Expected Release Date: August 13, 2013
Source: eARC* via InkSlinger PR
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Jude has spent the whole twenty one years of his life running. From what, he wasn't quite sure. His mother tried to keep him safe; a low profile, a constant move on the horizon, a week's pay always stashed away. She tried to instill in him that he was special somehow, though would never elaborate. He never felt different. He was so completely normal and vanilla that he wondered if it had all been in her head. But then she was murdered and all he saw was a running silhouette of a man as his mother said three final words to him. Three words that changed his whole being.
Never stop running…
Now he's semi-settled into a big town. The college is huge and easy to blend into. It's been three months since he had to move because 'Biloxi', as he calls the man who killed his mother, found him once more.
Then Marley, an eighteen year old girl who is as infuriating as she is blissfully ignorant of her gorgeousness, smashes into his car with hers. Then smashes into his life as he realizes that whatever it is he has that Biloxi wants, she has it, too. And now, they're after them both.
My Review
Smash into You by Shelly Crane was a fast-paced, refreshing novel in the point of view of a male on the run from a man who killed his mother. This book had a splash of adventure, suspense and romance with a whole lot of snark from Jude Jackson. Because of this and so much more, I could not put this book down!
For years Jude has always been on the run, always watching his back, always trying to blend in and never ever getting too close to someone to care about. Jude has lived a life that truly isn’t a life at all. Whatever town Jude goes to next, he keeps others at an arm’s length distance and worries that Biloxi has found him once again. Because of Jude’s predicament, he is seen as rude, an asshole and sometimes just an unlikable guy. However, getting to know Jude, I saw that he was a guy just trying to survive in a world that has been completely unfair to him. That even in such lousy circumstances, Jude manages to keep on living, to make jokes, and to love when he least expects it. Jude did have plenty of charm and charisma when he was trying and he sure didn’t fail to put a smirk on my face.
The romance was not all butterflies for Jude and Marley. Though there was attraction, these two didn’t start off on the right foot. The rocky and uneasy start gives way to flirtatious banter between the two. When Marley gets caught up in Jude’s situation, he had to come to terms with caring for someone other than himself. I loved Marley because she was just as sassy as Jude. She was also a survivor, someone who truly understood Jude. Both of them were broken, have lived tough lives that being there for one another was exactly what they needed. To know what Jude and Marley went through in their younger years was truly heartbreaking, especially for Marley. Their romance was a slow development with many bumps throughout the story, but was essentially sweet and heartwarming all the same.
I really appreciated Crane’s authentic male voice in her creation of Jude. There was a lot of personality put into his character that I really got to know who Jude was and how he came to be in the situation he was in. I also commend Crane on her portrayal of Jude as a flawed hero. He wasn’t a knight in shining armor who could do no wrong, but just a guy looking out for himself, trying to make it every single day and doing what he thought he believed was right. Jude was a simple guy with a good heart. Though he has done some things he wasn’t proud, it didn’t mean he wasn’t a bad person and it didn’t mean his actions weren’t redeemable.
The plot of the book keeps you curious as to who is Biloxi is and why he is after Jude. The anticipation of what was to come, the suspense, the chase, and the foreboding sense of danger kept me invested in the story. It kept me wondering and it kept me on the edge of my seat along the way. There was also glimpses of Jude’s rough past where we get a sense of how much Jude’s survival has taken its toll that allow Jude’s discoveries to be truly understood. The twists in the book were truly shocking and what I found out had me disgusted at how far people will go to achieve something they think will help the greater good. But what I really loved about Smash into You was how Crane really made me ache for Jude and Marley. Seeing them roughing it and working hard for what they earned and then to see the goodness out of the heart's of the people they encountered helping them had me holding back tears. What Marley and Jude found in each other was something real and beautiful and I loved that through the trials, they were able to love.
Overall, Smash into You was an amazing story about sacrifice, living, loving, and overcoming hardship, but still coming out a better person on the other side. This book was definitely a page-turner!
*Thanks to InkSlinger PR for sending a copy for review purposes
I was not compensated for my opinion
About the Author
Shelly is a NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling YA author from a small town in Georgia and loves everything about the south. She is wife to a fantastical husband and stay at home mom to two boisterous and mischievous boys who keep her on her toes. She loves paperbacks, coffee, and candy corn, and to spend time with her family and friends, go out to eat at new restaurants and site see in the new areas they travel to, listen to music and also LOVES to read.
Her own books happen by accident and she revels in the writing and imagination process. She doesn't go anywhere without her notepad for fear of an idea creeping up and not being able to write it down immediately, even in the middle of the night, where her best ideas are born.
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Her own books happen by accident and she revels in the writing and imagination process. She doesn't go anywhere without her notepad for fear of an idea creeping up and not being able to write it down immediately, even in the middle of the night, where her best ideas are born.
