Cry Your Eyes Out! Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry [Audiobook Review]

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Don’t want to read the whole review?  Click to jump to the Skinny Review.

 

I’m not really into reading YA Contemporary Romance because it’s YA and I normally get frustrated by high school antics (I mean, not like I wasn’t a teenager back then). Sometimes, I can’t help but keep rolling my eyes. Pushing the Limits surprised me in a good way! This book is everything I thought a YA book isn’t – real and emotional and deals with adult themes.

The Characters

I love how these two broken characters met and fell in love. Echo has been hurt by someone she loves and the brother who she loves dies while in the military. Noah, on the other hand, is a foster kid, trying to keep his family together.

Noah’s story broke me. WOW! The fears that he has had and the guilt he has carried all these years tugged at my heartstrings. Also, he is fighting for his two younger brothers who were fostered somewhere else. He is deemed as someone who can’t control his temper and can only see his brothers for a limited time. What I love was the decision he made in the end for his family. Man, I couldn’t stop bawling my eyes out!

Echo is also an awesome character. She is in a weird place where she is trying to deal with the incident that happened to her and the death of her brother. She also used to be a popular student and even though, she had her best friend, she basically retreated into her self.

Healing, Romance & Friendship

The friendship and love between Echo and Noah. They are the typical opposites attract couple – Echo used to be popular and Noah is the school bad boy. And yet, when the two hatch up a plan together, we see their friendship bloom, and of course turn to love.

The Reality

I love how Katie MacGarry dealt with the truths in this book and I also loved how they were revealed to the reader. I love how she slowly gives us a little bit of the story throughout the book until it sneaks up and slams the truth to the readers.

Family is Everything

Family is really important in Pushing the Limits and while it does seem that Echo’s dad, who is now married to her babysitter (who is pregnant, by the way) is super controlling and just mean. It is revealed why he is the way he is. In the end, we see Echo come to terms with her life and her family and actually start repairing her relationship with them.

In Noah’s case, he is fighting for custody of his brothers who have been placed in a family planning to adopt them. At the beginning of the book, we are lead to think that there is something going on, when the truth is revealed and Noah’s decision is made, I couldn’t help but cry.

The Audiobook

I listen to the audiobook version and it’s currently part of the Audible Romance Package, so if you subscribed, add this audio ASAP!

Pushing the Limits is read by MacLeod Andrews and Tara Sands and they are amazing together. Pacing is perfect and the tone is on point – even MacLeod sounds like a teenager!

Overall Thoughts

I can’t recommend this book enough. Pushing the Limits is a darker YA contemporary romance that deals with dark themes but masterfully written.

If you love stories that are emotional and dark and deal with the hard truths in life, Pushing the Limits is a book that you should check out!

Books Like Pushing the Limits

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