Author: Katie McGarry
Published: July 31, 2012
384 pages
4 Gold Stars
(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.
I wanted to absolutely love this book. I wanted to love it so much that I'd scream from the rooftops about it. I heard so many good things about it and I wanted to love it. Echo was beautiful, tortured and lonely, the makings of an interesting character. Noah ached of pain and good looks, a bad boy who just wants his life back together. The two of them supply enough tension to start a war. They were prefect and their stories were perfect, but I still didn't love it.
Maybe it's because I couldn't relate to any of their problems. They both live pretty messed up lives. Echo escaped her mentally ill mother and is now stuck with her dad and his new wife (her old babysitter). She also lost her brother, something I can't imagine living with. Noah's parents died in a accident and left him and his two younger brothers alone to foster care. Noah is separated from them and is doing everything he can to make them a family again. Echo just wants to know how her life turned out this way and maybe Noah does too. Dual narrations give complete insight into both of their minds, something that is handy when they first start getting involved with each other.
Each chapter advances the plot, but I feel like the book could have been shorter. So much happened that didn't need to happen. Halfway through, I wanted something big to happen, but it never did. Maybe this isn't what the book was supposed to be. Maybe it is just about surviving, finding a way out of difficult situations and finding the one you're meant to be with. Maybe it was the fact that Noah called Echo "Baby" every time he spoke to her. I didn't find this to be very realistic. I don't read a lot of contemporary fiction, so that may be another reason why I was waiting for something that never came.
I would still recommend this book, especially to people who can relate to these characters more than I can. The love story is nice and slow, making it truly believeable. Finding love when it seems like nothing good is happening in your life is a wonderful feeling and McGarry captures it through the eyes of both Echo and Noah, proving that love is out there for everyone. We all deserve our happy endings, some more than others. The pain, fear and torture that these characters have been through make their love story that much better. An inspiring book that I have no doubt teens will love.
If you’re scared, tell me. If you need to cry and scream, then do it. And you sure as hell don’t walk away from us because you think it would be better for me. Here’s the reality, Echo: I want to be by your side. If you want to go to the mall stark naked so you can show the world your scars, then let me hold your hand. If you want to see your mom, then tell me that too. I may not always understand, but damn, baby, I’ll try.
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