Tour Review: Collision by Stefne Miller

Collision by Stefne Miller
Published: March 27th, 2012
Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 333 pages
Source: Author (Thank You!)
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Seven minutes inside a hotel room with a complete stranger. A friendly greeting where we pretend to know each other well and are genuinely happy to see each other; then straight to business. None of it meaningful. None of it real. All of it rehearsed, choreographed, and expected.

My life isn’t my own anymore. I pretty much go wherever I’m told and put on the show. It’s my life and whether I chose it or not, it’s the life I’ve got. It’s the world I live in.

And, I’m searching. Always searching… I just don’t know what for.
---

Cab Stone has it all—fame, fortune and the adoration of millions of women across the globe. When the constant attention from fans and expectations from his handlers becomes too much, he escapes the craziness of press junkets and movie sets and escapes to Asheville, North Carolina to hide away for the summer.

He expects peace, quiet, and solitude. What he doesn’t expect is to meet a fiery redhead who changes everything he knows about the world.

The daughter of missionaries, Kei Sallee lives a life of service to others. She has little, expects less, and helps heal the hearts of thousands in Uganda, where she grew up. When she finds herself staying in the same guesthouse as Cab Stone, she vows to ignore his Greek god good looks and spend the summer as she had planned—in peace, quiet, and solitude.

Cab and Kei’s lives couldn’t be more different…or more the same.

Despite, or perhaps because of, their vastly different yet startlingly similar backgrounds, Cab and Kei strike up an unlikely friendship that could possibly blossom into something more. But Kei fears that the truth about her past will prevent pretty-boy Cab, who is used to getting everything he wants, from fully committing to her.

When two completely different worlds experience a Collision, can they exist as one?

Review:

This book is so incredibly emotional. Kei and Cab could not be more different but when they meet, they form a special bond that is unbreakable. 

Kei has given entire life to serve others. She works each day helping people in Uganda and her outlook on life is positive even though she sees so much heartbreak. Kei was a ball of sunshine and it was refreshing to meet a character who was truly unselfish. But, at the same time, Kei was passionate and a bit stubborn. She knew what she wanted and she always held her ground, even when faced with Cab. 

Cab is a movie star and he is used to a life of luxury. When he meets Kei he is shocked at the stories she tells him and about her general attitude towards life. She teaches him so much and fills a part of him that had been empty. Cab may have had enormous popularity but he was definitely missing love and affection. Their connection starts slowly and Cab really has to get out of his comfort zone in order to make Kei believe he is serious about her and his goal to help children in Uganda. 

Although it seemed like the world was stacked against them, somehow they come together on a few similarities and each person gets a taste of what the other goes through. At first I was skeptical of Cab and worried he would just be full of himself, but that wasn't true at all. I adored him! His personality was so well developed and I honestly felt the passion and sincerity he felt for Kei and the children he saw in Uganda. I found myself smiling each time he was overcome with joy at seeing the kids. I actually liked him better than Kei. Not that she wasn't great, but little things about her just annoyed me a bit after a while. Maybe I just felt she was too judgmental towards Cab and she put him in a certain stereotype that made it difficult for him to get out of, even after he had proven himself to her several times. 

The only other downside of this book to me was the ending. I wasn't happy about it. Can't really say more because I don't want to spoil it. But Stefne's ability to truly showcase characters and a fascinating plot blew me away. I could see each thing she described and was so touched by the characters we meet along the way. Their stories were heartbreaking but so realistic for what many kids go through in that area of the world. 

Collision was an incredible book full of heartwarming moments and a few tears. There is no way someone could read this book and not be touched by it. 

Recommended: Someone looking for an emotional read with 2 great main characters and a little romance.

 Website     |      Goodreads      |      Twitter

 Amazon      |      Barnes & Noble      |      The Book Depository