Nov 26, 2013

Crash Into You By: Katie McGarry Review

Crash Into You
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 474
Rating: 4/5
An early copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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.

     Once again, I am completely blown away by another YA contemporary by author Katie McGarry. Crash Into You has everything a good romance needs: a bad boy (or a few ;), drama, secrets, loyalty, and the return and introduction of heartwarming characters that make McGarry's novels very unique from other contemporary YA's on the market!

     After a late night drive, Rachel finds herself at a gas station where two boys impressed with her car offer to take her to a place where she can race it. Eager for speed, Rachel accepts but quickly realizes that this isn't just a simple race. Bets are at stake and everyone looks like they could eat her for dinner. Noticing how out of place she is, Isaiah for some unknown reason decides to come to her rescue and manages to help her get safely away when police arrive. At a loss of $5000 in bets, Eric (the"manager" of the track) threatens Rachel and Isaiah to pay the full five grand within six weeks or they will have to deal with consequences. While working together to get the money that would ensure their safety, both Rachel and Isaiah start to fall for one another--making the stakes higher than ever.

     Since her sister's death before she was born, Rachel's job has been to make her mother happy by filling in the daughter role that both her mother and family lost. Her twin, Ethan, and her other brothers West and Gavin,  have made it their job to protect Rachel. Although Rachel is unable to handle public speaking and suffers from severe panic attacks, she hides her issues from her family to make them happy. The more Rachel's family unknowingly pushes her into the mold of her dead sister, the more pressure Rachel feels to hide who she really. Her persona works until one day Rachel reaches her limit.

     Rachel was one of the most interesting heroines I've read about in a while. On the surface, she's this straight A, antisocial, privileged teenager, but in reality she's just a girl who's loving, vulnerable and happens to love cars. Once Rachel meets Isaiah, it's evident that he opens up that vulnerability within her that finally starts to begin the process of her healing. Rachel bottles so much inside that you can't help but admire her strength while at the same time understanding her moments of frustration and doubt.

     Much like Rachel, Isaiah is another one of those characters that is so much different than what you perceive based off their looks.Tattooed and pierced, Isaiah makes it his mission to make sure people fear him in an attempt to keep his heart locked safely away after having to deal with Beth's rejection. When Rachel enters Isaiah's life, he feels unworthy of someone so innocent like Rachel, making his initial distance understandable. However once he allows Rachel in, Isaiah becomes this, in some ways, unrecognizable character that is protective, loving, sweet, intense, and supportive.  

     One aspect of Crash Into You I absolutely adored was how involved past characters were in this novel's main story-line. Noah and Echo in particular show up a lot more than they ever did in Dare You To, and even Beth manages to make a couple of appearances. I loved how much more we got to see these past characters because it reminded me that just because those characters' books are done, it doesn't mean their story is-- Life still goes on for them. I also think Beth's appearances really allowed for there to be closure between her and Isaiah, which essentially allowed them both to happily move forward. At one time, I thought Beth and Isaiah were meant to be, but after reading Beth and Isaiah's individual stories, I no longer believe this is the case.

Overall...
     Overall, if you've read and enjoyed Katie McGarry's other novels, than this is a must read for you! Isaiah will make you swoon, and Rachel will capture your heart--a deadly combination (in the best possible way) if I do say so myself. I'm SUPER excited to hear that Rachel's brother, West, is getting his own novel in 2014-- once you read Crash Into You, you'll understand why! Have you read Crash Into You? What do you think about Isaiah's story? Be sure to let me know in the comments below! Keep Reading!

Your Y.A. Bookworm,
Caitlin <3


2 comments:

  1. This book has been on my TBR list for a while, but I think your review has made me slide it up the list a little higher and has made me so excited to read it now! Can't wait :)

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    Replies
    1. Aww I'm so glad to hear that! Hope you enjoy it :D

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