Review: Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits, #3) by Katie McGarry

Spoiler warning! This is the 3rd book in the Pushing the Limits series and may contain spoilers for the first two books. You can read my review of Pushing the Limits here or my review of Dare You To here instead.

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Author: Katie McGarry Website|Twitter
Published: 6 Deecember 2013 (MiraInk)
Format: Kindle e-book (ARC)
Pages: 352
Buy the paperback: Amazon|Hive|BookDepository
Buy the e-book: Kindle|Kobo

Source: Received free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks MiraInk!

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
The girl with straight A's, designer clothes, and the perfect life - that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list.

One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker - a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

My Review:
I absolutely adored both Pushing the Limits and Dare You To, so I couldn't wait to get into McGarry's third instalment! Crash Into You tells Isaiah's story as he meets and falls for Rachel, a girl who loves cars just as much as he does.

I loved what I'd seen of Isaiah in previous books and I was excited to dive into his character a little more. The book is written in alternating points of view between him and Rachel, and loved getting inside his head for those chapters. McGarry definitely wins at writing characters. Rarely do I read books where I connect with them so much and where they feel so real to me. What I loved about Isaiah in this book was seeing the slightly softer side to him, not only when it comes to his feelings for Rachel, but in other aspects of his life as well. There's definitely a lot more than meets the surface!

As well as those characters I've already come to know and love, I also fell immediately for Rachel, Isaiah's love interest in the story. She has a really interesting back story that instantly made me feel for her. Her family is haunted by the death of Rachel's sister Colleen, who Rachel herself never met. She's constantly living in the shadow of her older sister and her parents treat her almost like a replacement, not acknowledging her as her own person. Rachel also has the presence of her older brothers and twin brother Ethan to deal with, and they're very protective of her. I could sympathise for her fight to be independent and loved seeing her find her voice throughout the story.

As always, the chemistry the author has conjured up was intense and there were some great passionate scenes between Rachel and Isaiah. Overall I really liked their relationship. The two come from completely different backgrounds so it was really interesting to see the contrast and how that affected things. I think I would have liked a little more build up and the two getting to know each other. Things move pretty quickly and I felt a lot of the early relationship was purely based on looks. I think having read Dare You To earlier this year I was hoping for more of the love/hate kind of thing that Beth and Ryan had going on. By the end of the book, however, I was completely smitten with Rachel and Isaiah.

Speaking of Beth, I was excited to see how the events of Dare You To would impact on Isaiah's story. With Beth taking more of a backseat role, I was happy to see the presence of Abby, another of Isaiah's friends. She really stole the show with her bubbly persona, and I really enjoyed the developing friendship between her and Rachel.

I could probably speak about the characters all day long, because there are so many incredibly strong relationships in this book. I loved the exploration of the relationship between Rachel and her brothers, especially her twin brother Ethan, as well as the tension between Rachel and her mother. I really enjoyed the scenes between Isaiah and his social worker Courtney too, and of course Isaiah and Noah's friendship was another highlight.

The book centres a lot on Rachel and Isaiah's love of cars, and there are plenty of scenes involving things like drag races. I felt these scenes and the exploration of the gritty underworld of illegal street racing really added a sense of danger to Crash Into You. I could really feel the fear of both characters as they get swept up in this dark world, and there were plenty of tense and exciting scenes.

With characters I cared so much about, this was bound to be an emotional read, and there were some really powerful scenes in Crash Into You that tore at my heart a little bit. I loved getting to know Isaiah and discovering Rachel, who had so much about her and has become one of my favourite characters from the series. Excitingly the next book will focus on Rachel's brother West, so I'm super excited to read that one! I think Dare You To has become my favourite book of the series, but Crash Into You was still an enjoyable and powerful read.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Take Me On by Katie McGarry, the next book in the Pushing the Limits series, which will be published in 2014
Books like this: Perfect Chemistry by Simole Elkeles

News Round Up! 19th October

News Round Up!

 

 

Each week I recap a few of the latest YA news stories that have popped up on my radar. For even more book and film related news then head over to FangirlDaily.com! Check out some of this week's new releases at the bottom of this post as well.

MiraInk have revealed the UK cover for Katie McGarry's Crash Into You. As well as that, Pushing the Limits has been given a redesign so that the whole series matches. See the covers over on the MiraInk blog.

Veronica Roth has revealed she will read from Allegiant at 11.59pm EST for the launch of the book. The pre-recorded video will be available via the official series website on the 21st October. Read the story over on Hypable.

The Fault in Our Stars film has wrapped, with John Green sharing pictures and memories of the shoot on Twitter. See some of those photos and read the full story over on FangirlDaily.

Five new stills from the Vampire Academy movie adaptation have revealed, including scenes of Rose and Dimitri in training. See the photos over on FangirlDaily.

Sarah Rees Brennan and Holly Black will be touring the UK in November. Read more and see the dates over on YAInterrobang.

 

New releases

 

 

 

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

Amazon|Goodreads

 

 

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diane Peterfreund

Amazon|Goodreads

 

 

 

The Fall of Hotel Dumort by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson

Amazon|Goodreads

 

 

 

Revealed by P. C. and Kristin Cast

Amazon|Hive|Goodreads

Playlist: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

After I finished reading Dare You To by Katie McGarry, I was sunning myself in the garden (with factor 50, trying not to burn obviously!) and listening to my iPod, and it struck me how many songs were making me think about situations and characters in the book. The characters were still firmly rooted in my brain and I just couldn't stop applying songs to Beth and Ryan. At the end of Dare You To, Katie McGarry links to her own playlist for the book which you can find on her website here. Below is my own playlist with songs I love I felt fit the book. It was so fun to put together so I hope you enjoy it!

Anything but Ordinary by Avril Lavigne

Beth's song

To walk within the lines 

Would make my life so boring 

I want to know that I 

Have been to the extreme 

So knock me off my feet 

Come on now give it to me 

Anything to make me feel alive

The Writer by Ellie Goulding

Ryan's Song

 

Why don't you be the artist  

And make me out of clay  

Why don't you be the writer  

And decide the words I say
'Cause I'd rather pretend  

I'll still be there at the end  

Only it's too hard to ask 

Won't you try to help me

 

Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding

Beth and Ryan

Breathe your smoke into my lungs,
In the back of a car with you I stare into the sun,
Still not too old to die young,
But lovers hold on to everything,
And lovers hold on to anything

Give Me One Good Reason by Blink-182

People's reaction to Beth/her reaction to them

Mom and dad they quite don't understand it,
All the kids they laugh as if they planned it
Why do girls wanna pierce their nose?
And walk around in torn pantyhose? Oh yeah

  I like the ones who say they listen to the punk rock
I like the the kids who fight against how they were brought up
They hate the trends and think it's f***** to care,
It's cool when they p*** people off with what they wear, oh yeah

So give me one good reason,
Why we need to be like them 

Give Your Heart a Break by Demi Lovato

Beth's relationship fears

The day I first met you
You told me you'd never fall in love
But now that I get you
I know fear is what it really was

Now here we are,
So close yet so far.
Haven't I passed the test?
When will you realize,
Baby, I'm not like the rest?

Don't wanna break your heart
Wanna give your heart a break
I know you're scared it's wrong
Like you might make a mistake
There's just one life to live
And there's no time to wait, to wait

Breathe by Taylor Swift

Beth leaving friends and family behind

I see your face in my mind as I drive away,
Cause none of us thought it was gonna end that way.
People are people, and sometimes we change our minds.
But it's killing me to see you go after all this time.

Dog Days are Over by Florence and the Machine

Beth and Ryan

Happiness, hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled

 

Review: Dare You To (Pushing the Limits, #2) by Katie McGarry

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Author: Katie McGarry Website|Twitter
Published: 7 June 2013 (MiraInk)
Format: Kindle e-book
Pages: 470
Buy the paperback: Amazon|BookDepository
Buy the e-book: Kindle|Kobo

Source: Bought

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...

My Review:
I absolutely adored McGarry's first book - Pushing the Limits - and I've been dying to read Dare You To ever since I finished that and read the sneak peak in the back. When it was made available for 99p on Kindle Daily Deal I grabbed it and couldn't wait to start! Dare You To follows Beth Risk who ends up being swept away from her friends and into a new life. There she meets school baseball star Ryan who has a penchant for dares, asking out Beth being one of them.

This is the second book in the Pushing the Limits series but it can be pretty much read as a standalone. If features appearances from Echo and Noah (who take centre stage in the first book) but the focus is on Beth and her story, and although she's introduced in book one, I don't think you'd miss out anything by not having read it.

Dare You To is told in alternating chapters between Ryan and Beth. The book opens with Ryan and his baseball teammates playing dares (as the title would suggest!) which is where the two main characters meet. They don't start off on the best footing and for the first few chapters the book flits between the two characters with little interaction of the two. I loved discovering more about Ryan and Beth's characters in these opening chapters.

Beth herself is an incredible character. I love that she is not perfect - far from it - but I really liked seeing that side of her that is full of attitude. She swears, drinks, smokes - you name it. But whilst she's this rebellious, outspoken character she also had an incredible vulnerability to which is touched on a lot in Dare You To. The relationship between Beth and her mother is heartbreaking and tackled some really hard-hitting issues. Beth is completely a victim of some pretty rubbish circumstances and really felt for her. The decisions she has to make throughout the story are so tough! But what's great about Beth is that she's smart, and she makes you laugh. There's so much more to her, and she develops so much during the course of the book. I loved the journey she went on and how the changes she went through endeared me to her even more!

I was totally a fan of Ryan too *swoon*. He may be the school baseball star, but it was his hidden writing ability that made me fall for him. The book is set during senior year and so Ryan has to face up to his future, and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to the choices he has to make. In Ryan's case, he must choose between playing baseball or following his academic potential. I thought the exploration of the pressure Ryan was feeling from his parents was really well done. It's all about self-discovery for him. Ryan also has some family drama going on and I loved the plot line surrounding Ryan's brother.

This may be a love story but it's far from your light and fluffy romance. Dare You To is an intense read that I found myself being completely swept up in. Not only do Beth and Ryan have their own personal demons to face up to, but the way they handle their feelings for each other makes for a pretty intense relationship too. I adore the way Katie McGarry can conjure up this fantastic chemistry between her characters. I felt it for Echo and Noah in Pushing the Limits and I definitely got it when it came to Beth and Ryan. The sexual tension was incredible and they definitely had that spark!

People who have read Pushing the Limits, like me, will probably have been waiting to see what would happen with Beth and Isaiah. I suppose I expected them to be together, but Dare You To addresses their friendship and relationship perfectly and I think things were nicely wrapped up between them so that I understood why this story focuses on Beth and Ryan's relationship.

I've already talked about how much I loved Beth, but I thought there were some great themes addressed in Dare You To when it came to her. One was trust, and how Beth's ability to trust those around her has been tainted by her past. It was so sad to see her internal battle to trust people like her uncle Scott, her mum, Ryan and even best friend Isaiah. I loved the way the book looked at family, and how Beth and Ryan both have to conquer their family issues and how when you're a teenager, the weight of responsibility to hold everything together can be overwhelming. I really loved the friendship moments as well, from Beth and Isaiah's friendship to her ability to make and regain friends at her new school. I really loved Beth's friend Lacy and the dynamic between Ryan and his baseball buddies (and their teenage boy dares!).

I was absolutely absorbed in Dare You To and every time I put it down I just couldn't wait to get back to it. I love how it doesn't shy away from things like drink and drugs, abuse, sexuality and that it's full of true to life swear-y teens who get up to no good. Whilst it's an intense read, it's also an enjoyable one, because of the amazing characters and the fantastic chemistry. There were a lot of twists that had my heart in my mouth and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. Plus Ryan is my new favourite boy. Yes please. Katie's McGarry's books are definitely up there on my "must read" list and I'll be counting down the days til the release of the next installment (Crash Into You -Isaiah's story).

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Crash Into You by Katie McGarry
Books like this: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkes

Waiting on Wednesday (#4) Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine and gives bloggers a chance to highlight future releases we're excited about.

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Published: 1st November 2013 (MiraInk)

Amazon|Goodreads

Plot summary: The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

 

 

I just finished Dare You To this weekend so how could I not choose this book?! Especially given that Dare You To had a teaser of this book at the back which totally had me hooked. So far I've been blown away by Katie McGarry's writing and the amazing chemistry creates between characters. This book will be Isaiah's story and I can't wait to find out more about him!

 

What book are you waiting on this week? Let me know in the comments, and if you have your own post then link me up and I'll be sure to stop by!

Review: Crossing the Line (Pushing the Limits, #1.5) by Katie McGarry

Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry

 

Author: Katie McGarry Website|Twitter
Published: 1 April 2013 (MiraINK)
Format: Kindle e-book
Pages: 67
Buy the e-book: Kindle|Kobo

Source: Kindle freebie

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Lila McCormick first met Lincoln Turner when tragedy struck both their lives. But she never expected their surprise encounter would lead to two years of exchanging letters-or that she'd fall for the boy she's only seen once. Their relationship is a secret, but Lila feels closer to Lincoln than anyone else. Until she finds out that he lied to her about the one thing she depended on him for the most.

My Review:
I really loved Pushing the Limits so I was intrigued by this novella. I've been putting off reading it because I don't usually bother with these little extras because they cost a lot of money for what you get, but when it was made available for free how could I possibly resist?!

Crossing the Line follows Lila and Lincoln, as they deal with the aftermath of the death of Lincoln's brother. When they meet at the funeral they decide to stay in touch via writing letters, and soon strike up a close friendship.

The first thing to win me over with this story was the letter writing thing. I am an absolute sucker for books that include letters and emails or anything like that, more so the letter because I love letter writing and it's something that seems to be dying out. The book opens with a letter and then little excerpts from Lila and Lincoln's letters are used at the beginning of chapters. I thought it was really sweet to see glimpses at what they wrote to each other.

Crossing the Line alternates between Lila and Lincoln so we get to learn a lot about them both. For a short story I definitely felt I knew the characters and even in that short time they were incredibly well developed. They both had their vulnerabilities and it was good to see how they helped each other overcome them.

The chemistry in Crossing the Line was the absolute winning thing about it. Lila and Lincoln have this amazing connection and obviously care about each other so much. They had a few obstacles to overcome which added a bit of tension. When I was writing my notes whilst reading this there were a lot of exclamation marks! They were just so cute together, I absolutely loved them. And the kissing! Oh there's lots of kissing. Yay.

This is a novella set between Pushing the Limits and the next book in the series Dare You To. You could probably read this on its own but it does give away some of what happens in Pushing the Limits. The story stands on its own but there are lots of references to Pushing the Limits, such as Lincoln's brother Josh having a connection with Echo's brother and references to Beth, the character who takes the central role in Dare You To. Echo and Noah make an appearance in the shape of a phone call. I was really excited to see them and learn what they were up to.

I'm so glad I got a chance to read this one. It reminded me what I love about Katie McGarry's writing and got me really excited to read more from this series. I think looking back I would have been quite happy to pay for this novella. It felt substantial enough and I came away feeling like I'd been immersed in the story and gotten to know some amazing characters. If you loved Pushing the Limits then definitely get your hands on this!

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Dare You To by Katie McGarry
Books like this: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty

Blogoversary! Reflecting on a Year of Blogging (+ giveaway!)

Wow. I honestly can't believe I'm writing this post. Today Total Teen Fiction turns one year old! It feels like just yesterday I started up this blog. The time has absolutely flown by and so much has happened. I wanted to collect my thoughts and share some of the highs of the past year with all of you. I'm also using this as a chance to hold a giveaway for one of my favourite books so stick around for your chance to win! Enjoy.

Blogging is a lot of work and it can be overwhelming sometimes, but I've found something I love and that I'm passionate about and so all that hard work pays off. The feeling of hitting "publish" on a post you've worked so hard on and reading the comments that appear on it is like nothing else. People talking to you about your blog or saying they read a book you  because you reviewed it and loved it gives you the best feeling ever.

Blogging has also taught me a lot about books (and myself! ) I didn't know. Just some of those things are listed below.

1. I've discovered a wealth of new books I would probably never had read if I hadn't immersed myself in the blogosphere, including lots of new releases and debut authors.

2 .Starting my own blog lead to me discovering other bloggers and chatting with some amazing bloggers.

3 .I've stopped being a re-reader and now seek out new books all the time. I still try and make time for the odd re-read but it's great to get out of my comfort zone and read new things!

4. I've discovered the world of indie and self-published books I didn't know existed! And so many of my favourite books and series from the past year have been independently published. 

5. I love e-books! I started out blogging being a total e-book sceptic, but this year I caved and bought an e-reader. Now I love my Kindle which is jam-packed with e-books

6.  Blogging has also given me a real career ambition. I've always loved books and reading but I never saw it as a career path. I've loved learning more about the publishing industry through blogging and it would be my dream to work in it one day. 

7. It's brought me out of my shell. I'm really shy and so putting my opinions out there online was a huge step for me. It's given me a real confidence boost.

8. It's brought me closer to people I knew who also love books and who I didn't realise loved talking about them as much as me! I have amazing bookish chats with my friends now <3

9. It's made me love reading even more. Yep, I didn't know that was possible either!
 

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read my reviews, followed my blog, commented on my posts or chatted with me on Twitter. Thank you to the authors who have got in touch with me and offered me the chance to review their books. And just a huge thank you to everyone who's supported me and made me feel like I've achieved something by starting this blog. It feels like a real achievement! You have made the past year unbelievable. I hope you'll stick around for the next year!

To celebrate I'm holding a giveaway for one of my favourite books from over the past year. Enter below to win a paperback copy of Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry!

This giveaway is open to UK RESIDENTS ONLY. Fill out the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents only.

You must be 13+ to enter (and have parental permission if you are under 16).
The giveaway is open from 4th - 30th June. The winner will be contacted by email as soon as possible after the giveaway has ended..
The winner has one week to respond and claim their prize once they have been contacted. If they do not respond a new winner will be chosen.

The prize: One winner will receive one paperback copy Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry.
The prize will be sent via Royal Mail once the winner has been successfully contacted. TotalTeenFiction is not responsible for any loss or damage to the prize in the post.

Winners will be chosen randomly using Rafflecopter.

I will disqualify anyone I deem to be cheating or breaking the rules.
If you have any queries about the giveaway, please email totalteenfiction@gmail.com

News Round Up! 20th April

Here's my latest weekly recap of YA news stories that have popped up on my radar. Enjoy!

The moment all Divergent fans have been waiting for arrived this week. We have a title for the third book! The final book in the trilogy will be called Allegiant. What do you think of the title? It wasn't one I'd heard in all the speculation but it certainly has a lot of potential. Find out more from Veronica Roth in a special video announcement over on USAtoday.com.

And one of the biggest news story by far this week is the release of the Catching Fire teaser trailer! The trailer premiered at this year's MTV Move Awards, and at over 2 minutes long it's certainly a teaser and a half - much more than I was expecting! What do you think of the trailer? It's certainly intense. Watch it below:

With all the hype around The Mortal Instruments film adaptation, this week we got a glimpse of book tie-ins and merchanidse. Check out the book tie-ins here on EW.com and find out more about a Hot Topic clothing line here on Hypable.

Fans of Katie McGarry (Pushing the Limits, Dare You To) like me will be happy to hear we'll be getting more books from her! According to the announcement on her Facebook page, the new book is described as "West Side Story meets Sons of Anarchy, where a teen boy brought up in the rough and tumble world of motorcycle clubs finds love with a girl raised outside of this world when he's tasked with not only protecting her for the summer she visits her father, the leader of the group, but also with preventing her from learning the truth about her father's past and the gang he used to lead". Sounds pretty awesome right?

The YALSA's Teen Top Ten nominations have been announced as part of the Teen Read Week. The titles making up the nominations include Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, Crewel by Gennifer Albin, Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Insurgent by Veronica Roth. You can read the full list on the YASLA website.   

The American Library Association released their list of most challenged novels for 2012 this week and three YA novels made the list: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher and John Green's IB. I haven't read any of these books but have Looking for Alaska lined up to read soon. Read more about these challenged novels here on Examiner.com.

And finally the London Book Fair took place this week with a lot of talk surfacing about young debut authors and the rise of e-books. You can find out more about the book fair itself on the website here and catch up with what's been happening via the London Book Fair Twitter feed.

Which news stories have been getting you excited this week? Let me know in the comments!


New book releases:
Imaginable by J. Meyers
Buy: Amazon
Read my review!

What Really Happened in Peru by Cassandra Clare
Buy: Amazon

YA Book Playlist

Recently I've heard a few songs on the radio and thought "ooh that reminds me of that book!" so I decided to put together a little collection of songs and the books I think they go with. Enjoy!

Book: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Song: Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth and Emile Sande

This was one of those songs I heard and automatically thought of the book. I just love it! It has such beautiful lyrics and I reckon it's perfect for Echo and Noah.

Book: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Songs: Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Avril Lavigne

I Know You Care by Ellie Goulding

I picked two for this book. The first one is a cover version I've always loved by Avril Lavigne. I think it sets the mood just right.

This song by Ellie Goulding was used in the film adaption of Before I Die (Now Is Good). I still haven't seen the film but I love this song!

Book: Wonder by R.J. Palcio

Song: Wonder by Naughty Boy ft Emilie Sande

Okay this one is totally obvious because they share a title, but I think it fits in with the book too! It's such a positive, uplifting song.

Book: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Song: Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys
 

Another obvious one based on the title! But a great, feisty song for the girl on fire herself, Katniss.

 

Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

Song: Stay by Hurts

This song always makes me feel of the Ron leaving scene in Deathly Hallows and Hermione's reaction. It sums up their relationship in general pretty well too. Great lyrics.

 Book: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Song: I Can't Speak French by Girls Aloud

Because all the songs above were quite emotional ones I wanted to throw in something fun!

 

I might do this again some time because I loved getting all these songs together, and I'm sure there's loads I missed out! Is there a song that makes you think of your favourite book/characters? Let me know in the comments! :)

August's Book of the Month!

At the end of each month I pick one stand out book (that I've read in that month, not necessarily released that month) that did enough to earn a 5* review and shower it with even more praise!

And August's book of the month is...

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry!



This was a book I was really excited about. A love story that went so much deeper, tackled some huge issues and created the ultimate chemistry between Echo and Noah. The characters remained with me long after I'd finished the book and they felt so real. I loved the fact the chapters alternated between Echo and Noah's perspective, giving you a chance to see so much of both of them. And Noah became one of my all time favourite characters! Read my full review here.

Runners up:

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Legend by Marie Lu

Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Goodreads page

Author: Katie McGarry. Website, Twitter
Published: 3 August 2012 (Mira Ink)
Pages: 416
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback|e-book
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Won in a competition on the Mira Ink Facebook page.

Plot Summary (from Book Depository):
What if the last person you should fall in love with is only one who can save you? I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise. Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. You didn't do that - did you. It was done to you?

My Review:
I've had my eye on this book for a while so when I won a copy I was literally giddy. I couldn't wait to read it! Pushing the Limits tells the story of Echo and Noah, two teens with a whole heap of problems who might just be able to help each other on their way to battling their own demons.

I have no idea where to start with my review. There's so much I want to shout about because I absolutely adored this book! Before I read it I had a few reservations, mainly because I'd only heard good things. Could it live up to the hype? And love stories can be either hit of miss with me. But this book totally exceeded my expectations.

The book alternates between Echo and Noah's point of view throughout the story. Getting the story from both character's perspectives was brilliant, because it made me fall in love with both of them. Both Echo and Noah are probably two of the most interesting characters I've ever read. They felt so completely real and had so much depth to them that I felt like they were more than just characters on the page. In fact, all the characters in Pushing the Limits were so well written that they stirred up every emotion possible. It's been a while since I've been this invested in the lives of book characters!

The plot blew me away. Echo and Noah share the same school clinical social worker and both of them are facing problems in their lives. For Echo, this means trying to deal with the fact she has repressed the memory of a traumatic event with her mother. Throughout the book she has to deal with what happened to her, all the time not knowing exactly what that was. I'd heard of repressed memories before but this book brought to light just what a terrifying experience it can be. Of course there's a whole heap of other things associated with Echo's trauma, including problems in her home life and trying to regain and maintain friendships. I loved her story and how it developed. Meanwhile Noah is in foster care and trying to see more of his younger brothers.

I'm going to talk more about Noah because, I'll admit, I wasn't expecting to like him as much as I did. I'm not usually one for the bad boys (shocking, I know) so I was totally surprised when I liked him from his very first appearence. There's so much to his character, and although he has his flaws, deep down he does things for the right reasons and his relationship with Echo only brought out the best in him. I think he's probably one of my new favourite male characters.

One of the words I've read a lot in association with this book is "intense" and I would agree with that. The book deals with some pretty big issues (therapy, drugs, sex, mental health) but it does them well. There's swearing throughout but the good kind that feels real, not forced or unnecessary. Noah and Echo do have an intense relationship with each other but it's one of those relationships that leaves you totally rooting for them.

I couldn't put the book down and ate up the last 200 pages, then went on to dream about the book afterwards. It will stay with me for a long time I reckon. I'm really excited about this author because the writing itself was phenomenal. I look forward to reading more from her! Oh gosh, I've written so much already and I'm sure there's more I wanted to say! I'll let you decide the rest for yourselves because this is definitely a book you won't want to miss.

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Dare You To by Katie McGarry, a spin-off focusing on Beth, a character from Pushing the Limits.
Books like this: Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie

Teaser Tuesdays - 14th August

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"I stared into his eyes and waited for his response. Neither one of us moved."

- page 55, Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Book trailer: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

One book I'm really excited about at the moment is Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. I keep seeing a lot of good things about it! I can't wait to read it. Check out the book trailer and plot summary below!

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads) 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.

Pushing the Limits is released on 3rd August. You can pre-order it now at the following links. Will be you be buying it?

Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback
Book Depository: paperback