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I received and ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review...
I was scanning through the books on Netgalley looking for something to catch my attention when I came across Crashing Into You. I really liked the cover and the synopsis looked interesting (read below) so I requested the title and jumped into the story.
Synopsis:
Bookish college sophomore Sydney Baker wants Evan Taylor with every ounce of her being. The hottest stud on campus, Evan is six foot four, ripped, stacked with muscles. He's even easy to talk to.
There's just one problem: he's her roommate Melanie's boyfriend.
But when Melanie tragically dies after a night of wild partying, Sydney and Evan turn to each other in a time of intense grief. And it doesn't take long for their close friendship to blossom into something more.
Unfortunately for Sydney, secrets from the past soon put her relationship with Evan to the test. Especially when a sexy blonde freshman makes her way into Evan's life, and tries to rip away everything Sydney holds close to her heart.
Early on in the story readers learn Sydney has secretly been in love with her roommate's boyfriend Evan since they first met, but accepts all they will ever be is friends, but a girl can hope right? You also learn she sometimes goes out of her way to create opportunities to see or spend time with him. It's obvious from the synopsis that after Melanie dies Sydney and Even will eventually date and I was wondering if the story would be told in a way that I could pull for the two of them as a couple. Would it feel weird seeing them together?
Throughout the book I had a really hard time connecting with Sydney. From the get go she seemed sort of self absorbed, kind of rigid towards people and oftentimes too judgmental. The story is told completely from her perspective and why I understood where she was coming from lots of times those attributes and the thoughts in her mind or the words that came out of her mouth held me back from connecting with her. I also felt as though she seemed to desperate to have Evan notice her. But she did redeem herself in my eyes when she finally made the decision to either pursue a romantic relationship or end their friendship and finally move on to finding someone who loved her.
Hearing the story solely from Sydney's perspective the only things we know about Evan are that Sydney is infatuated with him, he is extremely good looking, easy to talk to and may be somewhat interested in Sydney although mainly he keeps their interactions strictly friendly. It wasn't enough for me to think of Evan as a great guy, or even to call him swoon-worthy. I didn't make any kind of connection with him.
Once the two of them become involved I started to feel the chemistry they shared and I do think Evan loved her and wanted to be with her. I think if we had been given the opportunity to have both perspectives throughout the entire story I would have felt more emotionally invested in both characters. At least if we knew Evan's perspective we could see what kind of a guy he really is, if he really loved Sydney, what was really going on with him and Melanie. In my opinion this story desperately needed his side of the story, if I could have heard from both characters I think I could have sympathized with them more at the end or at least have been more emotionally attached to the two of them and their relationship.
I do think B.D. Rowe certainly created an interesting story line otherwise I wouldn't have even finished the book. I love how the author showed Sydney's life and college experience being changed as a result of the accident. Sydney has had a difficult past, one that she hasn't recovered from and she is also a character who has a lot to learn and who needs a good dose of self confidence. I think there is room for some major character growth if a sequel is to be written.
The ending leaves the story unresolved and I have no idea if there are plans for a sequel, but I think it would be interesting to see where the characters will go if there is a second book, especially after the crazy events leading up to the ending. As with any review you won't know yourself how you feel about a book until you travel the journey. So if you're looking for a different kind of journey one click Crashing Into You today!
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