Normal. She wanted normal and so did I. 
 If I could summarize this book with one (okay, technically two) sentence, that would be the one. Nothing else needs to be said. You can figure out from one simple sentence that this is a book about two people who have lost everything and are trying to figure out how to get normalcy back in their lives. 
 3.25 stars. If I was judging Pushing the Limits solely based on the journey of the characters and how they struggled to reach their own personal victories, I would have gone 4 stars on the book. This was a great story. I like to see characters with depth and grit. It's always fascinating to watch people push past their inner demons and come out on the other side to start their healing process. Both Noah and Echo were inspirational characters who learned not only how to work on themselves, but also learned how to encourage each other to trust again. 
 What lost me (just a little) was the execution. 
 There were several trigger words and generalizations which had me cringing : 
 1. The over-use of nicknames, such as baby, siren, goddess, nymph, etc., as well as the always-sure-to-cause-an-eye-roll note of likening another person's presence to a drug. As well, the mention of Echo smelling like cinnamon was excessive after about the third time. She smells like a bakery. I got it. 
 2. Stating that foster kids and kids from bad homes lay low for a reason (this is a stereotype that isn't always true - I've known kids from foster homes and bad homes who were popular and good students). Statements like this always seem to make me want to cue the dramatic music in my head because these appear to be written for the purpose of trying to invoke a feeling which isn't always necessary. 
 3. Assuming that someone is on a bad path because they smoke weed or drink socially, and therefore that person needs to expel this from their life immediately, otherwise their entire future is in danger. Well crap...I feel bad for more than 50% of today's teens then. They're all screwed. It's a wonder I have such a productive life today, being a former weed smoker and social drinker. 
 4. Using the word "forever" to describe a fledgling relationship. Did Judy Blume teach us nothing? This is HIGH SCHOOL. Yes, some people meet their spouses in high school... but I hate when books want to predict futures which aren't necessarily predictable. Anything can happen after high school. We don't need to tie these kids down beyond possibly continuing the relationship into college. Not unless you're going to do a Perfect Chemistry epilogue where it shows them married years down the line (and believe me, I could live without those). 
 What really did shine about this book : 
 1. The characters. Both Echo and Noah were smart and cautious about many things. Echo was a great example of showing how it's okay not to have sex if you're not ready. Noah was a great example of how a teenage guy can be horny and hormonal and wanting to get laid, yet still respectful of a girl's wishes if he cares about her. His honesty was refreshing. He didn't stop wanting sex, even though he let Echo have her space when she needed it. 
 Her beautiful breasts were right there for me to see, but I wanted to do more than observe, I wanted to... 
 2. As mentioned earlier, the story. Other than it being a little on the long side and having a few moments I could have lived without, I enjoyed the read. The story did have a few similarities to Perfect Chemistry but wasn't an exact mirror either, so I wasn't bothered by it. The problems of the main characters in Pushing were not gang related, yet the problems were still just as emotional and tough as what Alex and Brittany had to go through in PC. 
 Overall, I think this would be a good read for people who are huge fans of love conquering the greatest of problems. 
 "I watched you battle against the worst memory of your life and I watched you win. Make no mistake, Echo. I battled right beside you."