REVIEWS BY A REAL TEEN: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Meet Christina, a real teen, and her opinions on YA books!

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

This book started out with Echo in a session with her therapist/counselor at her school. Our first impressions are that Echo is a tortured girl with a controlling father, a crazy mom, and a step-mom who used to be her babysitter. Her brother, Aires, died over seas in the Marines. Echo seems like a troubled girl, but it runs much deeper. She woke up one day in a hospital bed with freaky scars all over her arms. She has no memory of what happened and she’s been trying to remember, but all the therapists that she’s seen haven’t helped. That’s just the first chapter. The second chapter starts a whole new story starring the one and only, Noah Hutchins. From the outside Noah is known for being the schools bad boy. When Echo and Noah are forced to be together because Mrs. Collins, their counselor, tells Echo if she wants to earn some money, she can tutor someone. Come to find out she’s tutoring Noah. Well, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.

This book was very good. I started reading this book in school (we get 20 minutes to read each day). When I left school I was only just finishing the first chapter. I read d all day Saturday and Sunday and finished it Sunday!!! I was hooked from the beginning. So I have to talk about Noah. I have got to get it out of my system. Noah, the big bad boy, underneath that bad boy exterior, there’s a boy who is scared and scarred because he’s lost his parents. His brothers live with people he doesn’t trust and he’s in the foster care system. Then there’s Echo who just wants to live a normal life, but she soon finds out, there is no such thing as normal. I loved this book for many reasons. I liked the characters and the side characters. Echo’s friends were really supportive (with the exception of Grace). It was written wonderfully switching point of views each chapter. It was so perfect. I can’t put it into words.

There weren’t many things I didn’t like, but Echo’s dad was selfish. I can’t really say why, but let’s just say he’s very selfish. I know it’s not Echo’s step-mother’s fault for everything that happened, but for some reason I just couldn’t stand her. Maybe it was because she’s so young and used to babysit Echo, but I just didn’t like her. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. Put it on your reading list because it is sooooooo worth it!