Find more of my reviews at www.readingangel.comI have been hearing a lot of buzz on Pushing the Limits, but I just did not expect for this book to unglue me like it did. I started this book around midnight one night, thinking I would just read a few minutes before falling asleep, and I did not shut it until I finished the last page at 6 AM. It was so worth the loss of sleep.Echo and Noah are two of the most real characters I have read in a long time. I love them both so much. Each chapter alternated perspectives between the two and I loved that we were able to get inside both of their heads. It gave so much depth and emotion to the story.Echo is a lonely and scared girl. She hides the scars on her arms that were caused by an accident that almost killed her. An accident she can't remember because her brain has repressed it. She also hides herself from the world, with her hair and her attitude. Her brother died a few years ago in Afghanistan, she's not allowed near her mother, and her father is more interested in his new pregnant wife (Echo's old baby sister!). Mrs. Collins, Echo's psychologist/counselor suggests she tutors Noah to make some cash to finish restoring her brothers car. Since the car is all she has left of her brother, she will do it, even if it means dealing with Noah. I loved watching Echo's journey in this book. It was a beautiful, heart-wrenching, and breathtaking story. She had many bad thing happen to her, but she still came out so strong.Noah is a foster kid who is struggling. He lives with his two best friends in the basement of his foster parents house. They're the stoners of the school and Noah has the male slut reputation down. Noah's parents died a few years back in a fire and they separated him from his little brothers. He will do anything to get them back. Even go along with Mrs. Collin's tutor plan. I love Noah so much! He is so dedicated to his brothers and their well being. It pulled at my heart like nothing else. Every scene with them together tore me apart. He is sexy and charming and really grew into an incredible young man in the length of this novel.Echo and Noah together - FIREWORKS! They understood each other like no one else could. They could lean on each other, plan with each other, and do "normal" with each other, that they couldn't with any one else. Plus, those kisses!!! YUM YUM!!!There are two other characters in this book that I have to talk about because they are awesome! Mrs. Collins, the social worker is first. She was incredibly funny and you could tell her love for these kids was genuine. I loved that she was so sneaky! She always had their best interest at heart. Her driving scenes are some of the funniest moments in the book. Then there is Jacob, Noah's little brother. This kid stole my heart. He was so full of spunk and fire. He adored his big brother and wanted to be that same hero to their littlest brother. He was complex, and struggling, and oh-so-adorable!Pushing the Limits is going to be on my list of favorite books for this year. It's a contemporary that is so raw and real and emotional that I felt so invested in every step these characters took. I can not wait for the spin off book. I will be reading anything Katie McGarry puts out next!
