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Short Stuff by Kate Fierro, Alysia Constantine, Jude Sierra, Julia Ember, Jen Sternick, Tom Wilinsky
marisinterlude's review against another edition
2.0
Since this book is a collection of four short stories and rating it as one book is a bit complicated, I calculated the average star rating for all four of them. But I do have some comments regarding the individual stories.
1. I Ate the Whole World to Find You - 2/5 stars
This story had such potential in my opinion! Low-key enemies to lovers trope between the sportsman and the cook, throw in a bit of pining and flustered youth here and there and it's a perfect mixture for an ideal short story! But the writing and the characters were not it for me. I did not like the pacing, the way the dialogues were written, and how characters feelings were developing. Everything developed too fast. The feelings were changing back and forth too drastically even for a story about two flustered sixteen year olds. Most of the time there was something that was simply missing for me. The romance just came out of nowhere and I'm usually not a fan of stories that develop that way.
2. The August Sands - 1/5 stars
I hated this one. Legitimately. If I could rate it with 0 stars, I would. The writing was so weird. The dialogues between the main love interests made no sense to me.
"What's this, early morning labor?"
"More like afternoon labor."
"True. I only just woke up, so it's morning to me."
"Same."
Who edited this book?
There was nothing that made me root for the characters or feel any kind of a emotion towards them. I absolutely hated how author portrayed the whole going to the university process. It was described as something completely life-changing, which of course, in some sense, it is, but to that extent? Come on. And character emphasized several times how the university he'd be attending was not even an hour away from his home so that fact being mentioned five times definitely did not make me sympathise with his stress. Going to university does not equal to becoming a completely new self and neither does having a romantic/sexual experience. Those experiences were romanticized as something absolutely life-changing. The main character wakes up the next day after kissing the love interest and "is now a completely new self" except, no, he's not, because that's not how it works. I don't like the idea of sharing an experience like a kiss, or something that is more than just a kiss with another person making you wake up as a completely changed individual. One day, you wake up and you're you, someone that has not kissed anyone. Another day, you wake up and you're still you, except now you have had this pleasant experience that you're probably going to cherish for life, if that's what you want to do. It does not in any way define who you are and what you became. There's nothing wrong with writing about characters that get giddy from kissing, as long as author makes sure to deliver the message that hey, even though they experienced this, it's only a tiny fraction of who they are, and their experience does not define their worth, which this author did not do. Overall, didn't like this story at all. There was legitimately nothing I could get out of it.
3. Love in the Time of Coffee - 4/5 stars
Okay, I loved this one. It was almost perfect! Childhood friends to lovers with developing feelings and pining throughout what, five years? Sign me up, I'm a sucker for those. With the story revloving around friendship rituals, sapphic love and coffee shops, there was nothing more I could ask from it. My coffee-addicted bisexual heart could not get enough of it! And the chapters being named after different drinks? Come on now, it cannot get better than that. The story was also beautiful. The writing was great! I will definitely be looking more into the author's other works.
4. Gilded Scales - 2/5 stars
This one was a bit tricky. Even though the plot itself was interesting, I feel like the execution lacked in most parts. The story was too fast-paced for a fantasy with this kind of world building and such complicated situation between the love interests. I don't think that making this trope into a short story worked with the plot, in my opinion, if the author had maybe around 100-150 pages more, it would allow them to dive deeper into the world, characters, and all kinds of developments. It would also allow the story to be more intriguing. I definitely loved the plot though, it's just the execution was not good enough for me.
1. I Ate the Whole World to Find You - 2/5 stars
This story had such potential in my opinion! Low-key enemies to lovers trope between the sportsman and the cook, throw in a bit of pining and flustered youth here and there and it's a perfect mixture for an ideal short story! But the writing and the characters were not it for me. I did not like the pacing, the way the dialogues were written, and how characters feelings were developing. Everything developed too fast. The feelings were changing back and forth too drastically even for a story about two flustered sixteen year olds. Most of the time there was something that was simply missing for me. The romance just came out of nowhere and I'm usually not a fan of stories that develop that way.
2. The August Sands - 1/5 stars
I hated this one. Legitimately. If I could rate it with 0 stars, I would. The writing was so weird. The dialogues between the main love interests made no sense to me.
"What's this, early morning labor?"
"More like afternoon labor."
"True. I only just woke up, so it's morning to me."
"Same."
Who edited this book?
There was nothing that made me root for the characters or feel any kind of a emotion towards them. I absolutely hated how author portrayed the whole going to the university process. It was described as something completely life-changing, which of course, in some sense, it is, but to that extent? Come on. And character emphasized several times how the university he'd be attending was not even an hour away from his home so that fact being mentioned five times definitely did not make me sympathise with his stress. Going to university does not equal to becoming a completely new self and neither does having a romantic/sexual experience. Those experiences were romanticized as something absolutely life-changing. The main character wakes up the next day after kissing the love interest and "is now a completely new self" except, no, he's not, because that's not how it works. I don't like the idea of sharing an experience like a kiss, or something that is more than just a kiss with another person making you wake up as a completely changed individual. One day, you wake up and you're you, someone that has not kissed anyone. Another day, you wake up and you're still you, except now you have had this pleasant experience that you're probably going to cherish for life, if that's what you want to do. It does not in any way define who you are and what you became. There's nothing wrong with writing about characters that get giddy from kissing, as long as author makes sure to deliver the message that hey, even though they experienced this, it's only a tiny fraction of who they are, and their experience does not define their worth, which this author did not do. Overall, didn't like this story at all. There was legitimately nothing I could get out of it.
3. Love in the Time of Coffee - 4/5 stars
Okay, I loved this one. It was almost perfect! Childhood friends to lovers with developing feelings and pining throughout what, five years? Sign me up, I'm a sucker for those. With the story revloving around friendship rituals, sapphic love and coffee shops, there was nothing more I could ask from it. My coffee-addicted bisexual heart could not get enough of it! And the chapters being named after different drinks? Come on now, it cannot get better than that. The story was also beautiful. The writing was great! I will definitely be looking more into the author's other works.
4. Gilded Scales - 2/5 stars
This one was a bit tricky. Even though the plot itself was interesting, I feel like the execution lacked in most parts. The story was too fast-paced for a fantasy with this kind of world building and such complicated situation between the love interests. I don't think that making this trope into a short story worked with the plot, in my opinion, if the author had maybe around 100-150 pages more, it would allow them to dive deeper into the world, characters, and all kinds of developments. It would also allow the story to be more intriguing. I definitely loved the plot though, it's just the execution was not good enough for me.
leiaorganic's review
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"Short Stuff" by Julia Ember is the perfect set of short stories to have handy on your phone or tablet. The characters are well rounded and wonderfully developed for each of their short stories and each show a unique part of queer experiences and relationships. I highly recommend to anyone wanting to dip their toes into queer romance or anyone looking for meet-cute romances in general!
keelin's review against another edition
4.0
This was four short, queer love stories that I think most people will absolutely love! The last of the four is fantasy, but it's short so I think if fantasy isn't your jam, you might be able to handle it for that.
I have one critique and that is that the m/m stories got to be more in the relationship than the f/f stories, but there were two of each so I'll take that. And, in all fairness, the third story might end up being my favorite overall.
It's a good, queer, short story collection to add to your June Pride TBR.
I have one critique and that is that the m/m stories got to be more in the relationship than the f/f stories, but there were two of each so I'll take that. And, in all fairness, the third story might end up being my favorite overall.
It's a good, queer, short story collection to add to your June Pride TBR.
anniekslibrary's review
4.0
This is such a deeply enjoyable LGBTQ+ anthology! It features two m/m stories and two f/f stories, and so much queer goodness!!
I Ate the Whole World to Find You - Tom Wilinsky & Jen Sternick 4/5
This was the absolute cutest story, about a professional swimmer training for the Olympics, and a young aspiring chef feeding him truckloads of meals. I absolutely loved this dynamic, and it was a really funny story as well.
Rep: m/m romance
The August Sands - Jude Sierra 3/5
This was a really cute summer romance, about an 18 year old gay boy having his first kiss and his first romance, and about what it feels like to grow up and have your life changing, and you know you're leaving your childhood behind forever. Unfortunately, the writing style didn't really work for me though.
Rep: m/m romance
Love in the Time of Coffee - Kate Fierro 4/5
This was a very quick, slice-of-life kind of story, sharing short scenes from the characters' lives together. I'm a big fan of the childhood friends to lovers trope, so I really enjoyed this story! It also made me crave coffee really badly.
Rep: f/f romance, lesbian MC, bisexual love interest
Gilded Scales - Julia Ember 4/5
As a big fan of dragons and shapeshifters, this fast-paced and easy to follow fantasy story was perfect for me!
Rep: f/f romance
I Ate the Whole World to Find You - Tom Wilinsky & Jen Sternick 4/5
This was the absolute cutest story, about a professional swimmer training for the Olympics, and a young aspiring chef feeding him truckloads of meals. I absolutely loved this dynamic, and it was a really funny story as well.
Rep: m/m romance
The August Sands - Jude Sierra 3/5
This was a really cute summer romance, about an 18 year old gay boy having his first kiss and his first romance, and about what it feels like to grow up and have your life changing, and you know you're leaving your childhood behind forever. Unfortunately, the writing style didn't really work for me though.
Rep: m/m romance
Love in the Time of Coffee - Kate Fierro 4/5
This was a very quick, slice-of-life kind of story, sharing short scenes from the characters' lives together. I'm a big fan of the childhood friends to lovers trope, so I really enjoyed this story! It also made me crave coffee really badly.
Rep: f/f romance, lesbian MC, bisexual love interest
Gilded Scales - Julia Ember 4/5
As a big fan of dragons and shapeshifters, this fast-paced and easy to follow fantasy story was perfect for me!
Rep: f/f romance
wardenred's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
This was a really cute read to finish one year in books and start another.
The first story, I Ate the Whole World to Find You, fell a bit flat for me despite having some of my favorite tropes; I guess I didn't connect with the characters enough. It was still very cute, though!
The August Sands, the second story, is probably my favorite. I really felt for Tommy, the MC, and the mood was exactly right for my state of mind: a combination of hopefulness and melancholy. The vibe here reminded me of What If It's Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli.
The third one, Love in the Time of Coffee, is also a strong contender for a favorite. I'm a sucker for friends-to-lovers romance, and also, coffee? Coffee is like my entire identity on some days. :D It was very cute, the pining was appropriately heartbreaking, and the hope for the HEA was always there with the smell of coffee.
Finally, GIlded Scales is something I feel like I'd enjoy more if it came in a novella form. I really liked the worldbuilding here and would love to get more of it. Even as a short story, it was very nice, and Fenn is an amazing main character.
All in all, a very nice collection—I'm happy I've read it.
The first story, I Ate the Whole World to Find You, fell a bit flat for me despite having some of my favorite tropes; I guess I didn't connect with the characters enough. It was still very cute, though!
The August Sands, the second story, is probably my favorite. I really felt for Tommy, the MC, and the mood was exactly right for my state of mind: a combination of hopefulness and melancholy. The vibe here reminded me of What If It's Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli.
The third one, Love in the Time of Coffee, is also a strong contender for a favorite. I'm a sucker for friends-to-lovers romance, and also, coffee? Coffee is like my entire identity on some days. :D It was very cute, the pining was appropriately heartbreaking, and the hope for the HEA was always there with the smell of coffee.
Finally, GIlded Scales is something I feel like I'd enjoy more if it came in a novella form. I really liked the worldbuilding here and would love to get more of it. Even as a short story, it was very nice, and Fenn is an amazing main character.
All in all, a very nice collection—I'm happy I've read it.
lesbrarycard's review
5.0
this book might have been the cutest thing i’ve ever read. thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of short stuff! this is a collection of four queer romance stories ranging from contemporary to fantasy, and each and every one hit me right in the heart. if you’re looking for a warm and happy romance read celebrating LGBTQ+ relationships, this one is for you. honestly i could have read even more stories in a collection like this but i’ll take what i can get
therestricktedsection's review
4.0
I Ate The Whole World to Find You by Tom Wilinsky and Jen Sternick - 5
⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑
The August Sands by Jude Sierra - 3
⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒
Love in the Time of Coffee by Kate Fierro - 3
⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒
Gilded Scales by Julia Ember - 4.75
Stars ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒
AVG=3.9
⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑
The August Sands by Jude Sierra - 3
⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒
Love in the Time of Coffee by Kate Fierro - 3
⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒
Gilded Scales by Julia Ember - 4.75
Stars ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒
AVG=3.9
achillespatroclus's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
moonykitten's review
4.0
This was really heartwarming and nice short "stuff" stories! I think i really like the first one the best, they had such good chemestry! But i liked the others too.
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