Thursday, March 11, 2010

Review: The Stillburrow Crush by Linda Kage

The Stillburrow Crush
By: Linda Kage
Young Adult
212 pages
Buy from Amazon
Source: Around the World Tours

Carrie Paxton is an average girl, daughter of a mechanic and a homemaker, from a speedbump town where the kids are put first in the city's list of priorities.  She writes for the school newspaper, which is read by everyone in town due to the fact that there isn't a city newspaper.  In her eyes, writing is the one thing that makes her special, her claim to fame.  Writing is actually how she ends up falling for the "it" boy at school.  She meets him after a game and interviews him for the newspaper.  His name is Luke Carter; he's the star quarterback, the banker's son and the town's hope for someone to make it famous in the world of professional sports.  Prior to this, Carrie had managed to avoid the mass hysteria for him but hates herself when she realizes that she is just like everybody else in her adoration for him.  She deliberately riles him up and when the interview is printed, he notices that she called him Lucas, which he despises.  A fact which he calls her on when he shows up at her dad's small used-car lot, claiming he's car shopping.  He asks her to take a walk with him and they end up at the park.  He pushes her in the swing but steps in front of her when some girls from school drive past, in effect, hiding Carrie from their view.  She confronts him about it and he denies that he's ashamed of being seen with her.  She storms off feeling more confused than ever.  That marks the beginning of their relationship and sets the stage for future interactions between the two of them.

Carrie's brother and his own crush play a signicant role in the book too.  He's estranged from the family and is involved in a secret that will bring the whole world crashing in on Carrie, hurting her and others in the process.
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I'm going to call this the little novel that could.  I was blown away by how good it was.  I was prepared for a sappy, cute, predictable love story.  What I got was a heart-wrenching, roller coaster of emotions that kept me reading until the wee hours of morning.  The writing was easy to read and the story was realistic.  I absolutely fell in love with the characters.  Linda Kage will definitely be on my watch list.

Pick this one up and you will not be disappointed.  A great read for adults and one that you won't mind your teen daughters reading.

2 comments:

  1. I was really surprized by this one too. It was very well written. Great review.

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  2. So glad you liked it, Asylumgirl! Linda is an amazing writer :)

    ReplyDelete