There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.ĭarius Kellner suffers from depression, bullying by high school jocks, and a father who seems to always be disappointed in him. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on.

In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends.

Outwardly different but inwardly similar, Echo and Noah just might make it. Although a bit overlong, the story remains interesting and sometimes compulsively readable throughout. While the romance will attract many readers, it serves mainly as the framework for a psychological examination of the two as they work through their problems. Told in alternating chapters for both Echo and Noah, the story slowly uncovers the teens’ secrets and builds to resolutions for both. McGarry follows the teens as they interact, fall in love, fight and work through their difficulties. Collins, an experienced psychologist, as their school counselor, and neither wants to trust her. Meanwhile, Echo and Noah meet and are instantly but secretly attracted to each other, even though Noah has developed a “bad boy” image. Now all are in foster care, but Noah has been separated from his brothers and is determined to gain custody of them when he turns 18. Noah lost his parents in a fire but saved his two younger brothers.

She wears long sleeves and gloves to hide the awful scars left on her arms from that night. This intense and intriguing debut delves into the psychological difficulties of two teens who fall in love.Įcho can’t remember the night her mother apparently tried to kill her.

Pushing the limits novel