Diary Of A Crush: French Kiss

Diary Of A Crush originally started out as a short story in J-17 magazine, but due to the author, Sarra Manning, writing over 5000 words and barely finishing the story that it became a monthly feature in the magazine, and soon to be the first novel in a gripping trilogy.

The story features around a girl called Edie, who has recently moved from Brighton to Manchester and is studying her A-levels in a college filled with ‘art boys’ and ‘Barbies’. At first she’s hating the move, missing her friends back in Brighton and despising the college she’s studying at.

As expected, Edie bumps into the amazingly gorgeous art boy Dylan Kowalski and falls instantly in love with him, and the next several pages of the book are filled with vivid descriptions of the male character, and how much Edie is in love with him. Re-reading it, I realised some of the stuff written in it is borderline stalking, and if the story wasn’t strangely gripping I would have thrown the book aside.

I’m glad to say that as the book gets going, the writing style is better and begins to show, not tell when it comes to describing things. It doesn’t rush the plot too quickly, and it becomes a lot more gripping and exciting, although most of it is still filled with Dylan.

The reader can relate to many things in the book, spiteful ex girlfriends, boys displaying unrequited love towards you whilst you’re inevitably head over heels for someone else, and the confusing behavior of that one guy. Most of the book involves Dylan’s up and down behavior, which reflects on Edie’s mood and you can see clearly they have an up and down relationship, one minute they’re kissing and the next they’re fighting like bruises are going to go out of fashion anytime soon.

The main part of the book is when Edie and her classmates go to Paris for five days on a photography course, although not much photography seems to take place on this trip. Edie and her best friend, Shona end up in the room with Mia, which leads to as much, if not more, trouble than when they were on English soil.

It’s also Edie’s birthday when they’re away, and despite Edie finally accepting her admirers feelings and going out with him, she’s still hoping for that birthday kiss off Dylan, and as a reader you’re practically screaming at them to just get it on and quit nit-picking at every little thing.

I’d recommend this book, one you get past the first couple of pages, the book doubles in quality, and there are a few sequels which are as gripping and better written at this one. As the books go along, you fall in love with all the characters, despite of their bi-polar moods and Sarra Manning is a really good author which always helps.