Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing the Limits
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release date: July 31st 2012
Pages: 384
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: NetGalley
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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.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars


I was super excited to read Pushing the Limits, and when I first started the book, I was loving it. But once Noah and Echo got together, the book kind of went downhill for me.


I loved getting to know these characters as individuals - both of their stories are fascinating! It's impossible not to feel for Echo. She's grieving her brother, who died in Afghanistan a year ago. And she's trying to remember what went down the night her bipolar mother attacked her. And her father is a control freak who has married and impregnated Echo's former babysitter. And she has to deal with the people at school being weird to her because of rumors about what happened to her. Yeah, there's definitely no lack of messed-up-ness in Echo's life, and I could easily feel for her.


Noah's life isn't exactly easy, either. He lost his parents in a house fire, for which he blames himself, and now he's stuck in the foster system. He has two little brothers who are living with another family, and Noah wants to somehow gain custody of them to put their family back together. Both Echo and Noah are majorly messed up, and I loved getting to know them as individual characters. Their stories are fascinating, and their development over the course of the story is really well done.


But I had some issues with the relationship between the two. The first attraction is well-done, and in the beginning, their chemistry is hot - I couldn't wait for them to get together. But when they did, I was disappointed. I'm not even sure why, but I didn't love these two as a couple as much as I loved them as individual characters. I think their relationship moves too fast, and their feelings for one another get too deep, too quickly. Couples that proclaim their love for each other just a few weeks after they get together frustrate me so much. Really, that's one of my biggest bookish pet peeves, and something like that can basically ruin any book, for me.


Most of their relationship is physical. Actually, that's not true - they do say they love each other for other reasons. But their attraction, the only things they ever seemed to think about, were the physical aspects of the story. And I need more than physical attraction to swoon over a romance. Maybe it's just part of his bad-boy image, but the way Noah talks about Echo particularly pissed me off. He kept calling her 'his nymph', 'his siren', or simply 'his'. He got really possessive of Echo - not as in, his possessiveness is an issue that's addressed in the story; it was just a part of the relationship, which bugged me.


I enjoyed most of the other storylines. I enjoyed reading about Echo's family issues (even though her grief is a little underdeveloped and the development at the end is too abrupt, in my opinion), as well as Noah's character growth concerning his family situation. Echo's friends could have used some more depth, but I really liked reading about Noah's friends and fellow foster kids.


I feel bad for saying this, since some of the stuff that happens really is bad, but the book definitely borders on melodramatic. There is so much drama, and some of it does feel forced. It bugged me how every little emotion is made into a huge deal, and how these characters basically refused to confront their issues and try to, you know, be happy.


I did enjoy this book and really liked the character development, but the romance didn't work for me. I do recommend this book, since I think most of the other storylines are good - I just wish the romance hadn't been the main focus. I'm a little disappointed by Pushing the Limits, but I will still be reading the companion, Dare You To, because Beth's character is one I'd like to get to know more.

What are some of your pet peeves in YA romances?

My New Treasures #9

My New Treasures is a weekly feature here at Paperback Treasures to showcase all the books I received over the previous week. I do not take credit for this idea.

My laptop died this week, so I'm using my mom's computer, which is slooooow. I thought about doing a vlog, but editing and uploading it on this computer would take forever, so I decided not to. I'll hopefully have my laptop fixed by next weekend, so I'll show you all my pretties then. For now, here are the two ebooks I got this week, both from Edelweiss:

Through to You by Emily Hainsworth (Amazon | Goodreads)

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz (Amazon | Goodreads)

Two awesome covers! I can't wait to start both of these.

What books did you get this week?

Review: Roadside Assistance by Amy Clipston

Title: Roadside Assistance

Author: Amy Clipston
Publisher: Zondervan
Pages: 224
Release date: March 10th 2011
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: Bought 
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Emily Curtis is used to dealing with her problems while under the hood of an old Chevy, but when her mom dies, Emily's world seems shaken beyond repair. Driven from home by hospital bills they can't pay, Emily and her dad move in with his wealthy sister, who intends to make her niece more feminine---in other words, just like Whitney, Emily's perfect cousin. But when Emily hears the engine of a 1970 Dodge Challenger, and sees the cute gearhead, Zander, next door, things seem to be looking up. But even working alongside Zander can't completely fix the hole in Emily's life. Ever since her mom died, Emily hasn't been able to pray, and no one---not even Zander---seems to understand. But sometimes the help you need can come from the person you least expect.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I ordered Roadside Assistance about half a year ago. I thought it would be about a road trip (don't ask me why - I guess it was just the title), and grief and romance. (I know, I really need to work on actually reading the synopsis carefully before getting excited about books.) Somehow, I completely missed the 'Emily hasn't been able to pray'-part of the description. And then the book arrived. I took a look at the back of the book, where there's an 'About the Author' section, and saw that Amy Clipston is an Amish author who writes Christian fiction. I re-read the description and noticed the religion-aspect. And then I put it straight to the bottom of my TBR-pile.


I'm sorry, but I don't usually like books focusing on religion. I feel bad about it, but knowing Roadside Assistance is Christian fiction made me dismiss it pretty quickly; I didn't want to read it anymore. I figured it was going to be preachy, about how God will help you no matter what, blah blah blah. But this summer, I'm trying to read all those books that have been on my TBR-pile forever, so I gave Roadside Assistance a try anyways. And it was better than I'd thought it would be!

I didn't mind the religion aspect as much as I'd thought I would. Emily struggles with faith and isn't sure whether she believes anymore, and since the book is written entirely from her POV, that storyline is very easy to relate to. Sure, there are a lot of characters in the book that are preachy and pushy about their beliefs, but those are always described along with Emily's skepticism. Emily's personal struggle with religion turned out to be interesting to read about.


But still, I found Roadside Assistance a little too preachy. The overall message is definitely preachy, even if the MC isn't sure she believes. It just bugged me a bit how every single character in the book is Christian, and there are no other worldviews represented. It seemed a little too convenient that every single character told her to trust God. The message, saying God is everything you need and will get you through anything... I'm sorry, I don't want to start a discussion on religion or anything, but messages like 'trust in God, and all your problems will go away' just don't sit right with me. 

Sorry for going off about religion there; this book does have other storylines, too! So, the characters. I started out liking Emily - like I said, I could relate to her in the religion-aspect, and I like that she's somewhat of a tomboy. There are not enough tomboy-ish girls in YA! I really like how unique she is and spends most of her time fixing cars (even if it's something I'm not exactly interested in myself). I had some problems with her, too, though. The whole she-doesn't-know-how-beautiful-she-is aspect is a little overdone, in my opinion. Emily's melodramatic whining bugged me - every one around her is trying to be helpful, and she just can't see it. That's resolved towards the end, though, so I guess it works.


The secondary characters are good, except the already mentioned lack of religious diversity. I really liked Whitney and getting to know her, looking under the surface. I liked Emily's dad, too - I always love reading about a healthy relationship between the MC and her parents. Then there's Zander. The romance is pretty good. I found it a little too convenient in the beginning; of course there's a boy living next door who happens to be totally into cars and also happens to like Emily right away. But except for the predictable set-up, I did like reading about Emily and Zander's relationship - they're definitely cute together.


I know my review sounds pretty negative, but I really did enjoy Roadside Assistance. I didn't love it, because of my issues with the way religion is handled, and because of some parts of the plot that seemed contrived, but it's not a bad book. It's a nice story of grief and letting go. If you think you won't mind the religion-aspect, I recommend you give this book a chance, but if preaching bugs you a lot, Roadside Assistance probably isn't for you.

What do you think of religious books? Do you steer clear of books dealing with religion, or do you enjoy authors trying to tackle this issue?

Review: Grace by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Grace
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Speak
Release date: September 16th 2010
Pages: 224
Genre: YA
Source: Bought
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Grace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom. In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars


This is a hard book to review. I honestly have no idea what to say about Grace. I don't even know as what genre to classify this - is it a dystopian or post-apocalyptical world this book is set in? Or is it an oppressive regime in today's world? I can't decide which I think it is. But maybe it doesn't even matter; maybe it could be both.

The beginning of Grace is very, very confusing, since you have absolutely no idea what's going on or who's who. But that suspense kept me reading, and I didn't put the book down once until I'd finished it. It's a short book, with just over 200 pages, but the sparse writing makes it read even faster.


Elizabeth Scott is an incredible author. She's written her usual light contemporaries as well as the horrifying amazing-ness that is Living Dead Girl. And now this, whatever this is. I honestly believe there is no genre Elizabeth Scott couldn't write masterfully. It's stunning how variable her writing is - in her light contemporaries, her style is easy and cute, while in Living Dead Girl and Grace, it's... I don't even know how to describe it. Her style is sparse and immediate, making everything even more horrifying.


Horrifying is the only way to describe this book, really. What happens in Grace is so, so terrible. I wouldn't say I liked the characters, since all of them are murderers or rapists or just bad people, but it was fascinating to read about them. I don't even want to say anything more about the plot, since I liked not knowing much and just letting the story unfold. You know that what's happening is terrible, but you just can't look away. 


This book is suspenseful and horrifying, in a good way. You'll read the first page and just keep reading till the end, not looking up once. The message, though, will haunt you till long after. I think Grace will appeal to any reader, since it can't be classified as any one genre. Well, to any reader who likes dark books, because Grace is definitely not a light read.

Review: Circle of Silence by Carol M. Tanzman

Title: Circle of Silence (WiHi #2)
Author: Carol M. Tanzman
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Release date: July 24th 2012
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary YA; mystery
Source: NetGalley
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It’s my turn to run a Campus News crew, and I’ve put together a team that can break stories wide open. And Washington Irving High has a truly great one to cover, if only we can find a lead.
A secret society has formed in our school. It announced its presence with pranks: underwear on the flag pole, a toilet in the hallway, cryptic notes. A circle of silence keeps the society a mystery. No one knows its members, agenda, or initiation secrets—until a student lands in the hospital under strange circumstances.
I will blow this story wide open and stop others from being hurt…or worse. And while my ex, Jagger, might want to help, I don’t trust him yet. (And, no, not because of our past together. That is not important to this story.)
But whether you find me, Valerie Gaines, reporting in front of the camera, or a victim in the top story of the newscast…be sure to watch Campus News at 9:00 a.m. this Friday morning.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed dancergirl, so I was very excited for this one. (Cirlce of Silence is the companion to dancergirl - have I mentioned lately that I love companion novels?) Circle of Silence started kind of slow for me, but the rest of the book is just as great as dancergirl!

What I loved most about dancergirl was the creepy atmosphere, so I was a little disappointed to see that lacking in the first half of Circle of Silence. It just didn't seem as menacing and dangerous as dancergirl did - MP (the secret society) plays a few pranks, but it wasn't as big a deal as the stalker in dancergirl, in my opinion. But later on, Circle of Silence definitely brought the creepy! The MP stuff starts out small, but towards the end of the book, their pranks turn serious. And I got that feeling I loved about dancergirl again - I was thoroughly creeped out and needed to know who the bad guys are. The suspense and the mystery are great, just like in dancergirl!

I loved all the stuff about reporting in Circle of Silence! Often, in mysteries, I don't get why the MC would even care, or why they'd try to figure out what happened, because well, I wouldn't try to figure out anything - I'd keep my distance and focus on staying safe myself, to be honest. But in Circle of Silence, it makes sense - Val and her team are looking for a story, so of course they'd try to figure it out. And I just loved reading all the stuff about filming and reporting and working on a news broadcast. Don't worry if you're not interested in that - it doesn't get too technical - but there are just enough details to have me fascinated by how all of it works.

The characters are pretty good. I liked Val - she's focused and driven, but still very relatable. Her best friend is a cool character, and there's a nice romance story in there too, even though I would have liked these two characters' past to be elaborated on more.

I was kind of disappointed by the ending. I'd figured out the biggest twist beforehand, so that took a lot from it. And the very optimistic ending bugged me a little... I feel bad for saying it, but I don't want the characters to be happy for the price of the ending being unrealistic! I just think everything wrapped up a little too nicely at the end.

Circle of Silence didn't blow me away, but it's definitely a book I enjoyed reading, even if I didn't like it quite as much as dancergirl. It's a good mystery that never takes itself too seriously and perfectly balances the creepy suspense with some fun minor storylines.