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A review by rallythereaders
Pushing the Limits: An Award-Winning Novel by Katie McGarry
4.0
Also posted on Rally the Readers.
I admit it—when I see massive numbers of people reading a book and/or featuring it in their book haul posts, my curiosity gets piqued, and chances are, I’ll read the book unless it sounds like something that absolutely isn’t my cup of tea. I still remember all of the buzz Pushing the Limits generated when it was released, and just to see what everyone was talking about, I added it to my TBR list. Where it ended up languishing until recently when a shiny new paperback copy appeared at my library. As much as I wanted to read it, I was a little hesitant because my last few YA contemporary reads didn’t go so well. I didn’t want to develop a phobia of the genre just because I’ve been on a bit of an unlucky streak with it, either, so Pushing the Limits went home with me. And hooray—I really liked it!
I find it easier to discuss what I like/don’t like about paranormal, fantasy, and even dystopian novels than what exactly makes realistic fiction work for me. It’s an intangible element—something about a contemporary either clicks with me or it doesn’t. Pushing the Limits was that kind of contemporary; it kept me reading late into the night.
Echo and Noah were both very well drawn characters. The story is told from their dual points of view, and I was impressed with how distinct their narrative voices were. And I’m not just saying that because Noah sometimes uses colorful language in his chapters. That’s also merely an observation, by the way, not a judgment; Noah wouldn’t have been Noah otherwise.
I don’t like sappy romances and I’m especially skeptical and critical of ones that go for the “there’s only one person in the world who understands me” angle, but this book left me convinced beyond a doubt that Echo and Noah belonged together. I rooted so hard for those two, and you have no idea how much I wanted Luke, Echo’s ex-boyfriend, to fall into a hole somewhere when he tried to get back together with her. One, Echo was clearly meant to be with Noah and vice versa, and two, Luke was such an insensitive moron.
As the tragedies in Echo and Noah’s pasts were revealed, I was a little concerned that perhaps they were a bit too much drama-wise. The more I thought about them, though, the less I viewed them that way. Sometimes life does just fall apart in a matter of seconds and then continues to pummel you while you’re already down. I do think the book makes a conscious effort to counterbalance all of the heartache, of which there is plenty, to keep the story from becoming overwrought.
A gigantic round of applause goes to Mrs. Collins, the school social worker and the initial link between Echo and Noah. Mrs. Collins goes above and beyond her job description to help, and she genuinely cares about them. The pair have been let down repeatedly by the adults in their lives, and it was touching to see them finally have one who was one hundred percent on their side.
In the end, what really resonated with me was both Echo and Noah’s realization that it’s impossible to go back to the past. No one can take your memories of happier times away from you, but you also can’t dwell on them to the point where you can’t move forward with your life. Moving on also sometimes requires acting in a way that seems selfish, but really isn’t. This book gave my heart quite an emotional workout, and I’m very glad that I took the chance on it.
I admit it—when I see massive numbers of people reading a book and/or featuring it in their book haul posts, my curiosity gets piqued, and chances are, I’ll read the book unless it sounds like something that absolutely isn’t my cup of tea. I still remember all of the buzz Pushing the Limits generated when it was released, and just to see what everyone was talking about, I added it to my TBR list. Where it ended up languishing until recently when a shiny new paperback copy appeared at my library. As much as I wanted to read it, I was a little hesitant because my last few YA contemporary reads didn’t go so well. I didn’t want to develop a phobia of the genre just because I’ve been on a bit of an unlucky streak with it, either, so Pushing the Limits went home with me. And hooray—I really liked it!
I find it easier to discuss what I like/don’t like about paranormal, fantasy, and even dystopian novels than what exactly makes realistic fiction work for me. It’s an intangible element—something about a contemporary either clicks with me or it doesn’t. Pushing the Limits was that kind of contemporary; it kept me reading late into the night.
Echo and Noah were both very well drawn characters. The story is told from their dual points of view, and I was impressed with how distinct their narrative voices were. And I’m not just saying that because Noah sometimes uses colorful language in his chapters. That’s also merely an observation, by the way, not a judgment; Noah wouldn’t have been Noah otherwise.
I don’t like sappy romances and I’m especially skeptical and critical of ones that go for the “there’s only one person in the world who understands me” angle, but this book left me convinced beyond a doubt that Echo and Noah belonged together. I rooted so hard for those two, and you have no idea how much I wanted Luke, Echo’s ex-boyfriend, to fall into a hole somewhere when he tried to get back together with her. One, Echo was clearly meant to be with Noah and vice versa, and two, Luke was such an insensitive moron.
As the tragedies in Echo and Noah’s pasts were revealed, I was a little concerned that perhaps they were a bit too much drama-wise. The more I thought about them, though, the less I viewed them that way. Sometimes life does just fall apart in a matter of seconds and then continues to pummel you while you’re already down. I do think the book makes a conscious effort to counterbalance all of the heartache, of which there is plenty, to keep the story from becoming overwrought.
A gigantic round of applause goes to Mrs. Collins, the school social worker and the initial link between Echo and Noah. Mrs. Collins goes above and beyond her job description to help, and she genuinely cares about them. The pair have been let down repeatedly by the adults in their lives, and it was touching to see them finally have one who was one hundred percent on their side.
In the end, what really resonated with me was both Echo and Noah’s realization that it’s impossible to go back to the past. No one can take your memories of happier times away from you, but you also can’t dwell on them to the point where you can’t move forward with your life. Moving on also sometimes requires acting in a way that seems selfish, but really isn’t. This book gave my heart quite an emotional workout, and I’m very glad that I took the chance on it.