Pushing the Limits (Harlequin Teen) [Hardcover]

Katie McGarry (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 31, 2012 | Series: Harlequin Teen

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-High school seniors Echo and Noah have regular therapy sessions with the school's clinical social worker. Both struggle to understand past traumatic experiences that have left them scarred, and both need help to move forward. As part of the therapy, Echo is enlisted as Noah's tutor. Their initial resistance to this arrangement eventually blossoms into a romantic relationship, defying the school's social stratifications. Echo is grappling with numerous tragedies, including the death of her brother, her mother's bipolar disorder, the remarriage of her father to her childhood nanny, and an accident that has disfigured her body and left her unable to remember the traumatic event. Noah feels responsible for the house fire that killed both of his parents and forced him and his younger brothers into foster care. His deteriorating academic performance, habitual marijuana use, and reputation for sleeping around have cemented his reputation as the school's bad boy. Plot pacing keeps the story moving along to a satisfying, if predictable, conclusion. Some readers may be concerned about Noah making statements that imply that he owns Echo, such as when he declares that he "claimed" her and "I did just mark my territory." Filled with amorous descriptive passages such as "I gazed into her beautiful green eyes and her fear melted" and "enjoying the teasing taste of her tongue," this poignant narrative, which is told in the two protagonists' alternating voices, will find a following among those who enjoy contemporary teen romances.-Babara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, NYα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Told in alternating chapters, McGarry’s intriguing debut delves into the psyches of Echo, whose own mother tried to kill her, and Noah, an orphaned “bad boy.” Leather-jacket-wearing Noah is in foster care, facing a painful separation from his two younger brothers, while Echo is trying to recall the events that led to a restraining order against her mother and hideous scars on her arms. When Mrs. Collins, the school counselor and keeper of their sought-after files, suggests that good-student Echo tutor Noah, neither is receptive to the idea. But as they come to lean on and trust one another, sexual tension starts to burn up the pages. Their passionate romance—complete with dramatic arguments—provides the framework for the unlikely duo to deal with some heavy-hitting issues. Girls in particular will be drawn to the breathless, sometimes over-the-top language (“His lips curved into a sexy smile, and I became lost in him”), and, although the novel is overly long, romance readers will likely embrace the love story of two troubled teens who, together, find a path toward healing. Grades 9-12. --Ann Kelley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen (July 31, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373210493
• ISBN-13: 978-0373210497
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (452 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katie was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Visit her website at www.katielmcgarry.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing! July 31, 2012

By Morgan

Format:Hardcover

I have heard nothing but amazing things about this book, and it totally lived up to all of the hype. At first, I was not sure I wanted to read it. I am usually not into the bad boy thing, but I am so glad I went ahead and read it. This book was so good.

This book deals with a lot of really tough issues. Usually I have a hard time reading books like that, but I could not stop reading this one. It was written in the perfect way, and it completely drew me in. The only thing I did not like about this book was all the language. However, I think that language is normally for people who are going through what these kids had to deal with. The both had to make some really tough choices. This was such an emotional book!

I loved the romance between Noah and Echo. As much as they tried to fight it, it was still there. I really liked that we got to see the soft side of Noah when it came to Echo. It showed that he was not just a crazy bad boy, and I appreciated that. Everyone has a soft side.

This book broke my heart at times. At other times, it made my heart very happy. I don't know what else to say about this book except it was amazing and I totally recommend reading it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best contemporaries that I have read in a long time August 12, 2012

By brandileigh2003

Format:Hardcover

This is one of the best contemporaries that I have read in a long time. Both of the main characters have been through so much and show so much strength and determination to live and press through. It is amazing how Katie McGarry wrote them to both be in so much pain and deal with things differently but still connect on such a deep level.
Echo really came into her own throughout the book, and the journey was hard, emotional and affirming to watch. She was a character that I connected with right away and I rooted for her to stand up to her dad in the right ways, connect with Mrs Collins who is her councelor working through things with her, and to find her own normal. It really does add an element to the story about her brother Aries. He was a Marine and died in service. I feel for her loss, but I feel that through her memories he made such an impression. His sacrifice, and his love for his sister when he was there. This is such an important topic to read about too, I have friends who are serving and I used to be in JROTC, but honestly, I have no idea what it's like to sacrifice so much for our freedom, both the men and women serving, the families back home waiting or the ones who have died and again the families feeling the loss.
Noah personifies bad boy, but we get to see his soft spots, his love for his brothers, and how he slowly lets people in. Like the councelor said to him at the beginning there is so much potential in him, academic and otherwise. I really loved how he admired Echo, and how he treated her with respect. He brings out the best in her, and that is quite a quality in a guy. Sure, he has his moments where he is a jerk, especially before he knows her, but when their friendship really develops, its beautiful to watch. It really melts my heart how he doesn't define her by what happened to her, and how comfortable he is with her scars, where it freaks most others out. He really did it for me, and I loved the hotness going on between them. There were some really swoon worthy moments, hotness and sweetness both were covered.
The layers to Noah really amazed me though. It wasn't only his attitude and actions towards Echo, but his all encompassing love for his brothers. It is such a beautiful relationship drawn out here, and I can't say much without spoiling, but Noah's heart and motivations where they were concerned made me almost cry. Katie McGarry painted some amazing pictures here about family--through Ashley and Echo, how their relationship changed, to Echo and her brother Aries relationship. Also with Noah and his blood brothers that he is seperated from (in different foster homes) to his non-blood brother and sister Isaiah and Beth, how circumstance can really draw people together, closer than family in some ways.
I love the dual perspective of the book, hearing from both Noah and Echo really adds to the story, and it also attributes to the good pacing. We have all of these internal battles going on, but it never feels repetitive, and it plays on my emotions.
Once I picked this book up, I did not want to stop reading it. Their story was like crack and I couldn't get enough.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WOAH August 7, 2012

By Nikki Wang

Format:Hardcover

HOLY SHIT I LOVE THIS BOOK. So. Freaking. Much.

This is one of my favorite romances (day I say favorite debut?) of 2012! The romance! The characters! The plot! The secrets! The history! The way I sound like I'm on a commercial! Pushing the Limits was just an amazing book about finding love when nothing seems possible. When everything seems hopeless.

I pretty much liked Echo's character except that she seemed so unforgiving when she should forgive, and forgives when she shouldn't. But since her mother had tried to kill her, I guess it shouldn't be surprising... But I loved her stubbornness and I loved how she was willing to do almost anything so that Noah could get his brothers back. She was independent and once she made up her mind, it took a LOT to make her budge! In all, she was a pretty good character that made the plot all the more interesting and her personality fits the story wonderfully!
Noah was...well, Noah. He's smart-ass (in a good way), a jerk (in a good way), annoying (in a...you get the point), broken, and undeniably sweet when he wanted to be. He was headstrong and reading from his POV was FUN! to say the least! He cares so much about Echo and it was just ADORABLE! I want to gush again...but I'll save you from that horror!

I. Loved. The. Romance! It wasn't insta-love. Far from it! Sure there was attraction, but that's only obvious. At first, they were just partners in crime (quite literally) who were trying to get what they wanted most. Echo, to remember what happened the day her mother tried to kill her and Noah: Getting his brothers once and for all. Two different goals, but they both need the same thing: their files. And SOMEHOW along hte way, they fallin love! It was gradual and slow, and absolutley AMAZING!

The ONLY bad thing was that Noah wasn't Noah in the second half of the book. Just a bit too sweet, too...desperate? But I guess that's what love does, eh? But he wans't the sarcastic jerk we knew and loved. Boo!

Fans of Simone Elkes will ADORE this stunning contemporary and may even find a new favorite! No matter WHAT you're favorite genre is...Pushing the Limits is definitely a book to be read and loved!