Pushing The Limits was amazing. 
 Thoroughly heartbreaking, intensely emotional, meaningful, intelligent and swoon-worthy, it's a story of loss, trust, betrayal, finding strength to leave one's tragic past behind and courage to create a better future. A book about bonds and relationships, hopes, dreams, fears, and feelings. Most of all, it's a tale of love and its power to heal. A gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, breathtaking novel that will leave you tear-streaked and with a huge smile on your face. 
 Two people. A damaged, scarred, disoriented girl whose life fell apart when a person she trusted and loved the most tried to kill her. A seemingly tough, careless boy who lost everything -- his parents, his brothers, his future -- when a tragic house fire claimed the lives of his mom and dad. Both lost. Both scared. Both desperately trying to find meaning in their lives, something to hold on to, something normal. When these two get paired up for tutoring sessions their initial dislike and distrust towards each other slowly blooms into mutual attraction. Attraction so strong that it burns with fierce brightness and all-consuming passion. Are they strong enough to face their pasts? Will they end up saving each other, or will they crush and burn? 
 This book was beautiful. 
 It cracked my heart open, touched my soul, made me think, and left me utterly speechless. So heartbreaking, and yet so uplifting and full of hope at the same time. While the developing relationship between Noah and Echo was obviously the main focus of the story, the plot line was not limited to their romantic endeavours. This book offers so much more than just a love story. Katie McGarry did a phenomenal job incorporating some very serious and relevant themes such as death, grief, infidelity, mental illness, physical abuse, and failures of foster care system. The end result was mind-blowing. Through first person-narrative -- alternating between Echo's and Noah's point of view - Katie McGarry told a story that was just as magical as it was realistic and convincing, and just as steaming-hot as it was emotionally devastating. I laughed. I wept. I didn't want this story to end. 
 One of the first things I noticed -- and what made me love this book so much -- were the names of the main characters. They're not just some randomly picked names. They're memorable, powerful, and -- most of all -- meaningful. Echo was named by her mother after a nymph from Greek mythology who got her voice stolen by Hera. The only way she could ever speak was in repetition of other people's shouted words - echoing whatever they were saying. Just like the mythological nymph, our Echo is desperately trying to find her own voice. She is a character full of sorrow and self-doubt, and her tragic story affected me deeply. Similarly, Noah (the biblical figure) was a man of strong faith, who believed in something even though everyone else told him he was wrong. He was strong-willed, devoted, and determined to do the right thing, regardless of how people viewed his actions. Our Noah was just like that - he was all about winning the custody battle over his younger brothers, and the more people tried to discourage him, the harder he fought. And then there was also Echo's brother, Aires - his name sounds very similar to the Greek god of War, Ares. And the fact that Aires died at war leads me to believe that the Greek god might have inspired his name. It's obvious to me how much thought and care Katie McGarry put into writing this novel. She did a fantastic job breathing life into her characters and turning them into real persons, with real feelings, who hurt, loved and bled like like real people. I've no doubt in my mind that her characters are ones that will stay with you long after you finish reading Pushing The Limits, just like they stayed with me. 
 Read this book. Drop everything else and go get yourself a copy. You won't regret!