REVIEW: Pushing the Limits

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.





                      
                                               5 Smokin' Kisses
                                       

 ***

 This novel was definitly a pleasent suprise. I LOVED every minute of it. I bought it from the bookstore, went home, sat on my bed, started reading & didn't get up until I finished it at 4 in the morning. it was THAT good.
 I was skeptical at first, this book seemed to be in the hood of the Perfect Chemistry series, which was alright, and even after finishing it I can still make the connection- but this was 1000000000x better. The writting way WAY better, and the characters didn't get caught in the non-stop sexual tension that takes away from the rest of the story.
I was also skeptical because all the new books being released by HarliquinTEEN have been hyped up excessivly, but have failed to impress once you actually read it. I was afraid this was going to be another re-run of The Forsaken .  It definitly wasn't [thank god].
This book screams genius the minute you pick it up, and sucks you into a world where your darkest secrets are the means of dragging you under, but one persons love & faith in you can change the person that you thought you were- into the person you were meant to be. This book was ethereal.

 First of, probably my favorite part of the entire book was the relationship between Echo & Noah. I loved how slowly it built, how they were so wrong for eachother, how as their chemistry and understanding of the lives of one another built, so did their feelings- Everything about them was love love love. Noah's live fell apart when his parents died and he got seperated from his two younger brothers, jacob & tyler. He's a bad-ass stoner that as only one goal in life: Be worthy of winning custody of his brothers once he turns eighteen. I gotta tell you though: I usually HATE stoner characters. Maybe it's my hate for weed, but it brings down the respect I have for characters when they are discribed as weed smokers. However, Noah was different. His life was fucked up and I loved his personality .... so it didn't bother me. I was so happy when he quit it when he was with Echo. I felt like a proud mother, when one of her kids gets honours in school. I was practically fist pumping in my bed.
I loved Echo as well. Her life fell apart when a night that she cant even remember happened- one that resulted in her arms being covered in scars and her mom gaining a restraining order. The scars ruined her school reputation- popular chick turned freak. I loved all the emotional moments she had, all the tough bad-ass moments she had, all the shy Noah moments she had- she was a real girl. She had confidence that she questioned, but wasn't completely out there as well. Throughout the novel we see her gain more confidence in herself from her friends and Noah, and I truly loved the way she evolved.
My stomach literly held hurricane catrina inside of it everytime Noah and Echo had a moment. I LOVED LOVED LOVED it. The way Noah put all of his faith in her, the boy that couldn't love anymore needed Echo like he needed air. It was heart warming. Echo's struggle with her family, friends, school & Luke pressured her into being an ass sometimes, and falling into the annoying high school system: Popularity > Everything else. But once she realized who she truly was and who she trully wanted.... she made the right discions. Proud mother moment.
The relationship between the two was heart warming & shattering at the same time. So much love, so much faith, so much need to be loved by someone, yet all the obsticles that seemed cruel. When Echo left Noah for him to keep his brothers, it shows how much she truly loved him. I flipped through the pages like a maniac.

However, all though this is 88% love story, the story behind the characters isn't lost with the romance. It was great to be able to witness romance along with real struggles, not having the struggles suddenly stop because they're in love. Their shitty lives went on and things got worse- then better- then worse.
Seriously, everything played out perfectly. I also loved Isiah, Beth & Lila. I think they had a huge impact on the story, and kept everything real. I hate how some books make the characters lose complete contact with their previous lives after they fall in love . That did not happen in the novel [thank god x2] . Each character played an important role.

This book also shows you that sometimes the only way to escape what is eating you away, is let it tear you to shreds but not care- because you have another anchor and because you realize what you thought mattered ... really doesn't. When Echo exposed her scars & Noah gave up his brothers, they let their worse nightmares eat them alive... but they came out standing & it didn't matter.

Dont be fooled by the hype people, this novel really is amazing & deserves every bit of the fame it has been getting. read it asap.

Love you all!