For What It's Worth


Friday, November 22, 2013

Review: Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katy McGarry


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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.  
~ Goodreads | Author | Amazon

Source: E-ARC provided by the publisher for my honest review

Release date: November 26, 2013


Review:I’m going to give you all a moment to go grab a few tomatoes to throw at me. Because  *ducks head* I did not like this book.

But Isaiah was so broken you say! I know!!! I know!!! I love him! I swear.

I’m pretty sure this is a case of it’s not you – it’s me. McGarry’s Pushing the Limit’s series is one of the few contemporary YA I always enjoy. And I love the way her characters, although broken, always try to achieve more out of life. Their journey is always bumpy but realistic. They don't magically overcome everything. But this book – there was just too much going on.

I already loved Isaiah and I thought for sure I would fall in love with Rachel. She suffers from panic attacks, as do I, so I felt an immediate connection but then this story kept spinning wider and wider.  OMG the angst. THE ANGST.

I loved Rachel and Isaiah when they were together without all the outside forces and excess melodrama but I lost count of how many things happened to them. By the end I was just like NO FREAKING WAY – that too???

Rachel’s family are probably the worst group of people I’ve read about in a really long time. They are just awful. I hated them. All of them. I see that at least one brother will be next up for the series and I just don’t care. They all need to be in intense psychiatric counseling.

Rachel’s family and problems make Isaiah’s life look like a walk in the park. And because of that it felt like just too much for one book. Any ONE of their problems could have filled a book but they had problems times infinity! lol

The supporting cast felt like sequel bait. There are plenty of damaged people floating around waiting for their stories to be told. I also get the sense that Noah and Echo might be getting another book at some point, which would be kind of cool.

I am admittedly burned out on this type of stuff and I guess this book just wasn’t right for me at this point in time. I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series because the whole angst business and the way Logan/Rachel’s brothers were set up just promises more bad boy drama llama.

For all the McGarry fans I still say go get this book. Here’s a review by my friend Jen over at Fictitious Delicious who happened to love this book because of all the angst!

(Plus I am seriously the ONLY person who did not like this book on Goodreads. I am pond scum lol)

21 comments:

  1. You are not! I gave it two stars and a rather scathing review. So we can hide from folks with pitchforks together.
    And SEQUEL BAIT! You brilliant you! That's exactly the expression I needed. It annoys me to no end when authors do this.
    For me, both Isaiah and Rachel were a huge disappointment.
    I love that we're review twins today. Same book, similar thoughts. It makes me feel loads better. :D

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    1. I feel less guilty now lol

      It really seemed like she was setting up the damaged characters for future stories instead of focusing on Isaiah and Rachel. I can tell Logan is going to get a big build up but I can't say that I care.

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  2. I do understand. Totally. I've felt that way about books that others love and wonder what I missed. And Rachel's family? Yeah. Not sure I want to read the stories about them. Those guys were all kind of buttholes. But I enjoyed the angst and drama (over the top? Yes. Definitely. I mean, go to the cops, people. Sheesh.) and the crazy-passionate love of it all.

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    1. Her family was just too much for me. I mean that's a BIG thing and the story just went all over the place.

      I like PtL even though that had issues as well. I felt the crazy love in that one though and could overlook everything else but not for this one.

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  3. You are not pond scum! Geez.
    Different books for different people! I just read another review today of someone who didn't enjoy, so you are not alone.

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    1. I feel bad when my friends have felt an emotional connection a book and I hated it lol I wanted to throw this book a few times.

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  4. Your are not pond scum but I do see your POV with this book and yes there were many angst. I do hope to see Echo again. I would mind a story of her and Isiash friend & her brother if they did get together , but yes so many things that happened in this book . I had so suspend my belief for the end . I disliked the ending ...it didn't really seem like a HEA.

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    1. The end was just TOO much. She should have left it out or made the story about that. I just wanted to grab them both and take them to the police station lol So much of it felt contrived just for drama.

      I'm glad you really liked it though Julie!

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  5. You are not the only person who didn't love this. I think I gave it 3 stars, but that's because I love McGarry's writing, even when I don't love the story. Plus, Isaiah.

    There really was way too much going on. I hated Rachel's family, and something about her characterization just felt... off... for me.

    Anyway, great review. You are not alone.

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    1. I found PtL to be cliche but I loved it anyway. I just felt that Isaiah's story was pretty generic and yeah - Rachel and her family almost ventured into sci-fi territory. I don't think I've hated characters so much.

      From the teasers I thought she was going to be pretty bad ass. It's fine that she wasn't but her personality never really showed through in a way that made sense to me.

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  6. Lol, I know the feeling about being the only one ;)

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  7. LOL! I did enjoy this one, but I totally get what you are saying. I kept thinking the author was writing herself into a hole, but pulled it out for me. So cheesy ending? I don't mind! LOL What can I say? I'm a sap. :D

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    1. I didn't mind the cheesy ending so much as ALL the obstacles lol

      I think most fans of the series will love this one. I'm kind of over this type of story in general and I guess I expected a little something more original for Isaiah's story.

      I'm glad you loved it though! You're not a sap lol

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  8. You know I don't really read these kind of books, but I enjoyed your review. I've heard really good things about all her books, including this one. It was interesting to read your take.

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  9. I have not read this series, and don't plan on, but don't hate yourself. Sometimes enough is enough, and over the top can be too far over the top for some.

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  10. These are not entirely my kind of books but as I know what I'm getting myself into, I sort of go with it. I did have issues with things in this book -- including the way the panic attacks were used in the plot -- and will have to email you about that. The book was so over the top -- her super-evil family, the scenery-chewing Eric -- that the ending kind of worked for me in a weird way...
    Jen @ YA Romantics

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    1. I do expect cheesetastic, over th stop drama from her but she has a way of elevating it and making me swoon anyway. For this book, Isaiah's story turned out to be like every other YA boy;s story and I guess that disappointed me. He had a good backstory and I thought she would do a little something different with it.

      There was just SO much going on.

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  11. I'm sorry you didn't like this. I am about 1/4 of the way in and so far I really like it. Thanks for the honest review.

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    1. Most people area really enjoying it so I hope you do too!

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  12. Ehhh yeah... I'm not a fan of too much angst or issue books that have ALL the issues. Like you, I would rather the book focused on ONE problem! I'm still not sure whether I will ever read this series... though I am encouraged by the fact that you liked the first two.

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  13. I loved Crashing into You. I heard it wasn’t as good as the first two so I was a little nervous, but to me, it was just as good if not better. I think because I’ve already forged such a bond with these characters. I cannot wait until the 4th book. The sooner the better!!
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