Going Too Far By Jennifer Echols

Series: Standalone 
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary 
Release Date: March 17th 2009
Source: Bought 
Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars
Synopsis:  HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO? 
All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back. John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge - and over...

I had never read a book by Jennifer Echols but I had heard great things about her. I originally wanted to read her book Such A Rush but I couldn't find it in my bookshop so I made do with this one. I'm glad I did because it was actually a really great book. It follows Meg and John. Two very different characters on the surface but deeper down you see how similar they really are. Meg want's to leave her suffocating town as soon as she can, she doesn't care how but she will. John chose to stay for reasons Meg can't understand. Both want to be in control of their lives and they are going to push each other to the limit.

One thing I loved about this book is how real the characters were. I really liked Meg, she made some stupid decisions at times but she acted like a real teenager which is rare in young adult books. Meg's rebellion is very real, something you would expect an actual teenager to do. Her reasons lie a lot deeper though which is one difference between her and the majority of teenagers I know. John was a really good character too. At times his controlling attitude annoyed me but his sweetness brought it back for me. His reason for his fixation on the bridge was obvious for me but it made a really good branch of the story. The minor characters like Will and Tiffany were really well developed and likable which is not a regular occurrence in the YA world.

Jennifer Echol's writing is amazing and flawless and I will most definitely be investing in more of Echol's books. This book has reignited my love of YA contemporary so I will be looking out for more in the genre (any recommendations?). I would recommend this book to those who enjoy more mature young adult books as this is not one for younger young adults.

My Favorite Quotes:

“Waiter, this is not the policeman I ordered. I wanted one with a lot less sauce.”

“But you can’t live your life worried about dying all the time. If you do, you’re dead already.”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK