Adrenaline Crush by Laurie Boyle Crompton Published by Farrar Straus and Giroux on September 23, 2014
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 192
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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When a daredevil teen pushes herself too far, she must choose between two boys: the one who wants to keep her safe, and the one who dares her to return to her old self.
Seventeen-year-old Dyna comes from a family of risk takers and is an avid thrill-seeker herself, until the day she splinters her ankle in a terrible fall. Her whole life goes from mountain biking and rock climbing to sitting at home and attending group sessions at the bizarre alternative healing center that her hippie mother found. The boy who witnessed Dyna’s accident believes her injury is a wakeup call and he encourages her mild new lifestyle, but a young Afghanistan War veteran she meets at the healing center pushes her to start taking chances again. Forced to face the consequences of her daredevil impulses, Dyna finds herself in danger of risking the one thing she’s always treated with caution—her heart.
Before reading Adrenaline Crush, I hadn’t heard much about it but what I had heard wasn’t the greatest. I went in with low expectations and the book definitely surpassed them. I found myself really enjoying Adrenaline Crush and I powered through this book!
Dyna isn’t an easy character to like for a while. She’s fearless, at first, and totally willing to go after whatever she wants. However, after her accident, she’s scared of all the things she used to love and she thinks safe is the best way to go. Her new boyfriend, Jay, totally embodies her new philosophy of taking things safe. He’s sweet and kind and pretty corny. He had no flaws and that in itself was totally a flaw for me. As for being fearless, Dyna doesn’t see her ever being that way again. That changes when she joins the Ulyssess center for physical therapy and meets Pierce. Pierce and the rest of the group force Dyna to realize that maybe being safe isn’t the best way to live the rest of her life. Pierce definitely had some flaws and I loved that about him. He was strong but could be volatile. He brought out the best and the worst in Dyna.
Dyna’s family was one of my favorite things about Adrenaline Crush. Her parents are originally introduced as two people who don’t pay much attention to their kids but I did not see them that way at all. When Dyna was in her accident, they would not leave her alone. They were super overprotective but they were awesome. Her dad’s protective attitude towards Jay was so funny. As for Dyna’s older brother, Harley, he cracked me up. He was a total stoner, going nowhere, but I thought he was adorable. They had a very strong family and I loved seeing that.
The story is super fast-paced. The book itself is only around 190 pages and it flies by. I seriously sat down, started this one, and couldn’t put it down until I was done. I wanted to know what Dyna would choose and how the other Ulysses center patients would overcome their issues.
Overall, Adrenaline Crush is a really cute story with a little bit of a deeper story. I will definitely be checking out more from this author.
What others are saying about Adrenaline Crush:
Lili’s Reflections’ review: “If you enjoy characters with haunted pasts, a love triangle done right, incredibly strong heroines, and a family dynamic that is absolutely to die for, I highly recommend this book.”
Rather Be Reading’s review: “All in all, the book kept me interested and was definitely enjoyable, even if it won’t be a forever favorite.”
Books Are Vital’s review: “Adrenaline Crush definitely lives up to its name.”
Giveaway!
Thanks to the wonderful people at Macmillan, I have a copy of Adrenaline Crush to giveaway to one US resident. Just fill out the Rafflecopter!
I thought your review was great. Adrenaline crush sounds like a fast paced book I would enjoy.
Great review. This one sounds like a fun read.
Great review! (: Sounds like a good book
I enjoyed your review very much, and it certainly made me want to read the book. I loved the way you described all of the characters. Thanks for having this giveaway.
Great review!
Sounds like a really good read!!
Thanks for the chance to win!
I used to be a very active person – always working out, doing risky things, taking 18 hours per semester in college, always taking on more and more and pushing myself farther and farther. Then my body slapped me down by giving me fibromyalgia. Now I am tired and in pain all the time and most days I cannot even get out of bed, much less do all the dancing, roller blading, and traveling the world I had planned. While it is not exactly the same as being a daredevil, I know what it feels like to have your body stop your life in its tracks. I identify with that part a lot. I am interested to know if she continues to be a risk-taker or if she settles down for an easy life.
i recently read this and while i did enjoy it i had some issues with the whole her having boyfriend and pierce thing… Still, for such a short story I think the author managed to give it and the characters some depth.
great review!
– Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf
I definitely had some issues with the whole boyfriend/Pierce thing too but you’re right, for such a short book the author did a pretty good job!
Nice it’s fast to read
Your review made me wanna go pick it up at the closest bookstore! Very well written and on point.
I like when a reviewer is honest.
You said you had not heard the best things but you gave it a try anyway.
It is always good when we are surprised with better than we expect.