Crashing in Love

by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

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.

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Romance, Fiction, Childrens, Friendship, Contemporary

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 12, 2021

About the author

Jennifer has spent three decades writing award-winning fiction and nonfiction for children. Amongst her titles are picture books: THIS IS MY ROOM (NO TIGERS ALLOWED) and OH, CHICKADEE!; chapter books: Andy Shane series and Twig and Turtle series; middle grade novels: SMALL AS AN ELEPHANT, PAPER THINGS, THE DOLLAR KIDS, CRASHING IN LOVE; and young adult novels: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF WHY I HATE HER and STAINED. Her awards and honors include ALA Best Books For Young Adults, Publishers Weekly Best Books, NYPL Best Books for Teens, Parents Choice Gold Award, IRA Young Adult’s Choice, ILA Social Justice Award, NTCE Charlotte Huck Honorable Mention, Bank Street Best Books of the Year, and Junior Library Guild Selections as well as many state awards. She lives in mid-coast Maine with her husband.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peyton has a list. On that list are the qualities she would like to find in her first boyfriend. When she almost literally stumbles over a cute boy who has been injured in a hit-and-run, her romance meter goes on high alert. Her obsession with caring for the injured boy (Gray) reminded me of one of my favorite romcoms -- "While You Were Sleeping." While Gray is still asleep Peyton can construct a pretend scenario where they are a match. What will happen when/if he actually does wake up? Who was driving the car that hit Gray? Using the reporter instincts inherited from her mother, Peyton does a pretty good job hunting down clues. The mystery is solved, but not before Peyton learns a thing or two about choosing a boyfriend, being a good friend, and an even more serious topic--Alzheimer's. I could really relate to Peyton. She is on a continual self-improvement kick motivated by inspirational quotes. What she realizes, though, is that those quotes are not "one-size-fits-all" and her pursuit of excellence can easily become a fault-finding exercise affecting those around her.

Thank you to Candlewick and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What initially drew me to Crashing in Love was the cover and title. I don't see many books with a main character riding a bike and I was intrigued by the story premise. It reminded me a lot of a younger version of the movie While You Were Sleeping. Like Lucy in the movie, Peyton knows nothing about the unconscious person of her affection, yet instantly has a crush on this handsome boy. He even seems to fit her ideal boyfriend type, having all of the qualities on her wish list for a boyfriend. While visiting Gray at the hospital, Peyton meets Gray's mom and gets caught up with how she treats her as a young adult and how warm she is to her for caring about her son. Peyton spends time at the hospital talking to Gray while he's in a coma and eventually is hired by his mom to sit with him a few hours a week. While at the hospital Peyton sees a boy named Jax and starts to suspect he might've been involved, she even tries to get her mother to investigate, as she's a local journalist, but is disappointed when her mom tries to stop her from visiting Gray all together. As with While You Were Sleeping, when Gray wakes up from his coma, Peyton's view of him begins to change. Which seems natural because he was only an idea to her. Overall, Crashing in Love was an entertaining book and captured that teenage, angsty, obsessive desire to find a boyfriend, while also cautioning that sometimes it's better to really see what's around you instead. ** Paperback ARC provided by Raquel Stecher from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review**

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Three and a half stars***
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes middle graders just want to read an entertaining realistic fiction story and this is a good one. 12-year-old Peyton thinks this will be the perfect summer where she finds her perfect boyfriend, but everything changes when she finds a boy lying unconscious in the road who’s a victim of a hit-and-run. The story then follows Peyton as she feels responsible for finding the person who hit the boy and starts to believe he’s destined to be her boyfriend as she visits him while he’s in a coma. This story also does a great job of realistically portraying Peyton dealing with her parent’s divorce and friendship issues. I really liked how the story takes a turn to show how the way we can build someone up in our mind as “perfect” isn’t always the case and we need to stay true to ourselves for our happiness. I will definitely be purchasing this book for our middle school library.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun little read. Coming to it as a 27-year-old I really enjoyed analyzing the deeper human development and family science aspects of the book… How perfectionism affects adolescent girls’ development, how children interpret, cope with, and logistically live through divorce, the existence and influence of passive aggressive, controlling women in families, and the affect of Alzheimer’s on the individual, the family, and the community at large.

I personally don’t think I was near this boy-crazy at 12, and in my humble opinion no 12 year old needs a boyfriend, but it was still a cute read overall.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

The summer was supposed to be so different, but instead of Peyton and her best friend finding their perfect first boyfriends together and working together, Peyton's friend will be elsewhere.

Then Peyton discovers an unconscious boy lying on the road. She saves his life by alerting the authorities and she finds she has a curious attraction to the boy, Gray, lying in a coma in the hospital. Gray, Peyton decides, will be her perfect first boyfriend. And it will be she who discovers the identity of the person who hit him and fled the scene.

Crashing in Love is a surprisingly complex story of a girl sorting out her feelings about her parent's divorce, her precarious friendship with her BFF, and her quotes designed to keep her life safe from emotional disaster.

[Megann Goddard · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was just so slow and the ending was
terrible. had to read it for a school book club but of I didn't have to read it, I would have dnf'ed it. overall slow and boring, do not recommend!

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the start of summer vacation, Peyton is riding her bicycle when she notices someone lying in the road, unconscious. It turns out to be a boy her age, Gray, who has been the victim of a hit-and-run. Already a bit boy-crazy and determined to find a boyfriend, Peyton begins to romanticize what is going to happen when (and if) Gray wakes up. Since her mother is a journalist, and Gray's mother is grateful to her for finding her son, Peyton is able to manipulate things so that she gets to spend time with Gray in his hospital room, and she imagines that, one day, he will wake up and realize they are meant for each other. When she's not at the hospital, she's around town trying to find out who was driving the car that hit Gray, and dealing with tensions between her divorced parents and her paternal grandmother, who has very different ideas about how Peyton ought to spend her summer vacation.

This book has a little bit of everything: some romance, some family drama, and a real-life mystery to be solved. As an adult, it was hard not to feel frustrated with Peyton, but I definitely think girls in the tween age range will understand her motivations and even entertain their own hopes for Peyton and Gray's future together. Similarly, while I guessed who the hit-and-run driver was, I'm not sure that tween readers would figure it out quite so early on, especially if they are invested in other aspects of the book. I was definitely reading the book with the goal of figuring it out, and I think that probably colored my reading experience.

The relationships throughout this book feel very true-to-life. Though it was upsetting to read the scenes in which Grana gave Peyton a hard time, her grandmother felt like a believable human being, and Peyton's strained connection with her best friend, Mari, also perfectly captures the tumultuous changes friendships often undergo during middle school summers.

I read this book for my own enjoyment because it's not the kind of thing my kids will be ready for or interested in for a long time. It was a pleasant read for me, and though summer is over, I think it's still worth picking up for girls who like romance but want a story of a bit more substance with some higher stakes.

Candlewick Press provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might think this is simply a MG book about first crushes, which it is, but it’s so much more. It’s about striving for perfection, best friend woes, struggling with divorced parents who have shared custody and an absorbing mystery. Peyton’s parents divorced two years ago. Since that fateful day when she heard the news, she’s worked to be the best person she could be. Her walls are covered with motivational quotes and she doesn’t hesitate to give advice (even if it isn’t welcome) to her best friend or her sisters.

Since Peyton works so hard to make certain she is perfect, she has decided this summer is also going to be perfect. She and her best friend are going to get a job folding towels at the local resort, find their first boyfriends and maybe even get their first kiss. This all suddenly changes, though, when Mari leaves town to live with her aunt for the summer, leaving Peyton alone with only her list of what makes the perfect boyfriend to keep her company. What she doesn’t know, though, is her summer will be filled with trying to find a hit and run driver who left a twelve year old boy (a very cute boy, by the way - would he have all the traits of her perfect boyfriend?!) in a coma and Peyton would become his daily companion.

I had so much fun reading this story! It includes lots of MG angst, but it’s also such a great mystery. It’s available today! Many thanks to @candlewickpublishing for sharing a review copy.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another disappointing book from Jennifer Richard Jacobson, on par with The Dollar Kids. Neither of these books have the character development and thematic depth of her earlier books, Small as an Elephant and Paper Things.

Peyton lives in a small, coastal Maine community where everyone knows each other. Out one morning on an early bike ride, she discovers a pile of clothes in the middle of the road. She almost ignores it, but on closer inspection, she realizes it's the victim of a hit and run. She calls 911.

Peyton's mom, an investigative journalist, heads straight to the hospital to interview anyone who knows anything. Peyton tags along and sees the boy, Gray Olsen, in a coma. She's convinced this boy is part of her destiny. She's compelled to solve the case, so she begins her own investigation. She visits the hospital so much that Gray's mom offers her a job sitting with Gray every day when she can't be there.

There were things to enjoy. I liked Peyton's independence, biking around town to investigate, and looking for suspicious people. But there were some things off about her personality. Getting a crush on this boy for no good reason, other than saving his life, is unrealistic. Obsessively visiting him, again, a bit extreme. Being a kid who has a cache of memorized quotes from famous people is rare.

And there are irrelevant subplots that distract from the main story. For example, there was frequent texting interruption with a friend Peyton thinks is avoiding her. These friend woes add nothing to the story. Peyton's parents are divorced and this plays prominently into the story. She goes back and forth between both parents, trying to walk a fine line, in some ways living a dual life. Again, it's an intrusion into the full development of the main story. It's probably the reason the two books mentioned earlier were so much better in comparison. Less equals more. Keeping the characters and plots to a minimum allows for a more tightly woven story, which is much more impressive and enjoyable to read.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. Twelve year old Peyton is disappointed that her best friend’s away for the summer, but when Peyton discovers the victim of a hit and run in the middle of the road, she suddenly has plenty to keep her occupied including a mystery to solve and a potential romance if ever the boy wakes up from his coma.

I definitely would have preferred it if the driving force for Peyton solving the mystery had been an ambition to become a detective or a journalist like her mom rather than her determination to land a boyfriend. I did ultimately like how her boyfriend quest turned out, it’s just at twelve years old to be that consumed with having a love interest it wasn’t my favorite though I could certainly see young romantics who actually are the target age for this middle-grade appreciating that aspect of the story more than I did.

While I figured out the who-done-it well before the reveal again I’m not sure that will be an issue for those who are actually the target age for this. I didn’t really think of it as much of an issue either, even though I knew what was coming it was entertaining and realistic to see Peyton take some wrong turns and gradually put the puzzle together.

This book really worked best for me in the scenes that involved Peyton’s family, showing how they’re moving on after a divorce, how it feels to be shuttled between two homes, Peyton developing a better understanding of her mom over the course of the novel and a bonding moment with her oldest sister. I liked that every member of the family including the grandmother had their flaws, imperfections always make characters seem more life-like.


I received this ARC through a giveaway.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Peyton Campbell knows her summer will be different this year. Her best friend, Mari is staying with her grandma and won't be around. Yet, Peyton is in for a big surprise when she finds an injured boy on the road, apparently the victim of a hit-and-run. She calls 911 and waits until they arrive. Peyton decides this is fate.

She vows (to herself) that she will find the driver. Her mom, a reporter, is none too pleased that Peyton is sticking her nose in other people's business to get to the bottom of the mystery. And, all the while she feels a pull to Gray's hospital bedside. She befriends Gray's parents and tries to help pull him out of the coma.

Of course, Peyton jumps to conclusions when the facts don't line up and these assumptions get her in hot water. Alienating her best friend with self-centered texts and disobeying her mom gets her in trouble. When the truth finally comes out, Peyton is in for a shock.

Crashing in Love is a heart-warming middle grade novel about friendship, loyalty, and family. Fate shows Peyton that what is truly important doesn't necessarily come in the package you hoped it would.

Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers, Candlewick Press, and Jennifer Richard Jacobsen for this ARC.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a tween romance, at least according to twelve-year-old Peyton (with her own 'boyfriend list") whose summer appeared to be lost when her best friend leaves to spend the summer helping a family member with young kids. However, she both becomes a heroine and a detective after rescuing a hit-and-run victim who she hopes will be her summer boyfriend. She and that best friend had planned to have their first one this summer. After that rescue, as Jennifer Richard Jacobson lets Peyton tell her story, things turn from romance to mystery. She lives in Mussel Cove, a coastal Maine town, and makes quite a few assumptions as days pass. Her search shows changes in her ideas of how to live her life, the one she wants to live perfectly. She even has numerous quotes on her bedroom wall that guide her. There are family conflicts from a parents' divorce, a grandmother who was thought loving, but realized she was also rather controlling. It's a mixed-up world for Peyton with no one perfect answer. At one point, toward the end, readers might learn from her own summer's "education". It feels authentic to read from this tween's POV. How do they grow up? By experiencing love and loss, just what happened to Peyton.
Thanks to Candlewick Press for the advanced copy!

[Laura Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peyton is disappointed in her summer so far. Instead of spending the summer working a first job with her best friend and looking for romance, she’s bored. Her best friend is with family in Gloucester and not texting as often as Peyton expects. Her divorced parents get along fine, but her dad’s mom, her Grana, always wants Peyton to spend more time at their farmhouse. Then one morning on a bike ride she finds a boy in the middle of the road, a victim of a hit and run! Peyton’s mom, a local newspaper reporter, tells her to not get too involved, but she can’t help it. Soon Peyton is investigating the crime on her own, spending time with the boy (Gray - he’s in a coma) and his mother in the hospital, and imagining the two of them as destined to fall in love. The biggest star in this book is the setting, a small oceanside town in Maine. I could almost smell the salt in the air! Can Peyton discover who hit Gray, get him to wake up, and get her happily ever after?

All that said….

Honestly, I wasn’t all that invested in the story, which is a first for me for books by this author. I was surprised that feelings about her parents’ divorce and her crumbling friendship weren’t explored beyond surface level. The conclusion wasn’t as momentous as I expected.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

On an early morning bike ride, 12yo Peyton comes across a boy on the road. He has been hit and the driver left the scene of the accident. Peyton calls 911, and he is taken to the hospital. She is hoping to find a boyfriend this year, and she's looking for the perfect one. Gray - the boy involved in the accident - might be perfect - but he's unconscious. Peyton hopes that if she hangs around the hospital enough, she'll be there when he wakes up, or maybe she can figure out who hit him. Somehow, she's sure, he'll open his eyes and see her and *boyfriend*!

A cute romance (rather one-sided I guess) with a good amount of other drama as well. Her parents are divorced and she is choosing to stay in town rather than help on her grandma's farm, there are some friend issues, as well as "honesty" issues between Peyton and her mom. While the story contains a mystery, Peyton's hope for this boyfriend was the main story. A cute lite romance for 6th or 7th graders.

Cross posted to http://kissthebook.blogspot.com

[I Trump · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was cute and sweet, but at the same time picked up on some important themes. I appreciated how the main character, Peyton, had some up with her ways of coping with her parents' divorce. Then she had to rethink how that impacted her worldview and her relationship with her friends. For a story that dealt with a coma, some challenging family dynamics, and friendship angst, I was surprised how light the story felt. Peyton's voice rings true to the age and is likable. I love all the details of small-town life in Maine. I want to say more, but I don't want to make any spoilers.

[WKPL Children's/YA Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Lori read this book, thinking it would be a cute little middle grade romance story. WRONG! This story came at several tween issues from a different angle. A young girl going through normal adolescent problems dealing with divorce (choosing 1 side over another), trying to be a "perfect" person/friend, having a boyfriend, etc. All this stems from her finding a young man in the middle of the road, struck by a car, and injured. She believes he may be her destiny and her story unfolds from there.

I give this 4.5 stars. Great Middle Grade read!

[Tina Hoggatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet read. Peyton is riding her bike when she discovers an unconscious boy, the victim of a hit and run. And so her summer shapes itself around his recovery from a coma, while she sorts through unexpected challenges with her best friend, and the continuing fallout from her parents' divorce. The list of attributes for the perfect boyfriend, one among many aspirational notes she creates for herself, offers her stepping stones of reflection. Nothing comes out as she expected in the end but it never quite does, does it?

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Peyton discovers a boy lying unconscious in the middle of the road, her first thought is to find the person responsible for the hit-and-run. But when her friend Mari plants a seed in her mind that he could be the summer boyfriend she was hoping for -- or even her destiny! -- the idea takes root.
Part mystery, part first-crush romance, this is a fun, layered MG if you or your middle school reader are looking for an engaging summer read!

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read my full review at https://www.storybookem.com/post/book...
My official rating is 6 out of 10 boyfriend lists

A love story I can get behind. In the end, it's as much about finding a boyfriend, but loving yourself.

[Kim Piddington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced plot. Endearing main character. Serious subject matter handled in a light-hearted way.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cute! I liked how the little love interest was not as she expected.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look out here come Peyton she is hoping to have the best summer with her friend. But her friend moves away for the summer. So how is Peyton going to have the best summer ever without her?

[Courtenay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Tara Mickela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything I read of hers will inevitably be compared to Small As An Elephant and this doesn’t gold a candle. Kept waiting for the meaty part that would make the fluff worth it. Not sure I found it.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable but cute. Would be great for 5-8 graders who want a PG love story.

[Heather Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute book especially for pre-teens/teens. Great quick read. I was connected to the characters, storyline. Reminded me a little bit about “while you were sleeping” movie.

[Latte Hawthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4 1/4 or 4 1/2 out of 5

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great and I will be reading it again as soon as I'm ready.