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A review by jamieb_19
Crash Test by Amy James
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This story centers on F1 driver Travis Keeping and F2 driver Jacob Nichols, who have been in a secret relationship for a year, when Jacob is involved in a terrible crash that leaves him in critical condition. But since no one knew they were together, Travis is left devastated and begging for scraps from anyone who is willing to help him stay up to date on Jacob’s condition. He’s convinced everything will be okay once Jacob wakes up, but is left heartbroken when that’s not the case. Afterward, separated and miserable, both men set out on a journey of self-discovery and healing that may end up leading them back to each other.
You’re thrown right into the thick of it at the start of this book. We don’t know anything about Travis or Jacob when the accident occurs, and we meet Travis, whose life has just been turned upside down. The first part of the book is told only from Travis’s POV and alternates between him dealing with the aftermath of Jacob’s accident and reflections on key moments from the start of their relationship. It’s angsty and quite sad seeing Travis fear that he’s going to lose Jacob, and desperate for a way to be with him at the hospital. Things go from bad to worse for Travis, though, when Jacob wakes.
The second part is told from Jacob’s POV while he heals after the accident. He’s lost and angry, and regretful over what happened between him and Travis, and he has a lot of work to do on himself before he has any hope of winning Travis back. Then the third part flips between Travis and Jacob’s POV as they start to find their way back together. It’s kind of wild to me that this is a romance where the main couple spends about 90% of it apart from each other. Outside of the few chapters of reflections on their early days, which were cute, there are truly only a few chapters in the present timeline where they’re actually in the same room. I wish we had gotten to see more of either the beginning of their relationship or more of them once they start to reconnect. I just wanted more.
I appreciated the individual growth of both characters, though. Travis was a loner, and his world revolved around Jacob, but once he no longer had Jacob, he was forced to let other people in and ended up forming some great friendships. Jacob had a lot of work to do to get out from under the thumb of his awful family and finally accept his sexuality. There were times when I was quite mad at him, but I thought his character arc was good. I just really wish things between Travis and Jacob hadn’t felt so rushed at the end. For all they went through from the time of the accident and their many months apart, things wrapped up a little too quickly.
You’re thrown right into the thick of it at the start of this book. We don’t know anything about Travis or Jacob when the accident occurs, and we meet Travis, whose life has just been turned upside down. The first part of the book is told only from Travis’s POV and alternates between him dealing with the aftermath of Jacob’s accident and reflections on key moments from the start of their relationship. It’s angsty and quite sad seeing Travis fear that he’s going to lose Jacob, and desperate for a way to be with him at the hospital. Things go from bad to worse for Travis, though, when Jacob wakes.
The second part is told from Jacob’s POV while he heals after the accident. He’s lost and angry, and regretful over what happened between him and Travis, and he has a lot of work to do on himself before he has any hope of winning Travis back. Then the third part flips between Travis and Jacob’s POV as they start to find their way back together. It’s kind of wild to me that this is a romance where the main couple spends about 90% of it apart from each other. Outside of the few chapters of reflections on their early days, which were cute, there are truly only a few chapters in the present timeline where they’re actually in the same room. I wish we had gotten to see more of either the beginning of their relationship or more of them once they start to reconnect. I just wanted more.
I appreciated the individual growth of both characters, though. Travis was a loner, and his world revolved around Jacob, but once he no longer had Jacob, he was forced to let other people in and ended up forming some great friendships. Jacob had a lot of work to do to get out from under the thumb of his awful family and finally accept his sexuality. There were times when I was quite mad at him, but I thought his character arc was good. I just really wish things between Travis and Jacob hadn’t felt so rushed at the end. For all they went through from the time of the accident and their many months apart, things wrapped up a little too quickly.