Review Detail

So, I wasn't the hugest fan of Love Story, which is the only other Echols' book I've read. It was enjoyable, but I wasn't blown away the way everyone else was. But Such a Rush? Consider me blown to China.

Leah was different from other protagonists I usually read. She was smart and strong and fiercely independent. She learned early on to take care of herself, no matter where she was. Leah was also pretty confident in who she was, despite what other people thought of her (which I'll get to). I liked her determination and her spunk.

The romance in this book was very A Midsummer's Night-esque. All of the confusion and all of the difficulties and as that's the one Shakespeare play I've thoroughly enjoyed, I liked seeing it here too. No, this isn't a retelling, but it just kind of gives you a good comparison on the craziness. This book is much darker, not as fun, though it certainly has it's moments.

I loved how this book tackled bullying and some semi-slut shaming. Because Leah lives in a trailer park and a lot of boys are attracted to her and she dresses a certain way, she's a slut. Really it's a lack of funds and her just being an attractive person. Instead of shying away from that, she embraces what they believe is her reputation. She doesn't actually sleep around a lot, but she lets everyone thinks she does. She ignores the worst of her bullies and lives her life how she wants to, not caring how others may judge her. It was a good look at the problem and some of the background you don't really know unless you're close to the person you're calling...any name, really.

I also adored the different relationships developed in this book. There were a lot of people who were important to the story, even if they weren't there, and their relationships with Leah and the Hall brothers were all necessary and interesting and formative. There were a lot of different types of relationships looked at, as well.

Also, the ending? May have been one of the cutest things ever.

Basically, this book made me want more like it and while Echols' other books don't really sound like my things...I think it's now inevitable that I will read them someday. So if you're on the fence about her books like I was, I'd say start with this one.