Crush

Title:

Edited by Andrea N. Richesin

Twenty-six bestselling authors return to the teenage bedrooms, school hallways and college dorms of their youth to share passionate essays of love lost and found and lessons learned along the way. Whether heartbreaking or hilarious, their soul-baring honesty reminds us to keep reaching for true love wherever we can find it and for as long as it takes. Their intimate reflections will fascinate and move any reader who remembers her first love.

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While reading Crush:26 Real-Life Tales of First Love the anthology about crushes-obviously- edited by Andrea n. Richesin and filled up of stories by some amazing authors. I felt nostalgic for something that I feel like I have no right to feel nostalgic for. I make it quite plain all the time that I’m not a fan of the cheesy commercialize version of love. Or sappy Romantic Comedies were the girl always gets her guy or vice versa,I like love stories that have a twist maybe that why I enjoyed Crush so much.

I honestly don't believe I’ve ever been in love with anyone other then family or with friends where everything was completely platonic. While reading Crush I wished that I had though,throughout this book I kept thinking back to my previous crushes and smiling or most oftenly sighing at what could have happened if I wasn't so shy. The book is compromised of  essays/stories of authors first loves/crushes. Some were pretty interesting while others not so much. They all though are about sharing a personal story about a moment that changed them forever.

Some of the stories were sweet and fun as seen in Laured Oliver's story,then there was some slightly obsessive love for a celebrity “To Sir Anthony,With Love”and even some borderline obsessive stalkerish behavior in the “Uncle” Greg story by Heather Swain which made me laugh out loud the whole time. It also was interesting to see how the perspective of a story changed and how one moment meant two completely different things when retold.

 My favorite story would have to be “The Boy in the White VW Bug” which made me smile the whole time. Then there was When it was all Brand by Rebecca Walker her story was raw honest and compelling I thought about days after reading. Another story that I thought about days after and reread was “What I Kept” by Jacquelyn M told the story of a pure young love that I doubt is still in existence any more and that makes me sad because her story is heart-warming and I wish people where still like that. Each story deserves a different rating but as a whole Crush is wonderful and will fill you with nostalgia and longing for your first love/crush.5/5