Crush

If you think that's a boy and a girl kissing on the cover of this book, think again. Your sexual stereotypes and innuendos are broken down, just a little, in this novella. It starts out with a very straight girl who has grown up in a hippy-convent family. She doesn't discover her likeness for the same sex until she travels to New York to live with her coke-head sister for the summer. She starts babysitting for a rich, lesbian couple, and therefore runs into a 'friend' who becomes not only her first same-sex crush, but also her first love. Did I mention they both have adorable, escape-artist dogs? It's not a complicated story by any means; but it's a cute, quick read of a first-time lesbian love tale.

Crush is a small peek into the life of Hope (or as her sister refers to her, Hopeless). Carrie Mac hits the mind of a confused teen dealing with a same-sex crush spot on. Hope's inner dialogue is real and touching. Although short (I read it in an hour), Crush offers comfort to all teens, gay and straight, during one of the most confusing times of their lives.

Reviewed by Gracie Fowler (age 14) for Reader Views (3/07) Crush is about seventeen-year-old Hope, who has been raised in a commune. She is being sent to live with her sister in New York City while her parents build a school in Thailand. Her sister, Joy, is less than thrilled to be hosting Hope. After spending all of her money on a vet visit for her Dog, Hope finds herself broke, but soon finds a job as a nanny for Maira, a woman she met on the plane to New York. When arriving at Maira's lavish house, Hope finds out something she wasn't expecting. Maira has a girlfriend, Larissa. Hope isn't too sure about working for a gay couple, but after the two women offer her a room and comfort her in her homesickness, she accepts. This would be her first step into the gay scene. While in New York, Hope meets Nat, an athletic bike shop owner. Hope falls for Nat, but questions her feelings. The rest of the story is centered on Hope becoming more comfortable with herself and her sexuality with the help of Maira and Larissa. Although it is occasionally hard to understand Hope's feelings for Nat, I think the story is well-written and easy to read. I think Carrie Mac did an awesome job of showing the Hope's insecurity with her sexuality. She also showed the type of parents you don't often see in GLBT teen books, the kind that accept their child as gay. Most GLBT teen stories are based on the parents who abandon and hate their kids, when in reality, most don't. I loaned this book to a friend and she really enjoyed it and said it helped her come to understand her own sexuality. I believe "Crush" would be an excellent read for anyone, whether or not they enjoy reading or are questioning they're own sexuality.