Review: Crash by Nicole Williams

Title: Crash (Crash #1)
Author: Nicole Williams
Pages: 384 pages
Format acquired: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published on: December 18th 2012
Source: Purchased from Fully Booked
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble



Jude Ryder and Lucy Larson are this generation's Romeo and Juliet: Explosive. Sizzling. Tragic.

A steamy summer encounter with bad boy Jude means trouble for Lucy. Her sights are set on becoming a ballerina, and she won't let anything get in her way . . . except Jude.

He's got a rap sheet, dangerous mood swings, and a name that's been sighed, shouted, and cursed by who knows how many girls.

Jude's a cancer, the kind of guy who's fated to ruin the lives of girls like Lucy—and he tells her so.

But as rumors run rampant and reputations are destroyed, Lucy's not listening to Jude's warning. Is tragedy waiting in the wings? This racy romance is hot, hot, hot!

(Image and summary taken from Goodreads)

Review:

Meet my newest addiction... or should I say, your newest addiction. I am seriously obsessed with this series! I finished the first two books in approximately 24 hours (I'm still waiting for my copy of Crush to arrive.) When you start with Crash, you'll need to read Clash ASAP. Even though they both had pretty satisfying endings, the two books are just so good that you'll just keep looking for more. I'll admit that I was pretty apprehensive when my mom (who absolutely loved Crash) told me to read Crash, not because I don't trust her judgment (because I do,) but because I wasn't really into the whole dancing in books scene. But when I finally got around to reading Crash, I just. Could. Not. Stop.

How can two people who are so toxic for each other, belong together? That's the question that your mind will keep dwelling on while you're reading Crash. There will be moments where you will be cheering for Jude and Lucy and there will be moments wherein you'll want to throw the book to the wall and cry out, WHYYY?!?! This book will literally mess you up, but you'll love it anyway. It will frustrate you, it will turn you on, it will get you hot and bothered and it will completely possess every crevice of your mind and heart till it's all you can really think about.

Lucy is the type of girl that if I were a guy, I'd totally fall in love with her. Even though she previously came from a privileged family ("previously" because her father's business came to a halt and now only her mother works,) she wasn't the type of person who flaunted her wealth instead, she was wary of the people trying to get close to her and she knew how to pick her friends even if it meant that she wouldn't have any. I feel like she's been hardened by the things that she's been through but not too much that she isn't willing to let people it. Reading through Lucy's conversations with her parents left me with an ache in my chest. Here, we have an amazing girl that her parents don't appreciate as much as they should. Lucy's father spaces out like there's no tomorrow and her mother is as cold as an igloo, and her brother... Lucy has a dysfunctional family that I'm sure quite a number of people can relate to, the thing with Crash is that the characters in this book are so relatable. These characters go through problems and issues that most teenagers/adults do go through, and that's one of the things that is so appealing about Crash.

Lucy and Jude's first meeting will either make you bust a gut laughing or leave you very frustrated. Jude's very confident (bordering on arrogance) will probably make you want to punch in the face but it also actually makes him even more attractive. There's nothing sexier than a man who knows that he's sexy because seriously, Jude. Is. HOT. Like, 5778 Kelvin HOT. But he isn't just a pretty rugged face, he's broken and not in a pansy "I'm-going-to-brood-throughout-this-whole-book" broken, he's literally broken. And beautiful. He's beautifully broken.

Jude Ryder is 110% a badass. He used to put the "man" in "man-whore" and the "hug" in "thug".  (I'm kidding about the last part.) He's the type of bad boy that thinks he's not worth anything, that redemption isn't possible for him. Jude puts a lot of emphasis on his darker side because that's really all he's ever known. He grew in a bad and unwelcoming environment that forced him to survive in any way that he could. That's what he did, he survived. Given the circumstances that he's been placed in, he did what he felt was going to help him, and no one should blame him for that. But the thing that really bugs me about Jude is that he, himself, is the one putting himself down. He does things he knows will prove what he says about himself right because he thinks that those are the only things that he's good for. I really wanted to give him the biggest hug known to man and non-humans because he needed to be comforted even though he didn't think so. Jude has been used and betrayed by so many people in his life that when something amazing landed by his feet, he immediately knew how important it was. An that something was Lucy Larson.

Lucy and Jude's relationship is hair-pulling worth (if you're a fan of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, you'll love Crash.) Jude's constant need to protect and push Lucy away will frustrate you to no end. He wants their "relationship" to work but he's also the one trying to push her away. Jude thinks that he's protecting Lucy from all the possible fuck-ups that he's going to commit, or has already committed. Their relationship, if I were to sum it up in one word, is... Crazy. They're crazy in love, it'll drive you crazy and Crash just spells c-r-a-z-y. But you will love it. If I could, I'd totally join in their duo and turn it into a threesome. *flails*

Anyone who reads Crash will definitely get hooked with the series. It's just something you can let go of. You'll fall so deeply in love with the characters that you won't want to say good-bye to them. Even though Jude and Lucy's relationship is a boatload of crazy, they are two people that you will not only relate to but also sympathize with. They become real people that you can connect with. Nicole Williams has written a book that has the perfect amount of steamy romance, sexual frustration and "grr"-worthy moments. You will fall in love with Crash and unless you have Clash right beside you, you probably will not be able to sleep till you have read the second book.

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