Crash into You

Gr 9 Up—Isaiah Walker, 17, lives with his foster brother, Noah. With their financial situation dicey, he decides to street race one night to make some money to cover their expenses. He ends up meeting Rachel Young, a girl from a wealthy family who is out looking for excitement. Rachel lives a lie. With her family she pretends to like shopping, know nothing about cars, and be able to speak in public on behalf of her older sister who died of leukemia. But Rachel keeps a big secret from everyone. The panic attacks that once put her in the hospital still occur. And with each speech, they get worse. The only time she feels like herself is behind the wheel of her car or secretly working under the hood. The night Isaiah and Rachel meet, their lives start spiraling out of control. A street thug thinks Rachel turned him into the police, so the two teens need to raise $5,000 in only a few weeks to appease him. They both need to step out of their comfort zones and work together to survive. Swearing, gambling, sex, drinking, and drugs are all referenced but mostly occur in the background or between scenes. McGarry's fans will recognize characters from her earlier books. Told from both Isaiah's and Rachel's points of view, the story is reminiscent of Simone Elkeles's "Perfect Chemistry" series (Walker). This is definitely a book for romance fans.—Natalie Struecker, Rock Island Public Library, IL