Crush: 26 Real-life Tales of First Love

by Andrea N. Richesin (Editor)

Readers will fall head over heels for this nostalgic and irreverent collection.

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.

Introduction / Andrea N. Richesin --
What I kept / Jacquelyn Mitchard --
When it was all brand-new / Rebecca Walker --
A bruise for every broken heart / Kerry Cohen --
Sweet nothings / Robert Wilder --
The boy in the white VW bug / Ann Hood --
Creative writing / David Levithan --
Three little words / Lauren Oliver --
How Duran Duran saved my life / Katherine Center --
What good is sitting alone in your room? / Jon Skovron --
When we two parted / Sheila Kohler --
To Sir Anthony, with love / Daria Snadowsky --
It never was, not really / Steve Almond --
Red all over / Tara Bray Smith --
Consequently yours / Laurie Faria Stolarz --
Crush me / Suzanne Finnamore --
Love, illustrated / Melissa Walker --
What we know now / Katie Herzog --
Just a friend / Brendan Halpin --
Adam / Amy Greene --
My romantic past (or, What I heard on my relationship): a mix tape / Emily Franklin --
The subtle art of crush-suffocating / Joshua Mohr --
Olfactory / Catherine Newman --
Uncle Greg, a giant chicken, and the murderous pottery wheel / Heather Swain --
Giving up the ghost / Melissa Febos --
What Kitty taught me / Christopher Coake --
Before it gets complicated / Rebecca Woolf

Genres: Nonfiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Essays

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Andrea N. Richesin is the editor of four anthologies, Crush: 26 Real-life Tales of First Love; Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers Reflect on the Mother-Daughter Bond; What I Would Tell Her: 28 Devoted Dads on Bringing Up, Holding On To, and Letting Go of their Daughters; and The May Queen: Women on Life, Love, Work and Pulling it all Together in Your Thirties. Her books have been excerpted and praised in The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe, Redbook, Parenting, Cosmopolitan, Bust, Salon and Babble. She lives with her husband and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Reviews

[Andrea at Reading Lark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review Posted on Reading Lark 5/10/11: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2011/...

Crush is a collection of 26 essays from well known authors. If you are anything like me, you may often forget that writers are real people with real drama and real relationships just like the rest of us. For whatever reason, I have also put authors on pedestals as if they are more deity than human. I suppose that's natural since I love to read so much. This book shows that writers are often just normal, dorky humans like me.

I was originally drawn to this book because I thought it would be interesting to read about how crushes have affected the lives of some of my favorite writers such as Lauren Oliver and David Levithan. However, I wasn't prepared to love this book as much as I did. Not every essay appealed to me, but I did read all 26 and found that they each had important things to say. First love is something universal that we can all relate to - this book is one that will resonate with many readers as a result. Just be prepared for a heaping dose of nostalgia to arise as you take this one in. This book appealed to me because it is full of real stories.

I kept pondering how I was going to write a review that would actually help readers understand why this book was so appealing to me. This is not my normal style of review, but I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless and give this book a read when it hits the shelves later this month. I chose to give you one quotation from each story that spoke to me and illustrated how my first crush felt at one point or another. So without further adieu, I offer up 26 kernels of crush wisdom....


**Disclaimer: These Kindle Locations come from the e-galley of this book. The locations may be different when the book is released.**

#1. "What I Kept" by Jacquelyn Mitchard
"For me, there was no other boy. There hadn't been any other boy since I first saw him." (Kindle Location 163)

#2. "When it was all Brand-New" by Rebecca Walker
"There's nothing like those first kisses, the ones where you feel you're going to fall inside the other person, when you get dizzy and forget who you are." (Kindle Location 317)

#3. "A Bruise for Every Broken Heart" by Kerry Cohen
"I was sure by now that I was the only one who felt as I did, sure that I was the only girl who took each breakup as proof of her inability to be loved, sure that I was the only one with whom no boy ever wanted to stay." (Kindle Location 395)

#4. "Sweet Nothings" by Robert Wilder
"Dread and excitement wound their way through my veins like entangled vipers." (Kindle Location 474)

#5. "The Boy in the White VW Bug" by Ann Hood
Note: This was one of my favorites!
"My entire being ached for a boy who read poetry, a boy who would love me." (Kindle Location 539)

#6. "Creative Writing" by David Leviathan
"A catalog of crushes is an oft-revised thing, and sometimes older crushes get lost in the revision." (Kindle Location 652)

#7. "Three Little Words" by Lauren Oliver
Note: This was one of my favorites!
"Crushes are like Snickers bars for the heart. Sure, they won't sustain you forever - everyone needs more solid sustenance - but they make long afternoons way more tolerable." (Kindle Location 816)

#8. "Huw Duran Duran Saved My Life" by Katherine Center
"Kissing is important too. Not only because kissing is fun. And not only because I hold on to the memory of that kiss as a point of pride for many kisses years afterward. But also because when you've lost the ability to be kind to yourself, sometimes you need someone else to step up and do it for you." (Kindle Location 927)

#10. "What Good is Sitting Alone in Your Room?" by Jon Skovron
"Sally showed me that there was something outside my bedroom and bookshelves. A world filled with fascinating people and fantastic places." (Kindle Location 956)

#11. "When We Two Parted" by Sheila Kohler
"When our teacher asked us, a class of adolescent girls, how many of us would like to marry Heathcliff, all the hands in the class shot up. I imagine if she'd asked us about Mr. Rochester, we would have done the same thing. This, I'm pretty sure, did not augur too well for our futures, our lives as women and wives or even our careers." (Kindle Location 1043)

#12. "To Sir Anthony, With Love" by Daria Snadowsky
"Teen girls are notorious for obsessive celebrity crushes" (Kindle Location 1107)

#13. "It Never Was, Not Really" by Steve Almond
"If I could be good enough for her, I could be good enough for myself. Such is the absurd fantasy that animates all our crushes, young or old." (Kindle Location 1279)

#14. "Red All Over" by Tara Bray Smith
"First love is bound to crush you" (Kindle Location 1329)

#15. "Consequently Yours" by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Note: This was one of my favorites!
"I made the decision to walk away from the situation - from someone who wasn't willing to put everything on the line to be with me - I never felt the need to look back." (Kindle Location 1484)

#16. "Crush Me" by Suzanne Finnamore
"The word crush in a romantic sense is not recognized in traditional dictionaries - in their expert opinion it is an ethereal thing and cannot be pinned down to a fact or definition." (Kindle Location 1520)

#17. "Love, Illustrated" by Melissa Walker
Note: This is one of my favorites!
"I feel a lump in my throat as I close the red cover. It's not a recording of my romantic history, not a love poem, not a great art project. It's the scribbles of a girl in love with a boy who doesn't know and doesn't care." (Kindle Location 1692)

#18. "What We Know Now" by Katie Herzog
"If my first love was innate and my second consuming, my third was both." (Kindle Location 1743)

#19. "Just a Friend" by Brendan Halpin
"I like you as a friend. Almost all of my teen crushes ended with me hearing these words. No, sadly, that's actually not true. Most of them continued even after those cruel words. Because, I thought, is she likes me as a friend, can liking me as a boyfriend be far behind?" (Kindle Location 1802)

#20. "Adam" by Amy Greene
Note: This was one of my favorites!
"I had married my first love. We had the same last name. He would be my only love now." (Kindle Location 1903)

#21. "My Romantic Past (or What I Heard on My Relationship): A Mix Tape by Emily Franklin
Note: This was one of my favorites!
"The point: each relationship (and the definition of this word is open to debate) can be distilled into one song. Not the song you necessarily want it to be, but the one that reverberates within your heart when you think back to the first time you laughed hard enough together that you thought, This is what I want to do all the time" (Kindle Location 1923)

#22. "The Subtle Art of Crush-Suffocating" by Joshua Mohr
"Either the crush had been a figment of my narcissism or her affections had now moved on to someone else. Or these things have a natural course to run, and once through the maze, the impossibility of their reality becomes too much to ignore. There probably isn't one clean, tidy answer." (Kindle Location 2087)

#23. "Olfactory" by Catherine Newman
"But mostly what I knew was his laundry-detergent smell. I know it still: I catch that powdery exhalation from basement vent or a friend's embrace, and I am flooded by the tsunami of nostalgia, sucked in by an undertow of longing. Is that why they call it Tide?" (Kindle Location 2117)

#23. "Uncle Greg, a Giant Chicken, and the Murderous Pottery Wheel" by Heather Swain
Note: This was one of my favorites!
"Where was Facebook when I was back in college? It would have been a handy shortcut. Back then dorky girls like me had to do reconnaissance for one another." (Kindle Location 2167)

#24. "Giving up the Ghost" by Melissa Febos
"Most relationships of a certain age begin with a body or two under the bed." (Kindle Location 2291-2297)

#25. "What Kitty Taught Me" by Christopher Coake
Note: This was one of my favorites!
"This is love we're talking about. Trust me when I say I don't think it's funny at all." (Kindle Location 2435)

#26. "Before it Gets Complicated" by Rebecca Woolf
"I have always believed in one true love but also in a thousand true likes." (Kindle Location 2521)

[Jenni V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaahhhh, young love. This quick read was a great opportunity to reminisce on the successes and failures of that pivotal first crush.

Out of the 26 stories there were only 2 I didn't like, making it a hit for me.

My favorite story was Olfactory by Catherine Newman. My close second, and winner of 'the most interesting title', was Uncle Greg, a Giant Chicken, and the Murderous Pottery Wheel by Heather Swain.

A Few Quotes from the Book
"I'm older now, so a kiss is great and fireworks sometimes go off and a kiss can take you all kinds of places you don't expect, but there's nothing like those first kisses, the ones where you feel you're going to fall into the other person, when you get dizzy and forget who you are." ~ from When It Was All Brand-New by Rebecca Walker

"I want to remember him as he was, even if that memory's vague, and perhaps wrong. Who he was to me matters so much more than who he actually was." ~ from Creative Writing by David Levithan

Find all my reviews at:
http://readingatrandom.blogspot.com/

[Books to the Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

To see more reviews go to www.bookstothesky.com

I thought this was a really cute book. I really enjoyed all the different types of first loves, from mere crushes on celebrities to full out romances. Heterosexual, gay, fantasy, it was all in there.

Some of the short stories made me laugh, some made me sigh with nostalgia, and some were those that I couldn't relate to personally but I enjoyed reading it all the same.

I guess what struck me the most is just how normal having a crush is. When you're a teenager you don't realize that everyone is going through the same thing as you. I really enjoyed that the authors put their hearts out on the line by writing about such an emotional experience (for a teenager or young adult anyway).

If you're looking for some nostalgia in your life, or simply love to read love stories, then definitely give this a read!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This charming collection of essays relives the heady joy, the awful nervousness, and the gentle maturation of crushes and first love. In the double baker’s dozen, there are crushes unspoken and unrequited, clumsy attempts at leaving the “friend zone”, skillful attempts at leaving the “friend zone”, and an honest-to-goodness first love meant-to-be marriage. As with most crushes, the stories are somewhat selfish and navel-gazing, idolizing someone to the point of completely ignoring who they really are.

Walking through strangers’ stories of love, longing, and heartbreak, I was treated to my own memories – the untouchable golden boy who broke my heart when he started dating the head cheerleader, even though I’d never so much as spoken to him; the Nice Guy whose heart I broke (on the same day his dog died!); the bad boy who officially shattered my heart; the loves that came and went and the one that stayed. Love, especially as a teenager, feels so unique, so intense, that it’s impossible anyone else on earth has ever experienced anything remotely similar. Yet here were these people describing my feelings!

My favorite essay is “Uncle Greg, a Giant Chicken, and the Murderous Pottery Wheel,” wherein the author contacts the object of a college crush to get his side of their one date, and discovers that their memories of the experience are so wildly different they are hard to reconcile as having happened at the same time. Worse, she discovers that his memories in general of her are a far cry from how she remembers herself, and while it’s no harm, no foul all these years later, the crush points out, “the discrepancies in our points of view make a great study of how people create tailored realities in their minds based on very little information — about other people, their intentions, how they feel.” With a jolt, I realized that those crushes I was fondly thinking back on might be told as completely different stories by the objects of that affection!

A number of the essays take on the irony of the word “crush” to describe infatuation, when it could more accurately describe the feeling when that infatuation isn’t returned. A few others talk about the bizarre experience of liking someone – like liking them — and being absolutely petrified that they would find out. As if keeping it a secret could somehow make all your dreams come true!

My favorite line from the book comes from a story in the form of a mixtape: “You have to have a crush on your spouse. You must feel as though you can’t believe your luck that this person, your ultimate crush, feels exactly the same way.” I hope that I will believe in my childrens’ crushes and not toss them away like so much puppy love – but this is the message that I really want them to take home. Find someone on whom you can have an ongoing, extended crush – and who will crush on you in return — and you’ll be happy all the days of your life.

Source: Free copy from the editor, no obligation to review

[Clementine · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this collection of short stories from editor Andrea Richesin, 26 authors revisit their own lives to tell a story about the first time that they fell in love. Readers looking for a nostalgic trip down memory lane back to their teenage bedrooms and high schools and summers will find a kindred spirit in this book about first love and first heartbreak. These stories examine what it means to fall in love, have a crush, and be crushed by love.

This anthology of short stories from some very notable authors is funny, sad, and compelling. What’s great about an anthology like this is that each author has a distinctive voice made even more unique by the fact that they are writing about their own life. Each story about first love or first crush offers a great deal of insight into the individual author, but each of these stories also has something universal to offer. Everyone falls in love or can remember the bittersweet feeling of a first crush, and therefore there is something present in each of these stories to connect with.

Although all of the stories in the anthology are good in their own right, there were several that stood out for me in particular. Daria Snadowsky’s story about falling in love with Sir Anthony Hopkins (yes, the actor) and writing to him was funny and a little heartbreaking. The concept of a celebrity crush gets explored fully in her story, and it’s something that I can absolutely relate to (although I never wrote him a letter, I was convinced that I was going to marry Taylor Hanson for the better part of junior high).

There is nothing more consuming than that first love, and these authors capture the feelings and emotions that come along with that momentous event in a person’s life. This anthology is full of unique stories about first love that still remain universal. It’s a book that can be read in one sitting or can be read slowly, one story at a time, over a period of time.

Other stories of particular note are by Jacquelyn Mitchard, Lauren Oliver, and David Levithan. Each one is great in its own right, offering insight into what it means to fall in love and why we subject ourselves to it. Fans of YA might be particularly interested in this anthology because of its focus on young love. Recommended.

Crush hits bookshelves on May 24, 2011.

Crush: 26 Real-Life Tales of First Love by Andrea Richesin et al. Harlequin: 2011. Electronic galley accepted for review.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi There Check out my Blog if you want http://booknerdrambling.blogspot.com/

While reading Crush:26 Real-Life Tales of First Love the anthology about crushes-obviously- by Andrea n. Richesin 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 26 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 stalker 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 meant two completely different thing 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

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays from different authors which makes it hard to assign a star rating. Most of the essays were two stars, with a few three stars and one five star, I think, so three seems fair. Overall I was disappointed with this book. It is supposed to be a collection of essays in which authors write about their first/favorite crushes. I was expecting something much more angst-y. Aren't most first crushes unrequited? Not in this collection. In essay after essay, people talked about their first crushes and how they ultimately ended up kissing them or dating them or sleeping with them. What? Bo-ring! Where is all the longing, the pining, the semi-obsessive stalking? THAT was what I wanted.

One essay towards the end finally came through - "Love, Illustrated" by Melissa Walker in which the author keeps an entire notebook devoted to documenting every non-conversation she has with her crush, complete with diagrams and illustrations. Yessss. It also includes this brilliant little passage in which she talks about running into her crush while at the movie theater with a friend and trying to look cool while walking past him: "Do you get it, Matt Garner? My best friend and I are here, we're hilarious, and I am very social on this Saturday afternoon at the movies. Look at me! I'm delightful! I don't even notice you! I'm so happy and fun!" (Note to Sharon: is this like a scene out of random memories or what?) This essay was awesome. Totally.

Honorable mention goes to the essay in which the author lists the songs which would be on the imaginary mix tape of her crush history. Also, to the essay in which the author contacts her long ago crush to see what his version of the relationship/stalking was. How brave is that?!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit of a sucker for books on love right now, and anthologies always catch my eye.

The idea is cute - a lot of times we forget about our past, and it's lovely to see these twenty-six authors dredge up old memories, think about their lives, and promise us that no matter what we've dealt with in the past, we do still have a future.

The quality, however, really does vary. There are a handful of great stories (In particular, "Consequently Yours" by Laurie Faria Stolarz really caught my interest), but there are others that are unfeeling and even pretty awkward. "Crush Me" might be the weakest of them, which is sad because its premise - an understanding of what "crush" means in terms of romance - is actually pretty interesting.

The collection might have benefited from having some longer pieces. We open a book to read stories, and some of the works were not so much stories as brief recaps.

Overall it was a tender little book to read.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book during a bookswap and even though I didn't get it, it sounded like a great book for going down memory lane of first loves. And I loved reading them! Just read a couple of stories each day, which really felt like wonderful chick lit guilty pleasures... but they were all true! Just goes to show how insane this world is. But crushes - ahhh - it's nice to remember my own crushes as I read this. And going back to that moment where it consumed your whole world for a period in your life.

[Lianne JM · Rating 2 out of 5]

These stories had a weirdly high prevalence of people in relationships with underage partners and it weirded me out.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicki Richesin's anthology is a terrific collection of essays by writers ranging from Jacqueline Mitchard to Ann Hood, Rebecca Walker and Robert Wilder. Their essays are frank, sometimes funny and often bittersweet -- after all this is first love, and the angst the relationship causes can last longer than the relationship itself! The essays are beautifully written and will stay with you as long as your memories of your own first love.

[Christiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of essays on crushes. Although there is a little bit of overlap (a couple people had summer vacation flings at 19 or some variation of that), but I was actually really surprised at all the different avenues a first crush could take: obsession with a celebrity, starter marriage, the idea that a crush means saying no to other options. I really liked it and found myself wanting to talk to other people about it, even if it meant explaining the entire essay first.

[Luann Schindler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this great literature? No. But, it filled with heart-felt stories about first love. Remember that first crush? Sometimes, the feelings were returned. Sometimes, the secret remained buried. What's great about this anthology is that readers are connected to the writer because we've all experienced that rush of heat...and lived to tell about it.

[Beth Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't heard of most of the authors in this collection so when I ran across an author name I recognized, I found it delightful to learn more about her past.

When you read a collection of short stories by various authors, not all will resonate with you. That sentiment is true in this collection. Still, a fun read.

[Amber the Human · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked this out on my Kindle because it had a story by Suzanne Finnamore, whose three books I love. And the stories were hit or miss. Some people took their essays VERY seriously and got into all the gritty details of their first love. Others were fun. I think my favorite was the story about the woman who had a crush on Antony Hopkins as a teenager.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started reading this for book club. Very cute, I like it. But I only have 2 more days to finish!!!! I've now finished the book and it was only OK. It's not a book I would have picked up on my own. Looking forward to the next book club book selection.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of hilariaous and heartbreaking stories about that first crush. I can't even rememeber mine. Not all the stories are good, but standouts include Levithans and Almonds, two of amy favorite writers.

[Katie]

Anthology, includes essay by Catherine Newman

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the essays are great, but some are just so-so.

[Jenee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really lovely book. So many great stories. I loved knowing that they were real. It made me feel hopeful about a lot of things.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick essays from various writers on who their first crush was. Some were more easy to relate to than others, but overall, it was a good read. Everyone remembers their first crush, hopefully fondly!

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed finding out how all the contributors interpreted the ideas "crush" and "first love." This book was delightful.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the essays were good, some were boring, and some were a little creepy (quite a few preteens hooking up with high school and older guys).

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up for the David Levithan essay but stayed for the bittersweet collection of biographical essays concerning crushes and how they affected the writer.

[Dina Guardado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book.
Its good to know your not alone when it comes to crushes.

[Stephanie Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book for two reasons: 1. One of the stories was written by Katherine Center, and I am trying to read all of her books. 2. It sounded a lot like a book I read a few years back called “Let It Snow,” also a collection of love stories and amazing. Overall, Crush was a pretty big let down. I would only give 2 stars to the majority of the stories in this book, including Center’s (shocking, I know). I did become momentarily excited upon reading a story by an Indiana native who mentioned Ballentine Hall at IU. Otherwise, this was pretty forgettable.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story's

[Cory Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There pretty good stories so far

[Harlequin Books]

Category: Relationships

[Lori Rader-Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book because a friend was published in it. It ended up being really enjoyable and fun.