Going Too Far: A Book Review

First of all, I just want to say that I LOVED this book!  Ok, let me back up.  I wasn’t entirely sure that I was going to participate in the BookTube-A-Thon, a read-a-thon originating from those on YouTube.  Now obviously, I’m not on YouTube, so maybe I’m not supposed to participate in it.  Well, I wasn’t planning on it because of work and other prior engagements that left not a lot of time to read 300 pages a day, but I decided last minute to just TRY and read as much as possible!  And I ended up picking up this book as a break from the series I was working on and then couldn’t put it down!  I ended up reading this entire book on the first evening of BookTube-A-Thon!  I loved it that much!  Anyway, I had been wanting to check out another Jennifer Echols book since I read and reviewed Forget You (which I also loved) and so this is the one that I chose!

Title: Going Too Far

Author: Jennifer Echols

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: Pocket Books/MTV Books

Publication Date: March 17, 2009

Pages: 245

Out in Paperback?: Yes; March 17, 2009

Goodreads

Amazon

My Rating: 5/5

Review:

Goodreads Summary:

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....

Characters:

Ok, so that characters absolutely made this book for me!  I loved the 2 main characters so much!  Meg, who is a rebel wanting to get out of her small town and leave it behind for college in a few short months, is sassy and edgy, as she mouths off, gets in trouble, and has no respect for authority.  However, this doesn’t make her annoying or hard to like.  Her sass makes her funny and entertaining to read about.  John, a police officer who chose to stay in the small town (the Meg so desperately wants to leave) and protect the people, is strong in his career as an officer, protective over those in the town, and sweet underneath it all.  Aside from the 2 main characters, we are also introduced to some of Meg’s friends, some of whom cause just as much trouble as she does.  Tiffany, Brian, and Eric all add interesting plot points to the story because of either their goodie-two-shoes ways or their rebellious actions.

Plot:

I love how this book starts; it kinda drops you in the middle of the action as Meg and her friends are on a bridge, deemed illegal because of safety issues.  I love when a story does this right at the beginning because it keeps you reading and wanting to figure out where you are and whom you are with.  Meg and her friends end up in trouble with the police who keeps a careful eye on this bridge, punishing them by making them spend one week with either a police officer, fireman, or ambulance.  As you could have probably guessed, Meg ends up spending her week with John and their relationship builds from there; the romance in this book isn’t overpowering, but just enough to satisfy that aspect.  Overall, the entire book was really fast-paced and interesting all the way through.  I didn’t really encounter any slow sections in this book, which was awesome, and it kept me reading until I was finished!

Writing Style:

Aside from the characters distinct personalities, the writing style really kept me reading this book.  It had a really good flow throughout the entire book, no real lulls, and despite moments of no action, Meg’s mouth and sass was enough to keep you reading and interested.  The conversations were incredibly written!  Everything seemed to flow, be realistic, and really made the characters come to life!  The conversations sounded just like something that you would hear in real life! 

Have you read this book?  What did you think?  Have you read any other Jennifer Echols’s books that you would recommend?  I can’t wait to read another! :)

FTC Disclaimer:

All items mentioned were purchased by me.  This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.  No affiliate links were used.