One thing I learned from this book is that I’ve definitely outgrown the whole toxic romance trope. It’s just so emotionally exhausting for me!! How am I supposed to enjoy reading about a relationship that does more harm than good — for both people involved?

The constant cycle of Thomas disrespecting Vanessa, lashing out at her, and then her crawling back because she “can’t stay away” left a bitter taste in my mouth. Honestly, aside from being super toxic and unpleasant, it was also just… boring. I mean, okay — Vanessa is a doormat and Thomas is a POS. Time to move on!

And to be frank, the whole plot feels like a mashup of the After series and the Culpable series. There’s literally nothing new here.

Also, this definitely didn’t need more than one part. If, by some miracle, the author had ended it with Vanessa finally kicking Thomas to the curb for good, that would’ve been amazing. That one change could’ve taken this book from one star to an easy 4. We could’ve broken the cycle. Literally.

I don’t think I’m adding much that other reviewers haven’t already said, but yeah — this one was a huge miss for me.
*I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This was an emotional, fast-paced read that pulled me in right from the start. The chemistry between the characters was intense, and I loved how their personal struggles were woven into the romance. Carrie Leighton really knows how to write tension — both emotional and romantic.

A few plot points felt a bit rushed, but overall it’s a gripping, heartfelt story that balances drama, passion, and healing really well. Definitely one to pick up if you love messy, complicated love stories with depth.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)
Collision delivers all the emotional chaos you’d expect from a bad-boy-meets-good-girl romance, complete with intense chemistry, toxic tension, and just enough vulnerability to keep you hooked. Vanessa is relatable in her search for a storybook love, and Thomas is every bit the brooding, tattooed heartbreaker you’d expect.

That said, the drama sometimes felt a bit over the top, and some parts dragged in places. Still, fans of messy, angsty romance with complicated leads will find something to enjoy.

Not a perfect read, but one that definitely sticks with you.

1 ★

This one was not for me.
The characters are supposed to be second-year college students, yet their way of acting is immature and toddler-like at best.
The fmc did not have a single critical thought throughout the entire book, and the mmc was a stereotypical “bad boy” with not one appealing quality.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

💥 BOOK REVIEW: Collision by Carrie Leighton
📚 Series: Better, Book 1
🌶️ Spice Level: High
💔 Emotional Chaos: OFF. THE. CHARTS.
🧨 Cliffhanger: Oh yes. And I need the next book like oxygen.

This book?? Wrecked me in the best possible way.

Vanessa is your rain-loving, book-devouring good girl—sweet, smart, and clinging to a relationship with Mr. Safe (aka Travis), who turns out to be more 🚩 than green.

Enter: Thomas Collins—tattooed, reckless, emotionally unavailable, and pure walking red flag energy. And yet??? I was immediately in a chokehold. 😮‍💨

Their chemistry is volatile. magnetic. addictive. They crash into each other like it’s destiny and destruction rolled into one. Thomas is the kind of broken boy who knows he’s going to ruin you...and does it anyway. And Vanessa? She knows better—but his darkness makes her feel alive, and she can’t stay away.

✨ “He’s a walking disaster, and I still want to be the girl who burns with him.”

There’s a lot of steam (🔥🔥🔥), a lot of emotional whiplash, and a whole mess of tension, angst, and late-night scenes that made me clutch my Kindle like it owed me something. Thomas calls her Nessa, and yeah… if you’re getting flashbacks to Twilight’s “Nessie,” you’re not alone—but don’t let that stop you from diving into this hot mess of passion and pain.

Vanessa’s growth—her journey from playing it safe to chasing something wild—is just beginning, and it’s not always easy to watch. But I couldn’t look away. It’s giving After vibes with more heart and sharper edges.

🎭 If you like your romances intense, your boys broken, and your love stories toxic but tantalizing, Collision will absolutely wreck your soul... and you'll thank it.

Screaming. Crying. Throwing my book. Waiting (impatiently) for book 2.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This book was definitely interesting and translated very well. The plot and characters were so unique and cool. My only concern was some references that I felt confused on since this is translated but overall this was a well written and unique!

...where do I start with this review... I started out with a LOT of hope for this book. I related to the main character, I liked the storyline... but quickly I felt something was off or different about this book. After coming to Goodreads for other reviews, I quickly learned that this book was not originally written in English. I feel like that this may be the cause for the strange writing. At times, I felt it was very juvenile in approach. For example, the main character always had snide/snippy thoughts about people that irritated her. I felt she had a lot of maturing to do as someone who was supposed to be a 20-year-old sophomore in college. It really felt like the author was someone in middle school/junior high writing about what they though college would be like.

All of that being said, I am very interested in Thomas. There is a good storyline here developing with him and I'm very curious about his past and to see if he can learn and heal from it. However, I won't be moving my other TBRs down a notch to read book 2 in this series. Not saying I won't complete the series but I don't see myself dropping other books for it.

*I was provided an ARC copy of this book via the publisher & NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*

This is a hard one to rate for me. While the angst and heat were five stars, my love/hate feelings for both MC’s brings it down. He was such a jerk, at times I wanted to stop reading. While they weren’t an official anything, he continues to ram through the females in college like the world is ending. She is so prude she makes a nun look fast. The way she talks. Upper crust and better than everybody, but I think it’s because she’s sheltered. And her constantly being offended by this or that really grated my nerves. But whatever it is that pulls these two together like magnets was hard to discount. We just don’t know the big secret he’s holding onto. I’m sure once we know, it’ll make sense why he is so cold and mean. By 90% when things weren’t close to being resolved I knew we had at least another book. Hard to tell because this was first published in other country before US, so I can’t read reviews or synopsis for book 2. But I’m there for it,,,, whenever that comes I’m there for it. Gotta know,

This was not the book for me. I did not enjoyed the story and I do not like the characters.
Please do not let my personal opinion stop you from reading this book. We may have different taste in books.

I’m not going to lie, as much as I enjoyed the novel, it frustrated me until the very end. The start of the novel felt like it focused more on little insignificant details rather than on the actual characters and on the build up of the storyline. I do think this novel had been translated to English and sometimes the translation ends up being wordier than it had been in the original language… so it is possible that it’s just because of how it was translated. But because the beginning felt like it was dragging on I found it hard to become invested in the storyline.

When the story started to pick up, I did become invested but I was still frustrated with both Thomas and Vanessa. Their chemistry was obviously there but they were constantly toxic for each other and every time they decided things were done they kept going back to each other. I spent 80% of my time reading this novel yelling at Vanessa for the decisions that she had made throughout the novel. She is very much aware of the fact that her relationship with Thomas is extremely toxic yet she kept going back to him even after Thomas told her that he couldn’t give her what she wanted and he was constantly hurting her.

I also did not enjoy the way the novel ended. I think that it was very abrupt and that it was missing some details. That being said, I need to know how Vanessa and Thomas’ story ends so I will be reading the second novel in the duet when it releases. Hopefully in the second novel things would get cleared up and the holes in the storyline would make more sense.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

tw: mentions of cheating, drug/alcohol use, violence

The story follows Vanessa Clark, a studious college student who seems like a total book nerd but is dating one of the popular guys Travis. At first Travis comes off as a good guy but as the story unfolds we realize he’s anything but. Meanwhile Vanessa finds herself drawn to the resident bad boy Thomas, cue the angst. There were moments when Vanessa’s cluelessness was hard to believe especially for a college student. And the nickname used for her immediately reminded me of Twilight and Nessie which kept pulling me out of the story. On the plus side there are plenty of steamy scenes and Vanessa’s journey of finding her voice adds depth, but she's still finding herself. Just a heads up this one ends on a cliffhanger. Perfect for fans of college romance.

A bad boy, good girl, college romance. Lots of push and pull with dramatic angst. Vanessa and Thomas both are exact opposites but attracted to each other. Vanessa's boyfriend was a cheat and liar idiot, who just wanted to control her. Then comes Thomas, tattooed bad boy personified and then the drama beings. A clasdic case of toxic relationship. It was an okay read, predictable, and like many others out there. It ends at a cliffhanger as it's part of the series. Recommended for fans of college romance and angst drama. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

Collision by Carrie Leighton is book 1 of a 2 book series.

Vanessa Clark, a college student navigating the college live when her parents go through a rough divorce. Thankfully she find comfort in the arms of Travis, a good guy that every mom loves.

Then she meets Thomas Collins in class.
Thomas is a bad boy in every sense of the word. Suddenly Vanessa isn't so sure of what she wants anymore, should she stay with Travis who's comfortable and perfect or gambles everything on Thomas and his wild ways?

Thank you to Carrie Leighton for partnering with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Mood: emotional whiplash (in a good way)

Vanessa is a high achieving romantic who does her best to uphold her image and avoid rocking the boat. Enter Thomas Collins, filthy-mouthed, arrogant, charming, seductive playboy with a secret past.

They are flawed and maddening, toxic but addicting. The tension, banter and snark are incredible. They drove me insane but I have not stopped thinking about them and will be waiting with bated breath for the next book in the Better series!!!

This captivating novel will resonate with readers who appreciate emotionally rich and intricate romances, where the characters and their relationships take center stage. It's a compelling exploration of the complexities of love, the profound ways it can mend and transform individuals, and the delicate balance between passionate desire and raw vulnerability.

Fans of character-driven narratives will be drawn to the nuanced portrayals and the emotional depth of the characters' journeys. The story delves into the challenges and triumphs of human connection, showcasing the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love to overcome past wounds and insecurities.

With its thought-provoking themes and emotionally resonant prose, this book is a must-read for those who crave stories that explore the depths of human emotion and the transformative power of love.

<b>Reading Collision by Carrie Leighton was like visiting my After series days. Damaged broken bad boy. Rule following good girl. And all the toxic mess. You can see the train wreck coming from miles away but you are still so into it that you cannot look away. And it's just the first book of the series.</b>

* new adult romance
* college romance
* bad boy- good girl
* angsty and dramatic

<b>Collision follows the life of Vanessa who is in the sophomore year of the college. She is the sweet and shy and nerdy girl who always follows the line. Enter Thomas Collins. The proverbial bad boy. Tattooed, sexy, c0cky, arrogant, dark, violent..and they have this weird push and pull from day one. Vanessa breaks up with her boyfriend for cheating on her but is Thomas the rebound?
As it's the first book, you will see only bits and pieces of Thomas. And all of us love a bad boy showing vulnerability for a good girl. But the thing is, you still don't see enough of that soft side. It almost feels like Vanessa is being stupid and impulsive by giving chance to someone toxic and crazy like Thomas and setting herself for heartbreak every single time. He doesn't want relationship but he wants Nessa. He believes that he is not good enough for her but cannot stay away. Nessa has a light in her compassionate fragile heart that soothes the pain but he is also unstable enough to hurt her heart. He brings out a wild explosive side in our sweet Nessa and she is addicted to that freedom. Like she knows Thormas is all wrong but he also feels so right. The twisted ways of claiming her. The insane possessiveness bordering on insanity. The glimpses of his broken pieces immediately making her want to heal her. But their emotions are all over places. And it's a giant mess. It's also very spicy and dirty and those scenes were scorching hot. We left them all broken..</b>

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

I enjoyed this book, I typically don't read romance books like this, and found that this might be a genre of romance that I enjoy. I think that the writing felt a little immature at times, and occasionally there were words used that left me scratching my head, like, who uses words like that at 19-20 years old? But that could be because the book was translated from Italian to English, and maybe it is just a translation issue and cultural differences in speaking.

I found the FMC, Vanessa (Aka Nessy, Aka Ness), to be somewhat annoying at times. She seemed young, but then again, she was 20 years old. It seemed like everything made her want to cry, and she was constantly turning her head so whoever she was having an issue with would see her wanting to cry. And if she wasn't crying, it seemed like she was always getting mad.

The MMC, Thomas, was unlikeable, but then likeable, and then unlikeable, and so on. He was just so mean sometimes to the FMC, but then the next day he was all nice again like nothing was wrong. And everything seemed to revolve around sex with him. The way he is written, it's like he is having sex with a different partner every night. But that being said, I was really curious how their story would end up.

I thought that I knew how the book would end, but I was at the 98% mark and things weren't coming together like I thought, I wondered if I was going to get my happy ending. The book ends on a cliffhanger, which is great, but will the next book ever be released in English? Will I ever know what happens with Vanessa and Thomas? What happens with Logan? Or Travis? Or Alex? Tiffany? I need answers!

I give this book 3 stars, it wasn't the best thing I ever read, but it held my attention and was easy and quick to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casblanca for the ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

Who the hell goes to the college wearing her pyjama top? Even if you are late? Hilarious! Actually I liked the plot but I didn’t like the way how the FMC was portrayed in this. It’s felt like almost a whinny character.

All the things about Thomas the MC annoyed me like yeah okay he’s a bad boy but even the bad boys in other romance has some kind of control( I mean the books I’ve read) so the relationship between Vanessa & Thomas was so toxic.

But I loved Alex and Tiffany. The only characters that I liked from the beginning even though they are side characters. I don’t want to say anything about the writing.

Thank you Sourcebooks and Netgalley for allowing me to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review! I definitely see a lot of potential here with the author but I found myself not being drawn to this book too much which was hard to finish.

The plot felt misleading in my opinion and just couldn’t really get into the characters unfortunately. Not every book is for everyone and that is totally ok! I will def consider this author in the future!

Unfortunately I had to DNF. The book was just not for me. I couldn't get into the characters or the plot of the book.
I won't review on socials or Goodreads.