One girl who longs to be herself and break free. 

One boy who has lived a hard life. 

One night they cross paths and have to save each other. 

They found a connection, but trouble is following them. 

I've loved Isaiah since we met him in Pushing the Limits. He was always so protective and loyal to his friends Noah and Beth. He watched his best friend Noah fall hard for Echo. He went through heartbreak when Beth rejected his love and fell for Ryan in Dare to You. But now Isaiah has found a new girl who has intrigued him and needs his protection. He finds himself entranced by a girl who is not from his world. But she accepts him as he is. And even though she lives in a wealthy neighborhood and has a large family and stable home it is not all sunshine and rainbows for her either. 

My entire life is one long thick rope full of knots and kinks where people have twisted me inside and out. Nothing about me is solid or study. I'm frayed and tattered. "I'm no good, Rachel."

Isaiah is at a crossroads in his life. He is trying to find his way out of his tragic past and the life he was forced to lead. He is trying to be a good person and help someone in need. But it just keeps spiraling out of control and becoming more serious and dangerous. But Isaiah has such a protective, loving, loyal nature. He feels deeply, although he puts on a tough macho front. His relationship with Rachel was tender and sweet. He did not think he was good enough, but she never made him feel unworthy. Rachel does what everyone expects of her even to her detriment. Until Isaiah shows her she can be her true self. But she has secrets, feels weak, and misunderstood by many of those close to her. But Isaiah and Rachel could really see each other and the person under the public facades. They complimented each other so well even though they seemed like they should be opposites. They also both shared a passion for cars, speed, and racing that tied them together even more. And got them into trouble. 

"When I'm with you, even my past seems like a bad dream."

"I don't know what love is or how it should feel, but I know that when I'm with you I like who I am, and that's never happened to me before. "

But as their lives are out of control, they fight to regain it...to stand up for themselves, for each other, and for their future. They support each other against terrible odds and their friends are there for them as well. The tension and danger kept building and it all came down to a pulse pounding climax. 

This story was tense, tragic, emotional, heartbreaking and inspiring. The connection between Rachel and Isaiah was profound and life changing for them both. And the love that Isaiah and his friends have for each other was deep and unyielding. Their lives were all intricately linked. They  protect each other and stand by each other. I love this series because the characters have flaws, issues, and imperfections, but they are very likable and endearing. They are well developed, their relationships are complex, and they all have obstacles to face. I loved getting both points of view. My heart broke at times for both Isaiah and Rachel. The story flowed well and had me invested in them from the start. I have to admit that somewhere towards the middle the story was getting a little tired with all of the car stuff, angst, and street stuff, but then it started to pick up again and she really brought it home. There were some plot twists and surprises. There were times I was clutching my kindle hard and holding my breath and a few times I wanted to smack someone over the head. The story lines in all of these books are raw, gritty, and desperate. Katie does not pull punches when it comes to the tragedies and difficult situations that these characters face. 

We got to see more of old friends like Noah, Echo, Beth, Ryan, Logan and met some new characters like Abby, Eric (the bad guy), Zach, and Rachel's brothers. Even though her family drove me crazy (like seriously annoyed the crap out of me and I wanted Rachel to just let them have it), I still liked her brothers West and Ethan. They were terribly overprotective, a little obnoxious, and pretty clueless about Rachel. But I still think they would make good male leads (West will be the lead in the next book Take Me On) and  I would like to see more with Abby, Ethan, and Logan as well. I am looking forward to more from this series and Katie McGarry.

Thanks to Katie McGarry, Harlequin Teen, and Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. Quotes are from arc copy and subject to change in the final draft.

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.