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A review by cassianlamb
Crash Test by Amy James
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I received a free e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It was hard to get into this book from the start because we're dropped right in the middle of the story with absolutely no build up. While some people have mentioned the alternating timeline chapters made it even more difficult to follow, I think following was less an issue and more it would have helped to have these first to see how we got to where the book started. It did not help that in a flashback chapter it's revealed to be insta-love, so the issue of no buildup is compounded.
Furthermore, the love-interest/second main character (Jacob) is kind of horrible. He barely has any redeeming qualities, even when the person who claims to love him talks about him. When we reach Jacob's POV chapters, it doesn't get any better. Even the epiphany common to romance books comes out of nowhere, feeling more like a last ditch effort to make him like able than anything else. Jacob doesn't even really seem to care for the person he's with, making me wonder why they're so determined to be together.
This book might work for me if I'm bored with nothing else to read, but right now it was not really worth it. Others might enjoy it though.
It was hard to get into this book from the start because we're dropped right in the middle of the story with absolutely no build up. While some people have mentioned the alternating timeline chapters made it even more difficult to follow, I think following was less an issue and more it would have helped to have these first to see how we got to where the book started. It did not help that in a flashback chapter it's revealed to be insta-love, so the issue of no buildup is compounded.
Furthermore, the love-interest/second main character (Jacob) is kind of horrible. He barely has any redeeming qualities, even when the person who claims to love him talks about him. When we reach Jacob's POV chapters, it doesn't get any better. Even the epiphany common to romance books comes out of nowhere, feeling more like a last ditch effort to make him like able than anything else. Jacob doesn't even really seem to care for the person he's with, making me wonder why they're so determined to be together.
This book might work for me if I'm bored with nothing else to read, but right now it was not really worth it. Others might enjoy it though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Religious bigotry
Minor: Death and Infidelity