Review: ADRENALINE CRUSH by Laurie Boyle Crompton (YA)

ADRENALINE CRUSH

by Laurie Boyle Crompton

Release date: September 23rd, 2014

Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan)

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Format: Hardback, eBook

Format read: ARC from the publisher.

SUMMARY

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.

MY REVIEW

Another amazing story from one of my favorite authors! Laurie Boyle Crompton has a gift for creating strong female characters, realistic and relatable relationships and swift story-lines...

Dyna is an adrenaline junkie - without a second thought, Dyna throws herself into the most life-threatening adventures you can ever think of. It's in her blood; her parents are hippie-like seize-the-day on-the-whim, and her brother is an avid mountain biker and sky-diver. Dyna loves nature and all the hidden thrills in it and beyond... until one day, while on a personal dare and mischievous high, while flirting with a cute boy from school that she found on the bike trail, she miscalculates her latest show-off adventure and suffers a tragic fall. 

During the tragedy and while in the hospital, there is an instant connection between Dyna and her flirt from the tail, also her rescuer, Jay. Jay is exactly who Dyna needs right now to keep her grounded and safe. They click together; Dyna needs someone who is grounded and likes to play by the rules. Dyna depends on him to help her stay calm, focused and out of trouble. Because of Dyna's injuries and traumatic experience, Dyna's mother has decided that she cannot go back to school - she will be home schooled so she can concentrate on healing. However, due to her mother's unconventional ways, the rehab center a sort of new age wellness center that will not only focus on helping her heal physically, but mentally as well, by attending group sessions with other who have also had traumatic accidents that have left them with fears and doubts. And this is where Dyna meets Pierce.

Pierce is unlike any other person Dyna has met. Inspite of the ghosts that haunt him, he emits a carefree way of being - he remains strong and dependable. Yet, we catch brief moments of Pierce's vulnerability and wariness. His struggles are real, and heartwrenching. Dyna can't help herself, she is pulled to him for so many reasons. 

Now Dyna's biggest struggle is with herself - will she stay safely grounded and never attempt fate again? Or will she allow herself to comes natural to her and find a way to seize the moment and live up to her family's motto again? 

Although the book is extremely short and a really quick read, the author is able to give us Dyna's whole story without missing out on any important details. The beginning of the story, we see Dyna on a bike racing through the woods without a care in the world - the woods is all hers to rule and there is nothing that will keep her away from it. Nothing that will take her away from the thrill of being out there and seizing every opportunity to feel that adrenaline rush. I was able to feel that rush! I was nervous for her - worried, scared. With every dare that she took, every little dangerous move that she made and her unforgettable accident was heart stopping - I felt it and lived it with her. 

Also, the relationships between all the characters, especially between Dyna and her family members, were so spot on and believable. And the way that Dyna was torn between Jay her protector versus Pierce her antagonist - it was amazing to me how different Jay and Pierce are, and how Dyna was able to relate to both and find strength within both relationships. And all that without the typical love-triangle that everyone seems to cringe upon. This was really well developed and all was accomplished in less than 200 pages. 

I highly recommend this quick page-turner to all contemporary lovers (especially to those who like Trish Doller's writing) and adrenaline junkies! This is definitely one book not to miss out on!

*An ARC was sent to me by the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Laurie Boyle Crompton

Laurie Boyle Crompton is the YA author of BLAZE (or Love in the Time of Supervillains), THE REAL PROM QUEENS OF WESTFIELD HIGH (Sourcebooks, 2013 & 2014) and ADRENALINE CRUSH from Farrar Straus Giroux.

Laurie graduated in her class from St. John's University with a major in English and minor in Journalism. She's written for national magazines like ALLURE as well as numerous trade publications and has appeared on Good Day New York several times as a Toy Expert. Yes, that is an actual thing that people sometimes get to be.

When she is not writing, Laurie enjoys hiking, cycling, reading, cross-country skiing, running, going to the movies and drinking tea by the gallon.

She lives near NYC, but loves to escape to the mountains in New Paltz, NY where she and her family can often be found climbing over rocks or tromping through the forest.

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