We All Have Scars

"The worst type of crying wasn't the kind everyone could see-

-the wailing on street corners, the tearing at clothes. 

No, the worst kind happened when your soul wept 

and no matter what you did, there was no way to comfort it. 

A section withered and became a scar on the part of your soul that survived. 

For people like me and Echo, 

our souls contained more scar tissue than life.”

--Katie McGarry, Pushing The Limits

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Harlequin Teen, 403 pages

Publication Date: July 12th, 2012

Source: Borrowed from Library

Goodreads

Goodreads Description

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.

My Thoughts

Holy contemporary jag, Batman. I have found my niche. My bookish friends have recognized my ailment (aka amazing taste hehe) and it is this. I absolutely LOVE and OBSESS over contemporaries if they have the following factors: Sexiness. New Adult ages. Emotionally damaged characters. Real life and deep issues. For serious. The Fault in Our Stars. If I Stay. The Sea of Tranquility. Hopeless. Pushing the Limits. This is what I'm talking about. These books are where my heart and soul come alive. Wowza.

Pushing the Limits is an absolutely emotional journey between Echo and Noah. I LOVE these characters. Echo is broken and damaged and has no idea the details as to what happened to her on one fateful night. She struggles trying to find the truth and cope with her situation. Her story is beautifully written and you have your heart going out for her every step of the way. I totally understood her actions and why she did the things she did which I LOVE to find in characters. If I can connect with them and understand their motives I know we are really going somewhere.

And Noah?! Oh my stars. He is...something else. His story is heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time. His sincerity with Echo. His need to protect her. And Noah and his brothers…I die…I died a thousand times thinking about this horrific situation and my heart absolutely bled for him. I wanted to get violent myself on somebody to take away his pain. I just could feel his desperation and need to make everything okay. He had me early on in this story. Also totally fell in love when Noah constantly talked about how he loved that Echo gave him his shit right back to him. Amaze.

The story is constantly moving. The relationship between Noah and Echo is just lovely. These two have been through so much individually, the fact that they can find love in the midst of their own damaged, broken situations is so freakin' amazing and so fantastic that you can't stop reading. I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I loved that their relationship is the driving force of the plot, but each character's own individual story is just as compelling to read about. And Mrs. Collins?! Oh this lady was legit. She was a hoot and totally gave Echo and Noah the business. This chick didn't mess around and I loved her for it. 

One thing I didn’t like? Echo’s friends. Oh my GOSH I couldn’t STAND them! They sucked on a whole new level. They actually disgusted me. They were so damn concerned that she had the right “image” so everything could go back to “normal” and then they could all live happily ever after high school edition. These are the type of girls you go to high school with that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is it for them. This is where they peak in life. Pushing Echo towards Luke because if Luke likes her again then everybody else will and it will make everything better. Are you kidding me right now?!? Oh my gosh, I just couldn’t. Superficial cows, the whole lot of them. Grr.

Contemporary...my genre that I never gravitate towards...Okay, I've been swayed with the last couple books I've read. Ya gotta have the factors but I'll read you. Pushing the Limits was no exception and I just fell in love with the story and characters and feel of the whole thing. Good feels, guys...good feels. 

Should You Read This? Yes! If you like emotionally driven stories with a great love story then this is for you...even if you're not a die hard contemporary fan :)