Book Review: Crash Into You

Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits #3)

By: Katie McGarry

Published By: Harlequin Teen

Publication Date: November 26, 2013

Page Count: 474

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: ARC Kindly Provided by Publisher

Audience: Young Adult - Contemporary

Review of Book #1: Pushing the Limits

Review of Novella #1.5: Crossing the Line

Review of Book #2: Dare You To

I just knew Isaiah’s story would be great; from the snippets that we have got of him in Pushing the Limits and Dare You To, I knew he was a guy with passion but he had so much more to share in Crash Into You than I had hoped.

Isaiah has struggled his way through the foster system since he was six, and it has lead him to develop a persona that he wears to stop people messing with him. So he looks like the archetypal bad boy – tattoos, piercings, mean stares and a thing for cars. That made him the polar opposite of what his love interest Rachel looked like, who was described by his tough dealing friend Abby as being like a fluffy bunny. That was a brilliant description and endeared both Rachel and Abby to me immediately. What brings Rachel and Isaiah together is a mutual love for fast cars, and what keeps them together is the growing understanding that neither are what the world thinks they are. I loved that angle, and really felt the connection between the two strongly.

Isaiah and Rachel also have a major problem to deal with together, involving a large amount of money and a seriously nasty guy who thinks they need to pay him. I found their struggle to come up with the money really engaging and it totally helped build tension as well as to throw them together. I did get kind of annoyed though that they just accepted their position rather than try to fix it by finding those responsible.

I really enjoy how Katie McGarry weaves serious issues through her novels, and has her teen characters deal with very real problems. This time around there was a closer look at the social services system, anxiety and panic attacks. The characters in these books are all very lucky as they find people to help them through their issues, and I am glad that this might persuade teens to ask for help. I really felt Rachel’s panic keenly as she felt her world close in on her; her stifling home life which looks so perfect from the outside seemed like a gilded bird cage. Her four brothers were like jailers to her parents’ wardens... I felt very strongly that I wanted Rachel to just take off a couple of times.

I was initially worried that Crash Into You might be difficult to read as I, like many, had hoped that Isaiah and Beth would end up together in Dare You To. There really was no need to worry at all, I was invested from the get go and I really liked Rachel and Isaiah; they are a perfect ying/yang or day/night combination. He is world wise and weary, and she is very naive – he is the perfect teacher and I loved how he took care of her, and allowed Rachel to grow to the point where she was strong enough to stand up for herself and kick some serious butt! I thought the ending was great as it neatly gave a way to bring Rachel’s family around to Isaiah without being too clichéd or predictable. I think I enjoyed this more than Dare You To, and I know that fans of Katie McGarry will love this too! 

Summary:

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane 

 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.