A Love Worth Waiting For: Allyson Kennedy's 'The Crush'

Everyone can remember their first crush, right? The butterflies, the nerves, the head-over-heels attraction?

In Allyson Kennedy’s The Crush, fourteen-year-old Emery finds herself in that very situation—undeniably, perfectly, incandescently in love with Sawyer Alston, the mysterious new guy in town. After Emery’s and Sawyer’s moms rekindle a lost friendship, the two quickly foster a friendship of their own. But when Sawyer’s depression grows, their relationship begins to crumble into ruins. The two must learn how to rely on God’s divine healing and His perfect timing.

To be honest, I was hesitant to read The Crush. I hadn’t read a middle-grade/YA novel in several years, but I gave it a go anyway. I’m so glad I did, though! This sweet book was such a great read. It was something I could pick up, read a few chapters, then pick up again when I had the time. The plot wasn’t a page-turner, but the characters were lovable enough to make me want to read more.

Characters and Character Development

Kennedy did a great job with the characters and character development. That was definitely one of the biggest elements that I really adored throughout the story!

At the start of The Crush, Emery, the main character, is fourteen. Throughout the novel, we get to watch her age and mature as she pursues the Lord. She consistently looks up to and admires the love story her grandparents, Amos and Adeline, had. She is such a precious girl as she seeks the relationship the Lord ordains. She is spunky but also an old soul; toss in a bit of sass, and there’s a pretty solid description of Emery.

Sawyer Alston, on the other hand, is a troubled boy. After his parents divorced and his mom made him move, the seventeen-year-old deals with depression and even suicidal thoughts. Though he does walk through darkness, it was such a gratifying journey to be able to watch him find God and discover the true meaning of love.

I was slightly weirded out by their age gap at first, especially when Sawyer, 17, was flirting with Emery, 14. Realistically, I’m not too sure how many high school seniors would have eyes for a freshman, but I guess it happens every now and then? Throughout the story, though, Sawyer and Emery do mature, and I eventually found their relationship endearing.

Violence

Sawyer attempts suicide at one point, and he opens up to Emery about his suicidal thoughts. He’s told to kill himself by the story’s antagonist, though Emery quickly reminds Sawyer of his God-given purpose and value.

There is a car accident near the end of the book, but nothing is graphic in the least.

Language and Dialogue

The language is pretty clean! There are a few uses or crap and one or two uses of piss, but nothing more.

The dialogue is natural, and each character has their own voice. This was definitely an aspect of the book that really brought the story and the characters to life!

Spirituality

This book is a pretty good example of Christian fiction. Things did get a bit preachy at some points, but I honestly couldn’t see any other way of how to get the main point across. And it wasn’t a shove the Gospel down your throat until you can’t breathe preachy. It was subtle, yet still impactful.

Emery and Sawyer go to church. Near the end of the book, Kennedy bravely and briefly approaches church hurt and damage that the church potentially can deal.

While the Biblical and Christian elements were prominent, it wasn’t overly deep, either. I appreciated the perfectly seasoned balance between being preachy and talking about God. I really did love the spiritual elements Kennedy uses.

Recommended Audience

I’m nineteen, and I really enjoyed The Crush. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone 12 and up. It wasn’t too dark, yet it still touched on dark topics. It wasn’t too preachy, yet it still conveyed good, Biblical foundations. The plot pace was a bit slow for my taste, but I could easily see a younger girl thinking differently.

Blurb

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.

Overall Conclusion

The Crush was a really sweet and heart-wrenching read. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, but it was a great read for my week off between college courses. I’m certainly looking forward to the upcoming sequel, and I sincerely hope you’ll give this book a try.

All my love,

L. Taylor