Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

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.

I’m in love. Katie McGarry is my new obsession. This was one heck of an emotional roller-coaster, but a ride that is so worth it you’d do it all over against. A noteworthy aspect of this book is it’s in dual POVs, which was remarkable for 2 main reasons:

1. It helped you to connect with the characters in a significant way, contrasting the different worlds they come from.
2. The depth it gives into the characters train of thought is phenomenal

Echo is an amazing heroine, she broke her way into my top 10 all time heroines. She’s sweet, witty, spirited and sarcastic. From the very first page she draws you into her world, and the more you read the more you want to stay. Nothing seems to be going right in her life, with a mentally ill mother, a controlling father, inexplicable scars and just so much more (I’m not giving it away) Echo can feel the walls closing in and she sees no way out. Enter Noah. They are both deeply irate and dejected with the way they have lost control of their lives, Katie’s writing style is so natural that the story flows effortlessly and we get swept away with their anger and frustration, coming to understand the system of rules that have them emotionally wrecked.

“Her shoulders never shook. No tears streamed down her face. The worst type of crying wasn’t the kind everyone could see–the wailing on street corners, the tearing at clothes. No, the worst kind happened when your soul wept and no matter what you did, there was no way to comfort it. A section withered and became a scar on the part of your soul that survived. For people like me and Echo, our souls contained more scar tissue than life.”

“If you’re scared, tell me. If you need to cry and scream, then do it. And you sure as hell don’t walk away from us because you think it would be better for me. Here’s the reality, Echo: I want to be by your side. If you want to go to the mall stark naked so you can show the world your scars, then let me hold your hand. If you want to see your mom, then tell me that too. I may not always understand, but damn, baby, I’ll try.”

Oh dear lord but is Noah one of the most amazing characters ever! Snuck his way into my top 10 BBFs. He has the whole bad boy image down pat, but it’s all a mirage because inside…inside it’s a whole other story. Noah is the personification of the expression ‘appearances can be deceptive’, like Echo we think we have him all figured out and then Katie lets us into his mind and WHOOSH all our assumptions are blown out the window. We discover underneath the whole bad boy, underachiever, and stoner persona there is so much more to Noah than meets the eye. No one understands why he became the way he is, the events that led to his life falling apart right before his eyes and the depth of his pain. Losing his parents and getting separated from his little brothers when thrown into the system, we watch Noah desperately grasping for straws to hold what’s left of his family together, the scenes between him and his brothers broke my heart, my heart ached for him to get his HEA.

“I wrote about the person I love most, my older brother, Noah. We don't live together so I wrote what I imagine he does when we're not together."
"And what is that?" prodded the stout man.
"He's a superhero who saves people in danger, because he saved me and my brother from dying in a fire a couple of years ago. Noah is better than Batman." The crowd chuckled.
"I love you, too, lil'bro.”

*AWE* I just wanna hug them...

It might sound cliché but I felt Echo and Noah were two halves destined to find each other, they both brought out the goodness and happiness within one another. They are like two lost souls in the dark, struggling to find the light. Alone, they’re trapped. But together, they break free. Their connection is so much deeper than physical attraction, and their chemistry is definitely hot but underneath it all, to put it simply, they just…fit. Watching their relationship blossom was beautiful, and it made the story so much more rounded because the issues within this book are not to be taken lightly. Neglect. Abuse. Lies. Trust. Love. Katie deals with them with great care, and like I said the dual POVs considerably helped with understanding everything.

“Because growing up means making tough choices, and doing the right thing doesn’t necessarily mean doing the thing that feels good.

“Her eyes met mine again. “So what does this mean for us?”
I lowered my forehead to hers. “It means you’re mine.”

I loved this book, and as perfect as it was I would have loved an epilogue. Just because after all the heartache, it would have been nice to catch a glimpse of how far they come from that point in their lives together. Nonetheless I give this delightful book 5 fantabulous stars and strongly recommend for those of you looking for a profound read with an exceptional love story. Katie McGarry is definitely an author you want to watch out for, there is so much more to come from her and I cannot wait. BUY NOW!