Crossing the Line

by Katie McGarry

[Angie]

I read Crossing the Line several months after Pushing the Limits, so I couldn't remember much about Lila. And after finishing it, I don't think you even need to read it to understand what's going on. Yes, this novella takes place afterward, but it's not really effected by any of the previous events. It still alternates POV, but this time it's Lila and Lincoln. The tone is very different though. It's much lighter, and actually wanders into ridiculous territory. Really. This novella is beyond silly, and I don't mean funny. Lila is home alone for a week while her family is on vacation, and she's just had a fight with her penpal, Lincoln. Of course, he shows up on her doorstep with flowers to beg forgiveness, and ends up spending a few nights there because she's scared to be alone. Needless to say, they kiss and make up and live happily ever after. Cute, but everything in between is lame.

My first problem with Crossing the Line was Lila and Lincoln's fight. It has to be one of the dumbest ones I've read. Lila takes what happened way too personally and blows it out of proportion. She acts like it's the end of the world, or like Lincoln ruined her life when it has nothing to do with her. My second problem was Lila. I know it's not my place to judge someone else's fears, but Lila's fear of being home alone is beyond ridiculous. I get scared too, but I deal with it. Her mom even had to leave her brightly colored post-its all over the house to remind Lila to do the littlest things because at 18, she's never been home alone...ever. That is hard to believe. Her fear may have felt more believable if we had actually gotten to know her better, and seen that this fear is based on something. I just didn't know her well enough to care.

The "plot" of Crossing the Line was also problematic. I already said her fight with Lincoln was dumb, and that's pretty much the catalyst, but what happens when he's at her house is...well, ridiculous. Lila calls him, screams, drops her phone, Lincoln calls the cops, and they find nothing. This prompts Lila to ask him to stay. She thought she saw someone when she was dumb enough to go outside, alone, at night. Fine. However, she says she thinks she has a stalker. I love stalker plots, but we already know who's lingering around her house! How dumb can she be?! Seriously, it's that obvious. Of course, someone has to come and tell her directly who it was, and she and Lincoln go out to get revenge. Alright.

I'm guessing Crossing the Line was suppose to be a fun little interlude between two heavy books, but it isn't. It's just dumb. I really enjoyed Pushing the Limits, so this was a disappointment. I like the idea of having cutesy novellas between the drama filled full length books, but this just made no kind of sense. I don't feel like we learned anything about these characters, and it certainly doesn't fit into the series anywhere. I did like that their letters were included. I'm a sucker for that kind of thing, but other than that, this novella had nothing to offer.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.