Review: Breaking the Rules - Katie McGarry

For Echo Emmerson, a road trip with her boyfriend is the perfect way to spend the last summer between school and college. It's a chance to forget all the things that make her so different at home. But most of all it means almost three months alone with gorgeous Noah Hutchins, the only boy who's never judged her.

Echo and Noah share everything.

But, as their pasts come crashing back into their lives, it's harder to hide that they come from two very different worlds. And, as the summer fades, Echo faces her toughest decision - struggle to face the future together or let her first love go . . .

Pushing the Limits Series:
Pushing the Limits
Crossing the Line (Novella)
Breaking the Rules
Dare You To
Crash into You
Take Me On

Visit Katie McGarry's website for more information

Review:
I have to admit I was a little nervous when I picked up Breaking the Rules, I absolutely loved both Echo and Noah in Pushing the Limits and I was worried about seeing them go through even more trouble and heartbreak after they were supposed to have got their happy ending. However, if you consider everything that they've both been through and the effect that has had on them it wasn't surprising that their happily ever after wouldn't come quite so easily and I was quite glad that Katie McGarry was brave enough to revisit their story and make them work at it.

Both Echo and Noah have been left damaged by the events in their pasts, they have trust issues, they're insecure and they constantly worry about being abandoned. They've both lost people they loved and they've also been let down by people who should have been there for them so it isn't surprising that they live in fear of it happening again. They are madly in love with each other but that doesn't mean that their issues have gone away and now more than ever they need support and help to come to terms with their problems and find new coping mechanisms. They have to learn to trust in each other and to put their fears to one side so they can enjoy the moment rather than constantly worrying about what might happen in the future. The couple have spent the summer travelling and enjoying just being together but the closer they get to returning home the more their old lives start to weigh on them bringing things to the front of their minds again.

I'm not going to lie, Breaking the Rules was a painful read at times, it was hard to see Echo and Noah's relationship start to fall apart, especially after I'd rooted for them so hard throughout the first book. However, it was also incredibly satisfying to see them start to deal with their issues and learn how to communicate better. Echo is finally able to confront her mother and start getting her relationship with her father and step-mother back on track and we see Noah find out more about his mother's family and the relatives he never even knew existed. They both make difficult discoveries but they come through their experiences stronger than ever and I completely believe that their relationship will survive any further challenges that life can throw at them. I loved revisiting them and it reminded me how much I loved Isaiah so I really do need to get around to reading his book soon! I love Katie McGarry's writing, her stories are full of intense emotions and lots of drama and I always find myself devouring them.

Source: Received from Mira Ink in exchange for an honest review

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