Crashing in Love
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
When Peyton comes across the victim of a hit-and-run, she knows it’s destiny. But what exactly does fate have in store for her and the boy in the coma? Since her parents divorced, twelve-year-old Peyton has known that to achieve happier outcomes in her life, she’s got to focus on eliminating her flaws—and on making sure her first boyfriend is truly right for her. Guided by her collection of inspirational quotes and her growing list of ideal boyfriend traits, Peyton is convinced that this summer will be the perfect summer, complete with the perfect boyfriend! But when she discovers a boy lying unconscious in the middle of the road, the victim of a hit-and-run, her perfect summer takes a dramatic detour. Determined to find the driver responsible, Peyton divides her time between searching her small town for clues and visiting the comatose (and cute!) boy in the hospital. When he wakes up, will he prove to be her destiny? Or does life have a few more surprises in store? With abundant warmth and gentle humor, Jennifer Richard Jacobson offers a novel about searching for perfect answers—and finding that reality is both messier and far more intriguing than anything you can dream up.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jacobson (Small as an Elephant) creates a well-paced blend of mystery and romantic idealism set in mid-coast Maine. Inspired by her collection of self-improvement quotations, 12-year-old narrator Peyton Campbell has plans for her summer all laid out, including trying to find someone who matches her list of "The Top Ten Musts for the Perfect Guy." But the summer changes when, cycling to her best friend's house, Peyton spots an unconscious hit-and-run victim around her age and calls 911, then learns that the boy, Gray Olsen, is in a coma. Even before Gray's mother offers Peyton a job watching over him when she can't be at the hospital, Peyton becomes certain that she and Gray are destined to be together romantically, and determines to find the person who hit him, despite her divorced parents' disapproval. Subplots involving Peyton's fears that she's losing her best friend, her suspicions about a boy she meets at the hospital, and increasing pressures to end her obsession with Gray's situation add tension to the story. If the conclusion is perhaps a bit tidy, Peyton emerges as a realistically flawed heroine who learns that well-laid plans don't always work and truth isn't always the way one person sees it. Characters default to white. Ages 10–14.
