Crash Into Me: A Novel
National USA Today Bestseller!
“Glittery and sensuous.” —TIME magazine (A Most Anticipated Book of 2026)
In a keenly observed departure from her blockbuster debut, The Idea of You, Robinne Lee delivers a completely new, fearlessly intimate novel of messy, complicated relationships—one that delves into desire, race, power, and the shifting terrain of identity and selfhood.
What happens when a fantasy from your past collides with your reality?
In a complicated marriage and raising her children in Los Angeles’s toxic playground of privilege and power, Cecilia Chen is struggling to find her real self among the many labels assigned to her: wife, mother, artist, daughter.
Until the moment she crashes–literally–into the Anouk Ferrand. It’s been twenty years since she last encountered the enigmatic model on a photo shoot in Mexico.
And it’s this chance second meeting that will upend Cecilia’s life.
Seeing Anouk again forces Cecilia to revisit their brief time together and question where she truly fits in. Can the renewed intensity of her explosive physical and emotional entanglement with Anouk finally give her an answer?
Heartbreakingly real and emotionally layered, Crash Into Me illuminates the unexpected detours that change our lives forever.
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Community Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley, Robinne Lee, and the publisher for providing me with an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me. I never fully connected with the characters or became invested in what was happening, which made it difficult to stay engaged. I kept hoping the story would pull me in, but it never quite did. While I can appreciate what the author was trying to do, this book and I just weren’t the right match.
Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me. I never fully connected with the characters or became invested in what was happening, which made it difficult to stay engaged. I kept hoping the story would pull me in, but it never quite did. While I can appreciate what the author was trying to do, this book and I just weren’t the right match.
As a long time fan of The Idea of You (OG Hayesolnut since 2018 👋) I could not wait to read Robinne's next book.
Crash Into Me has some similarities to TIOY in that the lead is a successful woman in the art world who has made a name for herself in a field traditionally dominated by men. But, there are many differences as well, such as the exploration of a sapphic romance and experiencing the life of a woman of color as told through a dual timeline.
Crash Into Me did not utterly shatter my heart like TIOY, but it did evoke a gamut of emotional responses that were deeply impactful.
Many thanks to Edelweiss and St. Martin's Press for the digital Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
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