"Pushing the Limits" by Katie McGarry

NOTE: Thanks to Mira Ink (Harlequin UK) and Netgalley for providing me with the ARC of this book.

Oh My Goodness! Pushing the Limits was such an emotional roller coaster! There were highs and lows and passion and broken hearts! It was all that a reader would want from a great novel!

The writing style was perfectly constructed grammar and semantics wise. It was nicely edited, and even I (being the grammar error hound) couldn't find anything out of place. Which, believe me, says a lot. I loved that both POV's were unique. There are books where the POV's sound exactly the same - here they were different. We have two main characters, and they're more than happy to talk for themselves. And for each other.

Several scenes brought me close to tears, and believe me I would've cried, had I not read most of the book in the office. I felt the hurt, the passion, the LOVE, as if they were my own. Echo and Noah implanted themselves in my heart, and I believe they will remain one of my favorite fictional couples. Oh, let's not forget those other scenes that made me rock with laughter! I almost lost it in front of my boss, and had to increase the volume of my music just so he won't hear me cracking up!

Okay, so let's talk characters:

*Echo Emerson was the lost girl. She needed confidence, she needed strength, but most of all she needed her memory back. But, that could cost her her sanity. And still, she was brave enough to risk it, because what is a person with no memory? Especially when that memory holds the key to one's peaceful night sleep... I loved the way Echo changed, evolved and grew during the span of this novel. She started out as a shy, insecure, scared girl, who needed not only moral support. And then a certain boy's influence, along with her own fighting personality, lifted her up to an entirely new level. Her insecurities were forgotten, her selfishness and stubbornness were forgotten and she found a way to find the truth, to forgive and forget. I was completely blown away by Echo's mature way of thinking. She was one female I would never forget.

*Noah Hutchins was the bad boy with bad reputation and even worse habits. He drank, smoked pot and went from one girl to the next. Because his life wasn't easy. Being transferred from one foster home to another, after the tragic incident of his parents' death, had marked him forever. He used to be a basketball star in his early high school years. Now he was a failure. The only motivation for him were his two younger brothers, who lived in a different foster home. His only dream was to graduate, take custody, and raise them the best he could. Noble, but could a high school graduate handle such a burden? Thanks to the influence of two very caring people, Noah's life turned upside down and inside out in just a couple of weeks. He grew up, and finally there was progress for the better. I loved his personality and caring nature, even though he'd carefully wrapped it up in the usual bad boy facade. Totally swoon worthy is all I can say.

*Mrs. Collins was one annoyingly good therapist/social worker. She was so good understanding people's problems and helping them in unimaginable ways, that I couldn't help but love her. She went out of her way to help both Noah and his brothers, and Echo's troubled mind. I loved how she didn't buck under Echo's father's influence. She was totally hard core, and I loved her for it.

*Owen and Ashley Emerson, Echo's father and stepmom gave me the impression, initially, that they didn't really care about her. She thought so too. Until the truth was revealed. I truly felt sorry for them and then happy at the same time. I'm glad they didn't turn out to be the cold people I thought them to be.

*Carrie and Joe, Noah's brothers' foster parents, were perhaps the only characters my intuition was right about. I was glad things turned out the way they did for them. They deserved the outcome, every single bit of it.

There were other prominent characters, but if you want to learn more, you GOTTA READ THE BOOK! PUSHING THE LIMITS rocks, and you won't regret buying it! Have fun reading!

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