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A review by bookph1le
Crush by Svetlana Chmakova
5.0
I am an adult and I love this series. I get super excited whenever a new book is out.
This book was no exception. Jorge is a character introduced in a previous book, and I was happy to get to know him better here. I absolutely love the fact that he's a big, intimidating-looking guy who has a healthy dose of respect for everyone and who believes in standing up for the underdogs. He is such a great representation of strength without the stereotypical hypermasculine baggage.
I was also so happy with some of the messages built into this book about bodily autonomy and how no one owes you their time or attention just because they demand it. None of this is done in a preachy manner, and it's just so amazing to see a popular series like this one build in information about what's healthy and acceptable in romantic relationships and friendships and what isn't.
I also respect that this series presents its characters with a lot of tough choices, and how it explores the grey areas instead of painting things as black and white for kids. This book is no exception, with Jorge having to make a big decision with regard to something one of his friends does. He struggles with it, and the book is good about exploring the ambivalence and confusion he feels.
Another thing I love about this series is how it tackles bullying in various forms. Though the previous book was more ostensibly about bullying, this one explores a more subtle form of bullying involving manipulation.
As always, the representation in this book is wonderful. The coach is a hijab-wearing Muslim woman, the drama teacher is a married lesbian, and the characters are racially diverse. All literature would benefit from more diversity, but it's especially important for kids in light of the massive discrepancies studies show exist between depictions of white characters in children's literature and depictions of characters of color in children's literature.
Chmakova has such sensitivity for her characters, and that sensitivity extends to characters a less skilled or less careful author might write off as bad. This sensitivity and complexity is what keeps me coming back to these books and leaves me eagerly awaiting the next installment.
As an aside, I also love the pages at the back, where Chmakova talks about her process and gives readers a peek at her work in progress, and seeing the picture of herself with her new baby was really sweet.
This book was no exception. Jorge is a character introduced in a previous book, and I was happy to get to know him better here. I absolutely love the fact that he's a big, intimidating-looking guy who has a healthy dose of respect for everyone and who believes in standing up for the underdogs. He is such a great representation of strength without the stereotypical hypermasculine baggage.
I was also so happy with some of the messages built into this book about bodily autonomy and how no one owes you their time or attention just because they demand it. None of this is done in a preachy manner, and it's just so amazing to see a popular series like this one build in information about what's healthy and acceptable in romantic relationships and friendships and what isn't.
I also respect that this series presents its characters with a lot of tough choices, and how it explores the grey areas instead of painting things as black and white for kids. This book is no exception, with Jorge having to make a big decision with regard to something one of his friends does. He struggles with it, and the book is good about exploring the ambivalence and confusion he feels.
Another thing I love about this series is how it tackles bullying in various forms. Though the previous book was more ostensibly about bullying, this one explores a more subtle form of bullying involving manipulation.
As always, the representation in this book is wonderful. The coach is a hijab-wearing Muslim woman, the drama teacher is a married lesbian, and the characters are racially diverse. All literature would benefit from more diversity, but it's especially important for kids in light of the massive discrepancies studies show exist between depictions of white characters in children's literature and depictions of characters of color in children's literature.
Chmakova has such sensitivity for her characters, and that sensitivity extends to characters a less skilled or less careful author might write off as bad. This sensitivity and complexity is what keeps me coming back to these books and leaves me eagerly awaiting the next installment.
As an aside, I also love the pages at the back, where Chmakova talks about her process and gives readers a peek at her work in progress, and seeing the picture of herself with her new baby was really sweet.