Review: Clutch (Custom Culture #2) by Tess Oliver

Synopsis: When Taylor Flinn’s parents shipped her off to an aunt for her last year of high school, James “Clutch” Mason had convinced himself it was for the best. Taylor, the wild, impulsive and far-too-appealing seventeen-year-old had been driving him nuts. Her school girl crush on him had been the last thing he needed. Now he had time to concentrate on his booming classic car part business, his new found love-- drag racing, and keeping his twenty-year-old brother Barrett out of trouble.

But when Taylor returns from her aunt’s more grown up, utterly seductive, and attached to another guy, Clutch realizes that the only thing he ever needed or wanted was Taylor Flinn.

4 Stars

Review: I really wanted to like this story more than I did. From the first book, I really loved these guys - Clutch, Nix and Dray, and now, we also get Clutch's brother, Barrett. I still like the guys - they have a tight knit group, and they keep their friendships, even as each of them is falling in love and finding a girl. I knew from the first book that Clutch's story would include Taylor, an 18 year old, still in high school girl that has been following him around for two years. As far as I can tell, these guys are in their mid-20's, and I certainly do get the appeal of an 18 year old girl to a 20 something guy, but Taylor was just really immature. 

Don't get me wrong - I like Taylor. She is spunky, wild and crazy, but she is also crying out for her parents to accept her the way that she is, rather than try to make her the way that they are. Her older brother is the same way and continues to try to make her act a certain way. Meanwhile, her family also seems to have a problem with her crush on Clutch, and they've tried everything to keep her away from him, even sending her to live with an aunt in a different state for a few months. This part of the story didn't quite make a lot of sense to me because Taylor's older brother, Jason, seems to think of and accept Clutch not only as his business partner, but also his best friend, and yet, both he and his parents also don't find Clutch to be the right kind of person - the whole "other side of the tracks" argument. I guess it just didn't feel consistent, especially for Jason, the brother. I get why the parents might say one thing and act out another, but the Jason part didn't seem as tightly thought out. 

And finally, Clutch does seem to admit to himself and others that he likes Taylor, but then she starts acting like...you guessed it...an 18 year old girl throwing a tantrum. I really couldn't see why he felt a connection to her at that point, but he did. By the end of the book, she seems to slowly be settling down, but I am definitely interested in seeing if their relationship makes it. These guys have a gift for screwing up but their ladies seem to love them anyway. I can't wait to check out Dray and Cassie's story next. 

Jessica