ARC Review: Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Crash Into You

(Pushing the Limits #3)

Author: Katie McGarry

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publication Date: November 26, 2013

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary

Source: eARC from publisher via NetGalley

~Synopsis~

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.

 

~Review~

Wow, this book. It just feels like there are no words to describe how I felt while reading Crash Into You. I was so overwhelmed with emotions and I connected with Rachel and Isaiah more than any other characters than I have in a long time. Pushing the Limits has been my favorite YA Contemporary of 2013, until now. As much as I love Noah, Isaiah has captured my heart forever.

I freaking adored Rachel so very much. She comes from a high society family and could easily be a stuck up bitch but she is so down to earth and non-judgemental. She doesn’t see Isaiah as someone beneath her like her family or other girls in her position might have. She SEES him and not his appearance and his home life. I was really torn up by how much Rachel has to endure with her family. She spends so much time being someone she isn’t just to keep her mother happy but it clearly takes a toll on her. The only time she feels like herself and feels free is when she’s driving her car. Rachel’s fear and anxiety broke my heart because she had to deal with it all on her own and no one understood her or really listened to what she had to say.

My God, Isaiah melted my heart and I fell head over heels for him. I honestly never thought that could happen because I never really felt a connection to him in Pushing the Limits or Dare You To. He is at the top of my YA book boyfriend list and has officially turned me into a cougar. Isaiah is a genuinely good guy and he has been through a really tough time. Despite his outward appearance and what he wants people to see and believe, he is the epitome of “don’t judge a book by the cover” because he is nothing like he wants people to see. Being in the foster care system has left him a bit broken and hurt inside. He has a lot of anger and resentment towards his mother for all he's had to suffer through. Isaiah just wants to be wanted and loved and he is closed off because he is generally let down. I don’t think he gives himself enough credit to be more than what everyone thinks he will be. He has so much potential and there are people who see it too. Isaiah just needs to see it in himself.

I absolutely loved Rachel and Isaiah together. They are from two different worlds but it never seems that way between them and that was my favorite part. Rachel fully believes in Isaiah and encourages him in everything he does. Isaiah is secure with himself and never lacks self-confidence with Rachel, despite their different backgrounds. Rachel and Isaiah get themselves into a pretty sticky situation and the only way to get out of it is to work together. The more time they spend, the more they each fall for one another and I really loved watching it happen. Rachel is a bit insecure when it comes to the relationship with Isaiah but considering her inexperience and the walls that Isaiah has built up, it’s understandable that she would question everything that happens with them. Isaiah has been let down some many times in his life by so many different people that letting Rachel past his walls and in his heart seems to be a bit difficult. He doesn’t want to admit the feelings he has for her but the more he denies them, the stronger they become. I was floored when they opened up to one another and decided to explore a relationship. There were a lot of obstacles that stood in their way but they expertly overcame them and refused to let anything or anyone come between them. They fought for each other until the very end and Isaiah’s tenderness and protectiveness of Rachel was so endearing.

We get so see some more of Echo and Noah as well as a little bit of Beth and Ryan but I also liked the introduction of some new characters as well, including Abby and Logan. While we meet Logan in Dare You To, I loved the cross over with him in Crash Into You and getting to know him better. He actually becomes a good friend to Isaiah and I really enjoyed the bonding between them. It was a great bromance! Abby is an old friend of Isaiah and I loved her. She becomes Rachel’s first real girlfriend and the friendship that they created was really sweet and further showed what an awesome person Rachel is because they were from two different worlds and Rachel never cared. I think she was Abby’s first real friend too and they both needed that friendship. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of Rachel’s brothers. I found them hypocritical, judgemental and way too over protective. They only really cared about themselves and they were always pushing Rachel to be somebody she wasn’t just to please their mother. While sometimes I think they had good intentions, the way they treated Rachel really pissed me off and I loved it when she finally stood up to them.

I think Katie McGarry is an incredibly talented writer and this is her best yet. That’s hard for me to say because I loved Pushing the Limits so much but she really outdid herself with Crash Into You. Not only was the romance heart warming and beautiful but the plot was captivating and intriguing. I was always left guessing and never expected the turn of events around each corner. Once I started, there was no way I was putting this book down until I finished and when I finished at 1:00 am, there were tears streaming down my face and warmth in my heart.

~IPOD Picks~

“Falling Slowly” by Kris Allen

“Words” by Skylar Grey

“Give Me Your Eyes” by Brandon Heath

PRE-ORDER LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

*An eARC was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.*