cover image Crash into You

Crash into You

Katie McGarry. Harlequin Teen, $17.99 (496p) ISBN 978-0-373-21099-2

From the outside, Rachel Young seems perfect, but she feels like a mess—prone to panic attacks and sure she’s a poor replacement for her older sister, who died of leukemia. Rachel tries to “feign sunshine and rainbows” so no one looks too closely, not even her twin brother. Isaiah is her total opposite, a poor kid from the foster care system who looks fiercely unapproachable: he’s all tattoos, piercings, and glares. When their shared loved of fast cars brings them together and puts them at risk, they find the one person who might understand their secrets and love them anyway. Rachel and Isaiah tell their story in alternating chapters, and while there’s plenty of family drama and car talk, what’s really effective is the sweet and sexy romance between them (the author’s fans will recognize some familiar faces, too). McGarry (Dare You To) loads the book with emotional and physical dangers, but her final plot twist veers into melodrama, distracting from the main story of two 17-year-olds trying to find a way to be together. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Dec.)