Crush (Orca Soundings) [Hardcover]

Carrie Mac (Author)

Book Description

Series: Orca Soundings | Publication Date: March 1, 2006

Just when she thinks she knows who she is, Hope falls in love--and her world is turned upside down. (RL3.8)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] strong story of love and sexual identity, rooted in well-drawn characters and well-imagined situations." (Quill & Quire 20060623)

"Absolutely charming...Mac infuses so much passion and heart into...this witty, entertaining glimpse into one kid's summer of discovering that 'life is really hard if you're a person who's alive.' " (John Burns Gerogia Straight 20060809)

**no details** (BC Bookworld 20061001)

"This book achieves the goal of providing a provocative storyline with high teen appeal...Recommended." (CM Magazine 20080615)

"An emotionally complex story. Communal living, drug addiction, and, of course, the lesbian content will all be sure-fire discussion points, and these same elements, especially the hot romance, make this an intriguing book for fluent and struggling readers alike." (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 20060801)

"I was impressed by this book and how it handled a sensitive and potentially awkward situation." (Resource Links )

*no details* (Canadian Book Review Annual )

"A bright, lovely novel...well thought out." (Hi-Rise ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Isn't she fazed by any of this? Does she do this all the time? Make unsuspecting, seemingly straight girls squirm? Or am I making it all up? But making up what? The butterflies are real. The fact that I want to kiss her is real.

Would kissing a girl be different from kissing boys? If all I did was kiss her would that make me queer? Are you queer just for thinking it? Or does doing it make you queer? And what if I don't want to be queer? Do I get a say in this at all?

Product Details

• Hardcover: 106 pages
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551435217
• ISBN-13: 978-1551435213
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,894,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent read for anyone, April 24, 2007

By 

Reader Views "Reviews, by readers, for readers" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crush (Orca Soundings) (Paperback)

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.

Book received free of charge.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short, but Sweet, November 21, 2009

By 

K... "writer" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crush (Orca Soundings) (Paperback)

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.

4.0 out of 5 stars i was very pleased!, April 5, 2011

By 

Jessica Len - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Crush (Orca Soundings) (Paperback)

well at first i was very suprised because the book is far smaller than i thought it was going to be, BUT for what the book was it was very good. Great purchase.