4.75 stars rounded up

Who knew such a quick read could have such a high impact?

This is a beautiful HI/LO story about a girl settling in with new friends after years of military life and discovering her sexuality and a new interest in music.

As a veteran, I really appreciated the military aspects, especially that Tate's mom was in the service. Music always held a special spot to me also, so I enjoyed that as well. Except Tate's skill level with the violin seems suspect, but it works for the purpose of the story. This book also tackles difficult topics like grief and suicide in a respectful way.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

CW: Suicide, drug abuse, alcohol, death of parent, grief

Given that I am not the biggest fan of YA or modern poetry, I enjoyed this book surprisingly much!
The main character is a teenage girl that moves to her first permanent home after her father retires from the army. At her new school, she develops a crush on the girl that everybody else calls a "freak". She has to come to terms with her sexuality as well as decide what is more important to her: her crush or her reputation?
I think the verse format works well here to add emphasis and meaning to the sentences and overall, the story was well told, though a bit fast paced. From an adult viewpoint, the main conflict falls a bit flat, but I think it works well within the YA genre.

Thank you so much to Rosen Publishing / West 44 books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Tate is an army brat who’s finally in a place of her own, she makes friends instantly on her first day of school, but she also finds out she has a major crush on Zoey a girl with a bad reputation, that her friends don’t like. She has to find a way to balance both parts of her new life.

How instantly she fell for Zoey was adorable, she couldn’t stop thinking about her and Zoey clearly felt the same when she saw Tate. I really loved seeing their relationship grow and the two getting closer with each other, I also love that despite what everyone else had to say about her she stayed with Zoey. They had such a beautiful connection.

It was great that Tate was so able to make friends instantly, they were very typical high school girls, which was great she managed to fit in with them easily, even if she was a little different to them. I was so sad though when they didn’t like her being with Zoey, and they didn’t want to be friends with her If she was with her. We also never found out within the story if she made up with Mikey or not as he was her friend too, before Zoey.

A very wonderful verse story perfect for Teen readers, the story covers not only a girl figuring out her sexuality and having her first relationship, but deals with friendship, deals with family loss, drug use, it also deals with the struggles of being an army brat never staying in one place too long. I really loved reading this story and seeing Tates life told.

This was an emotional journey with so many sincere and heartfelt moments. The growing romantic connection between the two girls was done so well, believable, and feels so honest. A lot of emotional twists unrelated to the romance that makes this a heavy and important read for teens. I strongly recommend this read, especially for those looking for sapphic romance and/or bisexual representation.

You know that feeling when a book pulls you right back to your high school days—bad cafeteria food, awkward crushes, and the constant identity crisis? Yeah, Girl Crush by C.H. Williams did exactly that for me. I don’t read a ton of YA, but this one caught my eye, and suddenly, I was sixteen again, trying to figure out if I liked boys, girls, or just fictional characters (spoiler: the answer is yes).

At the heart of this story is Tate, a 16-year-old Army brat who’s used to being the new kid. Making friends? No problem. Catching unexpected feelings for another girl? WHOA. Cue the high school rumor mill, because this book nails that whispers-in-the-hallway, heart-pounding, does-she-like-me-back feeling.

But here’s what really got me—the writing style. It’s this beautiful blend of diary entries and poetry, which makes it feel like you’re literally inside Tate’s head, feeling every moment of joy, confusion, and heartache right along with her. And that ending? Let’s just say my eyes got a little misty (fine, a lot misty). It left me nostalgic, hopeful, and wanting to hug my younger self.

If you love sweet, heartfelt coming-of-age romances, Girl Crush is a must-read. Perfect for any young (or young-at-heart) reader trying to figure out love, attraction, and where they fit in this messy, wonderful world. 🌈✨