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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Just didn’t really like it. I liked the premise but couldn’t really get into because I guess I’d rather have more of a story than just how they met
Overall Review:
Though a cute idea with some great Y.A. authors, the extreme variation in the quality of the work as well as some of the ones included not even being "meet cutes" (in my perspective) makes this anthology rather weak overall. I was also really disappointed that no romances between boys were explored. I think the issue was that there were no central editors which are key to creating a consistent anthology with strong writers. 2.5/5 stars.
Individual Reviews:
Siege Etiquette by Katie Cotugno: Cliche story of yet another Y.A. protagonist with a dead mother who feels awkward after her mother's passing. The interaction between the characters did not seem worthy of any romance blossoming. 2/5 stars.
Print Shop by Nina Lacour: I am a big fan of Nina Lacour and this was no exception. I really enjoyed yet another one of her adorable Bay Area-based lesbian stories. The tale of an eager seventeen-year-old who meets a girl via a twitter complaint on her first day working at a vintage-style print shop was quaint and adorable. 4/5 stars.
Hourglass by Ibi Zoboi: I really enjoyed this story as well. Cherish was a really sweet protagonist though I wish more was devoted to the romance between her and the love interest who was only introduced in the last few pages. 3.5/5 stars
Click by Katherine McGee: Though an interesting idea, it didn't really pull me in nor did I feel attached to the character and the romance. 2.5/5 stars
Intern by Sara Shepard: This was the worst by far. It was the most ridiculous plot(definitely not a meet cute) and I could not connect with the main character at all. It felt like the fanfiction I would read about Justin Bieber or One Direction when I was thirteen. How does a fucking adult write this? I get she's a big name in Y.A. but how did this get past the editors. 1/5 stars.
Somewhere That's Green by Meredith Russo: I love the fact this short story contained both a trans lesbian protagonist and a cis lesbian who grew up in a religious household. However, I didn't like how they met or connected. I hate the idea of someone telling someone else that they are gay and the ridiculous way the other protagonist came out as gay (it was so unrealistic for a someone who grew up evangelical like her to do such a thing). It also followed the "the real transphobes/homophobes are LGBT!" trope I hate. Still, it was sweet and it was great to see an up-and-coming trans author be included in this anthology. I really loved seeing representation for trans lesbians in such a mainstream medium and without any "yes, a trans woman who loves woman IS gay and not straight" b.s.. 3/5 stars.
The Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton: This was a really interesting premise and cool story! Some of it confused me but I liked it. 3/5 stars.
Oomph by Emery Lord: This was really cute and funny! A little pop culture-y for me but very sweet. I loved Jo! 3.5/5 stars.
The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I was really feeling this story until the introduction of the mystery boy as "Tyler". Armentrout just totally lost me and I felt this story became too indulgent wrt teenage fantasies. 2.5/5 stars.
The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies: I really enjoyed this! It was constructed really well and I love my ladies in S.T.E.M.! What a cool idea. 3.5/5 stars.
259 Million Miles by Kass Morgan: It was a sweet idea and I enjoyed the ending but it was way too grounded in this present. I felt Kass Morgan couldn't adequately construct a future and kept relying on pop culture from today to connect with readers. In doing that, she failed at creating an intriguing universe. Like a Harry Potter slash fic reference, really? 2/5 stars.
Something Real by Julie Murphy: The premise was a little much but it tugged at my bisexual heartstrings. I love how Julie Murphy wrote June's bisexuality. 3.5/5 stars.
Say Everything by Huntley Fitzpatrick: Not a meet cute or an interesting short story. I didn't like the premise or how it was carried out. Nothing made much sense. 2/5 stars.
The Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon: Amazing universe building with a great premise. It was futuristic but really relatable for readers of today. I felt the protagonist was irritating but I loved Gabby. 3/5 stars.
Though a cute idea with some great Y.A. authors, the extreme variation in the quality of the work as well as some of the ones included not even being "meet cutes" (in my perspective) makes this anthology rather weak overall. I was also really disappointed that no romances between boys were explored. I think the issue was that there were no central editors which are key to creating a consistent anthology with strong writers. 2.5/5 stars.
Individual Reviews:
Siege Etiquette by Katie Cotugno: Cliche story of yet another Y.A. protagonist with a dead mother who feels awkward after her mother's passing. The interaction between the characters did not seem worthy of any romance blossoming. 2/5 stars.
Print Shop by Nina Lacour: I am a big fan of Nina Lacour and this was no exception. I really enjoyed yet another one of her adorable Bay Area-based lesbian stories. The tale of an eager seventeen-year-old who meets a girl via a twitter complaint on her first day working at a vintage-style print shop was quaint and adorable. 4/5 stars.
Hourglass by Ibi Zoboi: I really enjoyed this story as well. Cherish was a really sweet protagonist though I wish more was devoted to the romance between her and the love interest who was only introduced in the last few pages. 3.5/5 stars
Click by Katherine McGee: Though an interesting idea, it didn't really pull me in nor did I feel attached to the character and the romance. 2.5/5 stars
Intern by Sara Shepard: This was the worst by far. It was the most ridiculous plot(definitely not a meet cute) and I could not connect with the main character at all. It felt like the fanfiction I would read about Justin Bieber or One Direction when I was thirteen. How does a fucking adult write this? I get she's a big name in Y.A. but how did this get past the editors. 1/5 stars.
Somewhere That's Green by Meredith Russo: I love the fact this short story contained both a trans lesbian protagonist and a cis lesbian who grew up in a religious household. However, I didn't like how they met or connected. I hate the idea of someone telling someone else that they are gay and the ridiculous way the other protagonist came out as gay (it was so unrealistic for a someone who grew up evangelical like her to do such a thing). It also followed the "the real transphobes/homophobes are LGBT!" trope I hate. Still, it was sweet and it was great to see an up-and-coming trans author be included in this anthology. I really loved seeing representation for trans lesbians in such a mainstream medium and without any "yes, a trans woman who loves woman IS gay and not straight" b.s.. 3/5 stars.
The Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton: This was a really interesting premise and cool story! Some of it confused me but I liked it. 3/5 stars.
Oomph by Emery Lord: This was really cute and funny! A little pop culture-y for me but very sweet. I loved Jo! 3.5/5 stars.
The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I was really feeling this story until the introduction of the mystery boy as "Tyler". Armentrout just totally lost me and I felt this story became too indulgent wrt teenage fantasies. 2.5/5 stars.
The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies: I really enjoyed this! It was constructed really well and I love my ladies in S.T.E.M.! What a cool idea. 3.5/5 stars.
259 Million Miles by Kass Morgan: It was a sweet idea and I enjoyed the ending but it was way too grounded in this present. I felt Kass Morgan couldn't adequately construct a future and kept relying on pop culture from today to connect with readers. In doing that, she failed at creating an intriguing universe. Like a Harry Potter slash fic reference, really? 2/5 stars.
Something Real by Julie Murphy: The premise was a little much but it tugged at my bisexual heartstrings. I love how Julie Murphy wrote June's bisexuality. 3.5/5 stars.
Say Everything by Huntley Fitzpatrick: Not a meet cute or an interesting short story. I didn't like the premise or how it was carried out. Nothing made much sense. 2/5 stars.
The Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon: Amazing universe building with a great premise. It was futuristic but really relatable for readers of today. I felt the protagonist was irritating but I loved Gabby. 3/5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book - the diversity in the narratives and characters made this much more accessible to all readers, allowing them to connect with at least one story. I enjoyed the anticipation that each story left you with and thought it was a very interesting experience as a reader to come to expect nothing more than a meeting and be able to decide how each character’s story played out. Definitely a great read coming into February for those interested!
4.5 stars. Very cute anthology. Read for the "read a book in 24 hours" challenge for Emojiathon.
Ave: 3.6
Siege etiquette- 2/5
Print shop- 5/5
Hourglass- 4/5
Click- 3/5
The intern- 3/5
Somewhere that’s green-5/5
The way we love here- 5/5
Oomph- 5/5
The dictionary of you and me- 2/5
The unlikely likelihood of falling in love- 2/5
259 million miles- 4/5
Something real- 4/5
Say everything- 2/5
The department of dead love- 4/5
Siege etiquette- 2/5
Print shop- 5/5
Hourglass- 4/5
Click- 3/5
The intern- 3/5
Somewhere that’s green-5/5
The way we love here- 5/5
Oomph- 5/5
The dictionary of you and me- 2/5
The unlikely likelihood of falling in love- 2/5
259 million miles- 4/5
Something real- 4/5
Say everything- 2/5
The department of dead love- 4/5
“Some people you want to get to know and some people you want to know you....For whatever reason, there are people that you want to tell your weird, secret thoughts to. You want to show them your pimples and tell them about your braces. You want them to love you because of those things, not in spite of them. 'Some people make you want to be known,'"
siege etiquette - 3 stars
print shop - 4 stars
hourglass - 2 stars
click - 5 stars
the intern - 2 stars
somewhere that’s green - 2 stars
the way we love here - 4 stars
oomph - 5 stars *favorite*
the dictionary of you and me - 4 stars
the unlikely likelihood of falling in love - 3 stars
259 million miles - 3 stars
something real - 2 stars
say everything - 1 star
the department of dead love - 4 stars
overall most of these were cute and put a smile on my face but some of them ... no thank you.
siege etiquette - 3 stars
print shop - 4 stars
hourglass - 2 stars
click - 5 stars
the intern - 2 stars
somewhere that’s green - 2 stars
the way we love here - 4 stars
oomph - 5 stars *favorite*
the dictionary of you and me - 4 stars
the unlikely likelihood of falling in love - 3 stars
259 million miles - 3 stars
something real - 2 stars
say everything - 1 star
the department of dead love - 4 stars
overall most of these were cute and put a smile on my face but some of them ... no thank you.
This book was absolutely amazing! I adore both YA romance and short stories, so this was just right. The stories were so well written that I was left wishing I knew more about the couples in them - my only 'complaint.'
It was refreshing to see an anthology full of diverse characters and couples, not just your stereotypical ya couple. I also really liked that not all of the stories were contemporary - this makes this a great book to recommend to teens who like love stories, but want to try out different genres.
I was excited to see some of my favourite YA authors, and I finished this book with a list of new authors to check out.
I Received a digital ARC through NetGalley
It was refreshing to see an anthology full of diverse characters and couples, not just your stereotypical ya couple. I also really liked that not all of the stories were contemporary - this makes this a great book to recommend to teens who like love stories, but want to try out different genres.
I was excited to see some of my favourite YA authors, and I finished this book with a list of new authors to check out.
I Received a digital ARC through NetGalley
This was a pretty good anthology, as far as YA anthologies go. There was a lot of diversity and all of the stories were extremely readable. Still, this collection was hard for me to wholeheartedly love because I find with YA short stories, they read more like full-length novels squished into 20 pages rather than a story intended, from the beginning, to be told in 20 pages. Regardless, I would recommend it, especially if you’ve already read longer works by a few of the authors included, so you know there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy their story in here. 3.5 stars.