GOING TOO FAR

Author: Jennifer Echols ISBN: 9781416571735 3/2009 YOUNG ADULT Publisher: MTV/POCKET BOOKS

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....

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

GOING TOO FAR by Jennifer Echols shows just how far the human spirit can truly go before it comes close to shattering. I was captivated by her fresh voice, superb writing style and the powerful story she tells. This is a tale of courage and romance that readers are sure to enjoy.

Underage drinking, trespassing and rebellion get seventeen-year-old Meg and her friends in trouble with the police. One who is always ready to party, Meg feels the punishment she receives, spending spring break driving around during the night shift in a patrol car with Officer After, is almost a pleasure trip compared to the rest of her life. She plans to tantalize the handsome officer with her body while escaping the less-than-ideal living conditions she shares with her family. But Meg, with her resistance to being restrained, will learn more than she can imagine in the time she spends observing the police officer.

While there is a lot of teenage rebellion on the pages of this novel, there is also an equal measure of discovery, romance and tenderness. This coming-of-age tale is both heartwarming and uplifting. What happens to Meg near the end took me by complete surprise, something that doesn’t happen often. All in all, this is an excellent read, one that I can easily recommend. Well done!

Kay James