Crush is a charming look into the lives of young teenagers and their relationships--both friendship and romantic. Jorge is the boy we all aspire our children to become: honest, loyal, and genuine in his actions and he is faced with some tough decisions regarding his long time friends. Few books show kids that integrity is the real winner in all things, no matter how hard it is to uphold. Showing three very different friends and their reactions to very real situations gives a great example to children and the supporting characters cover a wide span of diversity that is refreshing yet not overwhelming. I truly enjoyed this read and look forward to recommending it to pre-teen readers in my library.

Yet another beautifully written graphic novel from Svetlane Chmakova! As the third book in the trio awkward series, this one takes on several different themes and weaves a realistic middle story in the process. Chmakova deals with those crazy first crush feelings and the tongue-tiedness that comes with it in a sweet way as best friends change and grow and bullying continues to rear it's ugly head in school in a multitude of ways. A definite read for any middle schooler or parent who forgets what it is like to be that age.

Simple great story. Students have enjoyed the other books by the author as well. Will purchase for the library.

Loved it! Crush is a great addition to the series. The author seemlessly integrates diverse characters into her stories. Love the themes of consent and traits of good friendships. I will definitely recommend this title to my middle school students and I can't wait to buy a bunch of copies.

It was a nice change to have a book about middle school crushes from a male point of view. I have always suspected that there are many middle school boys who are overlooked and have so much that they would like to share. This did remind me a lot of my experiences as a teacher; I just felt like it went on a bit too long.

Abosulutely adore this story. Love the use of cool tone colour palette throughout the book, particularly fund of the lilacs and taupes tones. I will recomend this book to all my students, not only for the target audience,because there are so many little details in the drawing and in the inclusitivy (race, gender, religion ...) of the main and background characters that we sometimes need to discuss in and out the classrooms.
This book made me think of the original Degrassi series, where there are diffent types of personalities and groups within a society all with different problems and family issues that are put out there to be discuss in a very open minded way.
In the other hand, I feel teenagers do not speak or behave like that in real life, but we can alway refer to this type of book when we need extra guidance specially where parents aren't very close to their own kids education.

This was my first venture into graphic novels and it did not disappoint. I am more of a fan of the traditional novel because I like full blown sentences, but I will review this for what it is: a graphic novel.

As a 6th grade teacher this is the perfect book for my classroom. My students loved the first two books in the series and this one will be another hit. I enjoyed seeing middle school through the eyes of the tenderhearted Jorge as he struggled with his feelings and relationships. I thought the events were realistic and things my students can relate to. The conflicts in the story were handled well and the lessons learned are plentiful throughout. It is a quick read and full of humor and it is definitely heartwarming.

I will still preview graphic novels for use in my classroom, though I will continue to prefer traditional novels because of the structure of the text.

I’m a fan of Awkward and Brave, but Crush is now my favorite of the Berrybrook Middle School books! I adored this honest portrayal of crushing in middle school complete with awkwardness and flaws. Jorge is a reluctant crusher, which speaks to the fact that we can’t always control who we crush on. Chmakova’s illustrations accurately capture the myriad of emotions experienced by these relatable characters. Olivia, Garrett, and Jorge are quite a trio. Favorite quote from Olivia, “I mean, loyalty! Look it up! And get you some!” Love it.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Jorge struggles with his role in the school. He is an athlete, but doesn't much care for the way the other members of his team act. He has a huge crush on Jazmine, and asks her to the big athletic ball, but struggles with how to talk to her on a daily basis. There's lots of boy/girl drama at school, with people breaking up and getting back together, and Jorge doesn't want to be part of that. He enjoys working with the newspaper on the sports beat, and has a good friend in Liv, who helps him understand a bit about Jazmine. There are lots of current social topics discussed in this book. Coach Rashad delivers perhaps the first "body autonomy" speech in middle grade literature-- students are warned that no one is allowed to touch them without their permission, and that a teacher should be contacted if someone does. Of course, some of the boys think this is funny, but they are swiftly put in their place. There is also some cyber bullying, when Garrett doesn't log out of Jorge's account before getting involved in group chat and says mean things about Jazmine. The dance goes well, and Jorge and Jazmine continue their tenuous romance.
Strengths: This is definitely a much higher quality graphic novel series than many. The stories are substantial, the characters well developed, and the drawing very pleasant. The understanding of middle school social interactions and volatile romance is good. Jorge is a quiet, athletic character who struggles socially, and we don't have too many characters like that in middle grade literature.
Weaknesses: This is a bit on the preachy side on several topics, but students won't care.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, and with any luck someone will lose the copy when it gets too worn out. Hope that a replacement will be available. Graphic novels frequently fall apart or are lost by students, and often can't be replaced!

Jorge Ruiz is a tall, big, tough middle schooler. Everything seems fine. He is on the baseball team; he has friends. Then he gets to middle school and things get confusing. As Jorge navigates through his first crush, he also has to face bullying, misogyny, and drama. All along Jorge stays true to himself.

Jorge's kind, compassionate, and loyal. As someone who looks intimidating, Jorge uses that to his advantage. He will break up fights or stop bullying. He does this so often that the other kids call him sheriff. He is just so likable that I loved watching Jorge navigate the sometimes rough waters of middle school. This book had a freshness about it. It is unusual to see a male main character who witnesses sexism and mild assault and stands up to it.

This is a timely book that will be very beneficial to middle schoolers. It shows you do not have to go along with the crowd. You don't have to do what the popular people do. You can be yourself and be liked and respected for it. And you can use that respect to teach others how to treat their fellow people.

I loved this book -- maybe even more than Chmakova's other two books in the "Awkward" series. Highly recommend!!

**I received an e-ARC from Netgalley**

Once again, Svetlana Chmakova has made a cute, inclusive, and most importantly, heartfelt graphic novel that I will be glad to talk up in the library. While Jorge was a clear champion of the people and a relatable protagonist, Chmakova still made sure that every character was fully fleshed out with clear motivations and personalities. I thought Awkward and Brave were good, but Crush has become my favorite of the three. With realistic middle & high school situations and teachable moments that weren't didactic, this was a winner.

I sped right through Crush and then proceeded to make sure that I had at least 2 copies pre-ordered for my library's collection, because while I love Awkward and Brave, Crush might just be slightly above those for me.
All of Chmakova's work has been incredibly popular in my library and I know that Crush will be as well, even though my tweens don't seem to be in love with love stories.

THIS IS THE CUTEST DANG THING I'VE READ IN A WHILE. Seriously, I'm in love with this graphic novel. I think it's the best one in the series yet! I love Jorge! (He's my favorite character!) I love how independent and strong the girls are in this book! I also love how the the various dilemmas and problems in this book were resolved in the end. I cannot wait to buy this when it comes out!

Great book. It Follows the spirit of her other books. I can’t wait for my daughter to read it. Thanks

*thank you to Netgalley and Yen Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

This is book 3 in the series and I can easily see the appeal for it. Its aimed for Middle Grade readers but older readers will also find enjoyment in it. Its a sweet, cute story of Jorge who develops a crush for a girl, and shows what its like to have romantic feelings for somebody. I think it is really well done because it is around middle grade age that these feelings start to develop so to get an inside look at what to roughly expect, is going to grab these kids attention. The illustrations are just as important as the story in my perspective and while there is nothing really wonderful about these, the colours seem a little too bland for me but, they are still rather good. They fit the story and that's what's more important. Would I recommend this to middle grade readers? Yes.

Crush by Svetlana Chmakova was a gem of a middle grade graphic novel. This is actually the third of a series, but the first I read. I got a sneak peek thanks once again to my pals at NetGalley. I loved this one y'all. This one revolves around Jorge who is navigating the mess that middle school can be. As he goes through his days, he realizes that he has his first crush. The feelings he experiences in this were too real. Even all these years later, I still totally identified with what Jorge was going through. Jorge, along with his friends, are also navigating changing friendships and the quest for popularity. This story was too real - in a good way. It perfectly captured the feels of middle school. There is that want to fit in, that want to find love, and that want to just figure out who you are. This was just one of those stories that put a smile on my face.

This comic was so cute and perfect!
The drawings were beautiful, the story way too cute, and I smiled way too much while reading it. Loved it and definitely going to read the previous ones!

4 Stars ****

I don't feel that I could ever give a negative rating to a graphic novel because I always think of how much work they must be to create. I also enjoy reading them so much because they're fast and easy reads.
This graphic novel "Crush" is about middle school children so I do feel like I'm too old for it but I still related in a reminiscent way. Jorge is the main character and obviously has a crush on a girl. The story is about him dealing with his fear of talking to girls and also dealing with middle school gossip and drama. Overall the characters were great and the story was cute and enjoyable.

Special thanks to Netgalley and JY for allowing me an advance read copy in exchange for a honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It's middle school so of course nothing, and no one, is perfect. We follow Jorge, who at the beginning of the book doesn't understand why everyone around him is suddenly coupling up. That is until he realizes the reason he can't talk when Jazmine is around is because he has a crush on her. Jorge is a very likable character, who is surrounded by other likable and not so likable characters. I think a lot of tweens will be able to relate to this book. It made me laugh, which is also good! You don't have to read Awkward or Brave before reading this book but both are also really good!

O.K., I Get It Now

This is the third book in the "Berrybrook Middle School" series, after "Awkward" and "Brave". I wasn't familiar with those books, but looked at some of their reviews and blurbs before reading "Crush". The reviews are wildly favorable, (there are hundreds just on the Amazon site), and the fans are pretty intense. "Awkward" has over 19,000 ratings and almost 1,500 reviews on Goodreads, and I'm not sure I've ever seen a book with that many ratings that averaged over four stars. So, I was intrigued by this chance to read "Crush", even though a middle school story about crushes and dating didn't seem to promise all that much. Well, now I've read it and now I get it. This book was an unalloyed delight.

So, what distinguishes this book? Well, first and foremost, the book is, from page to page and even from panel to panel, consistently authentic. There is not a single odd tone or false note, even though there are at least a dozen different developed characters and at least a half dozen running themes and sub-plots. None of it is phony or exaggerated or overcooked. Each kid feels real and the situations and their resolutions are realistic and relatable. Usually you expect at least one or two threads to wander off into the fictional underbrush, but everything here is tight and crisp and under control.

On top of that the characters are remarkably appealing. Big, sweet, quiet Jorge is the central heroic character and he carries the story and all of its spinoffs with ease. The female leads are strong and independent and stand up quite well on their own. Everyone else feels real, (teachers feel like the teachers I remember), and even passing and cameo characters are convincing. It was a stroke of genius to have not mean girls, but mean boys, as the villains and showing us frat boy peer pressure is a refreshing and instructive change of pace.

The book has a subtle generosity and good humor that is reflected in the artwork, storytelling, the characters and the dialogue. While there is drama and conflict, there is a fundamental sense of decency and fairness underlying all of the action. I'm all for realistic middle grade fiction, but sometimes a lighter touch is effective. You know that old line to the effect that tragedy begins well but ends badly and comedy begins with a complication but ends well? This is a comedy.

In this vein, it seems to me that the only unrealistic aspect of the book is, in a way, another of its strengths. Everything turns out just right, with each character ending up exactly where he or she deserves to be and with or without exactly what he or she deserves. Would that the world worked that way, but for a middle grade social novel I have no objection to happy, or at least deserved, endings. The other thing going on is that I had to keep reminding myself that these were middleschoolers. Everyone is way too consistently aware, insightful and articulate for that to be the case, but again, having young characters who are wiser than expected is not something I'd complain about.

The upshot is that this was often amusing, frequently touching, and consistently appealing. An excellent find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)