Book Review - Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith

Book Title - Kiss Crush Collide
Author - Christina Meredith
Release date - December 27, 2011
Published by -Greenwillow Books

Synopsis from Goodreads - Leah has the life most high school girls would kill for—popularity, glowing grades, a rich, athletic boyfriend. So why does she feel like she can’t breathe? And why can’t she stop thinking about the boy from the country club? The one who isn’t her boyfriend, the one that her mother would never, ever approve of, the one that her perfect older sisters would never, ever look at twice. The one who is always looking back at her. Irresistible attraction, smoldering glances, the bad boy and the good girl—Kiss Crush Collide has everything that a steamy forbidden romance should, and then some.

With graceful and honest writing and an electric love story, this is a book about growing into your own skin. For fans of Perfect Chemistry, Sarah Dessen, and John Green.

My Review -  I was excited to read Kiss Crush Collide. The back of the book compares itself to Perfect Chemistry, Sarah Dessen and John Green.  Perfect Chemistry is a book I love. I admit I was disappointed. The storyline is girl is living a life shadowed by her two older sisters. She is expected to be as 'perfect' as they are and follow in their footsteps. She has a neurotic over bearing Mother and a clueless Father. It appears she has the perfect life, perfect friends, perfect boyfriend. Then one night at the country club a porter that takes the car for them grabs her hand to help her out of the car and instant chemistry occurs complete with tingly fingers. Girl can't stop thinking about boy, but given his job at the country club etc., he isn't the kind of boy she is expected to associate with.

The premise of the book is great, although it has a familiar theme. The thing is that I felt like Leah and Duffy had zero substance. I closed the final page and felt like I never really even got to know Duffy and I'm not really sure what is redeeming about Leah. She barely scratches the surface of her feelings when she finally admits a little about how she's feeling to her Mother, her family life is never discussed with Duffy, and Leah is mean to the one girl that "gets" her the whole book practically. I wanted to fall for Duffy too... I wanted to feel the tingles and anticipation that Leah was feeling when she would see Duffy, but the story just never put me, as the reader, there.

Bottom line, Kiss Crush Collide was okay. Definitely not in the same league as Perfect Chemistry in my opinion. If you are looking for a quick read that gives you an escape for a few hours then check it out. I just think that if Christina Meredith had developed the characters and Leah and Duffy's relationship more, I would have liked the story much better. Instead, I was left scratching my head at what not only Duffy's appeal was but what Duffy saw in Leah... other than just physical attraction.

Kiss Crush Collide is due to release in December 27, 2011. Let me know what you all think if you read it.
 
Review by Jen