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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.... | |
| | Product Details | | Author: | Jennifer Echols | | Paperback: | 245 pages | | Publisher: | MTV Books | | Publication Date: | March 17, 2009 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 1416571736 | | Product Length: | 7.01 inches | | Product Width: | 0.67 inches | | Product Height: | 5.0 inches | | Product Weight: | 0.41 pounds | | Package Length: | 6.93 inches | | Package Width: | 4.96 inches | | Package Height: | 0.79 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.4 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 157 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 157 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
89 of 94 found the following review helpful:
 A Must-Buy May 19, 2009
By Reader Rabbit
"readerrabbit.blogspot.com"
All Meg has ever wanted is to escape from her backwater hometown. Away from certain memories, away from her parents who seem to want to suffocate her in their dull lives...away from everything. And it looks like she's getting her wish, it's almost spring break and she's going on a trip to Miami and see the beach.
But then, Meg and a few friends end up on a bridge where, a few years ago, some kids died. They're caught by a cop, John After, who's only 19 years old and was one of the top students of his year...Meg can't imagine why he would choose to remain tied down in the tiny town and work as a cop. But John is connected, strangely, to the bridge and Meg and her friends' stunt provokes him to want to teach them a memorable lesson.
Meg is assigned to join John After during his night shifts for a week, to learn about the law and the importance of it.
Only, Meg isn't one to be complacent and she pushes to find out exactly what promoted John to remain bound to the small town that she's so determined to escape from. And he fights back, and stretches her boundaries in an attempt to figure out exactly why Meg refuses to remain in the small Alabama town that has shaped both of their lives so much.
So, this was my second Jennifer Echols novel. I'd always intended to read The Boys Next Door, but for some reason, I never got around to it. I *did* read Major Crush which was a pretty cute ro-com read. But then I read Going Too Far. It blew Major Crush away.
I'd expected Going Too Far to be good. To be great, even. I was sure that when I reviewed it, I'd tackle it like most of the other books I've reviewed. Normal and level-headed. Except this time, I have no CHOICE but to let loose and write a completely fan-girly review of Going Too Far. You've been warned.
Okay. So this book has depth. And I'm not talking the shallow pool that some YA novels are. Going Too Far is a freaking ocean. And I mean it in the best way possible.
The relationships and characters in this novel are so complex and layered. The main characters and secondary characters all seem so real. They all have their dreams, their hobbies and their insecurities. John and Meg's pasts both haunt them, every decision in the now is a reflection of certain events from before. Both have secrets that are hinted at, throughout the novel. But, it is only further in the novel that the secrets are fully revealed to the reader and the other characters. (And, of course, this fuels further conflict and further revelations and conclusions.)
The story is told in Meg's POV, and it couldn't be told any other way. Meg's voice is realistic; everything about her makes sense and stays true to her character.
Along with that, Meg's easy to relate with and feel for, despite her not being like the average teenager. When she hurts, you cringe. When she's happy, you smile. In that aspect, reading Going Too Far is like a (fun) roller coaster.
Similarly, John is well-rounded as well. His secret, his driving motivation in life and everything..really, are questioned by Meg in this novel. The way he handles his life, his job and the way he is, makes it easy to feel for him as well.
And when you put the two characters together? It's completely believable to have them get each other. To have them fall in love, even. There are so many books where relationships are handled shabbily; the girl and the guy meet, think the other is hot and decide, at the end of the book, that they should go out. It's not like this at all in Going Too Far. In the span of the week that the book takes place over, it's easy to see their relationship build as you read page after page.
Overall, Going Too Far is an intense, touching and believable story of love, loss and friendship that will resonate with you for a long time after you've closed the book.
Honestly, this is one that deserves a spot on your bookshelf. Make sure you pick up a copy!
Reader Rabbit
readerrabbit.blogspot.com
23 of 25 found the following review helpful:
Troubled Teens With Angst Collide Mar 16, 2009
By Tiffany
"book lover"
In Jennifer Echols' Going Too Far, two teens full of their own personal demons meet one night under volatile circumstances and end up pushing each other to his/her limit while falling in love.
The characters are real and interesting, showing great development from the first page. Meg feels like a real troubled teen, who is not without humor or sarcasm, though she is not happy with her lot. John also has his own issues to work out, and is nothing like normal from the beginning. The side characters are engaging and realistic, as well.
Told in first person perspective, Meg describes what is happening in her life, and is honest enough about herself the reader can mostly trust what she sees and feels. The writing is easy to follow and flows rather nicely.
While there are no big surprises in the story, I was still impressed by all the little details the author tied into the plot. No strings were left untied, and everything that happened or was said had some meaning and was important in some way. The novel was tight and concise, making the story and reading experience even better.
I would recommend this teen novel to anyone who wants some drama, heartache, and growth in their teen romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will not hesitate to pick up the next book by this author.
15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Beyond Words! Brilliant! Mar 15, 2009
By Mint910
This book was HOT! The chemistry and banter between Meg and John (Officer After) could keep me reading for probably a 1,000 pages. It was an absolute pleasure to read I couldn't get enough of it.
Echols writing style is just perfect to me, it's humorous and detailed and random, everything I love. She created a very likable character in Meg, someone who intentionally creates a somewhat shocking appearance (blue hair) and attitude to protect herself but little by little we learn more about Meg and the reason she is the way she is and you can't help being on her side and wanting to be her friend. And John, man, I loved reading about this boy. I don't even know what to say.
I loved reading about John and Meg on night patrol and watching Meg realize she's falling in love with him. It's pretty cute to see this punk haired bad-a%* girl get kind of self conscious around John. There is a great push and pull between them that keeps you on edge, needing to know where this is going to go.
I'm at a loss for words of how to express how much I loved this book! It has so very many things going for it, GREAT characters (main and secondary) a great premise, humor, pain.... just please, do yourself a favor and read this book! I'll definitely be reading the rest of the author's books!
And seriously, when can I see the movie version? :P
16 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 Fast, Forced and Predictable Jan 09, 2011
By Allie Catt
I purchased this book on my Kindle knowing nothing about the book or the author, wooed by the plethora of rave reviews and the promise that it had great depth. I began it because I love young adult fiction, and was excited to have a new author to read. I pushed through to the end only because I hate to leave a book unfinished.
Reading the sample, I thought the book had some potential. Strong female lead who clearly has unresolved issues and who is in a bad relationship gets in trouble with the police and has to spend a week with a cop, the brooding male lead who also has unresolved issues. But the way it panned out, I found it extremely disappointing.
My first issue was that it went too fast. A week and a half after meeting each other and Meg and John were fantasizing about how much they loved each other? It did not feel believable, and that shook me out of the story, so that much of the time, I found myself staring at the book in incredulity. Echols did not give her characters time to develop a relationship, and honestly, it made them seem desperate.
There was too much sex. Every character of any note in the story seemed to have only one intention. Not only were Meg's and John's minds filled with the idea of a one-night stand, which seemed somewhat out of character for John, at least, but every supporting character was given some occasion to state their yearning to have sex, even if it seemed out of place or out of character. A novel can be a deep, satisfying read and relationships can have chemistry on the page without every character attempting to get in someone else's pants.
Did I mention that the characters did not seem believable? Meg seemed especially so, although because it was written from her perspective, I was closer to her than to anyone else. **SMALL SPOILER ALERT** There were several times when I sat there wondering, why in the world are you going to meet Eric? I thought we were over this by now, and you are acknowledging up front that this will end badly. Or, why are you confiding in Will? Sure, he's John's best friend, but you barely know him - you just met him. **END OF SPOILERS** Later in the book, explanations were sometimes attempted to make it seem more true to character, but by that time, Echols and Meg had already lost me, and I was just forcing myself to read to the end.
This book tried really hard to be a deep, resonating novel with lots of character development. To that end, Echols amply provided both leads with troubled pasts. But the characters' histories seemed really forced, and new information was revealed awkwardly at frequent intervals not because it fit the characters but because it was needed to push the plot forward. Also, neither of them ever actually resolved any of their issues; they just managed to gloss over them enough that they were able to move forward. The end of the book was awkward, much too fast, and conveniently tied things up in ways not really true to the characters.
Finally, other reviewers have praised this book for beautiful writing, but I saw none of that. The dialogue was terrible; teenagers simply do not talk the way Meg, John and their friends did. The plot was predictable, which I do not always consider a bad thing if the story and the writing draws me in, but this did not. Meg makes a huge, shocking discovery about John's family right at the end of the book - but I realized it when his family was first mentioned, half the book earlier. By the time I was ¾ of the way through, I wished the book would just end already so that the sickening prose would be over. I had high hopes for this book based on all the positive reviews, but now that I have finished it, I don't understand why there are so few low reviews. I will not be rereading this book, and I will not be following Echols' writing. If a YA novel with depth is what you are looking for, try anything by Sarah Dessen or Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver instead.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Wonderful!! Mar 08, 2009
By Holly
Meg has wanted nothing more than to get away from her backwater town. Dealing with her parents who don't understand her, she rebels. She does what she wants when she wants to do it, so she's no friend of the police in town. One night, a week before spring break, Meg and some friends decide to go to a bridge in town that's off limits. Before she can dye her hair another bright color, Meg is having to cancel her plans to go to the beach for Spring Break, so that she can ride with the cop that arrested her on the graveyard shift.
What Meg expects from the week riding with Officer John After and what she gets are two totally different things. She never expects that she knows John from high school or that they even had a class together. Meg also doesn't expect to fall for John. He's the opposite of everything that she stands for. But they both have skeletons in their closets and maybe they'll be able to help each other and find a common ground.
This is the first time that I have intentionally read slow so that the book would last longer. Going Too Far is a wonderful and deep book. I didn't want it to end. Jennifer Echols makes you feel like you're in the story. I felt what Meg felt, even though I've never been in her kind of trouble. The story isn't as stereotypical as you might think that it is. It gives a new spin and a refreshing look at how life can be unfair sometimes, but it's how you pull yourself out of the rubble that counts. This is one of my Top 2009 Picks and I highly recommend that you pick it up when you're on your next trip to the bookstore. Happy reading!!
See all 157 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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