Crushed by Lauren Layne

Crushed by Lauren Layne is a book about two people who thought they knew what they wanted until they actually got it. Michael St. Claire grew up in New York but sets out to Cedar Grove, Texas to escape his life and find out more about his real father and the family that never knew about him. Chloe Bellamy has lived in the shadow of her pretty sister, Kristen, her whole life.

Chloe Bellamy has been in love with Devon Patterson for years but has resigned herself to just be his friend while Kristen has what she wants. Michael's plan was to use pretty, refined Kristen to meddle with his half brothers life. Michael decides to use Chloe's crush on Kristen's boyfriend to strike a deal with the curvy quirky Bellamy sister.

Chloe has always felt like the ugly one next to her picture perfect sister. Chloe would never do anything to break up her sisters relationship but she can't help but think that Devon is with the wrong girl. Michael is bringing some major baggage from New York and thinks that stirring up trouble will make the chaos in his life calm down. The book starts out with Michael and Chloe bickering before deciding to strike a deal to get Chloe in better health in order to show Devon what he's missing.

This story is really a tale of 'the grass is always greener on the other side'. Ladies with straight hair prefer curly and ladies with natural curls use straighteners. We always think we want what we can't really have. Chloe started out as Devon's best friend and thought herself in love with him before he became popular and started dating her sister Kristen. She has had to watch what she wanted being flaunted in her face for years while eating her feelings and hiding behind sarcasm. Along came Michael who guessed her dilemma immediately and, for his own selfish reasons, decides to help her get fit while showing Devon what he's missing. Michael doesn't really know what he wants but seems drawn to this curvy sarcastic girl with the mess of curls.

I really really enjoyed this book! Chloe is beyond funny and I love that she just pokes at Michael or Beefcake as she calls him. Who would have known that the Star Spangled Banner would be used like that? I just about fell over laughing at that whole thing. I thought Michael was definitely a smidgen broody but then again after his history is fully explained I understood him a little more and forgave his bi-polar self. The reunion at Micheal's place was a little bit crazy but a whole bunch perfect. I laughed a lot while reading this book and that's ALWAYS a good thing! I can't say that I was a big Kristen fan but then again I have to recognize that not every person can have depth, some people are just shallow like a puddle. I wasn't a huge fan of the way Chloe saw Devon in the beginning but then again that's how first crushes go. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wanted a sweet fun read with minimal drama. I totally would be down with a sequel.

This ARC was kindly provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.