Book Review - Forever Crushed by Amber Paige

Forever Crushed by Amber Paige

So I'm on the side of TikTok where I'm being advertised to directly by authors. A lot of smaller, indie authors make TikTok videos themselves, trying to advertise their books by either quoting an exciting snippet or explaining what the book is about. Forever Crushed was one of those books where a TikTok by the author convinced me to read it.

Forever Crushed is a college romance that follows Gwen, a girl who's had a crush on Ash since she saw him in high school. Ash was one of the popular guys in school and didn't even know Gwen existed. But when they share a class together in college, Gwen and Ash become friends. Ash is recovering from a nasty breakup and is working through the trauma of it. Will Gwen be able to help him work through it and form a relationship with him, or will it prevent them from following their hearts?

In general, I liked this book. The characters were pretty likable. Gwen, the main character, is really quirky, cute, and relatable. I thought her crush on Ash was sweet. I'm sure everyone remembers their first true crush and how obsessed you felt with that person. The author did a really great job vocalizing and showing this feeling through Gwen. This book was pretty light-hearted and low-stakes, but it also went a little deeper into mental health rep than most other books. The fact that Ash sought out help from a mental health professional when he was struggling was admirable, and I respect the author for including this into the book to try and abolish the stigma around mental health struggles. 

My favorite part about this story was the relationship between Gwen, Chrissy, and Zack. They are the definition of found family, and I loved their interactions. I can't say that I know what it's like to have a best friend, but I think Gwen and Chrissy are a pretty good example of best friends forever. Although they may have disagreements, it's obvious how much they care for each other.

The only gripes I have with this book is that although there is some pretty heavy spice at some points, the relationship between Gwen and Ash felt very juvenile and immature. For example, there was a little toxicity from Ash (I get that he just got out of an abusive relationship, but that was no excuse for his actions at some points), and it was a little too insta-love, and I wish we saw the relationship grow a little more organically. Oh, also, Ash kept calling Gwen "sneaky girl" and I got the ick. 

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but it was not my favorite. You might enjoy this book too if you want a cozy, low-stakes romance read with a little spice.