Crushed

by Laura McNeal, Tom McNeal

From National Book Award-nominated authors Laura and Tom McNeal Audrey and her two best friends have just transferred to Jemison High from their tiny private school. They're a nerdy little trio, so everyone is shocked when the handsome new guy, Wickham Hill, asks Audrey out. Audrey is so smitten that she doesn't pay much attention to The Yellow Paper , a vicious underground school newspaper...until it threatens to tell a tale that could change everything.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Coming Of Age, Teen, Realistic Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 2006

About the author

Living since 1983 (the year I first read Thomas Hardy) in the haunted mansion of Victorian literature.

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 4 stars is too high a rating, but I found myself absorbed in this story more than I expected to.

When our "good girl" heroine falls for a boy named Wickham, it's pretty clear what's going to happen. And it does, but I still ached for our heroine. There isn't much more similarity to Pride and Prejudice beyond the Wickham story and the general theme of misjudging people. I mean, Clyde is certainly no Mr. Darcy.

The main characters were well defined and more than just stereotypes. I really liked Audrey and Clyde, and I certainly would have fallen for Wickham myself. He's a rake, but you still sympathize with him.

[Jenna Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I decided to check it's rating. Seeing as it had a relatively low rating compared to most of the books I read, I feel like that mayyyy have caused to me to focus on the negative more than the positive while reading. However, I did go through this pretty fast and despite the predictable plot (I could pretty much guess the ending from the time I got to the third chapter) I didn't totally hate it. Sure, there were a lot of times the writing was "eh" and I felt a lot of the characters were undeveloped. There were also a lot of parts in the book I found completely unnecessary and unrelated to the story as a whole. But, I was able to relate to the story at times (we allllll know a "Wickham" at our high school) and enjoyed it to a certain extent. However, in the end I was just sorta feeling depressed and extremely angry at Audrey for being so freakin' stupid.

[LaShaunda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crushed was a very fast, easy read, but ultimately it fell flat and it didn't leave me feeling much of anything at all.

I felt the characters were one-dimensional and uninteresting, which is automatically a negative in a contemporary where the main requisite is that I need to care about these characters. The main character, Audrey, was very unlikeable and I couldn't quite feel any sympathy for her regarding the situation with her father or the woes in her relationship with Wickham. And Wickham? He is clearly supposed to be one of those "swoony" characters, but he screamed "slimmy" from his first introduction. Like Audrey, I felt no sympathy for him or his mother. (Speaking of his mother, what's with all the women in this book being defined by and/or obsessed with the men in their lives?) I'm completely at a loss for Theo's purpose except to present a very clear and present antagonist. The only reason I could connect on a tiny level emotionally with Clyde is because I recently experienced losing a parent slowly, but without that first-hand experience, it probably wouldn't have resonated either.

The fact that is most disheartening is that I felt this book had a lot of potential, but somehow, it glosses over all the issues and rushes itself.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crushed is reminding me quite a bit of The Penderwicks. Both books feature a setting that would have been perfectly natural in a book from 50 or 100 years ago: The Penderwicks' summer vacation cottage, and in Crushed, the one-room private school the lead character, Audrey, attended before going to public high school.

I'm just a few chapters in, but the characters in Crushed are becoming very well rounded, especially the mysterious boy who's always staring at Audrey.

[Sara Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rediscovered going through a box of books my mother saved from my childhood bedroom…I might be one of like 10 people who read it but rereading it I was shocked realizing how much it influenced my opinions to this day!!!

[Lavender · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good eventually

[C.W. Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, this book was just okay. Nothing really stood out to me. The characters were just okay and the ending was just meh.

[Lily May]

for some reason this book changed my life in middle school and i dont remember why but i will give 5 stars💘 for the development

[Mercy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crushed was written by Laura and Tom McNeal. The book, published by Alfred A. Knopf, is 308 pages. The cover is a picture of three maids, which are best friends. By looking at the book cover I made a prediction that these three little maids would find themselves finding hatred in between their friendship and soon they wouldn’t be three little maids.

About a third way through the book (pg. 135), Audrey Reed is in a relationship with Wickham Hill, who is hiding many secrets behind his drawl voice and calm smile. Audrey soon finds that Wickham is not the boy she thought he was. Meanwhile, Clyde Mumsford is trying to help Audrey realize what kind of person Wickham Hill is. I dislike how Audrey mistreats Clyde because she is so intrigued in Wickham Hill that she doesn’t realize who he really is. The pacing is nice and quick that it catches the reader’s interest before it can get boring and the authors’ get right to the point.

About two-thirds through the book (pg.264), Audrey finds herself discovering that her best friend, Lea Woolcott, is in a relationship with Wickham Hill. At this point of view I feel really surprised because Lea, a very nice girl, back-stabbed her best friend by taking her boyfriend’s heart. The author is making an imagery of the scene when Audrey finds Wickham at Lea’s Zen party kissing her. I would never think that such a nice girl, like Lea, would do that to her best friend.

Overall, this book was very interesting because it had a lot of unpredictable twists and turns. Laura and Tom did a fantastic job of making a very clear image of all the scenes and words. These authors’ took out their razor-sharp dialogue to this new novel of love-friendship, and the power of crushing secrets. I would recommend this book to young girls that like to read books with a lot of girl drama and how secrets can crush people.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childhood favorite, Crushed is one of the books I go back to regularly. Although the plot moves slowly, the prose is comforting. There's a lot of small details that give the descriptions a satisfying taste, like warm chicken noodle soup.

It details the typical troubles that an adolescent goes through, including single parents, breakups, bullies, and crushes. A must-read coming-of-age novel for all teens.

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audrey Reed and her best friends Lea and CC have just arrived at Jemison High from the one-room private school where they've gone to school for grades six through ten. They're a nerdy little group, so everyone is shocked when the attractive new guy, Wickham Hill, asks Audrey out. Audrey is so smitten with Wickham that she doesn't pay enough attention to other things. Like the Yellow Paper, the underground newspaper that is dredging up vicious stories about students and teachers alike. Or Theo Driggs, the hulking bully who has told Audrey that she is on his "To Do" list. Or Clyde Mumsford, the guy in her World Cultures class. Or the way her home life seems to be falling down around her.

When Audrey finally starts to open her eyes and pay attention again, she will discover some new allies--and new enemies--in the places she least expected to find them.

I didn't like this book. There were things about it that bothered me from the first page, that I hoped would go away, but didn't. Some characters just were not developed enough, and others were just not interesting enough.

It wasn't uplifting in any way--and not that a book has to be--but this book was depressing through and through, and it never really seemed to rise above itself.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book is Crushed by Laura and Tom McNeal. When Audrey Reed and her nerdy group of friends are new to Jeminson High School. They previously went to a private school. There's is a new boy named Wickham Hill, who Audrey thought was mysteriously cute. Audrey see's a little evil in his eyes, but she doesn't mind. To her suprise, Wickham asks her out, which not only shocks her and her friends along with everyone else. There's an anonymous school newspaper (called the Yellow Paper) that tells everyone's dirty little secrets. When the Yellow Paper could tell a secret that could change everything, she decides she must find out who's writing it and put it to an end. Could it be that odd boy that always stares at her in lunch and in her classes? Could it be her dearly loved friends Lea and C.C.? Or worse...could it be Wickham? Audrey find herself in several different situations. I'd say this book is for more of a teenage range. Maybe 13+. I saw the ratings and I felt that they were worse than the actual book was. You should read this because it keeps you on your seat. It's thrilling almost. It's suspenseful, and makes you want to keep reading. The only bad thing about this book is the beginning isn't that exciting and you have to be determined to keep reading.

[Rachael Penrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audrey Reed and her two Best friends are new to Jemison High school. They had previously went to a private school. There is also a new boy named Whickam Hill that asks Audrey out, which shocks several people. Audrey doesn't care much about the Yellow Paper, which is an anonymous newspaper that tells others dirty secrets. But when she thinks it could tell a secret that could change everything she has to find out who is writing it, and stop them. Audrey finds herself in several situations throughout the book.

I liked this book. It was very interesting, and nerve wrecking. There was never a dull moment and there were so many shocking moments. It always kept me on my toes.

I am positive the audience would love to read this book. I think young adult women would love this book. It has romance and a little mystery to it.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story about a girl falls for the new edgy guy in town. He has a lot of dark secrets and she has no idea what’s she getting into. But she has some dark secrets herself -though not quite as dark. Her father is losing his grip on keeping their home which is devastating to the girl because she grew up in the home and it holds her passed mother’s memory.

This book shows how falling for the bad boy is not the best idea and your friends are not always who you think they are.

This book left me heartbroken when I first read it over five years ago and now I understand why. I went into the book wanting it to be a happy love story. I now know that life is not always going to have a happy ending and the bad times often define who we are.

This book will make you self reflect and wonder who you are and what you really want in life.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know it when I started this book, but it's actually the third in a series. Series includes Zipped and, umm, something else. Not a series so much, because it doesn't matter AT ALL if you read the rest (I actually didn't realize it had related books until after I'd read it), but a collection of books about the same three girls.
Anyway, this was much better than I had expected it to be. I was looking for fluffy teen drama to recommend to problem-novel loving girls. And to an extent that's what this is. But's it's also pretty well written and down right engaging. And the characters take some turns you don't expect. That's always nice.

[Rachel Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with this book is that I never had anyone to root for. I pretty much disliked every single character. I never understood them. Their behavior wasn't consistent.

Take the heroine Audrey. At first she's a smart girl, school nerd, outcast. Then she's a naive rich girl. The two never quite matched up to make a complete whole.

And the secondary characters felt like they were more conveniences than real people. This started with their names. Almost no one in the entire book has a name that sounds like a real teenager. Who names their child Wickham or Clyde or Sands?

[Kimberly Westrope · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, this story doesn't seem all that special. Audrey and her best friends find themselves as the new kids at school. The popular girls immediately don't like them, but Audrey does draw the attention bad (and gorgeous) boy, Wickham.

The story then takes on a bit of suspense, with some surprising twists.

I was really drawn into the story. The characters are all very high schoolish, but there is some depth to them that makes them interesting.

I was surprised at how much I liked this book.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

more like 3.5 stars... this book was totally depressing but i couldn't stop reading it. the story really drew me in and there were times when i had to put the book down and breathe and think and process what i just read. it felt as if there wasn't much depth to the characters but for some reason, i think it worked better and i ended up thinking about human nature and the characters' motivations, how a certain person becomes how he/she is.

[Debbie Wakefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought i would give this book five stars until I reached the end. I found myself really absorbed in the beginning and middle but at the end I was angry. I wanted to see her save herself and not wait for a boy to save her. The book starts out with Audrey falling in love way too quickly with a new boy named Wickham. Then once his secrets come out, things change. I'd recommend this book for those looking for an easy read and a page turner. It was entertaining but wasn't earth shattering.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weirdest cover I've ever seen. Had nothing to do with the book, by the way. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. I do judge books by their cover, just so you know. ;o) But I bought it anyway because it was, like, 90 cents and the description looked good enough to try it out. And I did actually like it. So there you go. :o)

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the structure of this book was really ineffective. 96% of the book was teenage melodrama that I thought barely contributed to the main theme. I did, however, find the story to be succesful at capturing the attention of a teenage reader. Although I thought it was missing a lot of elements of good fictional writing, I enjoyed the story and characters, who were easy to connect with.

[Zemika White · Rating 5 out of 5]

It made me happy yet angry I felt that I was in the book. That I was the main character, This book is so romantic but also full of drama, to tell the truth when I near the end of the book and read a part that got me mad and sad. I literally threw the book against the wall out of anger of certain characters. I guess that what they mean in putting your self in your characters shoes.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was kind of a weird book... The main character turns into a desperate stalker at the end... But i kind of get the book because it talks about how boys (and girls too, if it is a group of boys) can affect friendships and destroy them. And also how they can show who your true friends are and who really cares about you.

[Allessandra Delagrange · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this book was an amazing book. I liked the way that it was both predictable and yet also surprising. I thought that it was more realistic than other books because the whole thing wasn't about how everything went right with Audrey's life, but how most everything in her life went wrong and how she had to deal with it.

[Mindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this more stars because I read it so fast and couldn't put it down, but there were a couple things in it that would keep me from recommending it. After finishing it and seeing the end result, I am glad I read it.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book except the ending. This book was very frustrating, but it kept me wanting to read more. I did not like the ending because the bad guy got a good life. The good guy got a good life too, but I think the bad guy should have been punished. Overall a very good book!

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's the thing about this book... It makes you feel absolutely horrible. It's really frustrating, but it makes a good point at the end. But, you have to actually make it to the end and sometimes that was hard because it makes you feel so upset and frustrated.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was sharp, funny and not full of high school girl fluff! This nerdy trio of high school girls lead by Audrey was like revisting my high school days with a full cast of best gal pals, bullies and handsome hotties.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although well written, this book leaves you feeling a little empty and yet wanting more to the story. McNeal could have written more into the thoughts and feelings of some of the characters. The story unfolds to an unexpected ending.

[Stacey Lucky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This plot was all over the place! It made hardly any sense. I think this would have made a better movie than a book. The story itself wasn't bad but once I got to the end I thought ,so what was the point of all this?