Review: "The Crush" by Allyson Kennedy

Did I just randomly sign up to be an ARC reader? Because I was bored? Well, yes. Did I end up enjoying the book more than I thought I would based on the title? Well, yes. Read on!

Disclaimer: I was given a free eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Never settle for anything less.

A combination hopeless romantic and old soul trapped in a teenager’s body, closet musician Emery Brooks wonders if she’ll ever find a love as timeless as her grandparents’. Fear of judgment and social alienation due to her older brother’s past mistakes render her incapable of writing a love song. Still, Emery holds fast to the ideals her Grandma Adeline instilled in her from a young age, vowing to allow God to handwrite her love story, to never settle for anything less.

That is, until love cynic Sawyer Alston enters her world. Broken by the wrath of his parents’ failed marriage, Sawyer has been uprooted from everything he’s ever known and now sees love as a void of empty promises. When Emery and Sawyer meet due to their mothers' rekindled friendship, Emery soon realizes she’s in over her head.

For, despite her resistance, her first crush, her first glimpse at love, involves a boy who doesn’t believe in love at all.

Worldbuilding/Writing Style
The first thing that comes to mind when I think about the "worldbuilding" (it's a contemporary novel) is "very Southern". I've never been to the South for more than a week (to visit my grandparents--who are most emphatically not "Southern"), so I really don't know a lot about it. But after this book...I feel like I've been dunked in the South for the couple of days it took me to read it. The sweet tea, the Dr. Pepper, the "ma'am"ing, alllllll the names ending in "leigh", the colloquialisms, the strange mega-churches...I could go on. Immersive, and very different from what I'm used to, for sure! (As a Catholic girl--I really, really don't understand mega-churches. How they work, the politics...nothing. *laughs*). 
In terms of writing style, it was overall unobtrusive, although there were two instances of misused words, which jolted me a little. 

Plot
The plot was perhaps the strongest, but also strangest, part of this book. The book spans two years, showing the trajectory of Emery's thoughts/feelings about Sawyer. But a lot of it moves  r e a l l y  s l o w l y. And then the last third moves so quickly that I was left thinking "did that actually just happen? Really?" So: the pacing could use work. But I thought the author did a good job of "slice of life" writing--showing us what Emery's life looks like, how Sawyer changes that, and so on. So if slower books are your style--I think you'll enjoy this one! I was a bit confused by the ending, not in that I couldn't figure out what happens, but I thought it sliiiightly invalidated a lot of the conflict of the previous parts of the plot. But Emery did change and evolve a LOT throughout the plot, so I suppose that was part of the point of the ending.

Characters
I thought the MC, Emery, was really, really well painted--realistic, with a love of songwriting and dogs and music. I appreciated how her guarding of her heart went a little too far, and was partially a flaw and partially a strength (something I relate to, I think, although I've never been in a relationship. Case in point, I suppose.). I also thought Sawyer was well-drawn, with his own issues and wants and weaknesses. His emotions, especially, were well done. I enjoyed several of the side characters--Ryanne, Auden, Brynn--but I did feel like they were a tad flat, as were the parents. I didn't actually realize Emery had a dad until 25% of the way through the book. Minor quibbles, though. 

Romance
There is some. (Obviously, since that's what the title suggests!). It's done really well--the MC is really careful about guarding her heart, and not falling too hard for a boy right away. The romance is also purposely taken slowly, which I love. There are a bunch of cute moments between the two "romancees" involving Christian things (reading the Bible, etc.), which I really liked.
There are a few references to badly done romances in the past, which are shown as unexemplary. 

Content
A couple of kisses, some death, and a *spoiler* attempted suicide *end spoiler*

Overall Rating
A strong 3.5 stars! An enjoyable read.

Reminded me of...
Umm...this was actually really unique. I'm trying to think of a book this reminded me of...I suppose the romance reminded me of the one in the Out of Time series by Nadine Brandes (although the settings are totally different, obviously). 

Do you have any family in the south? Have you ever lived there? What's your favorite love story?