I really enjoy Simone Elkeles's books. I'm a sucker for a bad boy and I love when she writes interracial relationships. The books are engaging and exciting to read. You get the boy and girls' points of view and there's always a dangerous element that adds to the experience. Both characters have been through some tough things and they were a good couple. The only thing I didn't like was the ending how could she kill Ryan?!! I was so sad, usually her books end happy and he deserved better. It kind if ruined the story for me and I probably won't read it again. ( )

Well. Not a romance, then.

Crossing the Line is a YA suspense novel heavy on the romance elements--though probably heavy on over-the-top insta-lust is more accurate. Almost everything here was more heavy-handed than I remember her books being--the drama, the suspense, the clashes with parents/stepparents/step-siblings, the betrayals...and did I mention the insta-lust already? Dalila and Ryan went from fairly antagonistic to all-in-love way too fast to be believed--which is probably why Ms. Elkeles felt like she needed to end it the way she did. It probably did add somewhat to the realism of the book (which I suppose it needed, that factor being very much in question throughout) but very firmly put it in the "not a romance" category.

Sigh.

I've missed two of her most recent series (Wild Cards and How to Ruin)--if they're more like this book and less like Perfect Chemistry and Leaving Paradise, maybe I'll have to remove them from my TBR?

Fingers crossed that that's not the case.

Rating: 3 stars / C

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )