Book Review: Paperback Crush by Gabrielle Moss

Photo from Penguin Random House

This book was a dream come true for any book obsessed product of the '80s and '90s.

Moss covers a wide array of YA fiction from the time, including ,of course, favorites like Sweet Valley High and The Babysitters Club. Paperback Crush is organized by topics such as sports, family, and teen troubles. Each chapter then talks about the history of books about those subjects. Moss often goes back farther than the '80s/'90s to show how the genre has really changed over time.

The physical book itself is perfect too. Every page is full color, glossy pages, with fun '80s/'90s inspired geometric backgrounds. It felt like reading a teen magazine from the time, and perfectly captured the feel of books from the era.

I very much enjoyed the nostalgia presented in Paperback Crush, but also the history of teen books. It was a fun read, while also encouraging readers to examine issues in teen literature. I learned about so many books and series I had never heard of, and am tempted to go on a '80s/'90s reading spree next. The only complaint I have about this book is that it ended very abruptly. It would have served the book well to have a conclusion to wrap it all up.