outsider but with a bad reputation. And for some reason they find a connection and it seems like maybe they can help each other recover from their broken pasts.

Echo, is one heck of a tough girl. She not only has to deal with the fact her own mother hurt her, but her father as chosen to marry Echo’s old babysitter. All in all, I probably would of acted just as she does through out this whole book. It’s hard for her not only to be in school but also to be at home, no place feels like she belongs. Emotionally Echo’s story really hit me as the reader, I wanted her to find happiness, something to make her feel better. Her connection with Noah, was fantastic and I loved that they were so wrong but so right together. She does also make some mistakes that she learns from, but no one is perfect.

Noah even though he’s made some major mistakes, this guy really loves his family and wants to make himself better for them. I loved how the author focused on his relationship with his brother and the importance of family. His relationship with Echo, I felt matured him even more and made him realize what he should do for himself. The romance was a perfect blend of sweet moments with some hot steamy moments for the more mature side. Plus I loved how the relationship was never perfect and it made it so real. The addition of his two best friends and their emotional story made for a great side story to work along with the main Noah’s.

Overall this is a great book for young adult and adults with teens. It shows the strength and maturity of two teens that push through really tough family situations. I pretty much was excited, crying or laughing along with the characters, which shows what a fantastic and well-written novel Pushing the Limits, is. Even more so I love the switch of POV between the leads, getting to see how each side was feeling. I highly recommend this book!


RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult novel with romance and majorly tough family situations. Fans od Jennifer Echols Such a Rush and Lara Zielin’s The Waiting Sky should read Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry a.s.a.p!


View all my reviews
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and she remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Writing has given Katie an excuse to pursue her passions. Research for her books has provided her with the amazing opportunity to train with baseball players, ride along in a drag car at ninety-six miles per hour and experience boxing and mixed martial arts. Katie loves to visit schools and talk to teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out of reach.
LINKS: Twitter | Facebook PURCHASE: B&N | Amazon | Indie Bound



Thanks to MMPubllicity I'm giving away one copy to a lucky follower!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

18 comments:

  1. I LOVED Pushing the Limits! Noah's story really touched my heart. I also felt the romance was a perfect blend of sweet and steamy. Great review!

    And thank you for the giveaway!

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  2. There have been so many awesome reviews on this one... can't wait to read it!

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  3. This is another great review! I'm so stoked to read this book.

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  4. I love that trailer! That's just enough information to whet my whistle, and I'm a big fan of contemporary YA. :)

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  5. This is the first time I've seen the trailer and it's so easy to follow. I already want to read this and now want to more.

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  6. love ur review! and the trailer is amazing! I love the music mixed together with the narration! It reminds me of Nicholas Sparks a bit lol. and it's like a movie trailer!

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  7. I have not seen one bad review of this book! It sounds fantastic and I am not one to read this type of story! Loved the trailer too! Gotta get me a copy!

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  8. The trailer just makes me want to read Pushing the limits sooner!

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  9. I think this is a very emotion contempt novel and the trailer is also really great!

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  10. Thanks so much for the giveaway..the trailer looks cool

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  11. LOVE this book. One of my favorites I've read this year, and I desperately want my own copy.

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  12. i think this is an interesting story..
    i am an adult but i like to read YA books...

    thx u for the giveaway

    chikojubilee at gmail dot com

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  13. I really want to read this book!! Just from reading the reviews I really need to read the book and find out the rest..

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  14. This is such an amazing novel! I love debut novels that just blow you completely away. REally says a lot about the YA Lit world. Thank you so much!

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  15. Love the cover! Thanks for the giveaway

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  16. I have been seeing only 5 star reviews of this book and I cant wait to read it! Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!

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  17. I have yet to see a negative review for this book and the more I see it the more I *NEED* it! It looks pretty awesome, and I've heard as such, so thank you for the opportunity to read it for myself :)

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  18. Whooosh! The trailer does a fantastic job at reeling you in, as if the raving reviews haven't already done so!

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