Customer Reviews

Crash into Me

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Owen can't remember a time in his life when he was truly happy. Ever since his brother's death when we was seven, his life has been dull, lonely, and slow, punctuated by numerous suicide attempts. After his latest attempt, he makes three new friends--Frank, Jin-Ae, and Audrey. The four of them make a suicide pact--they will take a cross country road trip from New Jersey to Death Valley, visiting the graves of famous people who committed suicide, and at the end of the line, they'll all end their lives together.

Crash into Me is an arresting and surprising read that takes readers into the lives of these four teens, and reveals their complex emotions and those events in their lives that have led them to the end of their ropes. Though the premise is quite serious and thought provoking, Borris infuses the novel with surprising bits of humor, making Crash into Me an enjoyable and realistic read with a sardonic edge. Inclusion of alcohol and drugs is to be expected, but is done tastefully, revealing the thought that went into each character. The novel is told through Owen's eyes, and his character is developed through a series of online chats, top ten lists, recollections of the past, and his time quietly observing the present. The alternating modes of character disclosure build suspense throughout the book, causing readers to seriously ponder the outcome of the road trip--but Borris keeps you guessing until the very end. This is a novel of desperation and loneliness, and of the strong compulsion that humankind has to attempt to make connections. Unexpected, heartbreaking, and raw, Crash into Me takes readers on a car trip they'll never forget.

Cover Comments: I think that the cover really conveys the tension and the emotion of the novel, and the darker colors and hues used jive with the darker subject and all of the secrets this book contains. I also like the snake tattoo--it has significance in the book! Overall, this is a very good cover.

I read this book because I wanted to see if I should add it to my high school library. I've been suicidal most of my life, so I wanted to see if it the author got it right, and he did. The writing is beautiful (and unlike Hunger Games, it has only *one* typo, so it's even copy-edited well). I frequently skip to the end of a book to find out what happens, but I didn't feel compelled to do that here. Read it, review it--I'm sure many of you are more eloquent than I am. I'm grateful to have a young adult novel that I can recommend to students who either don't understand why someone would be suicidal or are suicidal themselves.

Going into Crash Into Me, I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. Since, on one side, different teen authors have been raving non stop about this book, while bloggers have had a less cheerful response. Sadly, I'm on the bloggers side about this, Crash Into Me wasn't that good.

While it has an interesting premise ( four teens on a suicide pack road trip) it failed to bring three dimensional characters and a solid plot to the table. Sometimes, I felt like the the plot just wondered around aimlessly leaving me to loose hope at the thought of this becoming good. Also, while you got to the know the characters a bit, you really didn't understand their thoughts and feelings, because Albert tended to just tell a one sided plot, one that stopped at the surface.

The one thing I did enjoy about this novel, was the writing methods Albert incorporated into the plot. For example, there was IM messages and lists which almost always got my attention. Though, the narrative part was kind of bland and flat mostly because of the lackluster plot and characters.

Overall, Crash Into Me really isn't a book I would recommend. Since while this novel seems interesting on the surface, when you start to read it, it just falls to the side and unravels. Plus, the ending kind of felt like it called for a better conclusion to this novel.

Grade: D

From the very moment I saw the book I was excited. I was sure that Crash Into Me was going to be an incredible story. I gravitate towards books that hold raw emotional power, like books by Ellen Hopkins, and my hopes for this book were very high. Unfortunately, almost as soon as I started reading it, I knew that it was not what I had been expecting. The development of the characters is weak and they can all be highly irritating. Believability was lost for me, and the depth I was sure I was going to find was simply nonexistant. Overall, Crash Into Me is merely a mediocre book. Not a complete waste of time--but only if you're easily pleased. Otherwise, I'd say not to bother.

Crash into me grabbed me from the first page. I loved the style in which it was written, with dialogue back and forth among the young characters. I found the story believable, and very touching. I,honestly, did not know how it would turn out until the last few pages! I have 3 teenagers, and they are now taking turns reading it!

This is a book not only for teenagers, but for their parents as well. As a high school teacher and parent of teenagers I just wanted to share this with everyone I knew.
Not only is this book a quick read, it really took me on the trip with the kids in the book.
Albert Borris has not only captured these teenagers but he captures the reader in their story as well.
You won't put it down and you won't be sorry.

This novel is very well written and engaging as you follow a teen on his suicide pact journey. Twists and turns throughout. Couldn't put it down.

I've wanted to read this novel for a long time, but I never picked up a copy, and I'm not sure why. The other day I went to Borders for their closing sale and completely lucked out, finding a copy of Crash Into Me hidden under many other books in the YA section. Of course, I bought it and started reading it right away. Needless to say, I enjoyed this novel. I learned A LOT about suicide, and though it's a very depressing topic, Borris does a phenomenal job keeping this novel on the lighter side. While there are some very sad scenes that made me cry, overall, this is novel doesn't dwell on the negative, but rather on the healing process of four teens who are at their wits ends. I loved following them across the country as they went on their suicide tour, stopping at the graves of famous people who committed suicide, and I enjoyed watching them come alive again, finding solace within one another. This is a very touching story, and while some of it may seem farfetched at times, I think this is a very well done novel. The ending was a bit shocking, but I think it went along very nicely with the book on the whole.

(Please note: I use the rating system on Goodreads to rate my novels, which is different from that of Amazon. Therefore, the star ratings on both sites are different. Overall, my rating is that "I LIKE IT.")

I loved this book because of the hope it brings. Four friends gather together for one last trip before they kill themselves. All of them stricken by some type of guilt or pain just want out of this world. During this trip they discover that there is much more to life.


Hope. I love this book. All four of them found each other with no one else to lean one, they found hope together in their unique friendship. During their trip, they visit graves of people who committed suicide as well as fulfilling their one last wish.


I loved that while reading this book you found yourself watching them find hope in their new found friendships. Little by little each of them let down their guard letting the others in to their world. We saw Owen who carried an extreme amount of guilt for years. Frank who felt like no one was there for him. Audrey who just wanted to get away. And Jin-Ae who had trouble being herself.


In the end, they realized that they are not alone and always had each other. They also fell in love. And love made them see the world in a different place. They wanted to travel more and do things that they have never done before. Love and hope gave them a hunger for something they never thought they have.


There was some sex(nothing graphic just talk of it), drugs, and of course illegal stuff.*

The book begins with Owen embarking on a road trip with three other angsty teens--Frank, Audrey, and Jin-Ae--whom he met on the internet. Most of them have already tried to kill themselves. Some of them are just seriously effed up.
Owen has a dark secret that has always haunted him that makes him want to kill himself. He is the main protagonist.
Audrey, the victim of too much 'love' from her father, becomes one of the dominating characters of the book. At first, I thought that I would hate her character. How wrong I was. By the end of the book, I felt so sorry for her.
Jin-Ae is a lesbian who fears her parents' reaction to her sexuality. Her character, while seeming childish at times, helped a lot to drive the book along.
Frank, an underachieving athlete, feels he will never live up to high expectations. He often seemed to be the most unstable one of the book.
Together, they road trip across America to visit celebrity suicide sites or graves. At the end of their trip, they plan to end it all in Death Valley. The trip, and their lives. It's so symbolic, eh? But will they go through with it? Or will they find a reason to live?