Bookish Excursions

While Crash Into You has it's moments, I found myself doing a lot of sighing.  Honestly, my reading experience was quite lackluster. 

There's nothing refreshing about McGarry's latest installment - the same themes are regurgitated from the author's previous novels: a kid from the wrong side of the tracks meets his/her opposite and they immediately fall in love, an action that goes against the wishes of their messed-up parents.  Oh, and apparently the whole world needs therapy and it's virtually impossible to have a healthy relationship without it because our parent's actions screw us over for eternity. 

It's all very formulaic. 

I've sort of been in a reading funk, so perhaps this wasn't the best choice of reading material.  However, YA contemporary romance has always been more miss than hit with me.  Contemporary stories have more of a "me me me" mentality.  It's all about personal growth and the characters learning who they are and what they want.  I don't necessarily dislike this type of story, but I need more substance - something to happen beyond a character's immediate needs.

In other words, Crash Into You annoyed me because Isaiah and Rachel's problems could have been resolved by a few honest conversations with the adults in their life, who really aren't as evil or unforgiving as they believe.  I get that some of this is a depiction of teenage behavior, but it really is an extreme representation.  The "forbidden" nature of Isaiah and Rachel's relationship was laughable. 

I don't know.  Maybe I've simply outgrown this type of story.  I'll just say "it's me, not you."