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zippy_julz's review
2.0
I have read and enjoyed other books by Shelley Crane but this one just didn't cut it for me for many reasons. Firstly the fact that the main character came across 3 males that had the same chauvinistic personalities and all of them persued her even when she. Made it clear she wasn't interested. This was so unrealistic. The story was disjointed and lacked flow. I really had to push myself to finish the book.
maddi_md's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 Stars
Shelly Crane introduces you to a world where aliens known as Lighters are invading the bodies of the deceased on Earth. They’re jealous of the lives we live on Earth and wish to take over, polluting our minds and take over our bodies. But do not fear! There are a good group of aliens known as the Keepers who watch over ‘Specials’ (humans with a special destiny) and wish to save Earth from the lighters.
Our main character is Sherry, a young photographer who has a REALLY annoying habit of constantly putting herself down. She has a stalker ex-boyfriend who has previously physically attacked her and regularly shows up on her doorstep drunk, yet for some insane reason she has not reported him to the police or gotten a restraining order against him. She has a brother who is only 18 yet Sherry insists on nagging him constantly about what a slacker he is because he’s not quite sure what he wants to do with his life yet. Sherry doesn’t really seem to have any friends because, let’s face it, Sherry is annoying. (Did you get that I don’t like Sherry very much?)
And enter Merrick. Merrick is an alien Keeper who watches over Sherry’s brother, Daniel (SEE Daniel’s not a slacker! He has a special purpose in life, unlike Sherry! I mean come on, give him a break!! HE’S ONLY 18!). Merrick saves the day when he takes Sherry and Daniel away from their home and puts them into hiding. Merrick is also total and completely in love with Sherry. He’s also taken over the body of Sherry’s stalker ex-boyfriend... weird? Yes, totally. But Merrick is the total opposite of the ex, essentially transforming the body into someone else entirely. I liked that this wasn’t another insta-love or love triangle story. Instead they’re romance is sweet and supportive, growing out of time and an understanding of each other. I actually really liked Merrick and his other alien keeper buddies. He’s sweet, kind, brave and a bit of a jokester. However I didn’t like the chapters that were from his point of view. Usually I love a good male PoV, but I don’t feel like these chapters really added anything to the book except to make it longer.
The story is quite action packed, which I liked. There’s fighting, loss, hope, love and friendship. The alien narrative gets quite complex throughout the book with the introduction of several forms of aliens and abilities. At times I found this to be a little bit too much, I found myself saying “really??” a little too many times.
Overall I enjoyed the concept and I thought it had a lot of potential; it was like the alien version of angels and demons. The idea was intriguing and the plot was action packed. But I had a lot of issues with the main character that I had difficulty getting past.
Shelly Crane introduces you to a world where aliens known as Lighters are invading the bodies of the deceased on Earth. They’re jealous of the lives we live on Earth and wish to take over, polluting our minds and take over our bodies. But do not fear! There are a good group of aliens known as the Keepers who watch over ‘Specials’ (humans with a special destiny) and wish to save Earth from the lighters.
Our main character is Sherry, a young photographer who has a REALLY annoying habit of constantly putting herself down. She has a stalker ex-boyfriend who has previously physically attacked her and regularly shows up on her doorstep drunk, yet for some insane reason she has not reported him to the police or gotten a restraining order against him. She has a brother who is only 18 yet Sherry insists on nagging him constantly about what a slacker he is because he’s not quite sure what he wants to do with his life yet. Sherry doesn’t really seem to have any friends because, let’s face it, Sherry is annoying. (Did you get that I don’t like Sherry very much?)
And enter Merrick. Merrick is an alien Keeper who watches over Sherry’s brother, Daniel (SEE Daniel’s not a slacker! He has a special purpose in life, unlike Sherry! I mean come on, give him a break!! HE’S ONLY 18!). Merrick saves the day when he takes Sherry and Daniel away from their home and puts them into hiding. Merrick is also total and completely in love with Sherry. He’s also taken over the body of Sherry’s stalker ex-boyfriend... weird? Yes, totally. But Merrick is the total opposite of the ex, essentially transforming the body into someone else entirely. I liked that this wasn’t another insta-love or love triangle story. Instead they’re romance is sweet and supportive, growing out of time and an understanding of each other. I actually really liked Merrick and his other alien keeper buddies. He’s sweet, kind, brave and a bit of a jokester. However I didn’t like the chapters that were from his point of view. Usually I love a good male PoV, but I don’t feel like these chapters really added anything to the book except to make it longer.
The story is quite action packed, which I liked. There’s fighting, loss, hope, love and friendship. The alien narrative gets quite complex throughout the book with the introduction of several forms of aliens and abilities. At times I found this to be a little bit too much, I found myself saying “really??” a little too many times.
Overall I enjoyed the concept and I thought it had a lot of potential; it was like the alien version of angels and demons. The idea was intriguing and the plot was action packed. But I had a lot of issues with the main character that I had difficulty getting past.
books4biana's review against another edition
Nope, I quit. I can't in good conscience rate this book as I did not finish. But I can tell you why I didn't want to read on...the character talks like she's had this great life, not awesome but including so many things like college and a crazed ex boyfriend and living on her own but it turns out she's 19. Because of the abusive relationship in the past, her current interest is slow and passive. It gets annoying. Not that he's waiting for permission, but that we have to read all the details of it every single time. And why, yeah, and why they can't go faster. Got it the first time, honest. The other characters...blah. And the storyline behind the boring romance? I couldn't tell you. There was so little information. I got about halfway then decided that life was too short and my TBR list too long.
cookiemuncher3000's review
5.0
I just loved this book! The atmosphere and characters were exquisite! After I finished the book I was like "Why? Why stop there? I want to know what happens after that!" So about a minute later, I got the second book. I grant you, the Kindle does have its perks!
akristinab's review
4.0
4 stars is probably me being to generous because I know this is one of Shelly Crane's earlier works and I love all her later works. I've read Cliff Hangers, but this is more like a straight dead drop off a cliff. As much as I enjoyed this book and want to know what happens next, I'm not really motivated to the next book right away.
trisha_thomas's review
1.0
I wish I could pin point what I didn't like about this one. I just couldn't find something that sparked my interest. I wasn't really sold on any character (I didn't like them but I didn't hate them either). I thought the "oh aliens have been here for year" weird and that there didn't seem to be mass hysteria. I also disconnected when no one seemed to have any issue with going into an underground bunker....because they were "special".
I wish I'd liked it more. Read it for a challenge, I'm glad I gave it a try.
I wish I'd liked it more. Read it for a challenge, I'm glad I gave it a try.
tartbarbie's review
4.0
I picked Collide this week for my words with friend’s game on goodreads. Sherry is human but she’s not typical by any means. She has the ability to tell when people are lying, which can be good and bad. Suddenly the moon is gone, and aliens have arrived on earth changing everything. Sherry and her younger brother Danny are living at her house because her parents went off to welcome the aliens. When Sherry is confronted by her crazy abusive ex-boyfriend telling her that she and her brother need to come with him she’s far from thrilled with the idea. When Matt explains to Sherry he’s not the real Matt but an alien life form just in Matt’s body after he died and that he’s a keeper to save them.
The trio head off to a place where they will be safe from the aliens who want to take over the planet called Lighters. Danny is special and Merrick who is in Matt’s body is his Keeper, it’s been his mission to watch and protect Danny because one day he will do something special. What makes Sherry special to Merrick is that as he watched Danny when she was older he fell in love with her. More keepers show up with their charges, soon the building is full of an eclectic group of people. Sherry at first thinks that Merrick can’t stand her but learns that he loves her and she in turn falls in love with him. Yet their safe time is short lived when they encounter a marker who attacks Sherry forcing them all to leave and head out into the world looking for safety in smaller groups.
Sherry’s group finds a new place to live with another keeper and his charge as well as her son. Her son Phillip's is intent on breaking Merrick and Sherry up determined that she is meant for him. Yet when they travel to town for supplies they learn that the Taker is in town. They also encounter a Muse who forces Sherry to see what she wouldn’t see normally. When Phillip runs off the group will have to worry about his intentions as well as the threat of the Taker. Will they be able to stop the Taker?
Sherry is this short cute girl with a feisty personality with a low self-esteem when it comes to men plus she’s stubborn. She the kind of character you can relate to because she’s not tall leggy and blond with a perfect life. I think her relationship with Merrick is super sweet; it’s just so innocent even if he is living in the body of her ex-boyfriend which she’s able to get over. I think they supporting keepers as well as humans enhance the story, they each have their own unique personalities, good and bad.
I love the idea for Collide it’s an alien love story with a unique twist. I think the author took the alien concept and put a spin on it that I could see happening in real life. I always wonder if there are other life forms in space, or lurking on earth this concept I could see happening. The characters are engaging you have characters you root for and cheer on plus the ones you can’t stand. The relationships that come from being forced into this situation are positive. Sherry’s brother finds love with another special girl which is super cute. I love that the story is filled with clean sweet romance; it’s not steamy stuff that make me blush. This is my first book that I've read by Shelly Crane but I already love her writing style, the story flows along smoothly, it’s filled with fast paced action, romance and aliens. Everything you need for a great story. Collide is a perfect start to an exciting new series that captures the imagination as well as the heart. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
mrose21's review against another edition
4.0
Now I usually don't do aliens. Just because I find those books can be pretty hard to read. HOWEVER I enjoyed this book. It felt very long which I suppose was a little hard to read sometimes but I did enjoy this book as it was just a nice story.
I didn't get why everyone was in love with Sherry, I mean I suppose I get that she was very shy and had low self esteem so therefore the description of her told by her wouldn't seem much. It just seemed strange boys were obsessed with her.
I loved the fact Merrick didn't push her and their romance took a while (or at least for me ) to progress and that helped the book along in my opinion. There are lots and lots and lots of unanswered questions that come from this book and this could be a very interesting series.
I didn't get why the book didn't leave on some sort of cliff hanger.. I mean there was nothing there, it was just done. It is pretty weird, I was very very confused. However I will probably read the next if there is a next.
This book doesn't weigh in too much on the whole fight so I am looking forward to the resolution and how Sherry and her brother play a part in it. I'm interested in her and Merrick's marriage but it isn't something I needed for them to do, not every paranormal book needs a happy ever after ending involving love.
I didn't get why everyone was in love with Sherry, I mean I suppose I get that she was very shy and had low self esteem so therefore the description of her told by her wouldn't seem much. It just seemed strange boys were obsessed with her.
I loved the fact Merrick didn't push her and their romance took a while (or at least for me ) to progress and that helped the book along in my opinion. There are lots and lots and lots of unanswered questions that come from this book and this could be a very interesting series.
I didn't get why the book didn't leave on some sort of cliff hanger.. I mean there was nothing there, it was just done. It is pretty weird, I was very very confused. However I will probably read the next if there is a next.
This book doesn't weigh in too much on the whole fight so I am looking forward to the resolution and how Sherry and her brother play a part in it. I'm interested in her and Merrick's marriage but it isn't something I needed for them to do, not every paranormal book needs a happy ever after ending involving love.
kelbell182's review against another edition
4.0
The world building was fantastic. The whole idea was unique and described in detail. I wish that there was more depth to the characters though. I could vividly picture each setting. Shelly Crane goes into detail about how the group is surviving and all of the troubles caused by an apocolyptic event.
(full review below)
Main Characters
Sherry Elizabeth Patterson: Brown hair, brown eyes, and considers herself “plain”. She has a strong nurturing side and leans towards the “den mother” role.
Merrick Finch: An angel, or alien, or what have you. Inhabiting the body of Sherry’s abusive ex. Has been looking over Sherry and her brother for most of their lives.
Book Info
Length: 360 pages
Price: $0.00 on Amazon
Collide Series
Collide (Collide, #1)
Uprising (Collide, #2)
Catalyst (Collide, #3)
Revolution (Collide, #4)
Review
I’m going to start with the bad, get it out of the way, and then focus on what I loved about this story. Here it goes…
The main love interest (Sherry and Merrick) was one dimensional and repetitive. It was really just them saying “I love you” over and over. I did not feel any genuine emotions coming from them.
The editing was non existent. I don’t get turned off by the odd typo or tense switch. This book was just all over the place. The tenses kept switching, there were missing words and more typos than I could count.
Now, onto the good!
The world building was fantastic. The whole idea was unique and described in detail. I wish that there was more depth to the characters though. I could vividly picture each setting. Shelly Crane goes into detail about how the group is surviving and all of the troubles caused by an apocolyptic event.
“In times of crisis not one should be counted special. Everyone was human therefore equal to the same misery and misfortune and good luck as everyone else. What happened to the whole ‘we gotta stick together’ motto? When hard times came-a-knocking, people baled on good sense and decency.”There were so many different personalities thrown together and it really did seem like the only thing holding them together was Sherry. It felt believable that she would be able to do this.
There was not a whole lot of grumbling about their current circumstances as other novels tend to include. I found it refreshing.
“You can’t hang on to the past and you certainly can’t throw a wobbly every time something happens that you don’t like.”