After finishing Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road Book #1) I fell in love with Katie McGarry as an author. The book was far from a normal read for me but was so well written that it hooked me from the start. While waiting for book two I decided to check out another Katie McGarry series, Pushing the Limits.
Pushing the Limits follows teenager Echo as she attempts to regain memories lost during an attack from her mother. Echo wants to remember every moment of the day, but her mind has blocked her from any memories. Her father & step mother want nothing more than for her to forget the entire thing happened.
Mrs. Collins, the new school counselor wants nothing more than to help Echo remember the events of that day. The only catch, she needs to do it slowly. At the same time, Mrs. Collins is working with another student, Noah. In need of tutoring she introduces the two of them.
With Echo’s help Noah is working to get back on track to not only graduate but also gain custody of his little brothers. Noah wants nothing more than to put the past behind him and move forward with his little brothers by his side. As he attempts to prove that his foster parents are not treating him right, Noah runs into Mrs. Collins guiding him into her trust.
An unlikely pair Echo & Noah start to explore their relationship. While it is social suicide for Echo it is everything they both need to put their past behind them. Together they start Pushing the Limits set by their guidance counselor Mrs. Collins.
Another story that didn’t necessarily follow the expected pattern, Katie McGarry did a wonderful job writing counselor Pushing the Limits. While from the start I expected Echo’s story to be fairly straight forward, it was anything but that. I loved uncovering each piece of the story as she remembered more about the day.
As for Noah, I wasn’t 100% surprised as to how his story ended, but I loved the changes we saw in him, Beth & Isiah as the story unfolded as well. It wasn’t just about his future, but his friends as well.
The best part about this book is the truth it tells about teenagers. One of Echo’s biggest problems was how everyone saw her at school & Katie McGarry really put us in Echo’s shoes as she exposed some of her deepest secrets. “Friends” turned against her and ex-boyfriends wanted to change who she was. I loved being able to read along as Echo battled finding her new normal.
While I wasn’t a huge fan of Beth through most of the book, I look forward to reading her story in Dare to You.