Pushing the Limits Series by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

Katie McGarry is an Author Goddess. She writes words that wrap me up inside so tight that I don't care about the world going on around me. Her characters are complex and layered. Her storylines are interesting and so effective. She takes every emotion I have and forces me to feel it at max volume. It melts my face off, and I love it.

This is my 2nd time through this book, and I'm still stunned by this story.

Book 309 read in 2018

Pages: 392

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
It's emotionally gut-wrenching in the cry so many tears the page gets blurry kind of way. The characters are complex and well-developed. The storyline is fascinating and fast-paced. The voice is good, the writing admirable, and I love the alternating POVs.

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Dare You To by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

I'm really glad I decided to revisit this series, because it has so many things I enjoy in a good story. The characters are complex, well-developed, and show a lot of growth. There is a school counselor who is interesting and quirky and does a whole lot to help these teens with their struggles. The parents are all flawed individuals, who also don't make the best choices, so that's a recurring theme that continues to be interesting.

They're also romantic in a realistic, believable sort of way, and Katie McGarry is a phenomenal storyteller. I'd read the sports pages, if she'd write them (not that I get a newspaper, I don't, because this is 2018).

Book 310 read in 2018

Pages:456

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Crash into You by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

I don't know how many of you had a moment in your teenage years, or maybe even early 20s, where you realize your parents are more screwed up than you are (or than you ever even understood). If you did, then you'll relate to this series on a whole different level, because it showcases a lot of flawed and complicated family relationships, which make the stories more interesting, though often more painful.

Isaiah is a delicious book boyfriend, even if he sometimes needs to dial down the overprotective vibe. And watching Rachel deal with her anxiety and panic attacks, and/or not deal with them, added another layer of concern to the story.

I definitely still appreciate the pro-therapy/counseling message of this series.

Book 311 read in 2018

Pages: 474

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
I'm so upset that this story ended. I can't even talk about it right now. I just wanted to stay in the world for as long as possible, and now I'm kicked back out of it and devastated. Boo on reality. This is going to be an ugly book hangover.

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Take Me On by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

There were so many characters in this story on their own difficult journeys. Every person in the story has a purpose, and every major side character is developed well enough that you really get invested in everyone, not just the main couple.

This is the story of a boy who can't stop fighting everyone and everything, and a girl who did nothing but fight and now never wants to fight again.

Book 312 read in 2018

Pages: 544

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
Don't love fighting. Do love this book. Katie McGarry writes flawed characters who are so lovable I hate when our time together ends.

View all my reviews

180 Seconds

180 Seconds by Jessica Park
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was so compelling that I couldn't put it down. Park is killing it in the NA realm, and I can't believe I didn't read this book sooner after loving Flat Out Love (I confess, I just realized this is the same author---so oops. I should have grabbed more of her work sooner). I suspect I'll go try to get my hands on everything else she's written now, in case it's as equally fabulous as the 4 novels I've now read by her.

Not only is the basic concept intriguing (2 people stare at each other in silence for 180 seconds with unexpected results), but this story has so much depth, with such flawed but truly lovable characters. It moves in unexpected ways and feels fresh from other stories that I've read that are actually somewhat similar.

I have to confess that I get anxious around Indie novels, because I've had far more bad experiences than good ones. However, I think that's partly on me and my apparently poor ability to choose fantastic reads like this. Instead of being scared, or avoiding them out of fear they will be terrible, I should do my homework better to find indie novels that are going to be a good fit for me, because there's so much to miss when I overlook gems like this.

That being said, I'm taking suggestions below for people's favorite indie novels of all time. Just don't rec your own book, your best friend's book, or a family member's book. I get way too much of that on social media and am tired of advertising. No advertising/promotion here. I just want to hear honest comments about the Indie novels that you love to pieces and couldn't live without. If I see something that resonates with me, I'll be sure to add it to my list.

Book 50 read in 2018

Pages: 300

By Your Side by Kasie West

By Your Side by Kasie West
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay. This book is delightful, though I confess I wish they had spent far more time actually trapped inside of the library. Come on, that's basically a librarian's dream book premise, even though we all probably could have just trapped ourselves in a library for a weekend at some point. However, that would have been far less exciting, probably included doing work, and it would have been absent the presence of a broody almost stranger.

Still, I enjoyed the sweetness of the story, paired up with all the real world issues.

Pages: 346

PS: This was the final book I needed to read to complete my 2017 Goodreads Reading Challenging! I can't believe I was almost 42 books behind back in August.

Thank goodness for Audible and Overdrive, so that I can listen while I accomplish other things. I'd never be able to read this much without them.  The best part is that the Goodreads App rained down star confetti, and so I left my phone on that page for almost 10 minutes.

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The voice is so unexpected in this Middle Grade contemporary novel about a boy whose family takes in a foster son with a complicated past.

I initially had a difficult time settling into this story. I admit that I read the first page twice before I progressed, and even then, I was still bewildered about what was happening. It took a couple of pages before I was able to sort out the scene and stop rereading paragraphs. I don’t know if that was me being a bad reader in that moment, the writing, the really abrupt start to the scene, or some combination of those.

Either way, I’m glad I pushed forward. This was such a good story, and it’s a quick read. I fell in love with the voice, once I got used to it, and the characters were lovable and different.

I had my heart set on the way this story should end.

It definitely did not end that way, but I guess I’ll get over it.

Pages: 192

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow! Once I started this, I couldn’t stop. The story and characters were so compelling.

It was fascinating to see how two kids that grew up in the same terrible foster care situation could end up so different but still so connected.

Pages: 480

The Valiant Women by Jeanne Williams

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

A romantic saga set in Arizona territory with action featuring Apache, Mexico, and Texas territory before the Civil War and many families and plots. 

Audio:  15 hrs. 55 min.

Print:  516 pages

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Summary: "Hiding secrets from her family that expects her to be perfect, Rachel Young falls in love with Isaiah Walker, a foster youth who hides his own secrets until their shared love for street racing puts their lives in jeopardy."

Crash Into You is the third book in the Pushing the Limits series, and it is absolutely my favorite. Rachel is a fresh and interesting character. She is both strong and vulnerable, while still being sweet and kind. She's my favorite of the girls in the series, and it was also nice to finally see what it's like inside Isaiah's mind. This installment avoids the downfalls of the other novels by keeping the family drama to a reasonable level. The other books in the series can be incredibly over-dramatic and depressing, but Crash Into You has just the right amount of drama.

484 pages