“To be noticed is to be loved.”
Ali Smith
Title: Crushing It
Author: Lorelei Parker
Publisher: Kensington Books
ISBN: 978-1-4967-2570-7
Crushing It follows Sierra, who is a video game developer and wants an opportunity to pitch her next game at the Gamescon. Standing between this opportunity and Sierra is her crippling stage fear. To overcome it, she takes up the Chagrin challenge, where participants have to share their most embarrassing anecdotes, diary entries, poetry, etc. Sierra decides to narrate about her humiliating crush on Tristan Spencer.
All seems fine, until the moderator says, “Next up, Tristan Spencer…”
Sierra is mortified, while Tristan is flattered. As they reconnect, Sierra grapples with her decade-long obsession with Tristan. But, she can’t seem to ignore the pull towards Alfie, the supportive bar-owner, who befriends her and helps her pull through the contest. It appears that perhaps she has been noticing the wrong person, all along.
The book cover design and color combinations are gorgeous and catchy! I requested for the ARC on Netgalley, purely due to the amazing book cover design. The book also has some great moments in it. I would call it the “Eureka” moments. The moments I could relate to. There is a quote that I liked, “Suddenly the phrase tragedy plus time equals comedy made perfect sense.” It is so true. How many times have we been worried, anxious, hysterical about certain situations? And as time passes, these same situations have become funny.
Sierra constantly keeps mentioning about the 3 kinds of love (According to the Greeks): Eros- love of the body; Philia or Phileo- love of the mind; and Agape- love of the soul. She then finds out about the other 4: Self-love, Flirtation, devotion, and effortless love. As the book follows Sierra and her relationship with Tristan and Alfie, we observe her experiencing all of these phases.
Sierra and Aida’s friendship is heart-warming, and reading about their struggles to fit into the all-man world of video games is awe-inspiring. They hold their ground in several instances, and bond together to become strong allies. Parker’s writing style is engrossing, breezy, and well-paced. I had fun reading the book, and it contained twists I couldn’t have predicted.
I would give it 4/5 stars. It is a great summer and weekend read. It serves as the perfect book to chill with a glass of red wine.
I received this copy from Netgalley and Kensington Books in exchange for my honest review.