Such a Rush

The marketing tag line for Jennifer Echols’ new novel is “A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.” There are quite a few teenage girls who will fall for that one!

I am going to throw up my hands and admit that I’m not sure whether this should be considered a YA or an adult novel. (Thank goodness we’re not predicting awards on this blog, or I’d be in trouble.) It is published by Gallery, an adult imprint of Simon & Schuster, but Echols herself seems to consider it YA. In any case, it has sure appeal, and you can give it a try for free on Scribd.

ECHOLS, Jennifer. Such a Rush. 320p. Gallery. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4516-5801-9. LC 2012004100.  

Adult/High School–To the rich girls at her high school, Leah Jones is the trashy kid who lives in a trailer park. And, indeed, Leah is shacking up with a local party animal while her mother is preoccupied with skuzzy boyfriends. But Leah has a truer persona that few know exist: She flies airplanes. Due to the paternal kindness of Mr. Hall, proprietor of Hall’s Aviation, Leah has moved from working in the office of the tiny airport next to the trailer park to flying small plans. But then Mr. Hall dies unexpectedly, and his 18 year-old sons appear on the scene to take over the business. Alec is the nice one, the amiable good boy with a fresh, open-faced handsomeness. Grayson is his twin’s counterpart: moody, risk-taking, perpetually ready to explode with suppressed emotion. Leah wishes that she were attracted to Alec, especially after Grayson offers her a flying job in exchange for seducing his brother, for reasons he will not reveal. But, Alec is not the twin that Leah wants. Echols has proven that she is adept at literary romance, with nearly a dozen romance novels for young adults to her credit. She doesn’t fail readers here. Although there are many aspects to Leah’s story–flying, poverty, high school drama, and the South Carolina beach town setting–it’s the smoldering romance between Leah and Grayson that keeps readers hooked. Recommend to fans of Susane Colasanti, Melissa Kantor, or similar authors with a flair for combining romance, drama, and a light dose of comedy.–Diane Colson, Palm Harbor Library, FL

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