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Worldwide Crush
Rory Calhoun is a teen popstar with perfect teeth and messy hair who’s inspiring first crushes all over the globe. Millie Jackson is just one of the millions of fans who love him—but that doesn't mean her heart doesn't break for him every single day in this laugh-out-loud coming-of-age story.
How many of Rory’s fans collect “data” about him in a special notebook hidden in their underwear drawer? Or have faked a fascination with whale migration for a chance to visit his hometown? Millie may not be Rory’s only fan at Susan B. Anthony Middle School, but she's convinced she's the biggest—and the best.
Rory’s new song “Worldwide Crush” is climbing the charts, and his lyrics are he’s looking for love—and he’s looking in the audience. Meaning Millie’s secret fantasies of running in the surf and eating waffles with him may not be crazy after all . . . she could be that girl! But first she has to get to his concert—his completely sold-out concert in a city nowhere near her home for which she does not have tickets or a ride. She just has to figure out how.
How many of Rory’s fans collect “data” about him in a special notebook hidden in their underwear drawer? Or have faked a fascination with whale migration for a chance to visit his hometown? Millie may not be Rory’s only fan at Susan B. Anthony Middle School, but she's convinced she's the biggest—and the best.
Rory’s new song “Worldwide Crush” is climbing the charts, and his lyrics are he’s looking for love—and he’s looking in the audience. Meaning Millie’s secret fantasies of running in the surf and eating waffles with him may not be crazy after all . . . she could be that girl! But first she has to get to his concert—his completely sold-out concert in a city nowhere near her home for which she does not have tickets or a ride. She just has to figure out how.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 11, 2023
5 people are currently reading
1846 people want to read
About the author
Kristin Nilsen
2 books35 followersKristin Nilsen is a children's author and librarian with an encyclopedic knowledge of all things 70s and 80s. She is the author of Worldwide Crush, a middle grade novel inspired by her own childhood crush on Shaun Cassidy. She also co-hosts The Pop Culture Preservation Society, a weekly podcast celebrating the cultural nuggets of the classic Gen X childhood. Kristin lives in Minneapolis with her Gen X husband, her Gen Z son, and their rock and roll goldendoodle, Axl Rose Nilsen. The Scott Fenwick Diaries (on sale 7/22/25 from SparkPress) is the sequel to Worldwide Crush and Nilsen’s second middle grade novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
July 14, 2025
✰ 3.5 stars ✰
If I were to compare twelve-year-old Millie'sobsession crush on fifteen-year-old global sensation, a very special kind of cultural phenomenon, teen heartthrob, fifteen-year-old Rory Calhoun, then I would say it's nothing short of being a variation of the Five Stages of Grief; or in this case, the Five Stages of Fangirling, instead. 🥰
Observe.
LOVE-STRUCK
The diary entries, the love notes, the day-dreaming, the gorgeous hunk a hunk posters, the fictional marriage proposals we plan out at thirteen, the hearts with starry-eyed wonder - spot-on relatable, wholesome goodness that brought a smile to my face. 😊 A nod to every silly but romantic inclination Millie had to be Rory's numero uno, his number one fan, his dream girl, the lucky soul to serenade the soulful tunes of Worldwide Crush to. Win his heart, score the dream. 🤩
“Please, please hold my hand, but strong and purposeful, like I know you’re going to take my hand in yours. And when you do, you will walk closer and stand right in front of me, singing right into my heart.”
EXCITEMENT
The palpable frenzy of a tour date in your city of Minneapolis, the impossible possibility that she could breathe the same air as her idol, her wonder, the screams that her best friend, Shauna, doesn't only have to hear her own, but every other admirers' echo loudly and proudly of their devotion to this beautiful being that has stolen their hearts. 🥹🎤 It's the desperation - the need - that outweighs all school activities, family chores, principles and beliefs that booking that ticket is the only precedent that matters. A matter of life or death. 😤
DEPRESSION
But, what can you do, when your parents don't seem to take your needs seriously? 😢💔💔 How can they not understand that tickets get sold out, even online! Times have changed, people! 😭 'Every tragedy is felt so deeply—so deeply.' Millie's anger, her heartbreak, her lonely acrostics to Rory, confessing her bitterness towards her mother's failed attempt of doing the one thing she counted 0n - trusted her with - that not even her newfound fascination with whales (only because Rory loves them, too) can distract her from the agony that everyone else will get to have their chants heard as he belts his heart out. 😞
BALANCING
Well, we can always count on fiction on turning the tables; in this case, the lucky strike, the impossible match - the one Golden Ticket that just happens by chance (here, the read lost a few points, cuz I felt that the author was trying to cram in every possible feeling of what comes to experience the dream). 🥺 It's driven by hope and love, but also understanding and yearning; one that Millie's family feels her pain and sadness, and decides to find a way to appease her pain by taking a trip to Bodega Bay, 'all because of a crush I have on a guy.' ❤️🩹
“It’s gonna be okay—I promise.”
ACCEPTANCE
It's heart and stars and tears and tunes that draw young Millie's dream to a close. 🩷🤍💜 It's not just a stage or a phase, but a time to love and grow and cherish. One that paves the way for feeling an overwhelming amount of love and connection to her crush, her everything - to know that her feelings matter and mean something. Where letters are no longer one-sided, where a phantom kiss is a heartwarming hug, where its expectations meet reality in the most unprecedented impossible of ways, but one which she would not change in the slightest. 🫂
₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚
I still recall with vivid clarity the romantic fantasy I had spun - with great detail- of Prince William giving up the throne to be with me. I still get a little starry-eyed when Leonardo diCaprio's luscious locks grace the screen from Man in the Iron Mask; although, Titanic will forever be the time Cupid struck true. 🏹💞 I still remember the crazed mania that ensued in our household for any morsel of air waves appearances of the Backstreet Boys on-screen (Dr.Marian, I don't blame your love for Howie D., although it was Nick Carter that did it for me). Haha, I think I had a thing for blonds! 😌
The thing is, we've all been there. We've all shared that intimate dream of being the one of our dreams - the one that would steal their heart and claim it for themselves. But, with age comes clarity. With experience comes wisdom. And with time, those innate fervent desperate desires slowly but fondly trickle away into memories of warm fuzzies and gratitude. 💝☺️ Memories that you can look back on and maybe laugh at how your heart may still skip a beat when they come on stage or screen, but even if Millie realized that at a much younger age, it was still a moment that taught her an important lesson about herself, that she would certainly not let it go to waste. 🫶🏻
The writing is very contemporary modern tween-scene. It's been a while since I've seen Oh my Gawd in fashion. There is a fair amount of cussing, albeit with its own cutesy twist to it, that I'm sure fits the present-day Gen Z lingo. Even though Cheryl, Millie's grandma, wisely observes, 'Children shouldn't swear'. Not that she takes her own advice, ofc. 😏 No F-bombs, just variations of it, while the adults easily dropped a** or G-Damn now and then. Frowned upon, yes, but still, worth mentioning, hence my feeling that this fits more young adult, than middle grade. 🤔
Millie's relationship with her mom is also at the forefront, one that truly acts as a launch pad for Millie to confront her own feelings for Rory. The author got the middle school hierarchy down to a tee. 👌🏻 No matter what year, I suppose, some aspects never change; much like how the Blondes, an all-girl, all-blonde super tight group of superfriends, had me reminiscence of the my own Women in Black (my girl classmates who were prone to wearing clothes in black on more than a handful of days during the week, lol). 😆
One ill-advised, if not ill-timed trip to their local Church's mother-daughter lesson on puberty felt a bit out-of-place for me; it fits the Judy Blume vibes well, as Millie's mother was trying to amend a grievous error on her part for Millie, and perhaps chalk up her disappointment due to puberty, but like Millie, I wasn't feeling it. 😑 However, it was their advisor, Peter, who delivered the most important words, one parents will most undoubtedly understand and reflect, because at one time, I'm sure they all experienced it, too.
“Mothers,” Peter says, “crushes on celebrities are real, and they are intense, and they serve a purpose: they are an important step in learning how to be in love... Stand back, ladies, and let them love these people until they are ready for something else.”
“I just want to love him. And I wish he could love me back.”
If I were to compare twelve-year-old Millie's
Observe.
LOVE-STRUCK
The diary entries, the love notes, the day-dreaming, the gorgeous hunk a hunk posters, the fictional marriage proposals we plan out at thirteen, the hearts with starry-eyed wonder - spot-on relatable, wholesome goodness that brought a smile to my face. 😊 A nod to every silly but romantic inclination Millie had to be Rory's numero uno, his number one fan, his dream girl, the lucky soul to serenade the soulful tunes of Worldwide Crush to. Win his heart, score the dream. 🤩
“Please, please hold my hand, but strong and purposeful, like I know you’re going to take my hand in yours. And when you do, you will walk closer and stand right in front of me, singing right into my heart.”
EXCITEMENT
The palpable frenzy of a tour date in your city of Minneapolis, the impossible possibility that she could breathe the same air as her idol, her wonder, the screams that her best friend, Shauna, doesn't only have to hear her own, but every other admirers' echo loudly and proudly of their devotion to this beautiful being that has stolen their hearts. 🥹🎤 It's the desperation - the need - that outweighs all school activities, family chores, principles and beliefs that booking that ticket is the only precedent that matters. A matter of life or death. 😤
DEPRESSION
But, what can you do, when your parents don't seem to take your needs seriously? 😢💔💔 How can they not understand that tickets get sold out, even online! Times have changed, people! 😭 'Every tragedy is felt so deeply—so deeply.' Millie's anger, her heartbreak, her lonely acrostics to Rory, confessing her bitterness towards her mother's failed attempt of doing the one thing she counted 0n - trusted her with - that not even her newfound fascination with whales (only because Rory loves them, too) can distract her from the agony that everyone else will get to have their chants heard as he belts his heart out. 😞
BALANCING
Well, we can always count on fiction on turning the tables; in this case, the lucky strike, the impossible match - the one Golden Ticket that just happens by chance (here, the read lost a few points, cuz I felt that the author was trying to cram in every possible feeling of what comes to experience the dream). 🥺 It's driven by hope and love, but also understanding and yearning; one that Millie's family feels her pain and sadness, and decides to find a way to appease her pain by taking a trip to Bodega Bay, 'all because of a crush I have on a guy.' ❤️🩹
“It’s gonna be okay—I promise.”
ACCEPTANCE
It's heart and stars and tears and tunes that draw young Millie's dream to a close. 🩷🤍💜 It's not just a stage or a phase, but a time to love and grow and cherish. One that paves the way for feeling an overwhelming amount of love and connection to her crush, her everything - to know that her feelings matter and mean something. Where letters are no longer one-sided, where a phantom kiss is a heartwarming hug, where its expectations meet reality in the most unprecedented impossible of ways, but one which she would not change in the slightest. 🫂
₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚
I still recall with vivid clarity the romantic fantasy I had spun - with great detail- of Prince William giving up the throne to be with me. I still get a little starry-eyed when Leonardo diCaprio's luscious locks grace the screen from Man in the Iron Mask; although, Titanic will forever be the time Cupid struck true. 🏹💞 I still remember the crazed mania that ensued in our household for any morsel of air waves appearances of the Backstreet Boys on-screen (Dr.Marian, I don't blame your love for Howie D., although it was Nick Carter that did it for me). Haha, I think I had a thing for blonds! 😌
The thing is, we've all been there. We've all shared that intimate dream of being the one of our dreams - the one that would steal their heart and claim it for themselves. But, with age comes clarity. With experience comes wisdom. And with time, those innate fervent desperate desires slowly but fondly trickle away into memories of warm fuzzies and gratitude. 💝☺️ Memories that you can look back on and maybe laugh at how your heart may still skip a beat when they come on stage or screen, but even if Millie realized that at a much younger age, it was still a moment that taught her an important lesson about herself, that she would certainly not let it go to waste. 🫶🏻
The writing is very contemporary modern tween-scene. It's been a while since I've seen Oh my Gawd in fashion. There is a fair amount of cussing, albeit with its own cutesy twist to it, that I'm sure fits the present-day Gen Z lingo. Even though Cheryl, Millie's grandma, wisely observes, 'Children shouldn't swear'. Not that she takes her own advice, ofc. 😏 No F-bombs, just variations of it, while the adults easily dropped a** or G-Damn now and then. Frowned upon, yes, but still, worth mentioning, hence my feeling that this fits more young adult, than middle grade. 🤔
Millie's relationship with her mom is also at the forefront, one that truly acts as a launch pad for Millie to confront her own feelings for Rory. The author got the middle school hierarchy down to a tee. 👌🏻 No matter what year, I suppose, some aspects never change; much like how the Blondes, an all-girl, all-blonde super tight group of superfriends, had me reminiscence of the my own Women in Black (my girl classmates who were prone to wearing clothes in black on more than a handful of days during the week, lol). 😆
One ill-advised, if not ill-timed trip to their local Church's mother-daughter lesson on puberty felt a bit out-of-place for me; it fits the Judy Blume vibes well, as Millie's mother was trying to amend a grievous error on her part for Millie, and perhaps chalk up her disappointment due to puberty, but like Millie, I wasn't feeling it. 😑 However, it was their advisor, Peter, who delivered the most important words, one parents will most undoubtedly understand and reflect, because at one time, I'm sure they all experienced it, too.
“Mothers,” Peter says, “crushes on celebrities are real, and they are intense, and they serve a purpose: they are an important step in learning how to be in love... Stand back, ladies, and let them love these people until they are ready for something else.”
July 21, 2024
Twelve year-old Millie is experiencing her first celebrity crush on teen singer and heartthrob Rory Calhoun. She dreams of meeting him, could it happen? How far will she go in her hopes to fulfill her dream? Will she succeed? Or perhaps discover a more realistic crush in her own neighborhood? Millie could be Margaret from Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.. Full of innocence, this is a perfect "first" romance book for tweens.
A HUGE thank you to BookSparks and Kristin Nilsen for providing me with a copy of this book in a special and most attractive package!
July 17, 2023
Ohhh my goodness!! I cannot put into words how much I loved this book!! It was absolute perfection. The way I saw my younger self so much in here it’s insane, it’s like every seventh grader wrote this, all of our feelings as our younger selves written in this perfect book. 🩷
The way i experienced the book not only as an adult who was a also a seventh grader not long ago 😉 but also a mom of a pre-teen, woow just woow. I was able to look within myself and remember those times when my celebrity crushes absolutely took over my life, when everything seem so incredibly important and no one seemed to understand me just like our female lead Millie. I also was able to step into the shoes of her mom and feel all the feelings she was having and realizing what is like to parent a young teenager.
My heart will forever love this book so much, it made me laugh, it made me cry both happy and sad tears in the best way possible. The story was just so wholesome and cute, I can’t wait to pass it down to my daughter so she can read it as well.
The way i experienced the book not only as an adult who was a also a seventh grader not long ago 😉 but also a mom of a pre-teen, woow just woow. I was able to look within myself and remember those times when my celebrity crushes absolutely took over my life, when everything seem so incredibly important and no one seemed to understand me just like our female lead Millie. I also was able to step into the shoes of her mom and feel all the feelings she was having and realizing what is like to parent a young teenager.
My heart will forever love this book so much, it made me laugh, it made me cry both happy and sad tears in the best way possible. The story was just so wholesome and cute, I can’t wait to pass it down to my daughter so she can read it as well.
June 28, 2023
I’m obsessed. That’s all I can say. I’m obsessed and nobody can take that alway. Every person in the world who has ever had a crush on somebody maybe out of reach (a celebrity) NEEDS to read Worldwide Crush. Grandmas, moms, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews and you need this book in their lives. Milly (the mc) will help you feel less alone.
January 2, 2025
I listen to (and love) the Pop Culture Preservation Society podcast that Kristin does with Michelle Newman and Carolyn Cochrane, so I've been wanting to read this since I heard about it. It's no surprise, then, after a year of bingeing the podcast that I could "hear" Kristin's voice as I read this. That made an enjoyable book even more so. I've had my share of celebrity crushes, so much of this rang true. It brought back warm, funny, embarrassing, and cringe-y memories of those crushes, not unlike what Millie was experiencing throughout the book. Not only did Kristin (I can't help but think of her on a first-name basis) channel her and the readers' 7th-grade selves, but also one of her writing idols, Judy Blume. Way to go, Kristin!
May 31, 2023
review closer to release date.
September 27, 2025
My rule of thumb for five stars is that it has to hold its own with Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow. World Wide Crush is a radically different novel but it is great! Kristin Nilsen tells an authentic and funny story about Millie, a seventh grade girl with a huge crush on a pop star. Great characters, great story, and very sweet and humorous with a good message to young people and their parents and cool grandparents.
July 12, 2023
Millie Jackson is in 7th grade and has a major crush on teen pop star, Rory Calhoun. She would do anything to see him in concert and dreams of him bringing her on stage and singing his hit song “Worldwide Crush” to her. Millie is his “number one fan” after all and knows everything about him, but when the concert in her town is canceled how will she make her dream come true?
If you ever had a crush on a major celebrity when you were growing up, then this is the book for you! This coming of age story was very relatable, and I could picture myself at Millie’s age obsessing over Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block while reading it. Nilsen used her own childhood crush on actor Shaun Cassidy from The Hardy Boys as inspiration for this story.
One of the coolest parts of this book was that Nilsen included twenty-five references to celebrity crushes throughout history. It was fun finding them while reading, and I wasn’t even aware we were supposed to be looking for them, I just noticed them throughout. There is a link on her website that lists them all, and I found all but a couple.
I got a sense of Millie’s angst while reading this book and could relate to her emotional ups and downs throughout the story. Her mother was a great character and I loved her grandmother. This was a fun book and a super quick read so if you’re looking for a cute middle grade story to read at the beach this summer this one is for you.
If you ever had a crush on a major celebrity when you were growing up, then this is the book for you! This coming of age story was very relatable, and I could picture myself at Millie’s age obsessing over Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block while reading it. Nilsen used her own childhood crush on actor Shaun Cassidy from The Hardy Boys as inspiration for this story.
One of the coolest parts of this book was that Nilsen included twenty-five references to celebrity crushes throughout history. It was fun finding them while reading, and I wasn’t even aware we were supposed to be looking for them, I just noticed them throughout. There is a link on her website that lists them all, and I found all but a couple.
I got a sense of Millie’s angst while reading this book and could relate to her emotional ups and downs throughout the story. Her mother was a great character and I loved her grandmother. This was a fun book and a super quick read so if you’re looking for a cute middle grade story to read at the beach this summer this one is for you.
January 22, 2025
This book, Worldwide Crush, is adorable and lovable!
I started this book in the morning and finished it in the same day! It was cute, sharp, and oh so relatable! I mean, we all at some point have a celebrity crush of some sort and this story pinpoints the ups and downs of it all, like going crazy and faking an obsession, literally doing anything to go to a concert, and embarrassingly daydreaming about them every spare moment you have- we’ve all been/will go through that! Kristen Nilsen has a great voice in the story, and makes ridiculously great characters like Millie, who’s fun and sweet, and a little bit stubborn and tweenagerly mature. It also contains very funny moments, and very cool features like text messages, acrostic poems, and a bonus activity at the end!
Some things that are in this book that people would maybe like a warning about are:
-Curse words- minor, but do appear several times
-Puberty talk- very small scene, but still might contain or mention things that parents, you might not want you’re kids to hear about at their age
I would recommend this book for tweens, or YA/MG readers. That was another thing I enjoyed- there are not many good middle grade crush novels that are appropriate and fun to read.
I hope you read this book!
I started this book in the morning and finished it in the same day! It was cute, sharp, and oh so relatable! I mean, we all at some point have a celebrity crush of some sort and this story pinpoints the ups and downs of it all, like going crazy and faking an obsession, literally doing anything to go to a concert, and embarrassingly daydreaming about them every spare moment you have- we’ve all been/will go through that! Kristen Nilsen has a great voice in the story, and makes ridiculously great characters like Millie, who’s fun and sweet, and a little bit stubborn and tweenagerly mature. It also contains very funny moments, and very cool features like text messages, acrostic poems, and a bonus activity at the end!
Some things that are in this book that people would maybe like a warning about are:
-Curse words- minor, but do appear several times
-Puberty talk- very small scene, but still might contain or mention things that parents, you might not want you’re kids to hear about at their age
I would recommend this book for tweens, or YA/MG readers. That was another thing I enjoyed- there are not many good middle grade crush novels that are appropriate and fun to read.
I hope you read this book!
July 25, 2023
Celebrity Crushes is something we all can easily relate to! We have seen numerous daydreams with our favourite superstar/ artist and have imagined so many romantic scenarios in childhood/ teenage.
This book takes me back to my fangirling days of childhood 🤭 the plot is about the superstar artist and his fan. Rory Calhoun, a teen popstar who has fans all across the globe and most of his fans are females. So, he is the heart-throb of most of the girls.
Millie, one of the female fans of Rory and believes she is the best fan he could ever have! She dreams and desires to be with him. Will the fate work in her favour and let her dreams come true or will it give her a rollercoaster ride!
This was definitely a treat to read and i absolutely love the plotline.
This book takes me back to my fangirling days of childhood 🤭 the plot is about the superstar artist and his fan. Rory Calhoun, a teen popstar who has fans all across the globe and most of his fans are females. So, he is the heart-throb of most of the girls.
Millie, one of the female fans of Rory and believes she is the best fan he could ever have! She dreams and desires to be with him. Will the fate work in her favour and let her dreams come true or will it give her a rollercoaster ride!
This was definitely a treat to read and i absolutely love the plotline.
August 5, 2023
First time novelist Kristin Nilsen hits the mark with this charming, fun, bildungsroman cloaked in the majesty of a young teen’s celebrity crush. Nilsen captures her character’s voices with acumen and clarity, depicting the mother-daughter relationship with sensitivity and a sharp but gentle witt. She brings out the reality of teen angst and simultaneously the grave desire of mothers to not believe their own incarnation of imposter syndrome. A delightful YA read, part epistolary novel, with a killer unexpected plot twist that I highly recommend.
August 16, 2023
Remembering this story to write this review makes me smile all over again. It was delightful to experience Millie’s story and to be a teenager again for the weekend. And I say weekend because I truly couldn’t put the book down and it was a quick and wonderful read. Thank you to Kristin for sharing these characters with us
March 16, 2024
Beautiful, spunky, and full of heart… for young readers and for those young at heart. Great mother/daughter book. Great for fangirls of all ages who remember…
April 3, 2023
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Seventh grader Millie has an enormous crush on the pop singer Rory Calhoun, who is fifteen. She knows all the lyrics to his songs, follows him on social media, and keeps a notebook of random facts about him. She knows it's unrealistic to think that someday he might be her boyfriend, but... is it? In the interviews in the Teen Talk magazines she reads, he mentions that it is so hard to find a girl with whom he can really connnect, and the share so many interests! She even writes "Mrs. Rory Calhoun" on her notebook until her friend Shauna points out that "Nobody changes their name anymore" and "nobody uses 'Mrs.' anymore...It's nobody's business if you're married or not." (I love you, Shauna, and you are 100% correct!) Millie is also busy helping take care of her young brother Billy, who has just started kindergarten, and dealing with her grandmother, Cheryl, who is living with the familky while her retirement condo is being renovated. When Rory announces that he will be doing a US tour, it's all anyone at school can talk about, and when it turns out that he will actually be coming to Minneapolis, Millie and Shauna KNOW that the have to go to the concert. Millie has it all planned out. Tickets go on sale at ten in the morning when she is at school, but she gives her mother very strict instructions to buy the tickets right at ten. Of course, her mother has an emergency at work (she's a nurse), and by the time the two try to buy tickets, they are sold out. Millie is crushed. Eventually, her mother manages to get tickets, but Rory cancels the engagement because his mother has a horrible anxiety attack. When he feels he needs to cancel the entire tour to go back home to Bodega Bay, California, Millie can't believe her luck. She has convinced her family that she is really interested in whales, and they have booked a beach house in Rory's home town at the same time that he is there! Not only that, but when she and her mother are in town, they see Rory in a store, and pretend that he is Millie's brother to keep him away from people who are not respecting his privacy. In return, he sends them tickets to his private concert, and Millie gets several moments with her idol. Will she grow up and become a marine biologist so she can live on the beach with Rory? Probably not, but the author, who based this book on her own crush on Shaun Cassidy in the 1970s, leaves us with the feeling that maybe it's not as long a shot as we had all previously thought.
Strengths: This makes some very good points about the purpose of teen crushes, and addresses the fact that the intensity of the emotions is very, very real. There are not a lot of books that deal with the intense draw of celebrities; the only book I can think of is the ten year old This is What Happy Looks like by Jennifer E. Smith, and that wasn't as detailed as Worldwide Crush. This would make a great mother-daughter (or grandmother-granddaughter!) book club choice! There are plenty of Easter eggs sprinkled throughout, the the names of classmates (Randi Gibb, Cassidy David); Millie's family lives on Laura Lane in Walnut Grove Estates, and there's a delightful attempt by Millie to read The Hobbit because Rory says it's his favorite book.
Weaknesses: Millie goes with her mother to a church for a You, Me, and Puberty class that is rather cringey. I didn't enjoy those sorts of scenes when I was in middle school, although I think that my students will probably find it less cringey than I did!
What I really think: Since my I took my own daughter to a David Cassidy concert when she was in middle school, and she cried hysterically after going up to the stage and touching his hand when he sang Cherish... yeah. This happens. I think many of us, if we delve into our long repressed pasts, have similar stories about day dreams we had about celebrities. After all, wouldn't Lance Kerwin have made a great Gilbert Blythe in a made for television movie where Anne was played by... me? Definitely trying to find a prebind of this, and may go ahead and buy it in paperback, since my readers who love Nelson's WISH books will adore this.
The author doesn't seem to have a Twitter account, but is on Instagram with the fabulous Pop Culture Preservation Society (https://www.instagram.com/popculturep...) and has a podcast that looks very fascinating!
Seventh grader Millie has an enormous crush on the pop singer Rory Calhoun, who is fifteen. She knows all the lyrics to his songs, follows him on social media, and keeps a notebook of random facts about him. She knows it's unrealistic to think that someday he might be her boyfriend, but... is it? In the interviews in the Teen Talk magazines she reads, he mentions that it is so hard to find a girl with whom he can really connnect, and the share so many interests! She even writes "Mrs. Rory Calhoun" on her notebook until her friend Shauna points out that "Nobody changes their name anymore" and "nobody uses 'Mrs.' anymore...It's nobody's business if you're married or not." (I love you, Shauna, and you are 100% correct!) Millie is also busy helping take care of her young brother Billy, who has just started kindergarten, and dealing with her grandmother, Cheryl, who is living with the familky while her retirement condo is being renovated. When Rory announces that he will be doing a US tour, it's all anyone at school can talk about, and when it turns out that he will actually be coming to Minneapolis, Millie and Shauna KNOW that the have to go to the concert. Millie has it all planned out. Tickets go on sale at ten in the morning when she is at school, but she gives her mother very strict instructions to buy the tickets right at ten. Of course, her mother has an emergency at work (she's a nurse), and by the time the two try to buy tickets, they are sold out. Millie is crushed. Eventually, her mother manages to get tickets, but Rory cancels the engagement because his mother has a horrible anxiety attack. When he feels he needs to cancel the entire tour to go back home to Bodega Bay, California, Millie can't believe her luck. She has convinced her family that she is really interested in whales, and they have booked a beach house in Rory's home town at the same time that he is there! Not only that, but when she and her mother are in town, they see Rory in a store, and pretend that he is Millie's brother to keep him away from people who are not respecting his privacy. In return, he sends them tickets to his private concert, and Millie gets several moments with her idol. Will she grow up and become a marine biologist so she can live on the beach with Rory? Probably not, but the author, who based this book on her own crush on Shaun Cassidy in the 1970s, leaves us with the feeling that maybe it's not as long a shot as we had all previously thought.
Strengths: This makes some very good points about the purpose of teen crushes, and addresses the fact that the intensity of the emotions is very, very real. There are not a lot of books that deal with the intense draw of celebrities; the only book I can think of is the ten year old This is What Happy Looks like by Jennifer E. Smith, and that wasn't as detailed as Worldwide Crush. This would make a great mother-daughter (or grandmother-granddaughter!) book club choice! There are plenty of Easter eggs sprinkled throughout, the the names of classmates (Randi Gibb, Cassidy David); Millie's family lives on Laura Lane in Walnut Grove Estates, and there's a delightful attempt by Millie to read The Hobbit because Rory says it's his favorite book.
Weaknesses: Millie goes with her mother to a church for a You, Me, and Puberty class that is rather cringey. I didn't enjoy those sorts of scenes when I was in middle school, although I think that my students will probably find it less cringey than I did!
What I really think: Since my I took my own daughter to a David Cassidy concert when she was in middle school, and she cried hysterically after going up to the stage and touching his hand when he sang Cherish... yeah. This happens. I think many of us, if we delve into our long repressed pasts, have similar stories about day dreams we had about celebrities. After all, wouldn't Lance Kerwin have made a great Gilbert Blythe in a made for television movie where Anne was played by... me? Definitely trying to find a prebind of this, and may go ahead and buy it in paperback, since my readers who love Nelson's WISH books will adore this.
The author doesn't seem to have a Twitter account, but is on Instagram with the fabulous Pop Culture Preservation Society (https://www.instagram.com/popculturep...) and has a podcast that looks very fascinating!
July 10, 2023
Worldwide Crush by Kristin Nilsen was sent to me by Booksparks as part of their Summer Influencer Popup, and on the surface it seemed a bit different than my usual reads. It follows a middle schooler named Millie as she desperately tries to find her way to her celebrity crush’s concert so she can get him to fall in love with her on stage. On the surface it doesn’t seem like something a 30-something year old mother and wife would connect with, but if you have ever had a Hollywood crush you will find yourself completely relating to Millie’s story.
I truly loved how relatable the plot of this book is for nearly anyone. Millie is all of us who loved New Kids on the Block, or Backstreet Boys, or Hansen, or the Jonas Brothers, or whoever the current generation of middle schoolers is in love with. As she tries to navigate figuring out a way to see and meet Rory Calhoun, the fictional popstar she loves, she goes on this amazing emotional roller coaster. There were times I laughed out loud, or cheered for Millie when things went her way, and I felt her heart break when they did not go as planned. The more I read the more I could not put this book down.
From what I can tell this is Nilsen’s first major published work, and it is absolutely delightfully written. To find the voice of a middle schooler and make it believable and convincing from start to finish can be something that an adult may struggle with, and yet she does it perfectly. Normally I’m not a fan of author’s using expressions that break the fourth wall and are aimed directly at the audience, but here it works. Millie isn’t a fantasy heroine telling her story, she is a young teenager trying to navigate the journey from childhood to adulthood, and the narration is so incredibly organic. I remembered feeling so much of what Millie felt as I remembered my own teenage crushes and Nilsen taps into those feelings in her writing.
The characters in this book are absolutely incredible. They are fully developed, multifaceted, and feel like real people. I adored her family, and I especially loved the interactions between Millie’s mom and little brother. He reminded me so much of my son that I laughed out loud several times because I understood exactly how the mother felt. Even the character of Rory Calhoun felt real and believable, which I think is an incredible feat as he does not have much time on the page (most of what we know is from Millie’s perspective and articles she reads). I have to admit I was a little sad for this one to end as I just truly fell in love with Millie and her family.
Without question I gave this book 5 out 5 stars. It is a sweet YA story and appropriate for all readers. If you have ever had a crush on a major star, check this book out. You will laugh and cry and feel everything in between.
I truly loved how relatable the plot of this book is for nearly anyone. Millie is all of us who loved New Kids on the Block, or Backstreet Boys, or Hansen, or the Jonas Brothers, or whoever the current generation of middle schoolers is in love with. As she tries to navigate figuring out a way to see and meet Rory Calhoun, the fictional popstar she loves, she goes on this amazing emotional roller coaster. There were times I laughed out loud, or cheered for Millie when things went her way, and I felt her heart break when they did not go as planned. The more I read the more I could not put this book down.
From what I can tell this is Nilsen’s first major published work, and it is absolutely delightfully written. To find the voice of a middle schooler and make it believable and convincing from start to finish can be something that an adult may struggle with, and yet she does it perfectly. Normally I’m not a fan of author’s using expressions that break the fourth wall and are aimed directly at the audience, but here it works. Millie isn’t a fantasy heroine telling her story, she is a young teenager trying to navigate the journey from childhood to adulthood, and the narration is so incredibly organic. I remembered feeling so much of what Millie felt as I remembered my own teenage crushes and Nilsen taps into those feelings in her writing.
The characters in this book are absolutely incredible. They are fully developed, multifaceted, and feel like real people. I adored her family, and I especially loved the interactions between Millie’s mom and little brother. He reminded me so much of my son that I laughed out loud several times because I understood exactly how the mother felt. Even the character of Rory Calhoun felt real and believable, which I think is an incredible feat as he does not have much time on the page (most of what we know is from Millie’s perspective and articles she reads). I have to admit I was a little sad for this one to end as I just truly fell in love with Millie and her family.
Without question I gave this book 5 out 5 stars. It is a sweet YA story and appropriate for all readers. If you have ever had a crush on a major star, check this book out. You will laugh and cry and feel everything in between.
July 19, 2023
A girl with a celebrity crush will do anything to be the love of his life.
Milicent Jackson, or Millie, a 7th grader, has always admired her popstar crush, Rory Calhoun. After a rocky first day of school, Rory admits in an interview that his newest hit song is that he wishes to find a girlfriend. In his latest concerts, he tries to find the perfect girl, so Millie sets out to become his true love. Will Millie achieve her goal beyond her wildest dreams?
This book is very relatable to anyone who has a crush on a celebrity and fictional characters (I am one of these people, I have multiple crushes on fictional characters, to say the least, but my emotions are genuine). Mrs. Nilsen made this story to tell the world that it's okay to have crushes on people you can't reach. Also, she based this book on her story with her real-life celebrity crush, Shaun Cassidy.
All the characters are exceptional. Millie is a very loyal and kindhearted character. When it comes to Rory Calhoun, she would do anything to meet him. Rory and Shauna (Millie's best friend) are excellent and humorous. I also like Millie's funny and heartwarming relationship with her parents and little brother.
A true rollercoaster of emotions, I alternated between laughing hard, feeling sorry for Millie, or getting so excited. This book is a page-turner; I have found myself unable to put it down once I started!
And one more thing, I listened to the playlist Mrs. Nilsen provided me. I enjoyed the music of artists I knew and some I didn't know.
This book is crushing it; Please give Worldwide Crush to anyone who has or had a crush on someone unreachable and needs a sweet, lovely story with hope.
Thanks, Mrs. Nilsen, for sharing this book and the lovely playlist.
Happy Reading, Paige ❤️ 📚 🎶
Milicent Jackson, or Millie, a 7th grader, has always admired her popstar crush, Rory Calhoun. After a rocky first day of school, Rory admits in an interview that his newest hit song is that he wishes to find a girlfriend. In his latest concerts, he tries to find the perfect girl, so Millie sets out to become his true love. Will Millie achieve her goal beyond her wildest dreams?
This book is very relatable to anyone who has a crush on a celebrity and fictional characters (I am one of these people, I have multiple crushes on fictional characters, to say the least, but my emotions are genuine). Mrs. Nilsen made this story to tell the world that it's okay to have crushes on people you can't reach. Also, she based this book on her story with her real-life celebrity crush, Shaun Cassidy.
All the characters are exceptional. Millie is a very loyal and kindhearted character. When it comes to Rory Calhoun, she would do anything to meet him. Rory and Shauna (Millie's best friend) are excellent and humorous. I also like Millie's funny and heartwarming relationship with her parents and little brother.
A true rollercoaster of emotions, I alternated between laughing hard, feeling sorry for Millie, or getting so excited. This book is a page-turner; I have found myself unable to put it down once I started!
And one more thing, I listened to the playlist Mrs. Nilsen provided me. I enjoyed the music of artists I knew and some I didn't know.
This book is crushing it; Please give Worldwide Crush to anyone who has or had a crush on someone unreachable and needs a sweet, lovely story with hope.
Thanks, Mrs. Nilsen, for sharing this book and the lovely playlist.
Happy Reading, Paige ❤️ 📚 🎶
November 22, 2023
Actual rating: 4.25/5
Note: I am unsure whether or not there are spoilers in this review, so I didn’t mark it.
Almost thirteen year old Millie Jackson is teen singer Rory Calhoun’s biggest fan. She has posters of him on her walls, gets TeenTalk magazine for the sole purpose of getting more posters, and keeps a notebook with data about him and letters to him in her underwear drawer (but not like, in a creepy way). When his new song, Worldwide Crush, is released, Millie is thrilled. The lyrics reveal that Rory is looking for love—in his audience. If only Millie could get to a concert. But between cancelled concerts, whale-watching trips, and more, will Millie ever be able to meet Rory Calhoun?
I know that’s not a great description but it’s the best I’ve got today. It’s better than when I tried to describe it to my mom the other day: “It’s about this girl who really likes this singer and she’s, like, trying to get to his concert and…stuff.” Yeah.
Likes:
* RORY CALHOUN. By the end of the book, *I* was in love with this guy. Can we please get a book about him? We never got to find out if he found his worldwide crush!
* They don’t text like preteens/teens do (in my experience), but it’s certainly better than most books.
* The storyline about the relationship between Millie and her mom wasn’t bad actually. Sometimes storylines covering a strained relationship between the main character and her (or his) parent can end up sounding really…off? I don’t know. There are times it just seems really odd, but this one didn’t.
* Scott (Fenwick). Love him! I wanted more of him though, since he really only was significant at the end.
* I like the inclusion of song lyrics, though at times I just wanted to get to the story!
* I was invested just as much as Millie, and I felt everything she did.
* Shauna’s storyline was good, but I wish we got more of it! I want a book about her at Tagalog camp!
Dislikes:
* Millie annoys me. And I don’t like her name.
* Theoretically is used instead of hypothetically. This bothered me more than it should have.
* There’s a bit of cussing, which is really unusual for middle grade.
* But in addition we have: “how the bleep”, “what the schnitzel”, “Schmidt”, holy hound dog”, “what the cheezeball”, “frank”, “gob”, etc. It’s annoying.
* There was an exchange between Millie and her grandmother that was something along the lines of: “Send him a letter!” “Like an email?” “No, a letter!” “What do you mean?” and I just can’t stand these. I get that there are people like this, but still. Seriously, she didn’t know what the mailbox at the bus stop was, and she thought a stamp was to seal the envelope. Sigh. I suppose it’s better than that scene in the show I Didn’t Do It where Garrett doesn’t even know what a CD (or anything before it, for that matter) was (this character would have been born in about 1999ish by my calculations).
* Millie doesn’t have bangs on the cover. And her hair is supposed to be like ‘a haystack on top of her head that not all of the conditioner in Target could make look nice’.
* Millie’s dad annoys me.
* Millie and her mom go to a ‘Me, You, and Puberty!’ class that was SO majorly cringey. They made the female reproductive system out of plastic Easter eggs and yarn? What? And why did they play dodgeball? And EVERY other girl in the class was nine? There was SO much about this part that was strange.
* I wanted more about Shauna! We got peeks into her life, but not nearly as much as we should’ve!
Things I’m on the fence about and/or random thoughts:
* Billy. Is this how normal six year olds act? I do not frequently interact with six year olds, but something about him seemed off to me, I don’t know why. Was he neurodivergent in some way? And what’s with the deodorant? He kind of annoyed me while also just slightly concerning me.
* This was split between actually sounding like a 12-13 year old, and sounding like another author trying WAY too hard to sound like one.
Content: The S word is said once, and a few less strong words, but mainly the characters use alternatives such as Schmidt or Frank. It is mentioned that characters say the F word but never actually says the word.
Note: I am unsure whether or not there are spoilers in this review, so I didn’t mark it.
Almost thirteen year old Millie Jackson is teen singer Rory Calhoun’s biggest fan. She has posters of him on her walls, gets TeenTalk magazine for the sole purpose of getting more posters, and keeps a notebook with data about him and letters to him in her underwear drawer (but not like, in a creepy way). When his new song, Worldwide Crush, is released, Millie is thrilled. The lyrics reveal that Rory is looking for love—in his audience. If only Millie could get to a concert. But between cancelled concerts, whale-watching trips, and more, will Millie ever be able to meet Rory Calhoun?
I know that’s not a great description but it’s the best I’ve got today. It’s better than when I tried to describe it to my mom the other day: “It’s about this girl who really likes this singer and she’s, like, trying to get to his concert and…stuff.” Yeah.
Likes:
* RORY CALHOUN. By the end of the book, *I* was in love with this guy. Can we please get a book about him? We never got to find out if he found his worldwide crush!
* They don’t text like preteens/teens do (in my experience), but it’s certainly better than most books.
* The storyline about the relationship between Millie and her mom wasn’t bad actually. Sometimes storylines covering a strained relationship between the main character and her (or his) parent can end up sounding really…off? I don’t know. There are times it just seems really odd, but this one didn’t.
* Scott (Fenwick). Love him! I wanted more of him though, since he really only was significant at the end.
* I like the inclusion of song lyrics, though at times I just wanted to get to the story!
* I was invested just as much as Millie, and I felt everything she did.
* Shauna’s storyline was good, but I wish we got more of it! I want a book about her at Tagalog camp!
Dislikes:
* Millie annoys me. And I don’t like her name.
* Theoretically is used instead of hypothetically. This bothered me more than it should have.
* There’s a bit of cussing, which is really unusual for middle grade.
* But in addition we have: “how the bleep”, “what the schnitzel”, “Schmidt”, holy hound dog”, “what the cheezeball”, “frank”, “gob”, etc. It’s annoying.
* There was an exchange between Millie and her grandmother that was something along the lines of: “Send him a letter!” “Like an email?” “No, a letter!” “What do you mean?” and I just can’t stand these. I get that there are people like this, but still. Seriously, she didn’t know what the mailbox at the bus stop was, and she thought a stamp was to seal the envelope. Sigh. I suppose it’s better than that scene in the show I Didn’t Do It where Garrett doesn’t even know what a CD (or anything before it, for that matter) was (this character would have been born in about 1999ish by my calculations).
* Millie doesn’t have bangs on the cover. And her hair is supposed to be like ‘a haystack on top of her head that not all of the conditioner in Target could make look nice’.
* Millie’s dad annoys me.
* Millie and her mom go to a ‘Me, You, and Puberty!’ class that was SO majorly cringey. They made the female reproductive system out of plastic Easter eggs and yarn? What? And why did they play dodgeball? And EVERY other girl in the class was nine? There was SO much about this part that was strange.
* I wanted more about Shauna! We got peeks into her life, but not nearly as much as we should’ve!
Things I’m on the fence about and/or random thoughts:
* Billy. Is this how normal six year olds act? I do not frequently interact with six year olds, but something about him seemed off to me, I don’t know why. Was he neurodivergent in some way? And what’s with the deodorant? He kind of annoyed me while also just slightly concerning me.
* This was split between actually sounding like a 12-13 year old, and sounding like another author trying WAY too hard to sound like one.
Content: The S word is said once, and a few less strong words, but mainly the characters use alternatives such as Schmidt or Frank. It is mentioned that characters say the F word but never actually says the word.
September 30, 2025
Kristin Nilsen has written an entertaining YA novel in which her main character, Millie Jackson, has genuine thoughts and feelings for a teen idol that should be relatable to many younger readers, especially those who have celebrity crushes of their own. As an adult reader, it was interesting to re-visit some of my own teenage past through following Millie's yearning for a loving relationship with a famous singer that she knows deep down will not likely happen. The author is open in her dedication and notes that this realistic coming-of-age story was inspired by her own experiences growing up when the real-life Shaun Cassidy captured her heart. The object of our protagonist's crush is Rory Calhoun, a young pop star who, like Shaun Cassidy once did, has mesmerized many of Millie's peers. Unlike for super fans decades ago, however, the heartthrob's presence on social media allows Millie and her peers to feel somehow closer to Rory on a regular basis through his thoughts and other announcements that he posts for his fans.
I won't include any spoilers about Millie's emotional journey involving her fondness for Rory Calhoun. I enjoyed this read quite a lot, due in part to memories of my own crush on Shaun Cassidy back in the day, but mostly because Millie and other characters, particularly her mom, her grandma (whom she must call Cheryl), and best friend, Shauna, were portrayed in such a way that made it easy for me to care about them.
I won't include any spoilers about Millie's emotional journey involving her fondness for Rory Calhoun. I enjoyed this read quite a lot, due in part to memories of my own crush on Shaun Cassidy back in the day, but mostly because Millie and other characters, particularly her mom, her grandma (whom she must call Cheryl), and best friend, Shauna, were portrayed in such a way that made it easy for me to care about them.
July 10, 2023
Thank you @booksparks and @kristin.nilsen.writer for a gifted book. #summerpopup
If you have ever had a teenage crush on a celebrity or rock star, you need to read this! This was so fun and brought back memories of my middle school years - although we didn’t have the internet and iPhones 😂.
Seventh grader Millie Jackson is teen pop star Rory Calhoun’s number one fan (so are millions of other screaming fans), but Millie
believes she knows Rory the best. Millie has been collecting data on Rory in her secret notebook. With his new single “Worldwide Crush” Millie is convinced he’s looking for love - someone out in his audience and fans maybe? It could be her, so she has to be at his concert, no matter what.
This story is about a teenager having an angsty first crush on a young celebrity. But it's so uplifting how Millie realizes the love surrounding her. It’s written so that middle schoolers and young teens will enjoy the interaction between Millie and her friends, although she’s not in the popular crowd. Millie is a sweet kid, not that she doesn’t get embarrassed by her family, yet her relationship with her parents and her little brother is funny and heartwarming.
This is a great book for the kids, but I think you’d be surprised how much you’ll enjoy reminiscing about singing into your hairbrush to the teen heartthrobs' latest songs.
If you have ever had a teenage crush on a celebrity or rock star, you need to read this! This was so fun and brought back memories of my middle school years - although we didn’t have the internet and iPhones 😂.
Seventh grader Millie Jackson is teen pop star Rory Calhoun’s number one fan (so are millions of other screaming fans), but Millie
believes she knows Rory the best. Millie has been collecting data on Rory in her secret notebook. With his new single “Worldwide Crush” Millie is convinced he’s looking for love - someone out in his audience and fans maybe? It could be her, so she has to be at his concert, no matter what.
This story is about a teenager having an angsty first crush on a young celebrity. But it's so uplifting how Millie realizes the love surrounding her. It’s written so that middle schoolers and young teens will enjoy the interaction between Millie and her friends, although she’s not in the popular crowd. Millie is a sweet kid, not that she doesn’t get embarrassed by her family, yet her relationship with her parents and her little brother is funny and heartwarming.
This is a great book for the kids, but I think you’d be surprised how much you’ll enjoy reminiscing about singing into your hairbrush to the teen heartthrobs' latest songs.
September 18, 2023
My gosh. I have so many words and I’m going to jumble them up and incoherently make sentences. Bare with me.
Short synopsis: 7th grade girl is madly in love with a worldwide teen heartthrob musician and dreams about meeting and falling in love with each other.
I’ve been a girl in 7th grade. I’ve loved boy bands. I’ve loved boy band members. I remember the shrines I had. (Honestly I still have some pretty outrageous crushes. Don’t tell me husband)
I remember crushing on them with my friends who loved them equally. We squealed when their songs came on MTV, when we went to their concerts, and could only ever dream of meeting them and them falling madly in love with us.
I loved this story so much. It came from Millie’s point of view which was stellar because I love young teenage spunk and silliness and oh the dramatics! Oh the angst!
The mom seemed super out of touch. (I have a 10 year old so imagining having a 13 year old is not that far fetched for me) It’s hard to picture not understanding how important getting concert tickets are….especially if you live in (or very close to) the twin cities in Minnesota.
Besides the mom making me a little upset (again….because as a woman, I’ve been a 7th grade girl and remember all the angst) I loved loved LOVED this book.
I cannot wait to have my daughters read this.
Short synopsis: 7th grade girl is madly in love with a worldwide teen heartthrob musician and dreams about meeting and falling in love with each other.
I’ve been a girl in 7th grade. I’ve loved boy bands. I’ve loved boy band members. I remember the shrines I had. (Honestly I still have some pretty outrageous crushes. Don’t tell me husband)
I remember crushing on them with my friends who loved them equally. We squealed when their songs came on MTV, when we went to their concerts, and could only ever dream of meeting them and them falling madly in love with us.
I loved this story so much. It came from Millie’s point of view which was stellar because I love young teenage spunk and silliness and oh the dramatics! Oh the angst!
The mom seemed super out of touch. (I have a 10 year old so imagining having a 13 year old is not that far fetched for me) It’s hard to picture not understanding how important getting concert tickets are….especially if you live in (or very close to) the twin cities in Minnesota.
Besides the mom making me a little upset (again….because as a woman, I’ve been a 7th grade girl and remember all the angst) I loved loved LOVED this book.
I cannot wait to have my daughters read this.
October 11, 2023
So this book is geared toward young persons except one thing: it brings the reader back no matter what age they are. I was brought back to my first crushes on Donny Osmond, Shaun Cassidy, Scott Baio, and was instantly looking at all the posters on my bedroom wall as a 13 year old. This story also shows the bond between a mother and daughter and even a grandmother and granddaughter that shows we all once were at the same stage in our lives at one point. I am 56 and reading this book, when Millie Jackson meets her crush Rory at the little store in Bodega Bay, I literally had a lump in my throat because I knew instinctively what she must have been feeling. I would like to mention that the author of this book lives in my home state of MN and she hosts a podcast called The Pop Culture Preservation Society which is how I discovered this book and actually had the opportunity to meet the author and her podcast cohosts at a book signing and it was so much fun. This is a fun read for anyone who has gone through puberty and loved someone on the radio/big screen/television. As Kristin would say, those first celebrity crushes are what make way for our first real crush and onto our grown up loves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2023
Worldwide Crush
Kristin Nilsen
Pub Date: July 11, 2023
Middle Grade Book
Worldwide Crush by Kristin Nilsen was so fun to read and I just adored this one! It totally gave me Justin Bieber vibes and I could not get enough of Millie and her love of Rory Calhoun! I love a good coming of age story, and this one did not disappoint!
Millie, a student at Susan B. Anthony Middle School, has a crush on pop star Rory Calhoun, and she’s convinced she’s his biggest fan. She collects data about him in a special notebook and reads and watches everything relating to Rory. When he announces his US Tour, she know she has to be in the audience since she is convinced he’s looking for love, just like her. For Millie, getting a ticket turns out to be harder than anticipated, but she is determined to figure out a way to meet the love of her life!
This book was just so enjoyable! I don’t read many middle grade books, but this is one I can highly recommend! I also really enjoyed the references to celebrity crushes throughout the book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to BookSparks and Kristin Nilsen for providing me with a #gifted copy of Worldwide Crush!
Kristin Nilsen
Pub Date: July 11, 2023
Middle Grade Book
Worldwide Crush by Kristin Nilsen was so fun to read and I just adored this one! It totally gave me Justin Bieber vibes and I could not get enough of Millie and her love of Rory Calhoun! I love a good coming of age story, and this one did not disappoint!
Millie, a student at Susan B. Anthony Middle School, has a crush on pop star Rory Calhoun, and she’s convinced she’s his biggest fan. She collects data about him in a special notebook and reads and watches everything relating to Rory. When he announces his US Tour, she know she has to be in the audience since she is convinced he’s looking for love, just like her. For Millie, getting a ticket turns out to be harder than anticipated, but she is determined to figure out a way to meet the love of her life!
This book was just so enjoyable! I don’t read many middle grade books, but this is one I can highly recommend! I also really enjoyed the references to celebrity crushes throughout the book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to BookSparks and Kristin Nilsen for providing me with a #gifted copy of Worldwide Crush!
July 19, 2023
Thank you to my partner, Book Sparks, and the author, for a chance to be a part of the Summer Pop Up tour for 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅𝒘𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉! I appreciate the gifted paperback and box of goodies, and I am leaving this review voluntarily!
Good Lord. This book. I laughed. I smiled. I cried. It is literally every teen girl’s life written in 240 pages. Women - young and old - must read it!
1. 𝑪𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 - I have to start with this. While Millie’s obsession is Rory Calhoun, mine was Jordan Knight from NKOTB - or let’s get real….just NKOTB in general! And the one that has followed me into adulthood, Bret Michaels from Poison 💕 I just saw him in concert a few weeks back and he still does it for me!
2. 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 - Isn’t it funny that sometimes some innocent deception can put you and your family on a path to a wonderful adventure and a lifetime of memories! I mean - who doesn’t love whales!
3. 𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 - Shauna and Millie have that kinship of teenage best friends that screams from the pages! It brought me right back to me and my bestie!
4. 𝑭𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 - Millie’s family is the epitome of a teenage girl! The embarrassment of your parents, the annoyance of your siblings, the feeing that they never do the things you want! Oh…and Cheryl - maybe my favorite! Reminded me of my grandma 💕 (I’m still laughing about the Target bag 😂)
5. 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 - I just loved the way that Millie ended up maturing as the story unfolded and came to an end. It was literally perfection!
Good Lord. This book. I laughed. I smiled. I cried. It is literally every teen girl’s life written in 240 pages. Women - young and old - must read it!
1. 𝑪𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 - I have to start with this. While Millie’s obsession is Rory Calhoun, mine was Jordan Knight from NKOTB - or let’s get real….just NKOTB in general! And the one that has followed me into adulthood, Bret Michaels from Poison 💕 I just saw him in concert a few weeks back and he still does it for me!
2. 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 - Isn’t it funny that sometimes some innocent deception can put you and your family on a path to a wonderful adventure and a lifetime of memories! I mean - who doesn’t love whales!
3. 𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 - Shauna and Millie have that kinship of teenage best friends that screams from the pages! It brought me right back to me and my bestie!
4. 𝑭𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 - Millie’s family is the epitome of a teenage girl! The embarrassment of your parents, the annoyance of your siblings, the feeing that they never do the things you want! Oh…and Cheryl - maybe my favorite! Reminded me of my grandma 💕 (I’m still laughing about the Target bag 😂)
5. 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 - I just loved the way that Millie ended up maturing as the story unfolded and came to an end. It was literally perfection!
July 22, 2023
Gen X'ers will love this book!
Don't be misled by the suggested "Reading age" - I'm a Gen X'er, and I was thoroughly delighted by this book!
There's just something SO SPECIAL about your first celebrity crush... and Kristin Nilsen (in her debut novel, Worldwide Crush) perfectly captures "all the feels" of that experience (as told through the eyes of twelve-year-old Millie Jackson, crushing on fifteen-year-old popstar Rory Calhoun). It's an engaging and fresh story that Kristin tells with such care, truth, heart, and humor. I used to be a twelve-year-old girl crushing on Shaun Cassidy; now I'm a mother of two grown daughters, who had their own celeb crushes. And both of these perspectives make Worldwide Crush extra-relatable to me. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll look for your old copies of TigerBeat Magazine buried in a box in your basement!
Don't be misled by the suggested "Reading age" - I'm a Gen X'er, and I was thoroughly delighted by this book!
There's just something SO SPECIAL about your first celebrity crush... and Kristin Nilsen (in her debut novel, Worldwide Crush) perfectly captures "all the feels" of that experience (as told through the eyes of twelve-year-old Millie Jackson, crushing on fifteen-year-old popstar Rory Calhoun). It's an engaging and fresh story that Kristin tells with such care, truth, heart, and humor. I used to be a twelve-year-old girl crushing on Shaun Cassidy; now I'm a mother of two grown daughters, who had their own celeb crushes. And both of these perspectives make Worldwide Crush extra-relatable to me. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll look for your old copies of TigerBeat Magazine buried in a box in your basement!
July 14, 2023
Debut author Kristin Nilsen’s book Worldwide Crush perfectly captures the voice and life of early adolescence in her main character, Millie Jackson. The plot centers on Millie’s goal to meet her crush, teen heartthrob Rory Calhoun, AND have him fall in love with her. But Millie’s story would not be complete without a delightful supporting cast: her zany grandma Cheryl, her anxious, quirky 5-year-old brother, her no-drama needed BFF Shauna, and, of course, her loving mother who makes all the classic “mom” mistakes. Worldwide Crush is for any tween, any person who has loved a tween, anyone who has ever had a crush. Judy Blume, please save a seat at the table because Kristin Nilsen has arrived!
May 31, 2025
I recently received an advance copy of The Scott Fenwick Diaries by Kristin Nielsen, courtesy of Media Masters Publicity. Realizing it was a sequel, I felt I needed to read Worldwide Crush first...and I am so glad I did. Millie has a crush on teen idol, Rory Calhoun, and would do anything to get tickets to a concert in her hometown. Her obsession with Rory is genuine and filled with realistic teenage emotions. Anyone who has ever had a crush, especially in the 1970s, will love this book and the twenty-five references to celebrity crushes. After reading it, I immediately told my childhood friends about it...and now I cannot wait to share it with my middle school students. Good, clean fun romance for middle grade readers--perfection!
Read
June 19, 2023Worldwide Crush is a captivating novel that is filled with hope, humor, and endless possibilities. The story follows a group of best friends, along with some annoying hangers-on, as they navigate through life's ups and downs. From teachers to family members, the characters face a range of indignities, sorrows, and moments of triumph. Nilsen's writing is so vivid and realistic that I found myself feeling as though I was right there with the characters. The emotions and experiences they go through are relatable and heartwarming. The author's ability to create such a sharply drawn and big-hearted story is truly impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed every single page of this novel.
July 18, 2023
Worldwide Crush follows seventh-grader Millie Jackson and her goal to meet her crush, pop star Rory Calhoun, and get him to fall in love with her onstage. After all, she is his biggest fan. Debut author Kristin Nilsen perfectly captures the voice of Millie with her middle grade angst and emotional drama. Millie and the other characters are realistic, well developed and interesting. As we follow Millie through all her ups and downs, it is heartwarming to watch her realize how much her family loves and supports her. Worldwide Crush is funny, entertaining and relatable for kids and adults alike. Thank you to BookSparks for a gifted copy.
September 16, 2023
Millie has a major crush on Rory Calhoun who, according to all accounts, is looking for the love of his life. Millie knows that if she can get into the front row of Rory's concerts, she will be Rory's love. But, in the world of teen romance, things don't usually go as planned. And getting to the front row of a Rory Calhoun concert is proving more difficult than Millie imagines.
I've read a few kid with crush on celebrity novels, but I liked this one. I liked the dynamic with her family, especially her mom. Millie believes that no one is listening to her, but soon learns that she has the love of her family. This was a fun book.
I've read a few kid with crush on celebrity novels, but I liked this one. I liked the dynamic with her family, especially her mom. Millie believes that no one is listening to her, but soon learns that she has the love of her family. This was a fun book.
July 25, 2023
This adorable book is a reminiscence of my personal journey when I was a teenager. Like Millie my first crush was someone of not a real-person person. My first crush was part of a international boy-band in the 1990s called Menudo. I didn’t have the opportunity to get up on stage but seeing “Charlie Rivera” of Menudo was fulfilling. I’m not going to spoil the book but this is definitely a wonderful book about your childhood memories and more. Definitely a sweet and memorable read!
This cute YA is out now, so grab your copy today!
This cute YA is out now, so grab your copy today!
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