Another amazing story from one of my favorite authors! Laurie Boyle Crompton has a gift for creating strong female characters, realistic and relatable relationships and swift story-lines...

Dyna is an adrenaline junkie - without a second thought, Dyna throws herself into the most life-threatening adventures you can ever think of. It's in her blood; her parents are hippie-like seize-the-day on-the-whim, and her brother is an avid mountain biker and sky-diver. Dyna loves nature and all the hidden thrills in it and beyond... until one day, while on a personal dare and mischievous high, while flirting with a cute boy from school that she found on the bike trail, she miscalculates her latest show-off adventure and suffers a tragic fall.
During the tragedy and while in the hospital, there is an instant connection between Dyna and her flirt from the tail, also her rescuer, Jay. Jay is exactly who Dyna needs right now to keep her grounded and safe. They click together; Dyna needs someone who is grounded and likes to play by the rules. Dyna depends on him to help her stay calm, focused and out of trouble. Because of Dyna's injuries and traumatic experience, Dyna's mother has decided that she cannot go back to school - she will be home schooled so she can concentrate on healing. However, due to her mother's unconventional ways, the rehab center a sort of new age wellness center that will not only focus on helping her heal physically, but mentally as well, by attending group sessions with other who have also had traumatic accidents that have left them with fears and doubts. And this is where Dyna meets Pierce.
Pierce is unlike any other person Dyna has met. Inspite of the ghosts that haunt him, he emits a carefree way of being - he remains strong and dependable. Yet, we catch brief moments of Pierce's vulnerability and wariness. His struggles are real, and heartwrenching. Dyna can't help herself, she is pulled to him for so many reasons.
Now Dyna's biggest struggle is with herself - will she stay safely grounded and never attempt fate again? Or will she allow herself to comes natural to her and find a way to seize the moment and live up to her family's motto again?

Although the book is extremely short and a really quick read, the author is able to give us Dyna's whole story without missing out on any important details. The beginning of the story, we see Dyna on a bike racing through the woods without a care in the world - the woods is all hers to rule and there is nothing that will keep her away from it. Nothing that will take her away from the thrill of being out there and seizing every opportunity to feel that adrenaline rush. I was able to feel that rush! I was nervous for her - worried, scared. With every dare that she took, every little dangerous move that she made and her unforgettable accident was heart stopping - I felt it and lived it with her.
Also, the relationships between all the characters, especially between Dyna and her family members, were so spot on and believable. And the way that Dyna was torn between Jay her protector versus Pierce her antagonist - it was amazing to me how different Jay and Pierce are, and how Dyna was able to relate to both and find strength within both relationships. And all that without the typical love-triangle that everyone seems to cringe upon. This was really well developed and all was accomplished in less than 200 pages.

I highly recommend this quick page-turner to all contemporary lovers (especially to those who like Trish Doller's writing) and adrenaline junkies! This is definitely one book not to miss out on!

*An ARC was sent to me by the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. ( )

I wanted to read Adrenaline Crush because I am drawn to books about injuries or illnesses, so when I saw that she was slowed down by the pretty serious ankle injury it peaked my interest... And then mentioning the war vet, it sealed the deal. I like to read about men in uniform esp the younger ones, they bring a unique perspective and I have all respect for the military heroes.

I liked Dyna, and although I am certainly not a daredevil nor do I enjoy high adrenaline things like biking and rock climbing. She is a big risk taker and she loves the natural high from pushing herself and being outdoors. Personally I would almost always rather be inside curled up with a book, its nice to hear from the other camp of girls. She goes through a big trauma and injury and through these things we get to see her grow and overcome fears.

It was a fast read and I read it in a few sittings. It kept my attention but the romance was a bit problematic. Slight spoiler... There is one boy, very much a protector and he is with her after she races him on bikes and then she shows him her secret swimming hole. After she pushes beyond what even she normally does at this location, Jay is there and he pulls her from the water and is with her to the hospital. They form a friendship and then relationship pretty quickly when he comes around to the house and with her for her recovery. And I liked him, he was a nice guy, smart and funny. But I knew from the synopsis he's not the vet, so I didn't let myself get attached to him even though he's such a great guy. But he doesn't challenge the part of her that is wild and wants to be outdoors. And of course that turns into a problem.

And then there is Pierce. Dyna meets him during therapy, where they open up and talk during the first part, a talk therapy type thing, and then they do the physical therapy the last part. The group is very diverse and there are all sorts of reasons for the members to be there. They all learn from each other, and help each other face their fears and overcome injury by doing assignments, developed to help them face whatever it was to get them into therapy. I liked this aspect because we have people from all walks of life, all different personalities, but they are brought together because some part of their body isn't working right.

But back to Pierce. He is intense and he pushes himself. He offers quiet advice and for Dyna, she has someone to help her get back, to go just a bit further through the pain. And ultimately he helped her realize what she was holding back and missing from her life. So, there is some cheating in this one. And that made me mad because even though I felt the chemistry and saw how good they could be together, there is above mentioned boyfriend. I guess it serves to add the extra tension, but I wish it could have just been Pierce instead of the love triangle. I also wanted to pull for Pierce because that interest and chemistry grew over a bit more time than her and Jay. But I guess I was warned in the summary that it was going to be chosing between two boys, I just hate when one never really seems to have a fair shot. And also, I know that him saving her made a huge impact on the speed in which they connected and started dating, but it did feel like it was a bit of insta-love since they hadn't really talked much before then.

I liked the family aspect as well. Both of her parents were present in her life. They weren't cookie cutter parents though, which was nice. They rode harleys and her dad is a tattoo artist. I like that they are tough but they are also present and involved in their kids lives. Her brother Harley also provides another secondary character arch that I enjoyed seeing him realize his own dreams and potential even if that didn't come right out of high school.

It was good overall and I liked the growth of Dyna, as well as the chemistry between her and Pierce.

Bottom Line: Fast paced and fun to read. ( )