Crossing the Line completely blew me away as a sequel to the success of In the Penalty Box. I felt an elevated talent of artistry and sophistication in the writing. The writing was truly beautiful and the story is one that I believe readers will return to again and again.

I applaud the authors the thoughtful approach to how to write about very real topics--high school is not as easy breezy as the movies make it out to be. The complexity of grief is overwhelming to any age and I felt that Rush and Blount emphasized how confusing grief really is with their teen characters, Grace and Ryan "Preach."

And wow, the female protagonist Grace? Between Willow from Rush and Blount's first book and now Grace in this one, I can confidently say that they write fierce, compassionate and strong women. The narrative of the woman always having to be rescued by the man is not something I seek out in writing. I value and absolutely adore strong female protagonists. And Grace is one of these protagonists.

Much praise for Crossing the Line!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book, provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved In the Penalty Box, and had zero clue that Lynn and Kelly were working on a companion for the character of Preach (real name Ryan), who is one of the best characters ever in teen lit, imo. This book hit me in the feels way more than I thought it would - the injuries Grace sustains in the accident are very close to the injuries I have from a horrific accident 16 years ago. The detail of which the authors REALLY researched and got everything right.

Ryan "Preach" Armstrong, faithful hockey phenom, is being a do-gooder and helping a friend in need. However, he's doing it after town curfew and ends up in an accident. Hitting a patch of black ice, he literally crashes into Grace Milner, who is in the road saving a dog. Now Preach's hockey future and Grace's Air Force future are both shattered, and they each blame the other.

Due to the curfew issue, both Preach and Grace are assigned community service together. But first, Preach spirals. Big time. He's no longer Good Guy Preach. As they slowly get to know each other, they work through their issues, and they realize they have more in common than they think. But will they be able to put aside their issues, hurt and blame to be together?

I felt all of Grace's meltdowns. I had them. Reading this was so real. So emotional. Watching both Preach and Grace lose what they thought their futures held was so sad. Watching them grieve and take it out on each other was heartbreaking. But seeing them figure out they are better helping each other was so sweet. When I was in high school there were no guys like Preach and Brodie, I'm telling you. haha!

I absolutely loved the first book in this world and it was exciting to be back in it. This story was way more emotional and you should probably bring a ton of tissues.
The MC's do a great job of showing what teens would actually feel like, emotionally and physically. The big feelings and the reactions. It felt real and I really wanted them both to pull through together.