Crash (Visions, #1)

by Lisa McMann

[inlibrisveritas]

3.5 Stars

Crash is not really the kind of book I seek out, it’s one of those oddly contemporary paranormal that I tend to have trouble with. However I really enjoyed the way Crash played out and it turned out to be a nice read for a weekend.

Jules is having visions of a crash. She sees it everywhere and it begins to consume everything. Only she sees the horrible event and the fact that she has to figure it out by herself makes things even more stressful, add that to the fact that the crash happens at a rival restaurant and Jules can barely think about anything else.

Jules is a funny and level-headed, and she has real problems. Her family is under a ton of stress with the restaurant and the hidden mental illness that threatens to tear them up. I was surprised to see mental illness portrayed in a very serious way as it’s not something I typically find in YA, though I can say now that I’ve read a few since this one. I really liked that I spent a good bit of time toward the beginning wondering if Jules was going down a similar road as her father or not. One of the best things about this book it reads like a contemporary and only hints at the paranormal. Another fantastic point is that her family is completely present for the story! You heard me right, there are no invisible parents in this book. I love that the story affects her relationships at home and that they affect her. Trey was such an awesome brother, he’s funny and supportive and has such a great dynamic with both of his sisters.

I also really enjoyed the relationship between Jules and Sawyer Angotti. Childhood friends split apart because of a very heated family rivalry, it’s sort of very Romeo & Juliet…though it’s definitely not as obsessive, quick, or depressing. It’s clear that Jules cares of Sawyer and that there is a lot going on in both families that is keeping them for being around each other like they use to be. I had a bit of an issue with Sawyer’s depth though, at times he felt a bit flat and though I could tell he was a sweet guy with some darkness in his life I didn’t really know him. We don’t get to spend very much time with him to actually see if there is still a connection between the two, even on a friendship level.

I loved the slow build up of the story with the vision and how we get to know more about the families that would be affected by the crash in Jules’ vision. Thought there were times when I was more interested in the families than the vision itself. The second half of the book is set at a faster pace and it really got my heart pumping the closer it got to the day the vision was set to happen. The ending was completely unexpected as well and I was surprised to see a set up for a second novel. I can’t wait to see what happens in book two!