By Katie McGarry, published by Mira Ink.

Echo Emerson is the ex-popular girl of her high school, re-labelled as a freak after a horrific incident a year before. Her mother had supposedly tried to kill her, but Echo’s mind had repressed the memories of it, and now she’s been landed in counselling to try and regain the memory of the day she has forgotten. She’s living with her seemingly careless dad, and his stupid new wife who’s expecting a baby who Echo is sure will replace her.

Noah Hutchins is the bad boy of his high school, and his parents died years ago in a house fire. He’s been through more care homes than any other foster kid, and is currently living with a couple who don’t care about him, and two two equally bad Isiah and biker-chic Beth.

Both Echo and Noah are broken, but when they meet, everything will change as they fall in love…

WOW. I have never actually read a book with such realistic events, that has been pulled off so brilliantly! I absolutely loved how this was constructed- with switching narratives between Echo and Noah. That really gave me a great, clear insight into their relationship and both of their lives at home. The plot dealt with some very serious themes, and although they were heart-breaking and terrifying, they still had great positive endings. I loved how the events in this book played out, and wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Echo Emerson was the character I fell in love with instantly. Her personality was so unique and her emotions easy to identify, and I really understood her nervousness and how she felt about all of the problems in her life. On the other hand, I didn’t like Noah so easily, and didn’t understand why Echo fell in love with him- he’s the bad boy who uses fists instead of words, and turns to alcohol instead of friends. However, through his narration, I began to understand him and why he did what he did. I ended up really liking his character, too, about halfway into the book. The protagonist’s relationship developed really well throughout the book, and I loved reading their story.

In total, I enjoyed Pushing The Limits so much. It had a really gripping plot which had lots of unexpected twists. The characters were three-dimensional and understandable, and I grew to really love them. I so want to read more writing from Katie McGarry in the future!