Title: Crash Into You
Series: Pushing the Limits, Book 3
Author: Katie McGarry
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
Sensuality Rating: Innocent
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: November 26, 2013 by Harlequin Teen
The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.
But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.
Why I Read this Book: I absolutely LOVED the first 2 books in this series. I don’t read much YA these days but Katie McGarry writes poignant coming of age stories that I just can’t miss out on. And the fact that cars are a main component in Crash Into You was a big plus for me.
What I Liked: The one element that bothered me most, the aspect involving Colleen (Rachel’s sister), was so well-written. I say this because even though I hated how Rachel was treated and looked at by her family, it felt genuine. I really felt for Rachel and it was heart wrenching at times to read what she endured, not only from her family but friends of the family as well. Rachel was under so much pressure to live up to people’s expectations, the comparisons, and the constant reminders. Being guilt-tripped into doing things that made Rachel uncomfortable. But I have to hand it to Katie McGarry because she writes dysfunction very well.
Even though the family dynamic is somewhat in shambles, I loved the strong bond between Rachel and Ethan, her twin brother. Makes me wish I had a sibling growing up. I love how they each agrees to cover the other ten times a year, regardless of repercussions.
I was so glad to finally get Isaiah’s backstory in Crash Into You. I’ve been wondering how he got into the foster care system. In this book, someone from his past tries to come back into his life and there’s tension and bitterness all around.
What I Didn’t Like: There were a couple automotive-related inaccuracies. The first error is obvious to anyone who’s driven a stick shift before. Rachel drives a car with a manual transmission. I know this because a clutch is mentioned, as well as Rachel shifting through the gears and at one time, the car Rachel is driving stalls out. What a car with a manual transmission does NOT have is a Park gear/position, yet it’s mentioned (incorrectly) on 3 different occasions. (1) Isaiah slams the car into Park… (2) I ease my car beside him and my hands tremble when I shift into Park and pull the keys out of the ignition. (3) Unable to hold his gaze, I stare at the console as I place her in Park.
Then there’s the ASE certification test that Isaiah takes. The way it’s written it sounds like one test, which it’s not. The ASE certifications tests are a group of tests in different categories. I realize that 99% of the readers who read this book will not pick up on this whatsoever, but I’m a reader who comes from an automotive background (I had 2 ASEs myself, in Automotive Brakes and in Automotive Automatic Transmissions) so I tend to pick up on these nuances.
These inaccuracies were distracting, albeit minor distractions. But I mention them because I feel that not only will Crash Into You appeal to the primary YA female target audience, but to a male reading audience as well. And some males are going to catch these errors, probably more so than female readers, especially since cars play such a big role in this book.
Memorable Moment:
Overall Impression: Crash Into You is a book that will make you feel what these characters feel, from the rush to the overwhelming rage. Katie McGarry incorporates all kinds of emotions and successfully transports them from the page to the reader. I’m glad that the author is continuing the series. Quite a few new characters were introduced in Crash Into You, characters that I care about and would love to read more of.
Brianna’s Rating:
Brianna’s reviews for other books in this series:
Pushing the Limits, Book 1
Dare You To, Book 2
Great review! I didn't pick up on any of those automotive inaccuracies because I know NOTHING about cars except that Ferraris are sexy.. but I totally get where you're coming from. I do the same thing (find and obsess over small inaccurate details) on computer/hacking/tech books!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it though! I ADORED this book!!
I am loving this series. I can't wait for McGarry to write more.
DeleteI really did like this book but not as much as I loved Dare You To. I did love both Isaiah and Rachel but I felt like there were a few little moments in this book that dragged on and there were so many scenes set around cars and racing that I wish sometimes there would have been a change of location or storyline. I did give it 4.5 though because I still did enjoy it overall. I can't wait for West's story but I hope Abby gets a book too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review!
That's what made me love this book even more - the cars and the racing. I know it's not for everyone though.
DeleteI've got a little bit of a thing for good YA novels. But sometimes they are just awful, LOL. I'm sure you know what I mean. Thanks for the recommendations!
ReplyDelete