"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.
So wrong for each other...and yet so right.
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.
Publication Date: July 31, 2012
Until I started reading this book, I hadn't realized how much my reading list had been lacking YA contemporary romances. It was a nice change for me and the book had a lot of high points which I'm sure will appeal to teens looking for a read with a lot of edge to it and without the same old cookie cutter main characters.
What I Liked: The thing I liked the most was that both characters had messed up back stories, but they still had a lot of heart. Both Noah and Echo have seriously f***ed up family situations and this makes them both feel like outcasts. I like the way the author drew you in with realistic depictions and the mystery surrounding how Echo ended up with the scars on her arms. I found Noah much more likable than Echo for some reason at first, but she grows on you. Noah's dedication to his brothers really appealed to me and added a lot of depth to his character. The secondary characters were all okay with the exception of Mrs. Collins. I liked her guidance counselor character more than all the others combined.
What I Didn't Like: The drama around the characters' situations was a little over the top at times. And there were a few cliches and cheesy lines surrounding Noah being the so-called bad boy of the school.
Rating: Four out of five stars
A huge thank you to Harlequin Teen for an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley!
