Book Review: "Girl Crushed" by Katie Heaney
“Girl Crushed” by Katie Heaney
Synopsis: Before Quinn Ryan was in love with Jamie Rudawski, she loved Jamie Rudawski, who was her best friend. But when Jamie dumps Quinn a month before their senior year, Quinn is suddenly girlfriend-less and best friend-less.
Enter a new crush: Ruby Ocampo, the gorgeous and rich lead singer of the popular band Sweets, who’s just broken up with her on-again, off-again boyfriend. Quinn’s always only wanted to be with Jamie, but if Jamie no longer wants to be with her, why can’t Quinn go all in on Ruby? But the closer Quinn grows to Ruby, the more she misses Jamie, and the more (she thinks) Jamie misses her. Who says your first love can’t be your second love, too?—Penguin RandomHouse
Rating (out of 5): 4.25
Review: I ordered this one for a number of reasons: I’m struggling to concentrate on anything too serious, I love well-written YA, and I’ve enjoyed Katie Heaney’s writing for The Cut quite a bit. I’m not going to go too in-depth on this one, because after all, it is a YA Romance—I don’t want to give the whole thing away.
I’ve read a bunch of queer YA, but I love that every year homophobia becomes the central plot point in fewer and fewer of these books. Not because it’s no longer an issue, though I’m amazed at the strides that have been made in the fifteen years since I’ve been in high school, but because there is so much more to anyone’s identity than others’ reactions to it. (Obligatory note that I’m writing this as a mostly? straight ally, and not someone who has ever experienced homophobia in my life). This is a sweet romance where no one’s parents disapprove of their existence.
Quinn is a super lovable narrator, and she’s your average, well-adjusted teen dealing with the kind of blows that come to most teenagers—navigating complicated parental relationships, dealing with breakups, worrying that the school you’ve hung your hat on won’t want you. We never hate her ex Jamie, even if you can sense the undercurrent of romance still going between the two of them. Quinn’s love interest Ruby never won me over (this isn’t the fault of Heaney’s writing), as she seemed like a cold fish and not worthy of Quinn’s time. There was a brief moment where I thought a plotline was headed in a biphobic direction, but it wasn’t—so if that starts to turn you off, hold on.
This is a great read to get you through these dark times, and gives me a lot of hope for our young folks. I’m expecting great things to continue from Katie Heaney as well!.
TL;DR: A lovely teen romance in which the queer experience is totally normalized. A fun, quick, and heartwarming read.
If you liked this, try:
“What if It’s Us?” by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
“Autoboyography” by Christina Lauren
“Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by Benjamin Saenz
