Pushing the Limits #3
Release Date: November 26, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Publisher (NetGalley)
Star Rating: ★★
Rating: Bland
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.
After being rather annoyed over Dare You To and the disaster that was Beth and Ryan's relationship, I was so ready for Crash Into You to bring back the awesome that I experienced while reading Pushing the Limits. I was hesitant, sure, but I was still looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I enjoyed Crash Into You even less than Dare You To, and I ended up completely bored.
I find that I am getting so tired of the bad boy/good girl storyline. It feels so cliché now, and I didn't feel like Crash Into You brought anything new to the series, or the genre. I'm at the point where I just end up rolling my eyes at the mere mention of a guy in a leather jacket come to seduce a straight A student.
The instalove didn't help the matter, either. I didn't have a chance to get to know either character before Isaiah saw Rachel and started calling her his angel. I hate it when characters don't - or can't - stand on their own. They need to be actual people before they become someone's ~True Love~.
The car racing part was kind of cool. The finale was very anti-climactic, but the rest of the illegal drag-racing reminded me so much of The Fast and the Furious, which is one of my favourite movie franchises, FYI.
Another interesting thing about the novel was Isaiah's mother. I thought that that storyline could have been very interesting, except it was hardly featured at all. I wish that the storyline had been given more focus, instead of the drag racing and the stupid love story. There was so much potential there and I feel like it was shoved aside in favour of a romance that could ~save lives~.
I probably won't continue with this series, as I feel it's become redundant and I don't think anything new is going to arise in the fourth book. In addition, I'm not all that interested in West, who is the main character of the fourth book. Like, at all.
I probably won't continue with this series, as I feel it's become redundant and I don't think anything new is going to arise in the fourth book. In addition, I'm not all that interested in West, who is the main character of the fourth book. Like, at all.
Aw, bummer you didn't like this one! I loved it but I can definitely see where you're coming from. The story is really cliche. I would've loved to see more about Isaiah and his mum as well. :D
ReplyDeleteI think I need to take a break from contemporaries like this, because the whole bad boy/good girl thing is driving me mad!
DeleteI felt the same way about Dare You Too. The Beth/Ryan thing was just not doing it for me. I just started this one and was hoping also that I would get some of that Pushing the Limits magic back with this one. I haven't read enough to decide yet but A. I'm disappointed that Isaiah's mother isn't a big part of the book (When she was featured in the beginning I was hoping it would be explored) and B. I really dislike the good virginal never been kissed girl and the bad boy thing as well... and also calling a girl "angel" or "baby" all the time... yuck!!! I think PTL was so great because it explored so many issues with Noah and Echo beyond just their attraction to each other. Well I'm off to finish CIY and see if I end up liking Rachel/Isaiah!
ReplyDeleteI was hoping that she would be a big part of the book as well, but of course the romance becomes the main focus. I don't get it. The nickname thing drives me mad! I hate it! If anyone calls me that in real life I tell them to stuff it, it's AWFUL.
DeleteNOOOOOOO AMBER. It's Beth and Ryan all the way for me! (I mean, that book made me cry for 10 pages!) But yeah, definitely agree with you on Rachel and Isaiah.
ReplyDelete"The instalove didn't help the matter, either. I didn't have a chance to get to know either character before Isaiah saw Rachel and started calling her his angel. I hate it when characters don't - or can't - stand on their own. They need to be actual people before they become someone's ~True Love~. "
Epicly put Amber. I didn't like the insta-love between Rachel and Isaiah either and SO true - they need to be actual people before being someone's "true love." Honestly, I didn't really get a feel for them besides Rachel being the innocent good girl and Isaiah being the somewhat dramatic loner bad boy.
I'm with you - I'm tired of reading books with the bad boy and good girl storyline. If I don't like Take Me On, I'll probably give up on this series too. Crash Into You was that disappointing. Plus, the excerpt for Take Me On just appears like the idea has been done already. :l
I'M SORRY :(((
DeleteIt drives me crazy when a romance is all a character has, especially if those romantic choices start to define them. I need more.
Is Take Me On the final book? I don't think I'll read it because McGarry has done nothing to entice me. I'll definitely be checking out the reviews, though!
"They need to be actual people before they become someone's ~True Love~." YESSSSSSS THIS. I think I enjoyed this slightly more than you did, but I was still not pleased with the way *things* went in this novel. Especially the romance part. I also spent a lot of time being PISSED at Rachel's family, because they're terrible to her, and at Rachel for whining about it. The thing I hated most was the nicknaming. She's not your fucking angel. I did love the Beth/Noah/Isaiah family reunion and also Logan and Abby. They were awesome. And yeah. Sigh. I don't understand why people think this is the best of them all, because I disagree. I probably won't continue this series either.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I think you did too. Rachel's family were THE WORST, and I wish there had been more focus on sorting that out instead of the thing at the end changing everything so abruptly.
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