Review: Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Such a Rush

by Jennifer Echols

July 10, 2012

325 pages

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Goodreads Summary:

A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers. When I was fourteen, I made a decision. If I was doomed to live in a trailer park next to an airport, I could complain about the smell of the jet fuel like my mom, I could drink myself to death over the noise like everybody else, or I could learn to fly.

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip.

But there’s one way Leah can escape reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping out over the sea is a rush greater than anything she’s ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true... but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they’re determined to keep the banner planes flying.

Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business—until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers—and the consequences could be deadly.

Review

I was a little skeptical of this book at first because of the mixed reviews but decided to read it since it had an interesting premise. It did not disappoint and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!

I love Leah! Even though her life was not the most ideal, in fact, it's pretty rock bottom, she protects herself and doesn't let anyone get to her. She knows what she wants (Grayson and becoming a real pilot), she's ambitious and I admire her tenacity. When she shared her story and feelings with Molly, Alec and Grayson at the restaurant, I was surprised. Leah is a character that has depth and I began to respect her the more I got to know her.

Grayson is definitely dreamy but also a huge a**hole. I couldn't believe that after he and Leah kissed, confessed their feelings for each other and even slept together, he wanted her to keep seducing Alec. Three separate times!! I did feel bad for him for having to live with the regrets that he didn't treasure his time with his father and Jake more. I felt even sadder for him when his fear of losing Alec to the military led him to blackmail Leah into dating Alec, when he's liked her since the first time he saw her.

Thankfully this story did not evolve into a love triangle. Despite Grayson's blackmail, Leah had no doubt whatsoever that she liked Grayson, not Alec. I had a feeling that Molly knew the boy(s) and liked one of them but seeing as there was no greater commotion when the two sides met, I let my suspicions go. Well-played, Molly. However, throughout the book, I did suspect that Alec already knew about the seduction and was just playing along. This line of thoughts definitely peaked my curiosity to see how it would all go down in the end!

I was baffled at the way Leah's mom left. I mean, I get that she wasn't a big part of the book and it's only realistic that things like that happen but seriously wow. Compared to her, Mr. Hall's cheating past seems so tame.

The one problem I had with this book was that ending. After the truth blew up in all their faces, everything just magically became fine again when Leah successfully landed the busted crop duster (saving herself and Mark). She survived so Molly trusts her again, Alec forgave her and Grayson didn't want her to leave anymore. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love a HEA but that ending just seemed way too convenient.

Overall this was an enjoyable read with the right amount of mystery and tension to keep your butt on the edge of your seat and your heart pumping.