Crushing

LoveReading Says

What a difference a year makes in Genevieve Novak’s Crushing — a zesty zeitgeisty story of the existential woes that come in the wake of being dumped. Loaded with laughs and life wisdom, it’s the kind of break-up book fans of funny romance will want to binge read in a blissfully bubbly bath.

Pushing thirty, Marnie’s dependence on relationships could be considered a little delulu. Having been coupled-up for pretty much all her adult life, she’s picked up the unhealthy habit of adapting herself to whoever she’s with. As a result, in the midst of another round of “heartbreak hysteria”, she has an emotional epiphany, realising: “I had no idea who I was, what I liked, or what I wanted”, along with another “unlikeable truth: I had loved being a girlfriend girl”.

After resolving to steer clear of relationships for the foreseeable future, and discovering that “being single was expensive”, Marnie moves in with flamboyant Claud, who helps her start to find her feet. But it’s not long before both women are thrown fresh curveballs when long-time singleton Claud finds her first long-term boyfriend, and Marnie strikes a deep bond with a very handsome, very attached guy.

Crammed with comic escapism, Crushing crushes it when it comes to exploring millennial identity angst with humour and heart — it’s also poignant on loneliness (“The terrifying ache, like being choked. The arresting paralysis as the world moved on without you”) and lightly insightful on singledom, sisterhood, post-pandemic ennui and the strength it takes to become your true self.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen’s lifelong love of reading and writing began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, and very much wished that witches (and Mrs Pepperpot) were real.
More reviews by Joanne Owen

About Crushing

When do you stop starting over? The sparkling new novel from the author of No Hard Feelings.

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