Crash by Nicole Williams

About the book

Crash is the first book in the new adult series of the same name by Nicole Williams. It was published by Simon & Schuster on 6^th June and the book is 384 pages long.

Plot Synopsis

After leaving her private school, Southpointe High is the last place Lucy Larson expected to be… or even wanted to be. Well, that was until she meets Jude Ryder, a guy known by everyone but not necessarily for the right reasons. Lucy has planned her whole life around ballet and Jude’s long list of indiscretions doesn’t work very well with that. With a pretty normal and disciplined upbringing, Lucy has no idea what she’s getting into with Jude. She’s about to learn what it means to want something so badly even if she knows she shouldn’t.  

What I thought

I had heard so many good things about this series on Twitter so I was so happy when I finally got the chance to read it.

Lucy and her dysfunctional family have just moved back to where they used to spend the summers and while it isn’t that far away from home, it is still a big adjustment. Her mum is a work-a-holic, her dad a recluse and her being determined to become a dancer. I really loved Lucy from the get go. In the very first pages, she goes to some great lengths to get the attention of a guy and isn’t afraid to go for what she wants. She’s also the good girl of the story but with a bit of an edge. She’s very outspoken when it comes to saying what she thinks or feels and she doesn’t let anyone walk all over her.

When Lucy meets Jude, her heart instantly beats incredibly fast… and why the hell wouldn’t it?! Jude is the perfect bad boy and someone I couldn’t help but love completely. He has a very sketchy past (and present) and everyone in town knows his name, calls his name, curses his name. The boy has a reputation. He doesn’t do girlfriends, dates or romance… until Lucy. Honestly, there have been a few fantastic bad boys in young adult/ new adult books but Jude has quickly become one of my favourites. Jude has a really bad past and he knows his life is terrible. He never tries to deny that and in fact, he tries to warn Lucy to stay away from him because of who he is and how his life is. It was extremely sad to hear Jude put himself down so much but I liked beginning to see changes in him as he spent more time with Lucy.

Both characters on their own were amazing. They had so much going for them and so much that was interesting. However, together they were so much more. Jude and Lucy have a rollercoaster of a relationship due to the problems in their lives. With Lucy, Jude becomes so caring and compassionate and really looks out for her. Lucy tries to keep Jude in line and to keep him out of trouble. Each character totally has the other’s back and really wants the best for them, even when that might not necessarily be each other. Lucy and Jude’s relationship was a really special one for me and I really enjoyed watching it progress and change as the book went on.

While the plot of Crash does revolve mostly around the relationship of Lucy and Jude, there is also a lot more to it than that. This is a book about families and how people get over their problems. It is about accepting who you are and embracing that, good and bad parts included. It is about first loves and doing everything for that one special person in your life. Crash is also about the complexity of relationships and the things that can end up going wrong. Due to both Lucy and Jude’s personalities, they do clash numerous times on many different things. The fights and disagreements were what made this book so exciting. I never knew what was coming next in the story and Nicole Williams had me reading as fast as I could to find out how things would end up between Lucy and Jude.

While the arguments and disagreements made the book exciting, it also made me slightly annoyed with some of the characters. Both Lucy and Jude were both extremely quick to judge the other without hearing the reasons behind certain actions. For two people who are supposed to love each other, there was an extreme lack of trust from both sides. From Jude, I could maybe understand his actions a little more. He hadn’t ever been in a relationship and probably didn’t really know how to react to being in one. Lucy on the other hand, should have known better than to listen to rumours and other people’s opinions.

Overall though, Crash has been one of my favourite new adult books so far. Luckily, I had the sequel ready and waiting to be read and I picked it up immediately after finishing this one.