Crushin' Times: A heart-tugging YA romance about first love, heartbreak, and growing up in the '90s

by Alina Vreta

Crushin’ Times is a nostalgic YA story set in the ’90s, following Nina through her first year of high school, first love, heartbreaks, and the small moments that shape who we become.

152 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2025

About the author

Alina Vreta (born 1979) is an electrical engineer with a lifelong passion for storytelling. She wrote her first collection of stories and poems at the age of ten (unpublished) and has been drawn to writing ever since. Inspired by the complexities of human emotions and relationships, she enjoys crafting narratives that capture the intensity of love and self-discovery.
A devoted wife and mother of three, she finds inspiration in everyday moments and her travels. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading and exploring new places.
Crushin' Times is her debut novel.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5P2FBX4

Reviews

[Emily Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I been debating on what to rate this book. I kept going back and forth from 3.5 and 4 stars and have decided on 4 stars.

PROS
This book is literally high school drama in a book and I live for it! The plot is crazy,the storyline is amazing! This book is so realistic and I love it for that, it felt like I was reading a teenagers diary! Super fast paced and easy to read, finished it in about a week which is really fast for me because I tend to read slow.

CONS
The biggest thing that is making me not rate it 5 stars is the writing! It’s okay but definitely not good.Most sentence seem to be unfinished, it seem like the author was trying to write how she thought a teenager would write. The other con is the characters name! They are so unrealistic and ridiculous!

Overall this was a good read! The fast paced makes it great for it you need a short read to get out of a reading slump or in my case, need a short read to read in between book club! This book was great especially for being the author first novel.

[Camila Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Sweet ’90s Throwback That Hit Me Right in the Feelings
Crushin’ Times took me straight back to that awkward, exciting moment when everything feels big, your first crush, your first heartbreak, and figuring out who you are along the way. Nina’s story feels honest and nostalgic, full of small moments that quietly shape you without you even realizing it at the time. It’s warm, relatable, and perfectly captures what it felt like growing up in the ’90s, when love was confusing, school was overwhelming, and every emotion felt brand new.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very teen hormonal. It is written like a journal, and reads like a journal. Many incomplete sentences and thoughts. Could use more character development to make the main character more appealing. The author does not spend too much time on any one character so it’s a very surface description of many characters. Maybe high school teenagers would like this book but as an older adult, it did not appeal to me. Lots of relationship drama and “love” after only knowing someone for 2 days. I guess that’s teen love??

[Perez-Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this kind of story make me have more strength in my crushed
but pleased I will tell my sister now to reach out to you this book really have more interesting to me and this story need to reach out more readers and my sister can help u connect that if you want in there group they have more than 2074 active readers
whish you the best love your story book
I don't usually live 5 star but for this I will live 5 star
thank you

[Bridget · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was, as respectfully as possible, boring. It didn’t have a very good plot. I liked how realistic it was, but it was a little too realistic. I don’t know is this was on purpose or not, but the paragraphs would stop in the middle of a sentence. And the names of the characters were ridiculous. Bogdan, Petar, Ema, Dragana. In summery I didn’t care for this book and I would pass it, there are a lot of better romance stories out there.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new school and new people will challenge her. She will make friends with him but one incident may just last the whole school years. She how she will deal with it all
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and a lovely read

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very realistic and nostalgic to high school and teen problems. Thank you to the author for the footnotes on the Serbian locations, etc. They were very helpful in understanding these references.

[Alina Vreta]

⭐ Author's Note ⭐

As the author of this story, I wanted to capture those first loves the way we remember them — a little clumsy, honest, and full of emotions. I hope everyone who enjoys YA romance will find a part of themselves in this book.
Thank you to everyone who gives this story a chance.

Yours,
Alina