About the Book

Title: Going Too Far
Published: 2009
Swoonworthy Scale: 7

Cover Story: No. Just, No.
BFF Charm: Maybe Later
Talky Talk: Teen Lit Mag
Bonus Factor: The Po Po
Relationship Status: I Have a Friend You Should Meet

Cover Story: No. Just, No.

This definitely ranks up there with some of the worst covers I’ve ever seen. I’m no fan of half-faces, but boy and girl half faces mushed together in supposed sexiness? Oh and the whole eyebrow piercing to indicate that the main female character must be a bad girl? Well, our protagonist has no mention of any piercings. Also, if you look closely at the cover, it’s photo-shopped onto the model’s face. There is no way I would have picked up this book on its own and only did so because I’d read a few glowing reviews for it.

The Deal

Meg is a senior and can’t wait to leave her podunk town. She just wants to graduate, move to Birmingham, go to college and get the hell outta town. So she’s biding her time and getting into a bit of trouble along the way. Including one eventful night where she and her inebriated friends go to hook up on the town’s train bridge, which is strictly prohibidado. Which is how she ends up getting herself arrested. Her punishment? To miss her spring break so she can ride around in a cop car with former classmate and current police hottie, Officer John After. There are definitely sparks between these two, but will they find something special or just hurt each other in the process? And how can they trust each other when they are both hiding something?

BFF Charm: Maybe Later

BFF charm with a :-| face

Meg is one of those characters who has a lot of potential, but doesn’t really get her shit together until the last chapter or so. And sometimes I’m just not in the mood to wait for my protagonists to work their issues out. And there’s usually a reason if someone has approximately one (kinda sorta) friend. And Meg doesn’t even treat said one friend particularly well (though, at least she acknowledges that). However, I do think that if I met up with Meg in college (after the events of this book) she has the potential to be a pretty cool and fun friend.

Talky Talk: Teen Lit Mag

Meg reads like your average teen girl. For the most part I found the things she said to be pretty spot on. Her thoughts are, for the most, part believable though occasionally they could become a little more dramatic that I can handle, for example:

His dark eyes challenged me. They were weapons that could hurt me.

Part of me wanted to embrace the dark look, chase it wherever it went, on the off chance I could convert it to my side.

I…ermm, yeah. But at the same time, even when the descriptions get a little awkward for me, I still buy that they could come from our narrator.

Swoonworthy Scale: 7

This book definitely brings on the swoony swoons. Meg and John’s whole courtship is one long cock strip tease and the sexual tension between these two is out of control. Echols is certainly not shy when it comes to the sexy business and there are some moments that might make you blush if you’re reading this in public.

Bonus Factor: The Po Po

This could certainly be an anti-bonus factor for some folks, but I kinda dig the idea of riding around in a cop car and playing sidekick. Maybe they’ll let me tase someone! That sounds fun! Or, at least it could be for a week. And as long as I only go to do the fun things, like pulling people over and busting up parties and as long as I don’t have to see any dead bodies. And this is a great book for any of you ladies who are uniform chasers (I know there are some of you out there!)

Relationship Status: I Have a Friend You Should Meet

This book and I went out, and while I had an enjoyable time, I just don’t think it’s my type. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. In fact, I have a couple of friends I can see myself setting it up with. Which could be kinda great. Say something does work out with one of my friends. Then whenever people ask how they met, they’ll can say oh it’s a funny story, actually, Megan went out with this book, but yeah, it obviously didn’t really work out, but she introduced us and now this book and I are engaged! Mazel tov!

FTC Full Disclosure: I received neither money nor cocktails for writing this review (dammit!). Going Too Far is available now.

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Megan is an unabashed fangirl who is often in a state of panic about her inability to watch, read and play all the things.