Thursday, July 19, 2012

ARC Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry



Title: Pushing the Limits 

Author: Katie McGarry

Rating: 4.5 Stars 

Release Date: July 31st, 2012
                       
For some reason, Pushing the Limits took me completely by surprise. I expected a typical, run-of-the-mill contemporary romance with teasing banter, heavy romance, and a plethora of family issues that would most likely work side-by-side or take a backseat to the blooming love story at stake. However, with her debut, McGarry pushed aside whatever assumptions I had previously made and delivered a novel that was heart-wrenching, raw, and painful, all while containing a bittersweet romance that took a glorious backseat to the pressing issues in these teens lives and only added to the flavor and essence of this remarkable tale. In all honesty, I think McGarry’s debut is by far my favorite contemporary debut I’ve read so far this year and I cannot wait to see what this talented new author has in store for the future.

Ever since the death of her older brother and a freak accident that happened with her bi-polar mother, Echo has retracted into herself and lost her standing as Ms. Popularity. All she wants to do now is remember – remember what happened that night with her mother, remember how she got the bruises that frame her arms and force her to wear long-sleeved shirts, and remember how life was before her father re-married and started up a new family along the way. For Noah, all he wants is to bring his family back to together. Ever since Noah’s parents died in a house fire, he has been separated from his two younger brothers and paraded around to foster home after foster home. When Echo and Noah strike an unlikely alliance seeded in tutoring and a common goal to attain their top-secret files which contain secrets both of them want, neither of them counts on one very unpredictable thing happening – love.

Pushing the Limits has got to be one of my favorite dual narrative contemporary novels. While I’m not a huge fan of multiple perspectives, I loved how both Echo and Noah’s voice was distinct, remarkable, and lively. Yet, what I admired the most about McGarry’s writing, is the fact that she was able to introduce us to two characters who are broken and torn in ways that most of us cannot even begin to imagine, yet she enables us to understand them. I don’t know anyone in my life who has gone through some of the traumatic events that Echo and Noah have, but reading their narration, I felt as if I could relate to them on a deeper level. I truly loved how McGarry enabled the reader to understand that while we could not fathom the surface situation these two were in, we could come to terms with their more rooted feelings of loneliness, abandonment, loss, and confusion. I think it is very rare for an author to be able to do this effectively with characters so vastly different and torn, but McGarry did a remarkable job.

In addition to their utter realistic-ness however, the love story between Noah and Echo managed to be true to this theme of realism as well. Their romance was slow-to-build and I truly enjoyed how Echo and Noah got to know each other through conversation, trial and error, and multiple meetings. I also really liked the unique manner in which their relationship unfolded. Unlike most novels where the two main characters get together and all their problems begin to mysteriously solve themselves, McGarry made her characters work for their “forever”. We were able to see the culmination of Echo and Noah’s relationship as they ventured into each others’ vastly different worlds and struggled to do what was right for them, their families, and their multiple obligations. I thought the tough situations in this novel were handled extremely realistically and I admire McGarry for taking on such broken characters and making them heal in a manner that was wholly satisfying and not the slightest bit cliché.

Echo and Noah aside, I loved the exemplary cast of secondary characters in this novel. I liked that McGarry made Echo and Noah’s friends such a huge part of their lives. I see so often in contemporary novels that the story seems to only revolve around the two love interests and their parental situation, so I was glad to see that Isaiah and Beth, Noah’s best friends, and Lila, Echo’s best friend, also got to play a large role in their lives. Furthermore, the school therapist, Mrs. Collins, was easily one of my favorite characters because of all the time and energy she devoted to Noah and Echo. Both Noah and Echo needed different things in their lives to get them back on track; Noah a promise to be with his brothers again and an incentive to work for it and Echo a much-needed closure and resurfacing of her suppressed memories. Mrs. Collins was like their guiding angel during this time and more than being a simple social worker, she was their friend.

All the angelic people aside, this novel had more than its fair share of villains. Echo’s parents were definitely a piece of work and I liked how McGarry left Echo’s relationship with them still open towards the end. It is hard to elaborate without giving too much away, but as bits and pieces of Echo’s memories begin to return to her and layers of her past come crumbling down, she begins to realize that the people she thought she could trust really weren’t there for her after all, and this realization is like a kick in the gut to both Echo and the reader. I found her story to be the most heart-wrenching because of all its pain and torture and unhappiness, but I do admit that I cried far more while reading Noah’s story as I kept imagining my own younger brother and myself in his situation. I really liked how Noah’s story unfolded though and while his issues affected the romance between these two, I think they were stronger for working over that hurdle and Noah went through immense character growth and maturation as well.

In all honesty, I could keep telling you about this remarkable story. I could tell you how it had my eyes tearing before I’d even reached the hundredth page. I could tell you how I much I admired the growth I found, not only within both these characters, but many of the secondary characters as well. I could tell you how Noah’s interactions with his siblings were like pulling a heart-string or how Echo’s slow revival into her artwork and her determination to stand up to others was incredibly inspiring. I could tell you all that and much more, but I won’t. Pushing the Limits is a story that demands to be felt and experienced and while it isn’t a novel that changed my world upside down, it is one that I will remember, cherish, and would love to re-read. It is, by no means, perfect – a few phrases that Noah uses are unnecessarily repeated, a scene or two tended to drag, and some of the actions were too melodramatic – but none of that affected the brilliance of this story. Pushing the Limits is a sparkling debut with a talented new author whose sequel I am already waiting to get my hands on and I can bet, so will you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing me with a copy of this in book in exchange for my honest review.

24 comments:

  1. Keertana, this is a lovely review! I felt exactly the same way about this book. I didn't expect it to move me so greatly but I had tears forming at practically every chapter. I'm not usually a fan of multiple perspectives either but I loved how well is worked it here. I can't wait to read more from this author! I'm so glad you enjoyed this! :)

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    1. Thanks Sam!(: Yes, I kept tearing up, especially during Noah's POV when he was so torn about his decision with his brothers and then again during Echo's POV when she realized everything she believed about her family and parents was a lie. It was so heart-breaking! I'm really excited to read the sequel though - Beth is such an interesting character and if McGarry's writing is going to continue to be this amazing, then I'm definitely in! ;)

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  2. I really want to read this book! I've seen so many good reviews but yours has definitely persuaded me to read it. Thanks for posting! :)

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    1. Aww, thanks Zoe!(: I can't wait to see what you think of this novel and I hope you enjoy it! :D

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  3. I've heard nothing but great things about this book and I can't wait to read it! Great review :D

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    1. Thanks Crystal!(: I really hope you enjoy this one - it's a real gem! ;)

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  4. You know, I liked this novel but it didn't grip me in the same way that it did you. I think this is solely due to our personal reading tastes but I found Noah to be a bit too...much? Heh. My favourite contemporary this yeah My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece and I reckon you should try that one out before you do favourites *cheese*. No seriously, it's almost the same issues except it's set in England is told from the perspective of a gradeschooler.

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    1. Hmm, I do see what you mean about this novel. I think looking back, some of the actions the two of them took were rather melodramatic and Noah was a bit too exuberant about calling Echo a "nymph" or a "siren" all the time, and while I found that annoying, I thought the drama in this was kept to a minimum and was somehow classically realistic of high school teenagers. Plus, I think what wow-ed me about this novel was the fact that McGarry put so much depth into her characters and really made me feel for them despite their unlikely situations and I loved the way their story unfolded. Perhaps it is, as you say, a matter due to personal reading tastes. I've never heard of My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece before, but I'm curious to check it out now. I'll definitely give it a try if you liked it so much - I love a good contemporary and never pass up on a great recommendation!(: Thanks for stopping by Nafiza! ;)

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  5. Great review! I loved how you spoke of everything that happened in this novel, but didn't give away any spoilers. Thank you for that ^-^
    Also, I cannot WAIT to get my hands on this book. I've read so many good reviews, but none so detailed about the story. I really think I'm going to love it as much as you do.
    Ps: Pushing the Limits will have a sequel? o.O I didn't know that!

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    1. Thanks Beatriz!(: Yes, it was rather hard to do but at the same time, I found that I could gush about the author's writing style and her deep characters even without giving away too many spoilers for this novel.

      I can't wait to see what you think of it! I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for your thoughts on it! ;) Yes, Pushing the Limits does have a sequel! It's not so much a sequel as it is a companion novel. It basically follows the story of another one of the secondary characters (Beth) who came up in this novel, but I'm sure we'll get to see plenty of Echo and Noah in it as well! *fingers crossed*

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  6. Yay Keertana! I'm so thrilled you loved this too! Now we can gush together! Echo and Noah were so perfect for each other. I loved how they helped one another get work through the past. I hope we get to see more of Echo and Noah together in Beth's book! Brilliant review. :)

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    1. Yes, Echo and Noah are so perfect for each other! I love how their romance only added to the novel and never took away from any of the prevailing issues of family and loss. I really hope we get to see them in Beth's book as well! :D I read a small preview of it from my ARC of Pushing the Limits and it looks like Beth and Isiah won't be ending up together - there's another guy, Ryan. I don't know how I feel about that. On one hand, I was never really invested into Beth and Isiah, but at the same time, I can sense a lot of unnecessary drama in the future which I'm worried about, but I'm sure it will be a fantastic book nevertheless!(:

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  7. Great review! I'm so happy you enjoyed this book too. Pushing the Limits is one of my new favorites of the year. I just completely loved it. I agree with you about the alternating perspectives. I loved both Noah and Echo's voices. I'm definitely interested in reading Beth's story next.

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    1. Thanks Traci!(: I can't wait till Beth's story releases - I'm sure it will be just as good if not better! :D

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  8. Ooh, I preordered this book on a whim, but now I'm so excited to read it! Great review, Keertana! I'm a sucker for dual narratives thanks to Cath Crowley.

    -Maggie

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    1. Yes, Cath Crowley made me fall in love with dual narratives too! I really hope you like this one and I can't wait to see what you think of it!(:

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  9. I agree with what you said about taking the broken characters and helping us understand them. This was an awesome book and thanks for the review.
    Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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    1. Thanks Brandi! I really loved this novel and I'm glad you did too!(:

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  10. Hi!

    I've nominated you for the Liebster Award :)

    Find out more about the challenge on my blog:

    http://uncorkedthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/liebster-award.html

    x

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    1. Thanks Leah! I've been nominated for this award around 3-4 times before and I'm a little tired of making award posts, but thank you nevertheless. I appreciate the kind gesture!(:

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  11. Great review, Keertena. I knew it would be.

    I couldn't have summed the book up better and I have to agree with everything you said. I really got into the depth of both Noah and Echo and felt their stories which were so raw.

    Loved it! :)

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    1. Thanks Olivia!(: I love that word you used - raw. It's so true! I think their tales hit home simply because of the feeling and depth behind them. I can't wait to see what McGarry has planned for the future and am really excited about Beth's novel! :D

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  12. This bk is nxt on my TBR pile, i cannot wait to read it and i keep reading reviews about it. This review has to be my favourite! I love thorough reviews like this, i try and do reviews like these but i worry i write too much lol. This has proven that a good written review has to be thorough, loved your review and cannot wait to start reading it! xx thanks for sharing. x I will remember to have tissues ready x

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    1. Thanks Beckie!(: I hope you like it! :D I can't wait to see what you think about it! =]

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