CRUSH audiobook

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This is a fun read as authors write about their first celebrity crushes. I think most of remember a time in our youth that we developed a crush on someone unattainable. As you would imagine, some writers had crushes on musicians, actors, athletes, etc. which is to be expected. One writer's first crush was on Speed Racer and another's was Rydia from Final Fantasy. I don't think that is even particularly weird to be honest. When I was a teen, I had a good friend who had a full blown crush/obsession with Errol Flynn. (Errol Flynn, incidentally, had been dead several decades by then.) As much as I liked her as a person, I thought it was weird and it made me feel badly for her. I could not understand how one of my peers could be crushing on a dead actor. I, myself, had a crush on Steve Tyler (singer of Aerosmith, the first of many rock musicians, usually guitarists, who I worshiped from afar.) I found these essays interesting, sweet and innocent. Unless one becomes a stalker, I think crushes are normal and fun. I would love to see a sequel and read more.

Everyone can relate to at least one of the stories in this book. Each story is honest and personal and brings you right back to your childhood bedroom and your posters/magazines/album covers or whatever featured your first crush. What a clever idea for a book, it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Essays about celeb crushes...most are first celeb crushes and very young crushers...I dig. We've all been there (Bryan Adams, circa 1991). Some of these essays I really loved...the James Franco/River Phoenix one made me so emotional and I did not see that coming. Franco is a beautiful writer.Also noteworthy...Kareem Abdul Jabar one, and for personal reasons, Jared Leto. Specifically Jordan Catalono. Circa 1995.

I read this one for one of the book clubs I run at my library. I really enjoyed it and it brought back many memories of my own celebrity crushes and those of friends and family. It's a fun topic that most anyone can relate to, and reading the stories of several writers I enjoy was a neat glimpse into them as a person and not just for their fictional works. It's nothing earth-shattering, but for anyone looking for a light, fun read, I do recommend it.

As a proud Fangirl I loved these essays. Some were funny, others moving but so much to relate to if you've ever loved a celebrity from afar and possibly beyond reason. My faves were Cathy Alter's charming Donny Osmond letter writing campaign aided by her mother, and Caroline Kepnes LOL letter writing campaign to Brian Austin Greene aided by his mom!

Vast array of valuable perspectives presented in this book. I anticipated seeing David Cassidy and Donny Osmond mentioned more than once. The ardor in the prose made me wonder if these writers still held a torch for their first fixations. Worth the time.

What a total joy to read about other people's crushes and beliefs and mindsets during the teen years as you start to feel like you weren't the only one thinking a member of a band was singing "directly" to you.

CRUSH is delightful - both hilarious and provocative, I found the wide range of stories incredibly entertaining and deeply personal! And in a period that feels increasingly divisive and polarized, it is so important, now more than ever, to remind people that we are all human - and this is exactly what CRUSH delivers! That first crush is universal (even if only a 'celebrity' in the eyes of the CRUSHER) - something I think all readers can appreciate and enjoy. This would be a great book club book - definitely a conversation starter!!

This book is pure joy to read. Seriously the perfect Valentine's gift as it is sweet, insightful and fun.What really made the book enjoyable for me is that I could relate to virtually every single story. Each celebrity crush mirrored the many I developed as a kid. A genuinely charming rememberance of that special time in life when everything seems possible thru love.

This was a very sweet book that made me smile.Celebrity crushes take many forms. For some, it is a matter of a feminine or masculine ideal that will stick with them throughout their lives. It can be a matter of sexual awakening. It can also be completely platonic and instead be focused on aspirations and trying to achieve goals in order to emulate the object of the crush. This book looks at various aspects of "crushitude" (I just made that up) and how it affects people throughout their lives. Learning that the letter you get isn't really from your crush but from a surrogate is a lesson in itself. For the record, the first crush I can remember is Bobby Sherman. I've had many since then and remain an unabashed fangirl. The devotion is different, but it is still heady and potent. Recommended for anyone who is a fan of anyone.

This book was quite enjoyable, until the bit about Brian Austin Green. The author of that piece made her contribution far, far too long. She comes off as completely narcissistic. She's repetitive and dull - how often does she have to utter "Robin Thicke is a boy!" or some variation, before it sinks in? And, can you really call yourself a "writer" if you actually use "WTF" anywhere in your work? I think not. Skip over that bit and the rest is an interesting, insightful read... one that had me thinking a bit about my own crushes (Han Solo... you will always be my first.)

Wow, did this book conjure up some memories. Especially one of the last "crushes" on Jared Leto when he was in My So-Called Life. But for those growing up in other generations, this will likely stir up some suppressed feelings of longing from popular actors, musicians, and other characters/dreamboats of the 1960's-1990's.

This is a great book to read around Valentines Day. It was so interesting to read about the different author's crushes and how the crushes sometimes shaped their lives. I was surprised there was more than one crush on Almanzo Wilder from Little House on the Prairie and also surprised there wasn't one on Rick Springfield. Some of the essays were extremely deep and heartfelt.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The subject matter is interesting to me, as I have always had a crush on one celebrity (David McCallum) or another (John Lennon). It was fascinating to read these essays and get a look into other people's takes on this phenomenon.