A review by kidisitor
The Crush by Penelope Ward

5.0

We've all been there. Having that childhood crush. But what happens when he's crushing too? This is a forbidden romance, a brother's best friend romance, a second chance romance and a small age gap all rolled into one. There are some darker emotional elements at play, and some of the subject matter may be a trigger for sensitive readers (involving murder.) There are lots of happy, funny moments throughout, but there is some angst, both from the younger versions of themselves and their current adult selves. The story takes place over the period of several years, (there are a couple of jumps in the timeline,) but they bring up events that had happened many years prior... which is really where their story begins. The Heroine is struggling with the fact that her longtime crush is now living with her and her brother. No matter what she does to try to get his attention, he only ever see's her as a 'little sister.' Until something clicks and he sees her as a lot more... but being the noble guy he is, tries with all his might to fight those growing feelings. She ain't making it easy though, now that she knows he's attracted to her too. The Hero has a lot on his plate that he is dealing with and it seems like more things keep getting tossed on top of it all, which doesn't help his situation with her. He is also a little bit broken. This is a interesting story that is well written. It was hard to put down. It alternates between POVs. There is sexual content that might be suitable for mature readers.