We were just kids when we met. . .He was the boy from down the beach.I was the transplant from Tennessee.He became my best friend.I became his best girl.And then . . . it became us.We shared things . . . our dreams, our secrets . . . first kisses and then our hearts.Seth Drake was my everything. My first crush. My first love. My forever passion. Until that day when everything changed through no … everything. My first crush. My first love. My forever passion. Until that day when everything changed through no fault of ours.
I was crushed. We were crushed.
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Seth and Neely, I love their names and I fell in love with them. This is an emotional roller-coaster, a sweet love story.
Neely met Seth and their future would be forever intertwined. Her father has high end clients, he is always away on business trips. Her mother slowly becomes unhinged and Neely finds herself a care giver to her mother. For such a short first book, this story line is explosive with emotions!! OMG, I cried and felt Neely and Seth’s emotions come off the pages. So in love with this amazingly talented author!! Cannot wait for book 2!
Crushed
Evermore Series, Book 1
By: Andrea Smith
Narrated by: Rachelle Williams
This is the kind of story I love! Andrea Smith has started a series that is already tugging at my heart and rooting for a couple! Neely and Seth are in love. That real young love that you feel when you are in high school, the kind you want to last forever. But circumstances pull them apart for several years and now Neely is back. Her life is in shambles and she is trying to pull it all back together. They have grown apart, but is the love still there? I am in love with this story. Neely is fascinating. Young, yet so mature due to her situation, she has endured more than she should ever have to in her young life. Seth is growing up, following his passion and now we have to see where this will lead the two of them. With fantastic secondary characters, I can’t wait so see where they will all fit in and where it will lead. Rachelle Williams brings it all alive with a marvelous narration. On to book 2,
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Seth And Neely’s Young Love Is Absolutely Endearing! But Soon Events And Time Have Their Predictable Effect On And The Adolescent Relationship, And Their Youthful Innocense Is Lost.
This is the first book in the four part Evermore series.
Neilah Grace Evans, seventeen, has had to grow up since her parents divorced. Her father, an attorney in the movie indusrtry, had hooked up with a Hollywood actress after moving their family from Nashville to Malibu, leaving Neely and her mom to fend for themselves just over two years ago. When her mother had discovered the truth, Neely was brisked away from her home and taken back to Tennessee. But she had been sure to say goodbye to her neighbor first, Seth Drake, the boy that had become her best friend, and then her boyfriend. The boy she loved. That was over two years ago.
With only one another to depend upon, Neely does her best to take care of her mother and herself, but at the rate her mother drinks, things will only get worse.
Seth and Neely’s young love is absolutely endearing. Soon events and time have their predictable effect on the adolescent relationship, and their youthful innocense is lost. Their story alternates between the present and their backstory. As it unfolds, it tells the story that leads to and sets up the current events. It ends in a natural transition point.
This story is a quick read. It is well-written and engaging. The plot is somewhat complex, revealed in layers to maintain suspense. The characters are carefully crafted. They feel authentic. The story is written in first person from Neely’s POV. I rate this book five stars.
Well written with interesting and likeable characters that kept me listening. This is a sharply drawn, painfully, and heartfelt candid coming-of-age story about the life and struggles of a 14 year old girl named Neely and her best friend Seth, that would have you begging for the next audiobook, once you’re done listening to Crushed.
Rachelle Williams makes of this, an enjoyable listening experience.
I have fallen in love with Seth Drake and Neely Evans, but my heart is crushed. Neely is barely a teenager when her family moves from Tennessee to California for her father’s job. It’s all new to her but she makes a new friend in her neighbor, Seth. She’s happy to have a friend who cares about her and, over that summer, they form a seemingly unbreakable bond. They become best friends for life, at least for now. She needs him when her life is ripped apart through divorce, infidelity, alcohol and family dysfunction. Her father became involved with a high profile Hollywood “client,” and it broke up the family, sending her mother into an alcohol-fueled tailspin. Her mother’s reaction to their divorce was to drink until she couldn’t function and Neely thinks it’s somehow her responsibility to keep her sober. The story ends with hearts breaking as Neely makes a decision that will affect her future with Seth. The story is told by skipping between two separate time frames and it is done very effectively. It gives more insight into the thoughts of the main characters and the supporting cast, as well.
I listened to the audiobook, as well, and Rachelle Williams does a commendable job with the narration. She has a dynamic voice and is able to do all of the characters effectively.
I listened to the audibook.
This is a story with so much depth. Normally I don’t love what would be considered a young adult novel, but I can’t even call this book young adult. The main characters, Neely and Seth meet and become friends. But moving, parents and life are in their way.
This is a wonderful beginning for this series.
The narration for the audiobook is great.
Highly recommended this book!
Oh wow. This book was really enjoyable. The narration was done well. I enjoyed the story.
Neely had to grow up fast. Who was the parent when her father is constantly away for business? and her mother consistently drinks herself into oblivion? Was it a real surprise when her father business trips were keeping him away from home ? or was he having an affair?
Seth was her best friend, her first love. Neely, at 15, was wise beyond her years. “life is what you make it not what others make for you”.
She had to move back to Tennessee, with her mother. Can Neely and Seth survive a long distance relationship, with what promises they made? or is it some teenage puppy love? Andrea Smith story is of a dysfunctional family, full of teenage angst, family drama , and sweet moments. There are flashbacks between past and present throughout the story.
Rachelle Williams narration mostly voiced with a southern accent. She tells the story very well..audiobookobessionreviewer
Even though this is a short book. The author did a wonderful job making me feel like I know these characters. There are some ups and downs but mostly we are getting to know their backgrounds.
This has a lot of back and forth between past and present. I am usually not a fan of this. This one was done nicely. So just as we are learning something in the present we learn the whys that happened in the past.
I listened to this on audio and Rachelle Williams did a good job.
Crushed by Andrea Smith is a coming of age story that I listened to on audio narrated by Rachelle Williams. This is book one in the Evermore Series and does end on a cliffhanger.
This is the first book of Andrea’s that I have read and it definitely won’t be my last. She did a great job putting you into the mind of a 15 year old Neely Evans. I cannot wait to dive into the second book of the series Claimed.
Rachelle did an amazing job on the narration. She made me believe in the 15 year old character from Tennessee. I loved that she used different voices/tones for each character. She really made the story come to life.
I really like this book! It skips between past and present times to get to whole story of what is going on. This is the perfect first book in a series.
Crushed is an excellent name for this story. The pages in this story give you the details of all young Neely Evans has had to cope with from age fourteen to her present. Some good, some not so good, but life isn’t always a bowl of cherries. I am anxiously awaiting Claimed, will the young Seth Drake claim her, he sure wanted to before Neely’s sudden departure! Need to know where this young life is lead next in The Evermore series.
Rachelle Williams is the narrator that brought the characters in this story to life.
Thank you Andrea for gifting me this audible book for a fair and honest review.
Fantastic Story & Audible Listen Heartfelt & Moving!
Crushed
Evermore Series, Book 1
By: Andrea Smith
Narrated by: Rachelle Williams
Consider me wowed! This is a heart crushing beginning to what is going to be a fabulous series, yes that is how I feel after finishing this book, it captured both my heart and my mind. It is great to see another side of Andrea Smith’s writing and creative mind, she is a gifted author and has the ability to take her readers and/or listeners into her stories along side the characters. This book has a different vibe then some of her others series and I loved every word in this as I did with those. This series’s is starting off in in the YA genre but as the characters mature so will their stories. My heart went out to Neely Evans, a teenager who has not been having such a great home life. First she was uprooted from her home in Tennessee when her father switched jobs to work in California. She was not happy about it but things got a lot better for her when she became friends with Seth Drake. The two got along great and were inseparable. Unfortunately that did not last long because her mother abruptly moves them back to Tennessee. They kept in touch, she saw him the following summer while visiting her Dad and they were even getting ready to more their relationship to the next level. But after a talk with Seth’s mother she decided to take a step back and returned back to Tennessee sooner. Life was not rosy for her in Tennessee, her mothers downward spiral caused her to the be the responsible one in the family. Andrea Smith packed a lot of story into this novella sized book, there is never a dull moment with plenty of drama, teenage angst, some heartfelt moments as well as heart wrenching ones. I am looking forward to see what comes next for Neely and what is happening with Seth. Andrea Smith, thank you for another great story and emotional rollercoaster ride.
I listened to the Audible edition, Rachelle Williams does a terrific job with the narration and performing the voices for all the characters. She brings the characters and their story to life from the pages to your ears. She projected the emotions of the characters and the drama of the story into her performance. She is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to.Thanks you for the this great listen
I’m generally not a fan of jumping back and forth in time. It was hard to keep track of the time period on occasion but on the whole, I liked the first installment of this series. It’s heartbreaking in so many ways – an unstable, alcoholic mother, a philandering father, and a young girl’s coming of age that she wants to experience walking side-by-side with the boy next door. Then reality sets in as her family situation blows up and Neely is separated from Seth.
I enjoyed the narrator, Rachelle Williams, and her southern twang.
Story: 3 stars
Narration: 4 stars
I have a feeling that “Life is what you make it” will be an applicable headline for the reviews on most of the books in this series – but we’ll see. This is the first in Andrea Smith’s new series Evermore and what a way to start. The characters – Neely and Seth will simultaneously warm your heart and break it all at the same time. Neely’s home life leaves much to be desired, as a 14 year old she is mature beyond her years. Seth obviously sees something in her and gradually moves from friend to boyfriend role. Will the constant pull Neely has to be the daughter she should out weigh the life she should live for herself?
This read / listen is on the shorter side and dives deep into these characters and leaves you eager for more. I can’t wait to get started on Claimed (book 2) to see where their lives will take them.
While I absolutely loved this read – the only thing that threw me is the back and forth between the past and current…it was hard for me to follow the time line at times. Also, I loved the narration but I think a dual male / female narration would be good on this read also.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
Crushed
An interesting start to this teenage love story with good characters, and several twists in their tale, the narration is all right