Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 416
Publisher: Mira Ink
Released: 31st of July 2012

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

What I Have to Say

I heard so many good things about this book so I'm really glad it lived up to its reputation, so many books get a lot of hype and then are really disappointing. 

The story and characters were so well written and work really well to bring up strong emotions.  I found myself feeling not just sympathy for the characters but also hate towards some of the other characters, especially Echo's father and Luke. There were times I wished i could slap Ashley too for the selfishness she showed. Though I could see things from her point of view. 

The story just worked so well. The characters fitted perfectly creating a believable relationship and they changed each other so subtly that the character were still clearly the same people even though they were going through such drastic character development. People rarely change as drastically as they do in books, but in this one, it worked really well. 

This book was so beautiful and moving. It's occurred to me recently that I recommend an awful lot of sad books and this is another one, but it really is worth it.