Review: Going Too Far

Going Too Far

By Jennifer Echols

Publication date: 2009

My review:

When Meg McPherson and her friends get drunk and walk on a dangerous bridge, they are arrested by John After. A young cop new to the Police Force, John wants to teach Meg and the others a lesson to keep them safe. As her punishment, Meg has to ride around with John in his patrol car during spring break and at the end of the week she has to submit a written proposal on how to prevent other teens from making the same mistake. From the beginning, John and Meg are drawn to each other but they both have secrets holding them back. In order to be together, they will both have to confront their deepest fears.

Going Too Far is the story of two people who haven't been able to let go of the past. Meg and John have intense feelings for each other and their relationship develops very quickly. They are on the surface, polar opposites. Meg has bright blue hair and a rebellious streak while John is a straitlaced cop who values rules. They start to fall in love but Meg is not the kind of girl who likes to be in relationships and she can't wait to move away from their small Alabama town. John is the right person to get Meg to open up about what makes her run and she is able to force him to deal with his reasons for staying. All of this happens during one week. I wish that the book was longer so that the relationship and especially the changes in the characters could be given time to develop.

Meg is quite a character. She is not afraid to say what she thinks although sometimes she doesn't know when to quit. At first I didn't like her very much because she seemed determined to do the wrong thing and she talked back all the time. Then as I got to know her and understand her motivations I liked her more. I think she came across as an authentic teen voice. John however is my favorite character. I wish that some of the chapters were written from his point of view. He really cared about Meg and wanted her to grow to be a better person. He also looked past her blue hair and rebellious persona and he liked her for who she was inside. Though I did have some issues with how quickly the characters changed, I did like this book. This is the first Jennifer Echols book that I've read but it won't be the last.

Readalikes: Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles, Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles, This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen, Bad Apple by Laura Ruby, Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted