Title: Crash Into You (Pushing the Limites #3)
Author: Katie McGarry
Release Date: November 26th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Page Count: 474
Source: ARC from Harlequin Teen
First Reaction: I seem to have misplaced my heart... oh, there it is, broken on the floor. Thanks for that, book.
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.
[Summary Source: Goodreads]
THE REVIEW
Rachel plays perfect daughter in order to fill the shoes of her dead older sister, Colleen. But, underneath the perfect daughter facade, Rachel's a mess. Isaiah doesn't trust anyone - not anymore, after everything with his mom and Beth and who knows who else. Basically, Rachel and Isaiah are totally messes and really they need each other to sort it all out.
I Liked:
Rachel plays perfect daughter in order to fill the shoes of her dead older sister, Colleen. But, underneath the perfect daughter facade, Rachel's a mess. Isaiah doesn't trust anyone - not anymore, after everything with his mom and Beth and who knows who else. Basically, Rachel and Isaiah are totally messes and really they need each other to sort it all out.
I Liked:
- Isaiah: Ever since Pushing the Limits I've been crying for Isaiah, what with all that Beth stuff. But we never knew very much about him. I mean, we knew a bit of Beth's story at the end of book one but Isaiah was just the overly caring, tough best friend who was good with cars and kept getting screwed over by Beth. But Isaiah really shines in this one. We learn why he's in foster care, why he has all these trust issues, and how badly everything with Beth really messed with him. And he basically made me want to cry the whole time. I really couldn't, but I really wanted to. *hugs Isaiah tightly, despite all the tattoos and the tough guy attitude because obvs he needs it*
- Rachel: Oh girl. Oh girl. There is so much sadness there. I just want to hug her. Or maybe shake her a little - y'know, since she starts this book making the poorest decision ever. But that decision led her to Isaiah and she was exactly what he needed, so I can't really be mad. (Because you all know how much I love Isaiah and hate what Beth did to him even though it worked out for the best a the end of the day.) Although, Isaiah aside, Rachel is fantastic and you really want to see her get better throughout the book. And you want to see her figure out all her family shenanigans. I mean, really. That whole thing made me want to scream. But I was on an airplane when I read this one, so I couldn't do that, really.
- Logan & Abby: I loved Logan in Dare You To and I kind of want him to have his own book. Or a novella or something. Abby too. I don't know if I'd want them together, though. But I wouldn't hate it. I really wouldn't hate it. But these two really make the perfect sidekicks for Isaiah and Abby.
- The Romance: Oh, the swoons. Katie McGarry. Honestly. You and your swoons are killing me. When Isaiah's all bossy and Rachel calls him out on it? Please. Just take this pie out the oven because it is done. Basically, in case you were wondering, Isaiah and Rachel live up to the Katie McGarry Relationship Standard. (I just made that up, but yes, it's a thing.)
- The Family Stuff: How much did I want to cry for Isaiah and Rachel through this entire book? Isaiah's issues with his mom and how their relationship shifted throughout the book was slow, subtle and fantastic. The best is that they clearly have a lot of work to do and, even though we don't get to see it, you know it's gonna happen. And then Rachel. Oh Rachel. She's like Isaiah. She has so much to work on with her parents - her mom, especially. You don't get to see all of it, but you can see it starting. But only do I love the family dynamics here, I also really like the symmetry in the family relationships. Oh, and, side note? I really, really dislike Rachel's brothers - but in a realistic, this totally makes sense and I love this plot point kind of way.
- The Drama: Wait, seriously, all this stuff with the car racing? I don't know the first thing about cars, but whoa. I was scared for Isaiah and Rachel for the whole book. I honestly couldn't think of how they'd work it all out. I also love how they did work it all out. I mean, that was even better than all the suspense with the drama. The whole book you want there to be an easy way out. You want the answer to be simple. And it's not simple but the questions they have to ask and the confessions they have to make to get themselves out of trouble, are so profoundly in line with everything this book is trying to express and these characters are trying to learn.
- Dual POV: Have I ever mentioned how much I love the alternating POV stuff in Katie McGarry's book? It's all so smooth and seamless. I also love the different fonts that represent the characters personalities. They totally fit.
I Disliked:
- The Pet Names: Noah did this too. Isaiah wasn't as bad, but he called Rachel Angel a lot. Honestly, I don't know know if a tough guy like Isaiah would talk like that. Maybe he would. It's just a personal thing. I don't like crazy amounts of sentimentality. It makes em uncomfortable. So, basically, this is a personal problem and you're welcome to ignore me if you like.
- Noah: Where was Isaiah's best friend and blood brother in this book? He was there in the beginning and again at the end but I feel like he should have been there more in the middle, right? I'm not too annoyed about this, it just kind of nagged at me as I felt my insides die a little over Isaiah and his sadness.
The long and short of it?
Plot: God, I loved it (just as I love all of the Katie McGarry books)
World Building: Again, I don't know very much about cars, panic attacks, mobsters, racing and all of that, but it all made pretty logical sense to me and, therefore, I accept.
Character Development: I feel like Isaiah's character development is a three book arc and it's fantastic. I'm kind of excited to see if we get a little more in the next book. Basically, I'd read his story always. Oh, and I like Rachel and her progression throughout the story as well.
Prose: Seamless and so totally readable. I zipped right through this book and still had my heart totally broken (and sewn back together again).
Would I Recommend This Book?: Terms of endearment aside, I'd recommend this whole series to everyone who loves a good, dramatic contemporary read. You'll finish one and want more and more. The sad thing is there are only three books in the series (so far)!
Are you ready to find out what's up with Isaiah? Maybe see how he gets past all of this stuff with Beth? And what about Rachel? Has the new girl got you all excited? Let me know in the comments below!
