Plush

by Kate Crash, Catherine Hardwicke

Experience firsthand the drugs, the sex, the sadness, the hope, the dream, the despair, the speed, the stage, the downfall, the glory, the destruction, the lust, the angst, the love, the vision, the fame, the loss, the hunger, the death, the poetry, the void, the passion, the end, the falling apart, the everything so real you don’t know where Hayley ends and you start.

Lost somewhere in a disintegrating South Texas home, 15-year-old Hayley, her brother Jack, and the band they form – PLUSH – stumble into a dream of a life as they wind up in the LA rock scene, swirling into a strange sacrifice of art, love, and depravity.

This poetry tornado’d prose will emotionally rollercoaster you through everything singer Hayley sees and feels.


YOU WILL BECOME
A ROCKSTAR and lose it all. Your mind-heart will be broken. What is love and what is art and what does it all mean if anything?

Dive into the chaos of the soul, of the ideas of what a star is, of reality and fantasy blurring too thick, of the myths of beauty and the lies we tell ourselves, and feel the stage lights blind your good intentions as the crowds scream and you disappear into someone you are not sure you meant to be –

Come... This is Plush.
This is not a Rock N Roll Fantasy…
This is an erotic, chaotic, beautiful, broken, and
damned melody singing through the pages.

Genres: New Adult, Music, Romance, Adult

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 26, 2013

About the author

Kate Crash is a musician, multimedia performance artist, and writer based out of Hollywood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8YQaG...
https://katecrash.bandpage.com
https://twitter.com/katecrash
http://katecrashgetsloud.tumblr.com
https://soundcloud.com/katecrash

Reviews

[Jess-i-ca · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Huge fucked up stars... Even with all the grammatical errors and editing issues. <--there are a lot just overlook them, and they are done on purpose, I think.
The writing is weird but at the same time wonderful as well.....It's like supposed to be how you would talk/think/feel if you were messed up maybe?

Let me go ahead and put a disclaimer:
If you don't like books with major drug use, all types of sex, death, and all kinds of fucked-up-ness then don't read this book.



This is how I feel after reading this book....This is the most messed up book I think I have ever read...Wow...I am literally sitting here trying to think how to explain this book to someone else.....I'm not sure how to describe the writing even....It's written to where I felt like I was actually there....OMG I don't even know....

If you are looking for a romance book, this is NOT it....I mean really.... you know how you go into a book thinking one thing and then it goes wayyyyyy somewhere else...Yes, that is this book....You are reading along and then, BAM!




Okay so let's start with our main characters:
(Pictures are the actual characters in the movie)
Haley


Jack


Carter


Enzo


Haley and her brother Jack form the band Plush and it eventually rises to fame. Haley and Jack have one messed up, weird relationship. They have had a shitty life growing up and lean on each other. With fame often comes partying and drug use...And I mean a lot of drugs...



Jack dies (don't bitch I'm not spoiling its in the fucking blurb) and so do Hayley's dreams. She doesn't think she can function without Jack.

"All my hopes and dreams are sinking with me."

Enzo shows up and knows how to play and eventually replaces Jack's now vacant position as lead guitarist....Let me just tell you Enzo is



No, I mean really.....He is C-R-A-Z-Y...



Hayley is married to the *Hot* Carter and has a wonderful family. Somehow Enzo sucks Hayley into his downward spiral



and man what a ride she takes on the way down......





"Scarlet symphonies of our broken life, our broken love, are like red pollock splatters all around."

It's got a movie too ya'll! Here's the trailer. Warning--may contain spoilers
Thanks to Ana and Rosa for sharing the movie link w me! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CDXE5...

If you read this book and decide you don't like it then:

jk ;)

[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 1 out of 5]

WARNING : Passages included which may cause your brain to hurt. Read on at your own risk.

Trying too hard or not trying hard enough?

There are times when I'm able to overlook writing deficiencies for the sake of storytelling genius. This is not one of those times.

Plush had all the makings of a heart-pounding thriller, but failed to deliver on the total package. I'd like to check out the movie because I think Catherine Hardwicke's style of off-kilter (and sometimes dark) movie-making would lend itself perfectly to this bizarre story.

Unfortunately, the "meant to be interpreted as edgy" style of writing came across as a horrifically hot mess. It's not just about how the words jumped all over the page in an imitation of the frantic, drug-riddled lifestyle that the characters participated in. If the author had chosen to interject certain scenes with this sort of realistic way of thinking/acting/behaving, it would have been fine. Time spent inside of the main character's head while she hallucinated, participated, and flashed back to moments of the story would have been perfect moments for the frenzied, spaz-tastic, jumble of words and sounds to spill out into the page.

When an entire book is penned this way, including multiple typo errors... it just screams MISSED THE MARK!!! (complete with lots of caps, exclamation marks, and weird sound effects in comic book fashion - which we saw plenty of in this book) Any brilliance which came from using the idea of living in the moment falls to the wayside when an entire book is drowning in the overuse of...well...everything.

Before anyone tries to come back at me for not understanding - this is one of these books which I was able to understand from a story perspective. Sex, drugs, and having a stalker? Been there, haha. I'm sort of jealous that I was never in a rock band though. If I had written a journal back in those moments of my young adult-hood, maybe it would have looked something like Plush, complete with the crazy musings and thoughts in the moment. But would that journal make for a good book? Probably not - at least not without some editing and rearranging for the sake of cohesion.

Plenty of people think this story is brilliant. Their opinions are no more wrong or right than my opinions are. I'm okay with those people loving the book. In all honesty, I'd rather just go read a real rock star's memoir or re-read How to Kill a Rock Star instead.

Had this book been edited for typos and at least a few moments been reworked, it might appeal more to the masses. Oh wait, this book is too "edgy" or "indie" to go that lame route of marketing for mass appeal. *snort*

You tell me. Are the following passages brilliantly edgy, or just plain weird?

I hate my body so I never eat after I get in the door anyway - only water and sorrow and from a filter drowning out the beauty of the sky. Miles and miles of heartache. No Dad. Just me and Jack. Forever in time.

Jack would punch Trey and take food money out of his wallet, then swing me into the air and take me shopping. But me, just me : skin, bones, uncertain soul. I don't know.

We make out, my ass on the hood of his old car. I'm fast, lightning speed. Nothing can stop me. Twitch. Gack. Spigaked. Squawk. Sigh. I unzip his pants and bend over the truck.

Roro's fingers are in my mouth, and I suck hard and my ass is ohhhh RoRo, Bo, and somehow I'm now sucking slow and hard on a pink dildo
in my mouth
in and out
up and down
where my life will go
not even Jack the prophet knows

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.666 Messed-Up Stars*

Plush allows you to be Hayley's eyes and skin and live her screwed up life. She reminded me of rock star Courtney Love with her druggie ways. When Hayley is doing drugs it becomes harder to follow what is happening in the story. If you are looking for a polished book with little grammatical errors and has an easy flow then you will be frustrated reading this book. There were a lot of onomatopoeias throughout the writing which I'm use to reading in children's book but not in adult books. Plush is raw and ugly.

I couldn't figure out why this book was getting so many 5 star ratings until I got to the last 10% of the book. Wow, that ending was 5 stars. It was thrilling and had me on the edge of my seat.

What Plush is NOT:

It is not a rock-n-roll romance. Or a romance book at all.
It is not a feel good book.
It is not a happily ever after.
It is not a panty dropper.

What Plush Has to offer:

It has a story deep within the heavy drug scene.
It has more sexual positions than a Larry Flynt publication.
It has death.

Plush is a screenplay turned into a movie then made into a book. This thriller opens Friday 13th (September).

My favorite quote from the whole book is:

"All roads lead to Enzo."

Standalone

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars


Let me just start by saying, I love rockstar books. I don’t mind books with drugs, sex, destruction etc, but for some reason, this one just didn’t work for me. The grammatical errors were a little distracting, and I never truly connected with the main character. There was a lot of crazy, messed up shit and I liked that. Then there was the ending. I didn’t love the ending. But hey, a majority of my friends gave it 5 stars so it may just be a case of it didn’t work for me, but it might for you!

[*J* Too Many Books Too Little Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

5----Stars!!!!

Me while reading this book:







If you want to know what this book is about--read the blurb! And then multiply the crazy, fucked-up-ness by a million and you have Plush!

Plush is a real-life account of Hayley's rise to fame with the band Plush. It's told entirely in her POV. The writing was very different then anything I have ever read before. Almost poetic. Like it was one big journal entry. I honestly felt like I experienced everything Hayley did--which is quite frightening. Kate Crash definitely has a way with words.

Note to self: The life of a rockstar is NOT for me!!!

This book is full of sex, drugs, drinking, death, and DRAMA! So if you're not in to that then I suggest you back away slowly....



Or run for your damn life!

The story begins when Hayley is 15. It's she and her brother Jack against the world. Virtually abandoned by their parents, music and words and writing is their only escape from the cruelty of the life they were given.

Jack and Hayley 4ever!



Jack and Hayley shared an intense connection/bond that went beyond the brother/sister variation. **No this wasn't an incest book** They were so ingrained in each other's lives....dependent on each other for survival, success, happiness and love.

When Hayley gets pregnant and marries Carter, a little bit of her connection to Jack is severed. Hayley's just trying to do the right thing and be a better mom then what she had. Her relationship with Jack changes.

When tragedy strikes and Jack dies, Hayley's world is shattered! Her lifeline, her other half is gone. How will she ever survive without Jack??

When Enzo joins the band as Jack's replacement, Hayley starts to see hope for the future. Enzo reminds her so much of Jack...or does she just want to believe that?? She wants so much to have that connection that she shared with Jack that she's willing to be blind to the truth that surrounds her.

Enzo...





Mostly definitely not....

There really was NO limit to the crazy when it came to Enzo. He took crazy to a whole new level.



Enzo's motto:





Okay, that's a lie....it's a little bit you too Hayley. Enzo and Hayley are seriously TOXIC. I knew something was "off" but just couldn't put my finger on what. The story really turned in to a thriller almost at this point. I couldn't stop reading if I tried. And the end....the end!

Holy Shit!



NNNOOOO.....AAGGHH.....WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING.....CAMILLA.....StFU.....OMG.....RUN.....CARTER....HAYLEY.....ENZO.....SHIT....NOOOO.....HELP!!!



I want my mommy!!!

I know the overall theme of this review is how fucked up the book was. But it really was fucked up in a good way--if that makes any sense. It was different, it made me feel....and honestly I STILL can't stop thinking about this book and the characters. Any book that can make me feel like that deserves 5 stars!!!

NOTE:
This book actually started out as a screenplay. Below is a link to the movie trailer. Warning--may contain spoilers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CDXE5...

[Pam Godwin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story had potential. The characters had so much potential. I love the concept, the Fuckedupsville of drugs, death, psycho-art, and self-destruction. I wanted to be sucked into it like an alcoholic, chain-smoking, delusional crackhaggot a la Hunter S. Thompson or Jim Morrison.

Unfortunately, the purple prose killed it. Sometimes it reads like abbreviated text messages (including acronyms: I miss u; I love you; just tell me.). Sometimes it exaggerates sentiment with bizarre out-of-context metaphors. Carter’s voice is like angels dancing on ice-cream. I breathe. Sob. Breathe.

The extent at which the POV ornately and abstractly embellishes her perceptions keeps you on the outside of her fucked-up world, looking in, and not feeling a damn thing. She narrates in dissociative musings. You know what she's thinking, you know why she's thinking it, but you really don't give a fuck. It feels like she's forcing her narration, structuring the language to sound cool, rather than letting you into her life to experience the story with her. The narrative voice is detached and her flustered mind wanders without purpose.

But it wasn't just lack of character depth that put me off. The manner in which this is limned gives the Craft of Writing a middle-fingered salute.

Punctuation, dialogue tags, and basic grammar are optional, and when a semblance of technical structure makes an appearance, it follows no rules. Complete sentences are a minority.

This example is the essence of the staccato writing.
I cum. Again and again. Night. Day. He passes out. Moon and stars. The sun in the dawn. White bed spreads. White walls.

There's a lot of drama, and it would be really good drama if you aren't completely desensitized by the squawking noise of her words.

[~*~Princess Nya Vasiliev~*~ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think that I have anything positive to say about this book except the fact that I finished it. But is that really a positive thing to say? That's more of a reflection on how jacked up I am for finishing this book. Hoping against hope that there was some redeemable quality in the heroine of this novel that made all this suffering worth while. That there will be enlightenment, contentment, and a warming closure that it was somehow all worth it..... Then after awhile, just wanting HER to end. Sadly, that's not what happened.

I really am not understanding how this book has gotten so many positive 5 star reviews. There is nothing remarkable about the book. It's subject matter is tragic yes, but there are so many other things that over powers this.

Case and point: From a technical stand point, the writing is very unpolished. Very choppy. It doesn't flow well at all. The thoughts & words coming from the heroine are always jumbled. Her thoughts don't flow. It's like she suffers from ADHD. One thought or emotion literally jumps into a completely different one within the span of a few words. So it was always a chore trying to make sure that you're reading/understanding her correctly. This obviously kinda takes you out of the flow of a scene or the story. Also there were 3 plot holes in this story that I found. Mainly things that disrupt the story concerning timelines. With time passing and what's occurring etc..
Also there were times when the author forgets that she is writing about people from Texas. So when it comes to certain slang etc.. they shouldn't be talking like people who are from Europe or some place. This really bugged me.


My thoughts on the Heroine:
This chick? Is a effin selfish a** drugged out wh**%! Who the heck in their right minds would feel sorry for her? She doesn't even try to better herself. She just complains, & cries, & gets high & drinks & then screws everybody (without protection) then has the nerve to try & act like she feels bad about it. She doesn't give a crap about anyone but herself. Some may see a victim here, (due to her upbringing) but all that was really there were excuses for her to indulge in making the wrong choices, doing what she wants & getting what she wants & to heck with anyone else.

She was constantly saying "I don't know who I am anymore" But you the reader, will see that she NEVER knew who she was. Or even cared to try and find out. Cos all she shows you is this behavior. Nothing different. You are told and shown all the tragic things that make up her life. But you are never shown her trying to better herself once she is blessed with ample opportunities to do so. The things that she craved when she was in her crap hole of a life. She begs & prays & pleads to have a chance at a better life. When this is given to her, guess what she does? NOTHING! She purposely & knowingly makes it worse.

If you are constantly saying "I don't want to be like my mom & dad" And you are given the very rare opportunity to do the very opposite of what they did, tell me why you would choose the very things that mirror your life before? And mirror what led to what your parents did to you? Especially if you have such a strong conviction to be the very opposite of them. THAT is what's gonna motivate you. Or should. THAT is what's gonna fuel you to be better. And you are actually given the tools to do so, you're gonna do everything in your power to paint your story, your life differently. This chick is so full of BS. I could kinda excuse her behavior when she was 17-19, but once things changed & she got older, there was no excuse for that mess. NONE.

And this is what you get through the entire novel. Her doing crap. Then crying about it. Trying to play the victim. Then doing more crap. Raising the stakes & involving those that don't need nor deserve it.

I mean so many times I wanted to do this to her...


This story is tragic. So much so that the point that should have been made or was trying to be made with this novel, was lost. And maybe that's why so many love this book. The tragedy/drama/mess. I don't know. I felt for everyone surrounding her. Especially those who did nothing but love & care for her. Unconditionally. So to witness what was brought to them simply cos of her doing, caused me to detest her even more. She was the center of it all. There were things that she couldn't help or control, but most of the things she could. She just continuously & deliberately chose not to. So she gets no sympathy from me.

What fueled me to finish this book was my insane need to see her suffer for her choices. But I didn't get my wish.

This book is just over flowing with tragedy. Selfishness, fear & self destruction & beyond that. It's filled with many things that could have made this a good book, had it only been executed a bit differently.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that the high ratings come from the last 10-15% of the book. Which yes, was a bit intense & "WTF?" galore. But it was not enough to warrant a 5 star rating for the entire book, IMO.

So you're taking your chances if you read this one. You could love it or you could hate it. I personally wouldn't recommend this read though.

[[~Ami~]♥Sexy Dexy♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't even know what to say except this is one screwed up book. It follows Hayley through the years from her messed up family life with her brother/best friend, Jake to their rising stardom with their band Plush.

even death won't do us part
Jack & Hayley 4ever

There were 3 male characters in this but I felt like none of them really stood out as the main one.

Jack...Felt right, but it was wrong.
Carter... My heart broke for him.
Enzo... He was a mystery.

If you want the shock factor, I suggest you don't read the blurb as I felt like it gave the whole story away.

Note: Be warned there are scenes of hard drug use, cheating, abuse, F/F action, MMF too

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly do not know where to start. This is a seriously f*cked up story. Brother and sister, Hayley and Jake have an extremely close relationship and share a passion for music. Leaving behind there dysfunctional childhood they set off to become famous.

The drums go. Jack goes. Guitar screams. I'm singing. I forget everything and forgive him for everything. I forgot that I was once a mouse and now I am everything I've ever wanted. In this moment. This one moment. I am free.

There was LOTS of sex, drugs and rock-n-roll.


Jack and Hayley seem to have it all - kind of - Hayley's finally found her perfect family. But she is struggling to find balance. Her new life with Carter and the kids and her life with Jack, drugs and the music.

"I gave you everything, all of me, all of my songs, all of my heart, all my words; my bones are your bones, Hayley. You are my wings."

Hayley struggles with the loss of her other half, her soul-mate.


Then enter Enzo....


Hayley falls further down the rabbit hole with Enzo leading the way. Will Hayley lose it all and find herself completely immersed in darkness? Bottom line. This story is crazy, intense and raw. I can't really think of a better way to describe it. The writing is very different, but to me it fit the character and the story. If you are a fan of screwed up stories and appreciate books that leave you thinking "What the hell did I just read?" Read it. I was glued to my kindle.

[Carol (StarAngel's Reviews) Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

*****5 Amazing Stars*****

Have you ever read a book where days after you are still thinking about it? This book has everything in it....sex, drugs, rock, murder, love, hate, angst, humor.....the list just goes on and on.

This is definitely a book which I will be thinking about weeks to follow - that's how much this book touched me.

Did I like the ending? Ahhhh....so-so I was a bit disappointed but the author gives us the chance to make our own.

Now....at first I couldn't get used to the HAHAHA....HEEEHEEE....SLRP...SWKKKK sound effects but then I really got into it trying to make them to coordinate with the scene which made the story even better.

I watched the trailer after I was done the book and from what I saw...it really corresponds with the book! Fantastic book and awesome trailer.

I'm not going to give a synopsis of the book because I think I will give too much away - I'm just saying...if you like dark taboo readings with a bit of grammar errors and a different style of writing...then this book is for YOU!!

[Rosalinda *KRASNORADA*]

BR with my beautiful NEIGHBOR Ana Rita.

Thanks Jessica for your rec!

Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CDXE5...

(thanks for the link Anita!)

[Honey Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart is beating so fast!!! OMG that ending was SO INTENSE!!! The last 15% of this book had me like this:


I can't describe all the emotions i felt while reading this. A lot of the time i felt icky and disturbed. In the best way of course! I am still in shock at the many twists and turns this book had. It would change one page to another! Dark dark dark! I am still reeling!!!

Read this!!!!!!!

[Miss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clearly this is a love it or hate it kind of read.

Yes, it was a fucking mess. I have a fondness for damaged character's, but I have to be able to connect with them on some level. I have to be able to feel bad for them when the situation warrants it. I have to be able to understand the pull that draws others to them. I have to be able to imagine myself in their fucked up shoes.

I get what the author was trying to accomplish here. An attempt was made to draw the reader into the fucked up mind of Haley. I've read my fair share of bipolar, drug addicted character's and there have been many times that I've been absorbed in their high with a clear understanding of their state of mind. What they see, what they feel, the description of the sounds that surround them while in a manic state, or even a drug induced haze. This can be accomplished by a talented writer without the use of choppy disjointed prose.

The first half of this book was incredibly frustrating. All the five star reviews left me curious so I was determined to keep going. I wanted to find what it was about this book that made it so enticing. What is hidden in this mess that other readers loved so much? After finishing this book I am still without answers.

I admit to having a few WTF moments but they were not because of unexpected surprises or anything truly shocking. I was disturbed by the weirdness between Haley, and her brother Jack. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what Carter saw in Haley. Obviously Enzo is off his rocker so who knows what even started his fascination with the group. Then we get to the open to interpretation ending. Normally this is something that would bother me leaving me in the dark desperate for answers. It didn't bother me this time because to be honest I just didn't even care by that point.

This book was written based on a screenplay. I have no clue how much of this book comes from the author's imagination or if it is close to the original writers vision.

[Rosanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a little cray cray right now, so I'll try to post a review eventually. Maybe.

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um...wow....um...
This turned out to be quite a thriller of a book with sad, disturbed & fucked up characters.
The writing style, that others had already commented on, was indeed hard to follow. I just had to go with it at a few points.
This was definentially a change of pace from what I have been reading, and I don't regret reading it at all.

[Tori]

DNF

Almost halfway in and that was more then enough to know that I and this book would not be bff's and make babies together. An unattractive heroine whose manipulative, narcissistic, drug abusing, sex addictive, and victim screaming left me struggling to feel even one iota of sympathy for her. I don't mind self destructive protagonists as long as I can A. See some growth or B. The spiral is well deserved. In this instance the heroine is a huge hot mess and she enjoys being a huge hot mess. She uses her past to enable her destruction and when you call her on it, it's never her fault.

The writing is a struggle to read as the story is told from the heroine's screwed up head. It's over saturated purple prose addicted to speed. I don't even want to get into the misspellings, slang/text talk, and the appalling lack of punctuation. I found it hard to believe this chick's mind was this much of a cesspool. Even broken clocks will hit the correct time twice a day.

As this was originally a movie script turned book, I think this is a perfect example that the vision of the author is better served on the silver screen.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy holy holy HOLY CRAP! Loved this twisted, mind F*@%!!!! READ IT...just shut up about errors or anything and read it, it's not that hard to follow!...with that said...

H
O
L
Y
CRAP! I loved it, I hated it...cannot even describe wtffff was going on in my head. Took the worst situations, shined some light on it, then screwed it good and hard. Totally twisted and demented and I just couldn't put this book down! Definitely a good read for those who like the weird, messed up, out of your mind bat shit crazy stories...BECAUSE THIS IS IT!

Hayley; loved and hated her all the time.
Jack...you're a messed up POS, but man...
Carter: Sweet innocent man...lol not!!!
ENZO...You need Jesus.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I love crazy books that push the boundries and have messed up shit in it that makes your head spin, and that is why I bought this book. This book has drugs, sex and some messed up characters. I did enjoy this book just not as much as I thougth i would i will say the last 15% is what made me rate this higher. If you enjoy a book with all kinds of crazy this is for you. There is also a movie coming out that im sure will be great. Very differnt and interesting read 3.5 stars

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

5~WTF!~Absolutely~F#!?$##~Amazing~Stars!!!







...me after finishing this book..

[readtoomuch · Rating 1 out of 5]

0 stars

Original review can be found on BookLikes.

Uhm...

*scratching my head*

*sigh*

I wasn't going to write a review at all, but I figured I was on a another-dud-book trend anyway, so I may as well leave some reviews for other books that had me questioning my sanity. The writing style was not my cuppa at all. The author tries way too hard to be lyrical, poetic, or... something, but all she did was make me scoff and roll my eyes therefore taking me out the "story," or forming any connection with the main character.

I could not connect with her at all, so if the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghost Busters showed up to swipe her ass off a roof, I wouldn't have cared at all. In fact, I would have cheered him on. The relationship between the MC and her brother bordered on disturbing, but I don't know if that was me reading between lines I didn't want to cross or the ambiguity of the writing. I didn't understand why another character would be interested in the mess that was the MC. And the ending was... honestly, who cares?

[cmmeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We may be broken, but we're still alive."

This novel might just be one of those included in the fucked-up* lists but could also be one of those in the artsy-semi-genius ones. Yes, there were a lot of grammatical errors, but I learned to appreciate them in a way that it made the novel seem more real, more bare, more raw. The incoherence of some of the words used to form phrases and sentences almost did not matter, because they still seemed beautiful to the ears and eyes. One could almost attribute every imperfection that could be derived from it to be some sort of expression of art, because the characters themselves were all--excuse the term--as fucked-up as everything else presented by and in the novel. It's almost a nasty compilation of unpolished prose and poetry of a messed-up, neophyte writer/poet that seemed to make it work and I loved it.

[Lauren Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I wanted to mention the writing skill in this book. It was so different from most of the books that I have read. This book is dark, it pulls you in and makes you feel, but with some it might not be a good thing. If you like the cute, fun, quick one-liners that make you laugh and smile, this is not a book for you. Hayley and Jack, a very unique brother and sister relationship, borders on uncomfortable, but never crosses the line. I don't want to give anything away, but once you get into the story, you do understand why their relationship is as close as it is... They are broken...trying to escape their childhood, trying to make it in the music business. This is a very deep story that definitely has an impact on its readers. If you are into this type of story, you will love it.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing, trippy and written like a stream of emotions. The story was dark and filled with crazy drugs, sex,etc. I did not love the writing style but the sick lifestyle of the characters made me keep reading.

[Robin H · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 6%. The writing makes me want to pound my head into the wall...repeatedly. I couldn't find the will or desire to care to finish it. Or even really start it.

[MegalynNan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I saw the movie because I'm a fan of Catherine Hardwicke, and was excited that my library had a novelization.

First off the book reads like a first draft. The style it's written in could be great if it was more refined. The stream of consciousness spends so much time telling us what is going on, it can't spare a second to show us.

Crash has moments of genuinely good writing, she just needed to mull it around revise it more, and probably cut out 30% of the self hate.

The plot is interesting, but a bunch of the action is cliche. It feels like every bad thing that could happen, does happen. Instead of focusing on the relationship with Enzo and the attraction to Jack is just 200+ pages of self loathing.

It doesn't feel like Hayley is authentic. She is passive in her life, and goes from innocent virgin to full addict in the span of a month. While that transition can happen, it just felt like a few things were thrown in just to make her life worse. I do mean thrown, there are segments that just feel shoehorned.

Finally at 2/3 through the book we get to what should be the major plot points of the book, but it feels rushed.

There is no foreshadowing, no themes, no motifs. Just self loathing, and a very 2 dimensional main character defined by her suffering.

I reccomend the movie, because while flawed, it is compelling and feels real, the novelization falls flat.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

First off let me say this book was not a NA novel. I signed up for the review via one of the New Adult book groups here on Goodreads. This is not to say I disliked the book. But it was like walking into a situation and getting blind sided. Plush has enough dirty realism that you don't just need to be a 'new adult', but a seasoned one who has seen the dark side of the moon (so to speak).

The story revolves around Haley and her brother Jack ( you are left to make up your own mind as to how 'close' their relationship is) who are neglected to the point of abuse by their family. To escape their sad existence they create the band 'Plush' and find success. The story is told from Haley's point of view and she is a tragic character if there was ever one. I said before that this is not a NA novel. I would create a new genre for it. It falls in the American Tragedy category. Haley is as self destructive as they come as she uses men, drugs, sex, and even herself as she endeavors in her life.

I begin to wonder if Haley would ever happiness or would know what would make her happy.

The book is unforgettable and disturbing and a million other adjectives that seem to contradict each other. If you liked the novel White Oleander. The level of realism and gore from everyday life is present in that novel as well. Plush is a good novel if you're comfortable in Haley's world, for me though I'm not sure I was ever completely comfortable in her world.

[Books On Fire · Rating 1 out of 5]

PLUSH
By Kate Crash
I received this ebook for an honest review. Unfortunately, I could not finish this book. It was troubling to read because
1. I didn’t know if I was reading a screenplay with the improper punctuations (Loc 169 Jack: “I told you we were cool.”) or poetry (Loc263 I am a mouse. / So small. / I have shrunk./ So close to the ground I can’t even see the sky or feel alive.)
2. I didn’t understand the metaphors. The author contradicted the use of a metaphor at least twice a page.

The actual storyline is very disturbing and while I know that there are teenagers with screwed up lives (I come in contact with people that suffer with mental illness, alcoholism and have been in prison in my line of work) this story line crosses over into total chaos. The fan fiction aspect about going to Austin for the festival is thrown in there by introducing a woman named Annie who “gets wet” from listening to one song and then they are signed? I am not sure why that part was so rushed.

I believed I stopped right after the young Mexican teenager was introduced as Jack and Hayley’s new mother.

Honestly, if I were Ms. Crash, I would pull the book and do a serious editing overhaul. There are copy editors out there who are fairly inexpensive. I think I get the idea of what the author is trying to say but the incomplete sentences and poor use of semi-colons, capital letters and metaphors deterred me from reading it through.

Good luck! I hope it works out with the screenplay. I think that’s the form of writing this book should have been in from the beginning.

[Kimberly Morris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for my honest review so I'm going to try and give it without sounding offensive to the author.
So here goes!

The main characters, Hayley and Jack, they are seriously f'ed up. I didn't think their childhood growing up was bad enough to become the broken, twisted people they became.
Their relationship with one another was seriously disgusting even though nothing ever really happened between them.
Because of the sick relationship between her and her brother I do get her feelings towards Enzo and why she became so distant from her husband.
The writing style was very artistic and came off like dark poetry....with that said....I hated the style as much as I hate poetry...which is a lot.

Overall I don't think there was anything that I really liked about this book or the story plot.

[JMV · Rating 3 out of 5]

** ARC** recieved for a honest review..... Closer to 2 1/2 than 3 stars. Plush.... Plush, I'm still trying to process the story. I'm not sure how to review it. This is a story of a very, very missed up Hayley. It is written as if I was reading her dairy with all her dark secrets. Not sure if this is my style but it is intriguing. Hayley and her brother are closer to each other then most siblings but it is this closeness that saves them both and inspires them in their music. Jack is just as messed up as Hayley and as their future seems to get better, their life spirals out of control. The story start off strong and you stay to see if Hayley can get it together only to find a messy ending that leaves you with things not totally finished.

[Alwaysreadingbooks - Reading Drinking and Relaxing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for an honest review

I really don't know where to start with this book. If you are looking for a book that's all lovey dovey this is not the book for you, but if you are looking for a book with angst and people that are fucked up this is the perfect book. Haley and Jack are bother and sister and they both have a very fucked up life. At times while I was reading this book all I could say was these people are really fucked up in the head. This book took me on a major emotional roller coaster because I didn't know which way was up and down. I was so emotionally spent by the end of this book that I didn't want it to end and I didn't know what to read next