Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols - Review

Synopsis via goodreads:

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 picked this book up, during one of my many trips to the book store, I had remembered seeing the cover and a few reviews on a few of the blogs I visit often, but I could not remember WHY...was it good, or??

When I saw the cover, I knew it was one I would own, I picked it up with out even reading the back – I am such a cover whore, I admit that freely...while standing in line, I read the back, now I was SURE it was one I wanted to own!

As the story opens up, we meet Meg, it's though her eyes we are looking – though her POV. She's a strong girl, whom thinks, at least somewhat – that the world owes her something. She's the proverbial, “bad girl” - into drugs, having lots of sex with people she does not care about at all, breaking the law and drinking...She's hurting herself trying to keep from being trapped, by unforeseen forces, forces she refuses to let anyone see.

One night while hanging out with several friends she gets caught on “the bridge” - a train bridge that no one is aloud to hang out on. Soon the group is hit by flashing blue lights and the deafening sound of police sirens...

Being taken into custody, everyone's parents rush to the police station to rescue there children...everyone but Meg's – her parents are done with her, she's done it this time, gotten into trouble one to many times, and now...no one's coming for her. Her father's washed his hands of her and her blue hair, tattoo and piercing and all her mother can do is cry....

Making it home finally her father is thrilled to announce that Meg will be punished this time, and not by him...she's going to have to ride along with Officer After, for a week, all the while working in the restaurant, her parents owned.

Officer After, the same man whom arrested them; Office After the same man whom had the “Matt Damon body;” Officer After whom was not nearly as old as Meg first thinks; Officer After whom is scheduled to work the graveyard...this should be interesting!

Officer After is going to show Meg, the error of her ways...why being such a “rebellious teen” is going to get her killed...but he's never met anyone like Meg before and he's not sure he's willing to keep getting pushed. Meanwhile, Meg's is only trying to get though this so that she can get the hell out of this town, and start to live!

Both of them are stuck...Meg to her rebellious ways, and her desire to always flee – and Officer (John) After to this town, to that bridge...when they start to have feelings for each other, they both know that this relationship could never work...right?

I loved this book, it's carefree characters, it's crazy banter, the randomness, and the connections – what more could a reader ask for? It was a quick read for me, one I did not want to put down...I feel the NEED to know what was going on with both of them; John, why was he so connected to this place? Meg, why was she so afraid to be confined? The only thing that was able to stop the reading was the NEED for sleep.

I think the most endearing quality to this book is the quips between Meg and John...the character development was so real, and the situations so alive I could see them in my minds eye...at one point they go to the scene of an accident...I could see it, feel the emotional charge as they worked, I love that!

Jennifer Echols has a way with a story...the premise is a simple one...it's the characters that tear your heart out, the characters that you long to protect, the characters that MAKE this book so perfect! The chemistry, with in the pages of Going Too Far, crawled into my heart and made a nice comfy home. And I for one am very much looking forward to reading MUCH more from Jennifer Echols!

I give Going Too Far a 5 stars!

Going Too Far
Written by: Jennifer Echols
Published: March 17, 2009
256 Pages