Crash Into You - Katie McGarry

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits #3
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: November 26, 2013
Source/Format: Netgalley (Thank you!) || e-galley

[I received this book from the publisher. This in no way affects my 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. 

What I've come to love about all of Katie McGarry's books is that they're so interesting. They're full of characters with complex backgrounds and emotional grids, faced with situations that are intense, dramatic and very compelling. I love the way she's managed to marry romance, family, friendship and more into each of her stories, and Crash Into You is certainly no exception. It might not be my favorite (as that spot still firmly belongs to Dare You To), but it definitely met my expectations.

My favorite part of this book, surprisingly, was the fact that it had cars and drag racing. I'm not particularly fond of driving, but I definitely wanted to after reading this! There's something to be said about the comfort from being in control of a car, of being able to direct your own path and make things the way that you want them to be. The descriptions of driving and cars and racing were enough to get me interested in that world, and even tempted me to want to (re)learn to drive.

The book's primary couple is made up of Isaiah and Rachel, who are worlds apart in personality. Isaiah certainly comes across as the tough, tattooed bad boy, when really, he is simply good. He's loyal and honorable, street smart and determined to go down the right path. Rachel, on the other hand, is a good girl who does her best to live up to what's expected of her. In reality, she's hiding the brewing internal conflict and emotional stress; it's only upon meeting Isaiah that she starts being more honest, and less afraid to stand up for herself. 

This book is basically their story. It tells of how Isaiah fights his demons, and the impressions of other people, in order to be even more than he thinks he is. It tells of how Rachel confronts the reality of not being the exact replica of her older sister, and how she learns how to be comfortable with who she is. It also weaves the wonderful, tension-filled romance between them, which was a little bit instalove, and had a touch of dramatics with the drag racing bit, but was mostly believable and sweet and swoony. 

However, there are so many other characters, old and new, that make an appearance in Crash Into You. McGarry writes them all into this story with a deft hand, and I pretty much love them all. It made me happy to be reunited with Noah & Echo, Beth & Ryan and even Logan, all while getting the chance to meet Abby, West & Ethan. The situation that binds them all together, along with Isaiah and Rachel, is really tough, but it also cemented a wary bond between them, and I loved that.

Crash Into You is definitely another strong addition to the Katie McGarry collection, reuniting us with characters we loved but placing them in entirely new, still complicated situations. I enjoyed the combination of drama, romance, friendship and family into one neat little package, and as always, would recommend McGarry as one of my must-read contemporary authors.

Who is your favorite McGarry boy? Why?

This is actually a pretty tough question for me to answer, as I really do love Noah and Isaiah. Heck, I even have soft spots for Logan, West and Ethan after reading Crash Into You. But so far, my answer hasn't changed - Ryan is still my favorite! He's a good guy, dedicated to making the best he can out of the things he's been given. He's also quite playful, and utterly charmed the pants off of me. While he does enjoy baseball and definitely has a lot of family loyalty, it really is good to see him start to embrace the things he really loves - writing and Beth among them. I loved his sweet attitude towards Beth, and the little gestures he did to let her know he loved her and was there for her. Plus, I always end up falling real hard for the good guys -- and Ryan is certainly a stellar example!