Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
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....
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....
The Barnes & Noble Review
Like everyone in the world, I remember adolescence clearly -- and mostly with horror. It’s not the moments of humiliation that haunt me in the middle of the night, but piercing memories of mistakes I made: errors in judgment, ethical missteps, selfish unkindness. I could have been a case study for research proving that adolescent brain development (or the lack thereof) leads to reckless, foolish decisions. So when I decided to read all the 2009 finalist entries in the Young Adult (YA) category for the RITA, romance’s most prestigious prize, I was curious about how realistic they would be. Would these six heroines engage in anything that I -- or at least my memories of myself -- would recognize?
They do. In fact, all of these novels do a brilliant job depicting a young adult’s scrambled thinking and -- even better -- the first sign of the maturity that scientists promise will eventually occur. Here, the road to love is littered with risk-taking behavior.
Jennifer Echols’s Going Too Far is similarly built around a Romeo and Juliet theme -- but in a neat reversal of Perfect Chemistry's setup, it’s good boy meets bad girl. Meg is a senior in high school with blue hair and one wish: to get far, far away from the small town she’s grown up in. But one night she ends up in the hands of a cop named John. If Meg is eager to throw away her past, John is holding on to his all too tightly. Skipping college, he’s devoted himself to making sure their little town stays safe. They both make the kind of mistakes that make you wonder how the human race survived so long, but at the same time this novel is so sweet and fresh that you’ll almost -- almost -- wish you could do it all over again.
If you happen to be a young adult yourself, or you know a young lady who might be interested, you can’t do better than buy these books. As the mother of a tween, I know how hard it can be to find YA books that appeal to a young girl and don’t horrify the woman with a credit card in hand. Far too many books aimed at this age group are little more than candy floss tales of conspicuous consumption. These novels will satisfy both of you.
--Eloisa James
Editorials
From the Publisher
"A brave and powerful story, searingly romantic and daring, yet also full of hilarious moments. Meg's voice will stay in your head long after the intense conclusion." — R. A. Nelson, author of Teach Me and Breathe My Name"Naughty in all the best ways...the perfect blend of romance, wit, and rebelliousness. I loved it!" — Niki Burnham, author of Royally Jacked and Sticky Fingers
Kirkus Reviews
A teen seeking to escape becomes entangled. Out for a night of pre-spring break partying, 17-year-old Meg McPherson is first arrested and then partnered with a cop as part of her punishment for trespassing, underage drinking and illegal drug use. Her weeklong educational experience causes her to miss spring break, but also gives her time to understand and fall in love with 19-year-old John After, the cop responsible for her current predicament. Echols doesn't miss a single cliche opportunity, from Meg's secret bout with cancer as a young teenager to John's obsession with the bridge where his brother died to the soap-opera relationship that develops between the two teens. Of course, this never claims to be anything beyond chick lit, so readers know what to expect from it. Improbable circumstance and thin characters drive the plot, which never delves any deeper than necessary. Staying firmly within the boundaries of her genre, the author offers most fans exactly what they want, but other readers may wish she tried harder. (Fiction. YA)The Barnes & Noble Review
Like everyone in the world, I remember adolescence clearly -- and mostly with horror. It’s not the moments of humiliation that haunt me in the middle of the night, but piercing memories of mistakes I made: errors in judgment, ethical missteps, selfish unkindness. I could have been a case study for research proving that adolescent brain development (or the lack thereof) leads to reckless, foolish decisions. So when I decided to read all the 2009 finalist entries in the Young Adult (YA) category for the RITA, romance’s most prestigious prize, I was curious about how realistic they would be. Would these six heroines engage in anything that I -- or at least my memories of myself -- would recognize?
They do. In fact, all of these novels do a brilliant job depicting a young adult’s scrambled thinking and -- even better -- the first sign of the maturity that scientists promise will eventually occur. Here, the road to love is littered with risk-taking behavior.
Jennifer Echols’s Going Too Far is similarly built around a Romeo and Juliet theme -- but in a neat reversal of Perfect Chemistry's setup, it’s good boy meets bad girl. Meg is a senior in high school with blue hair and one wish: to get far, far away from the small town she’s grown up in. But one night she ends up in the hands of a cop named John. If Meg is eager to throw away her past, John is holding on to his all too tightly. Skipping college, he’s devoted himself to making sure their little town stays safe. They both make the kind of mistakes that make you wonder how the human race survived so long, but at the same time this novel is so sweet and fresh that you’ll almost -- almost -- wish you could do it all over again.
If you happen to be a young adult yourself, or you know a young lady who might be interested, you can’t do better than buy these books. As the mother of a tween, I know how hard it can be to find YA books that appeal to a young girl and don’t horrify the woman with a credit card in hand. Far too many books aimed at this age group are little more than candy floss tales of conspicuous consumption. These novels will satisfy both of you.
--Eloisa James