Words On Paper: Bookanistas Review: Crash Into You

I’ve been a fan of Katie McGarry since Pushing the Limits, and each time I read another of her books I remember why the yearlong wait for her next novel always feels like a decade. Just as I loved her previous two YA contemporaries, I loved Crash into You, the third in her Pushing the Limits series. (They’re companion novels, but I’d suggest reading the first two before this.)

There are so many things I enjoyed about this book, not the least of which is Isaiah, the tattooed and pierced foster kid who can’t get a break. I loved Isaiah in the previous two books and knew there was more to the kid than a short fuse and unrequited love for his best friend, Beth. Guys, this kid wants so badly. He wants an out from the pretty crappy hand he’s been dealt. He wants an honest life, even when it’d be easier to resort to crime. He wants a family. And man he does he want love—and not just the romantic kind, which is a major focus of the book, but from family, too.

The book is told in two POVs, which I always love. As terrible as Isaiah’s home life is, Rachel’s is no picnic despite her wealth. In fact, I found myself becoming more frustrated about her circumstances than Isaiah’s. (That’s probably for a couple reasons: A) I knew a lot of Isaiah’s backstory from reading the other books and B) unfairness really gets to me and there was nothing fair about Rachel’s home life.)

Just as Isaiah was a fixture in the previous two books, Noah, Beth, Echo, and Ryan make appearances in this one, and I keep loving them more and more each time. McGarry has a talent for creating such well-rounded characters, from the usual gang to side characters like Isaiah’s friend Abby and Beth’s pal Logan. (Can I petition, right now, for a book involving those two? Or for each of them to get their own book?) Rachel’s four brothers, while incredibly frustrating, have such personality, and while I loved her twin Ethan for the way he looked after Rachel when no one else would, I’m happy the next book in this series will focus on West.

In all, a strong YA contemporary for fans of Simone Elkeles and Trish Doller.