Publisher: 5th April 2023 by HarperCollins Publishers Australia
Pages: 360 pages
Genre: romance, women’s fiction, contemporary
Rating: 4 cups
Synopsis:
When do you stop starting over? The sparkling new novel from the author of No Hard Feelings.
Getting over someone is not that difficult. All you have to do is focus on every negative thing about them for the rest of your life until you forget to stop actively hoping for their slow and painful death, then get a haircut ...
Serial monogamist Marnie is running late to her own identity crisis. After a decade of twisting herself into different versions of the ideal girlfriend, she's swearing off relationships for good. Forever. Done. No more, no thank you.
Pretty inconvenient time to meet Isaac: certified dreamboat and the only man who has ever truly got her. It's cool, though, they're just friends, he's got someone else, and she has more important things to worry about. Like who she is, what she wants, and what the hell she ever saw in the love(s) of her life in the first place.
Flanked by overwhelmed new mum Nicola, terminally single Claud, and eternal pessimist Kit, Marnie reckons with the question: who are we when we're on our own?
My Thoughts
I read and adored Genevieve’s first book, ‘No Hard Feelings’, therefore it was with great anticipation that I came to read her latest offering. The last book followed a theme of where are you going with your life, on this occasion Crushing follows along a similar winning formula except this time around the question is, who are we when we’re on our own?
‘I was running late to my own identity crisis. Usually reserved for people on the cusp of adulthood, I had only just realised on the edge of my thirties that I had no idea who I was, what I liked, or what I wanted.’
Once again Genevieve hits you with her wit, humour and upfront honesty that people will relate to the rawness of emotion presented at times. Once more the uncertainties and insecurities can be felt by all people at any age of their life when they don’t know how to be by themselves. We can personally relate or know of someone who this would clearly speak to.
‘I had to know all of my options before making a choice, no matter its significance. I was paralysed by indecision, idling for years. I let myself be led by stronger personalities to absolve myself if — when — things went wrong.’
Genevieve takes her readers on an adventure from flat sharing, to family occasions, to looking for yourself and much, much more. I loved cruising the streets of my hometown Melbourne once more, with a particular nod to the Fairfield boathouse.
There will be many laugh out loud moments, there will be many tantrums and tears but I had faith in Genevieve’s writing. Marnie is a hard character to like at times, I mean in all honesty, she doesn’t even really like herself. But I trusted Genevieve and boy! Did she come through for me. When all the avoidance and anger was swept away, she leaves her readers with raw emotion, like new clay ready to be sculptured into something new and better. Remarkable.
Why do you do it?’ he asked. ‘What’s wrong with how you are? I might like her better.’ I paused, holding my breath in my lungs while I decided how honest to be.
‘I’ve let her down too many times,’ I said.
Crushing is polarising in that it can be hard to read yet is equally heart-assuring being full of lessons on loss and strength, hope and discovery all bound together with loads of ludicrous laughter.
‘How clearheaded we become when we come to terms with ourselves; our ugly and our redeemable. The weight hadn’t eased but it was easier to carry now. I was a person in progress, and there was much work left to do.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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