Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

[Katie McGarry has] got the NA voice down and with her little sarcastic remarks here and there, she totally nailed the tortured teen voice. ~ Under the Covers

Echo Emerson (what a name!) went from being the popular girl at school to an outsider. After one horrible night, she wakes up in a hospital, not remembering the details of the past night’s events or what has happened to her body. Scars riddle her arms but the experience was so traumatic that her mind shut down. Now, partially recovered and hoping to settle into school again, Echo tempers her demons with regular visits to a Clinical Social Worker, who coaxes her to remember that night’s events and also help her with day-to-day life.

It just so happens that Noah Hutchins is also another student who visits Mrs. Collins as well. Though totally opposite in personality, both feels like freaks in an otherwise normal community. They have been through so much already that despite how much they try to fit in, they don’t. As Noah is bring tutored by Echo, they come to notice this attraction to one another that is slowly explored in this book. The path to their recovery and romance is a slow one. It’s more toned down than some of the other NA books I’ve read, though that doesn’t mean it’s any less touching or romantic. As Noah and Echo try to help each other, their attraction for one another just grows and grows until it almost seems evitable that they will get together. There were times when I thought the relationship moved to quickly, like when Echo leaves Luke and jumps right into a relationship with Noah and sometimes when it also moved at a glacier pace. Overall, it was a well-done, believable story.

Noah’s story was particularly touching. I loved that he felt almost bursting with love for his brothers. It made him such an endearing character and made it so easy to fall in love with him.

There was one person that I didn’t exactly like and that was Lila, Echo’s friend. She seemed to annoy me and I didn’t like how she kept trying to force her opinions on Echo on matters that weren’t really her business. Beth and Isisah, on the other hand, were great and I’m eager to know more about them both!

Another thing I have to mention is McGarry’s writing. I love the way this book was written, with the alternating POVs between Noah and Echo, but I also really loved how she wrote both of their perspectives. I think she got the NA voice down and with her little sarcastic remarks here and there, she totally nailed the tortured teen voice. I look forward to reading more from this author.

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[about-author author=”Katie McGarry”]