Ah, the college years. Study. Make new friends. Fall in love. Experience disappointment. Party. Just another day in the life of thousands of students as they leave home to get an education, often in more than classwork.

CAMPUS CRUSH, a new adult book by Author Ashelyn Drake, consists of four novellas about friendship, love, and making the right choices. In each story we see the pressures and challenges new students face in college, not only in their classes, but also in their personal lives. Take Mike who just wants to be honest with a girl but knows they expect flattery rather than honesty. His best friend Mindy, yes, a girl, tries to offer advice. He’s not buying. He’s also hung up on this beautiful mystery girl.
In each story we see characters from the other stories since they’re all attending the same college. They’re trying to “grow up.” They’re no longer in high school. New worlds…um..guys await. There’s Noelle, soon to be a freshman, and Andy, a sophomore RA (Resident Advisor) also a swimmer with a hunky body. Julia and Darren make another hot couple, as do Mindy and Ben. A lot of the action takes place in the bedroom. Sometimes people are disappointing, and not quite what one thought they were.

Ashelyn Drake has a knack for creating characters with distinct personalities. They make mistakes. They laugh. They cry. They’re human. CAMPUS CRUSH should appeal to readers that are experiencing some of the same situations as Noelle, Julia, and Mindy face. I hope they don’t think hopping into bed with the “love of their life” is necessary though. Yes, I believe in marriage first. Readers should enjoy the ups and downs of college life and maybe even can relate to the characters in the stories.

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