Book Review: Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Book Series: Pushing the Limits, Book #3
Author: Katie McGarry
Genres: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Format: Audiobook (Audible)
Narrator: Vikas Adam & Alicia Harding
Length: 13 hrs and 24 min

Book Club(s): Never Too Old for Y.A. or N.A. Books
Reading Challenge(s): Birthstone Color Parade & Series Challenge


My Ranking:

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.

Beth is a fool. Everything about Isaiah made me melt: his dark confidence; the way he interacted with Rachel; the way he felt about Beth; and even simpler, to the depth that he felt thet. Oh my gosh, did my heart break for him each time he interacted with his mother. Isaiah is definitely my favorite male character of this series. I really felt for him. For me, he’s had it the roughest out of all of the male characters and I he really deserved a happy ending.

Rachel was interesting. I dug the fact that she was so hardcore about cars. It’s always refreshing to meet characters who have a real personality. I loved that she and Isaiah bonded over cars. I like girls who aren’t into girly things for the simple fact that it’s not what does it for them. On the same note - everything else about her was lacking depth. This isn’t something I’ve encountered much with McGarry. Usually there’s more to a character…

However, when I thought more about Rachel’s lack of depth, I realized that when you consider the role that Rachel has been born to play she doesn’t really need depth. She’s literally living filler. A girl to replace a dead girl, and nothing more. Which is actually absolutely horrifying when you look at it that way. All that was required of her was to be is a female that makes her mom happy. It’s all she’s expected to do and all she’s needed to be. She has minimal contact with her parents and her brothers. I remember there being a night where she’d be the only one in the home all evening - and it was expected of her. Her entire life all she was supposed to do was be and be perfect … poor thing.

Also, what bugged me was her complete misunderstanding of Isaiah's protective motives. Yes, I get that the last thing she'd want was someone telling her what to do. But considering how much was at stake, you'd think she'd realize that all he was doing was protecting her, but from actual danger unlike her brothers. I didn't like how she kept thinking everything he did was a reaction to her "weakness." He never treated her like that, and she jumped to conclusions a lot.

Moving on, I thought the premise of this one was really odd. It was like an emotional version of the Fast and Furious. Which frankly is as ridiculous of a plot as you can get. It didn’t really read that way, however, I enjoyed it. Not as much as Echo and Noah’s story, though. That was just perfection. But I did enjoy this one more than the last. I just don’t like Beth… never have and never will. I especially didn’t like her scenes in this book.

I really enjoyed how this story brought together a lot of the characters that have been floating around in the background. I really hope Logan gets a story, or Abby. They were great minor characters and I think they each deserve a shot at true happiness. Both are hiding behind crazy personalities and I think more is definitely there.

One thing I didn’t like was the unresolved issue of Rachel’s health. Why were her panic attacks so severe to the point of vomiting blood? Did she ever get help? Did her final speech (which was epic, by the way) cure her of her fears? Did they ever stop?

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. There’s no question as to will I be continuing this series - most definitely.

Vikas Adam was absolutely brilliant as Isaiah. I think he captured his quiet intensity perfectly as well as his anger and his sadness. I was on the verge of tears through most of the book, and definitely shed some during his first visit with his mom. I really like his narration style and I will absolutely be checking out more audiobooks featuring him. 

Alicia Harding did a great job as well as Rachel. Considering I didn't like the character much, I don't have loads to say about it. Had nothing to do with her narration, though. I'd be open to reading more from her.