Review: Crushing Summer
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 8, 2013
Crushing Summer by C.M. Stunich3.75 StarsI am going to try to make this short and sweet but I want to say that there are a lot of characters and the storyline can get a little confusing at times which makes reviewing this book a little difficult but I'll give it my best shot.There is a town that has a longtime running tradition for the children between 13 and 18 to partake in.  Its called The Assignment.  Evidentally the kids sign up for a particular role and a vote gets taken for things like "Queen Bee", "Heartthrob" "King", "Crush" and "Outcast" to name a few.  If you win the role, you have to assume it for the whole summer.  Once the summer is over everything goes back to normal.  Confusing? Yes.  It also seems that any laws that are broken get overlooked by law enforcement and any rules broken by the kids, the parents seem to overlook as well??Chloe Summers does not want to put her name on the list.  She doesn't want to participate this year.  Someone from her school died playing this game last summer and she has no desire to be involved in it this year.  Somehow, her name mysteriously gets on the ballot, she wins and is now this summers "Crush".  She is dreading the unsurmountable love notes, gifts, flowers that she knows will be coming.  What she does not expect is vandalism and violence.  While at the beach one day before the vote, she is in the ocean, almost drowns and is rescued by the new "emo" boy Casper, that has moved to town.  There is an instant attraction to him and a friendship is born.  Although, Chloe is feeling a little more then friendship towards Casper.  Casper has a sister Julie who has a mysterious disease that you are never told what it is and has very limited time to live.  Somehow, SHE gets nominated and wins the vote for "Outcast".  Not the role anyone wants because you treated exactly like the title, Outcast.  You are treated horribly, your house gets trashed and you are basically the black sheep of the school...just for the summer!?!Needless to say the story revolves around the girl Tatiana (last year's Crush) that died and the mystery around it.  As the story unfolds, it seems that people very close to Chloe could have been involved in this girl's death.  By the end of the book all the loose ends are tied up and the truth comes out but not before there is another tragedy.  Somewhere in the midst of all of this, his book does show how cruel children can be towards each other and how peer pressure and bullying are very real problems.  It also shows how nave parents and people in position of authority are oblivious to it.  While I love C.M. Stunich's books, this one was not one of my favorites.