Review: ADRENALINE CRUSH by Laurie Boyle Crompton

Dyna is a born daredevil, from an entire family of daredevils. Her older brother Harley is obsessed with skydiving, and her parents are hippie bikers. Her dad is even a famous tattoo-artist, and Dyna can’t wait to get her first tattoo — one to match her other family members’.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, September 2014.

Summer break is almost over and Dyna is biking out through the woods near her house when she runs into a cute, straight-laced boy from school.  Together, they end up at the swimhole — formerly a quarry — where Dyna finds herself climbing around the surrounding rocks. But things go wrong, and Dyna ends up in the hospital with a shattered ankle. She may never regain full use of that leg. But her new boyfriend stays by her side, and she feels safe and loved. However, her mom insists she start rehab at a local center that does both “inner” and “outer” recovery. As much as she hates the blah-blah-blah of therapy, she finds herself enjoying the company of her recovery group — especially a veteran who seems to enjoy her company as well.

Torn between the nice guy and the guy who understands her longing for adventure, Dyna has choices to make. Not to mention, that ankle of hers — will she ever climb again? Ride a bike? Run?  Her life has changed forever, and if she wants any control over it, she’s going to have to learn to take the reins.

Written with a strong sense of voice and tight prose, ADRENALINE CRUSH by Laurie Boyle Crompton is an absolute must for contemporary YA fans. While perhaps the material is not as intense as, say, SPEAK or WINTERGIRLS, Crompton‘s writing style is on par with Laurie Halse Anderson’s, with characters that shout from the pages and come to life. Don’t miss this exciting new book this fall — it’s a good one.