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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Siege Etiquette (Katie Cotugno) - During a police raid of a high school party, popular "queen bee" senior girl Hailey Adkins finds herself hiding in a bathroom with a rural boy, Wolf Goshen, whom she's known since kindergarten but never really talked to, while she ponders new social dynamics after recent traumatic events.
Teen drinking at the party - main characters are not drunk; teen drinking and driving leads to death of "almost a whole f*cking family," one mention of a "clusterf*ck," a few other profanity words sprinkled throughout (f*ck, hell, b*tchy, bulls*t, Jesus used in vain, g*ddamn). PG kissing. Girl POV told in 2nd person. Realistic fiction. Girl/boy connection. Wolf's throat described as "pale." Other characters presumed white. Takes place in "suburb of a suburb of Syracuse, NY, in Madison Campbell's house. Other characters named Nicole, Jay Montalto (mother described as Italian), Jared, Jillian, Harper.
Print Shop (Nina LaCour) - Evie begins a new job at Print Shop, an artisan printers using old school techniques. She's disappointed to discover that while she was attracted to its analog vibe, they hired her expecting her to develop an online presence for them. Unfortunately, her first few tweets are answered by an irate customer whose banner welcoming the new school principal says, "Welcome Principle Hope." Will Evie gather the courage to insist on righting this wrong in time?
Girl POV 1st person. Realistic fiction. Girl/girl connection. Evelyn/Evie and Lauren not physically described; story takes place in Martinez, CA
Hourglass (Ibi Zoboi) - Cherish, 6'5", curvy, and one of only a handful of Black kids in her small town high school, describes herself as sidekick to her best friend since 3rd grade Stacy, 5'4", about 100 pounds, white. Stacy is shopping for a senior prom dress, and Cherish doesn't plan to attend. What would she wear, anyway, given that all the dresses in her size look like they're made for older people and are decidedly not sexy? Stacy is headed to Oberlin college in the fall, and Cherish is lined up to go to the local community college but incessantly checks to see if any of the 3 HBCUs have admitted her off their waitlists. When secrets with racism come to light, Cherish decides it's time to take up space with "chest out, chin up, and head held high."
Fair amount of profanity (sh*t, f*ck), racism (both microagressions and clear targeting such as), couple (M/F-F is 18) found "on a bed" together. Girl POV in 1st person. Realistic fiction. Girl/boy connection. Both Black (one Senegalese, one African American).
Click (Katharine McGee) - Alexa, a junior at NYU studying computer science, is in a taxi on her way to her first date set up by the sensational Click app, which uses far-reaching algorithms to match people looking for compatible mates. While she's had "some fumbling hookups" and an ill-fated dating relationship with a good friend, Alexa tells herself she is interested in Click because she is "trying to code personality analytics herself; it might help her research." Alexa also feels much more comfortable in the world of logic and predictability, which seem to help what appears to be some anxiety. Shortly after meeting her date, Alexa realizes she left her phone - and a computer data chip that she had absent-mindedly snapped into her phone - in the taxi. Panicking, Alexa and her date, Raden, get to know each other a bit while chasing her phone across Manhattan into New Jersey. A twist at the end leads readers to wonder whether Raden is right that "spontaneity leads to good things."
PG kissing. Realistic fiction. Boy/girl alternating POV 3rd person. Girl/boy connection. Raden has "jet-black curls and tawny skin." Alexa has "fair hair and eyes, and...translucent skin."
The Intern (Sara Shepard) - Still grieving her mother's recent death, Clara, a 17-year-old intern at her dad's record label (V) in New York, finally gets an assignment two weeks in: taking 18-year-old singer-songwriter Phineas, in town for a music festival stop on his tour, to a psychic.
PG kissing. Realistic fiction. Girl POV 1st person. Girl/boy connection. Characters presumed white.
Somewhere That's Green (Meredith Russo) - High school junior trans girl Nia Robinson has her father's support in advocating for her use of girls' bathrooms and locker rooms at school. Lexie Thompson, a cisgender junior girl who is part of the "Christian" crowd and is described by Nia as "cute" despite "the whole 'fundamentalist transphobe' thing," argues on the local television news that Nia's being allowed to use the correct facilities is "'a real risk to the, uh, biological girls...because then can't any boy come in? It's horrifying.'" Nia's best friend, Lucian Jimenez, is inexplicably friendly with Lexie at school. When they are cast as Audrey (Lexie) and Audrey II (Nia) in the school play, and with some behind-the-scenes help of Lucian, they begin to understand more about each other, culminating in. Lexie believes she has "some kind of anxiety disorder, which would probably explain the constant jitters, the jumpiness, and the nauseous panic attack, but her parents didn't believe in psychiatry or secular therapy."
Both Lexie and another character, Vaughan, refer to Nia as "a [or the] transgender." Reference to "tribe, the semicircle of pierced, black-clad tech theater kids." Nia is chastised by her dad for saying "change the damn channel"; Dad uses "my ass," meaning "as if"; Nia says "Jesus Christ," meaning "good grief," "holy sh*t" twice in a row, and "f*cking" in a moment of extreme anger, hurt, and fear. Brief teen drinking and smoking; no one drunk or high.
Realistic fiction. Girl/girl alternating POV 3rd person. Girl/girl connection. Nia has "skin the color of a fawn's coat," and Lexie is white.
The Way We Love Here (Dhonielle Clayton) - The people of Meridien are born with 10 tattoo-type circles/strings/coils on their ring fingers which change as they reach maturity. "When the tattoo fades to one final ring, it creates a unique pattern that is identical to your beloved's." When Sebastien Huang washes up nearly drowned on the beach behind Vio's family's remote inn, they discover that they are both curious about life off the island, something Meridien lore says is impossible because there is nothing out there. Vio is unsure she wants to be paired with anyone, and Sebastien has his own reasons for being willing to risk damaging his coils. When they decide to engage in the risky behavior of "ensnaring" (touching their coils together), they are surprised by the results.
PG kissing. Fantasy. Girl POV 1st person. Girl/boy connection. Takes place on imaginary Isle of Meridien, which feels Caribbean. Viola "Vio" is brown; Sebastien has "too-pale" skin, not the "usual coloring of a Meridien person. He hasn't been kissed by the son gods."
Oomph (Emery Lord) - High school senior girls engage in improv (maybe flirting?) at JFK airport after one of them is given a red card to hold by a TSA agent. The narrator, and accomplished actress finishing her fourth year at Indianapolis School for the Performing Arts is second-guessing her decision to attend NYU's Tisch school after spending spring break with friend Ivy who is already there. Oomph is "that thing you feel when you're right where you're supposed to be."
Realistic fiction. Girl POV 1st person. Girl/girl connection. Characters presumed white.
The Dictionary of You and Me (Jennifer L. Armentrout) - High school senior Moss works at her small town's public library, which still uses antiquated paper-based systems. Moss has been calling patron Mr. H. Smith at least once per week for nearly 4 months to follow up on a long-overdue dictionary. They have interesting conversations, mostly centered on definitions of obscure words like zokor, zazzy, and zapata; however, in the conversation we first hear, he mentions a few tidbits about Moss that he's learned over their phone correspondence, such as that she cries at ASPCA commercials and hates turkey. He also reviews a few things she knows about him, including some statements that were not complete truths, such as "touring the back roads if France," meaning "checking them out on Google Maps." Cut the scene school where Moss and her best friend since grade school, Libby, talk about their Christmas plans and admire a student new in the fall, Tyler Cox, whom they have dubbed Quiet Hot Guy.
Speculation that Moss's "parents had been hippies who had to have smoked a ton of pot before they came up with" her name. "He sounded close to my age. Of course, I knew that didn't really mean anything. I had no idea if this guy was some kind of perv living in his mother's basement, harassing women online while eating Double Stuff Oreos and getting crumbs all over his keyboard. But somehow I knew he wasn't."
Realistic fiction. Girl POV 1st person. Girl/boy connection. Moss described as having black hair and pink skin. Tyler described as white. Libby, is bi-racial (Black mother, white father). Takes place in Waverly Hollow, a "small, barely there town" that is experiencing an early winter, raising Moss's hopes for a white Christmas in a week.
The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love (Jocelyn Davies) - One morning on her way to school on the subway, 16-year-old Sam locks eyes with a boy on a subway train going the other way as they cross the Manhattan Bridge. Later that morning, Sam's AP Statistics teacher, Mr. Graff (yes, "that's actually his name"), assigns their final project, and Sam decides to analyze the statistical probability of seeing the same boy on the train. On Monday, when Sam commences her research by making sure the conditions are exactly the same (which train, which car, which location), they pass each other again, and this time, the trains stop for a "signal malfunction," so Sam and "Mystery Boy" AKA "Demetrius von Snufflemuffin" have some brief interaction. The days continue, and Sam adjusts the conditions, resulting in not seeing "Demetrius." When everything goes wrong on her commute to school the day of her final presentation, Sam learns that "you can't plan for everything."
Musing about how "you'd think things would be different in 2017" and she wouldn't be the only girl in a 15-person AP Statistics class, Sam observes that "I read online that the White House wants to offer girls incentives not to pursue careers in STEM...the reason, I guess, is that girls can't hack it, and will just drop out eventually to make babies and soufflés. I don't even know what a soufflé is, and I have no desire to push a seven-pound human out of my lady parts until I have at least two degrees and am a pioneer in my field, thanks."
Realistic fiction. Girl POV 1st person. Girl/boy connection. Sam (Samara) has sister Aviva, and they seem to eat a vegetarian meal on Friday evening. Demetrius has "deep brown skin and a flop of curly brown hair."
259 Million Miles (Kass Morgan) - 17-year-old Philip is in the final round for a one-way trip to Mars on a mission to begin colonizing it. Blythe is another finalist. Philip is looking to escape a life on Earth dominated by an embarrassing viral video of him and the subsequent cruel comments. He relates that "I couldn't sleep, couldn't even get out of bed. Eventually, I stopped going to school. My parents tried everything..."
When discussing The Incident, Blythe says "People will move on eventually. They always do." Philip replies, "Not soon enough. Not before I go to college. Can you imagine trying to make it through freshman orientation? I heard there's a mural of me somewhere at Princeton." Blythe responds, "So don't go to Princeton. They're all dicks anyway."
Science fiction. Boy POV 1st person. Girl/boy connection. Characters presumed white; no descriptions or experiences related to race/ethnicity.
Something Real (Julie Murphy) - June, the president and founder of the Dylan Fan Club, is up against Martha in a reality show to win a date with Dylan, teen singer sensation. Throughout the course of filming the episode, they learn how authentic and real reality shows really are - not at all!
Dylan uses the terms "gross-ass," "b*tch," "Oh f*ck," and "I feel like sh*t." MC says "I swear to G*d" but otherwise does not use profanity.
Realistic fiction. Girl POV 1st person. Girl/girl connection. At least one MC presumed bi/pansexual. One MC is has Irish mom and Mexican dad; she is fat and confident. One character described as "Asian."
Say Everything (Huntley Fitzpatrick) - Emma's lot in life has changed, and now she works many hours after school in a diner and never goes on dates. Sean is part of a group of private school athletes who come in often as a team. One day, he stays after they leave and asks Emma on a date. Where he takes her is a major shock. This one didn't work very well for me. It all seemed weird; Sean seemed like a good guy with good intentions but it didn't work for me.
Realistic fiction. Girl POV 2nd person. Girl/boy connection.
The Department of Dead Love (Nicola Yoon) - Thomas Marks wants a Do Over on his relationship with Samantha Fuentes, whom he has loved since he was 6. He has made it through various levels of the Department of Dead Love and is about to have an Autopsy done to determine whether a Do Over is indicated. As he and the HeartWorker apprentice, Gabby Lee, discuss his relationship, he gains more insight. MCs are 17/18. Thomas and Samantha are still in high school.
Science fiction. Boy POV 1st person. Girl/boy connection.
Spoiler
(her parents died suddenly in a car crash)Teen drinking at the party - main characters are not drunk; teen drinking and driving leads to death of "almost a whole f*cking family," one mention of a "clusterf*ck," a few other profanity words sprinkled throughout (f*ck, hell, b*tchy, bulls*t, Jesus used in vain, g*ddamn). PG kissing. Girl POV told in 2nd person. Realistic fiction. Girl/boy connection. Wolf's throat described as "pale." Other characters presumed white. Takes place in "suburb of a suburb of Syracuse, NY, in Madison Campbell's house. Other characters named Nicole, Jay Montalto (mother described as Italian), Jared, Jillian, Harper.
Print Shop (Nina LaCour) - Evie begins a new job at Print Shop, an artisan printers using old school techniques. She's disappointed to discover that while she was attracted to its analog vibe, they hired her expecting her to develop an online presence for them. Unfortunately, her first few tweets are answered by an irate customer whose banner welcoming the new school principal says, "Welcome Principle Hope." Will Evie gather the courage to insist on righting this wrong in time?
Girl POV 1st person. Realistic fiction. Girl/girl connection. Evelyn/Evie and Lauren not physically described; story takes place in Martinez, CA
Hourglass (Ibi Zoboi) - Cherish, 6'5", curvy, and one of only a handful of Black kids in her small town high school, describes herself as sidekick to her best friend since 3rd grade Stacy, 5'4", about 100 pounds, white. Stacy is shopping for a senior prom dress, and Cherish doesn't plan to attend. What would she wear, anyway, given that all the dresses in her size look like they're made for older people and are decidedly not sexy? Stacy is headed to Oberlin college in the fall, and Cherish is lined up to go to the local community college but incessantly checks to see if any of the 3 HBCUs have admitted her off their waitlists. When secrets with racism come to light, Cherish decides it's time to take up space with "chest out, chin up, and head held high."
Fair amount of profanity (sh*t, f*ck), racism (both microagressions and clear targeting such as
Spoiler
Stacy's boyfriend creating memes putting Black students' (including Cherish's) heads on monkey and gorillasClick (Katharine McGee) - Alexa, a junior at NYU studying computer science, is in a taxi on her way to her first date set up by the sensational Click app, which uses far-reaching algorithms to match people looking for compatible mates. While she's had "some fumbling hookups" and an ill-fated dating relationship with a good friend, Alexa tells herself she is interested in Click because she is "trying to code personality analytics herself; it might help her research." Alexa also feels much more comfortable in the world of logic and predictability, which seem to help what appears to be some anxiety. Shortly after meeting her date, Alexa realizes she left her phone - and a computer data chip that she had absent-mindedly snapped into her phone - in the taxi. Panicking, Alexa and her date, Raden, get to know each other a bit while chasing her phone across Manhattan into New Jersey. A twist at the end leads readers to wonder whether Raden is right that "spontaneity leads to good things."
PG kissing. Realistic fiction. Boy/girl alternating POV 3rd person. Girl/boy connection. Raden has "jet-black curls and tawny skin." Alexa has "fair hair and eyes, and...translucent skin."
The Intern (Sara Shepard) - Still grieving her mother's recent death, Clara, a 17-year-old intern at her dad's record label (V) in New York, finally gets an assignment two weeks in: taking 18-year-old singer-songwriter Phineas, in town for a music festival stop on his tour, to a psychic.
PG kissing. Realistic fiction. Girl POV 1st person. Girl/boy connection. Characters presumed white.
Somewhere That's Green (Meredith Russo) - High school junior trans girl Nia Robinson has her father's support in advocating for her use of girls' bathrooms and locker rooms at school. Lexie Thompson, a cisgender junior girl who is part of the "Christian" crowd and is described by Nia as "cute" despite "the whole 'fundamentalist transphobe' thing," argues on the local television news that Nia's being allowed to use the correct facilities is "'a real risk to the, uh, biological girls...because then can't any boy come in? It's horrifying.'" Nia's best friend, Lucian Jimenez, is inexplicably friendly with Lexie at school. When they are cast as Audrey (Lexie) and Audrey II (Nia) in the school play, and with some behind-the-scenes help of Lucian, they begin to understand more about each other, culminating in
Spoiler
Lexie's coming out publicly on social media as gay and in support of Nia's using the appropriate facilitiesBoth Lexie and another character, Vaughan, refer to Nia as "a [or the] transgender." Reference to "tribe, the semicircle of pierced, black-clad tech theater kids." Nia is chastised by her dad for saying "change the damn channel"; Dad uses "my ass," meaning "as if"; Nia says "Jesus Christ," meaning "good grief," "holy sh*t" twice in a row, and "f*cking" in a moment of extreme anger, hurt, and fear. Brief teen drinking and smoking; no one drunk or high.
Realistic fiction. Girl/girl alternating POV 3rd person. Girl/girl connection. Nia has "skin the color of a fawn's coat," and Lexie is white.
The Way We Love Here (Dhonielle Clayton) - The people of Meridien are born with 10 tattoo-type circles/strings/coils on their ring fingers which change as they reach maturity. "When the tattoo fades to one final ring, it creates a unique pattern that is identical to your beloved's." When Sebastien Huang washes up nearly drowned on the beach behind Vio's family's remote inn, they discover that they are both curious about life off the island, something Meridien lore says is impossible because there is nothing out there. Vio is unsure she wants to be paired with anyone, and Sebastien has his own reasons for being willing to risk damaging his coils
Spoiler
(he has a terminal illness that doctors don't seem to understand well)PG kissing.
Spoiler
Vio appears to be perhaps aromantic or asexual but once she sees her possible futures with Sebastien, "for the first time, it doesn't scare [her] that [her] life could also include love."Oomph (Emery Lord) - High school senior girls engage in improv (maybe flirting?) at JFK airport after one of them is given a red card to hold by a TSA agent. The narrator, and accomplished actress finishing her fourth year at Indianapolis School for the Performing Arts is second-guessing her decision to attend NYU's Tisch school after spending spring break with friend Ivy who is already there. Oomph is "that thing you feel when you're right where you're supposed to be."
Realistic fiction. Girl POV 1st person. Girl/girl connection. Characters presumed white.
The Dictionary of You and Me (Jennifer L. Armentrout) - High school senior Moss works at her small town's public library, which still uses antiquated paper-based systems. Moss has been calling patron Mr. H. Smith at least once per week for nearly 4 months to follow up on a long-overdue dictionary. They have interesting conversations, mostly centered on definitions of obscure words like zokor, zazzy, and zapata; however, in the conversation we first hear, he mentions a few tidbits about Moss that he's learned over their phone correspondence, such as that she cries at ASPCA commercials and hates turkey. He also reviews a few things she knows about him, including some statements that were not complete truths, such as "touring the back roads if France," meaning "checking them out on Google Maps." Cut the scene school where Moss and her best friend since grade school, Libby, talk about their Christmas plans and admire a student new in the fall, Tyler Cox, whom they have dubbed Quiet Hot Guy.
Spoiler
Most readers will pick up on the connection between these two scenes before it is revealed in a third scene, back in the library.Speculation that Moss's "parents had been hippies who had to have smoked a ton of pot before they came up with" her name. "He sounded close to my age. Of course, I knew that didn't really mean anything. I had no idea if this guy was some kind of perv living in his mother's basement, harassing women online while eating Double Stuff Oreos and getting crumbs all over his keyboard. But somehow I knew he wasn't."
Realistic fiction. Girl POV 1st person. Girl/boy connection. Moss described as having black hair and pink skin. Tyler described as white. Libby, is bi-racial (Black mother, white father). Takes place in Waverly Hollow, a "small, barely there town" that is experiencing an early winter, raising Moss's hopes for a white Christmas in a week.
The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love (Jocelyn Davies) - One morning on her way to school on the subway, 16-year-old Sam locks eyes with a boy on a subway train going the other way as they cross the Manhattan Bridge. Later that morning, Sam's AP Statistics teacher, Mr. Graff (yes, "that's actually his name"), assigns their final project, and Sam decides to analyze the statistical probability of seeing the same boy on the train. On Monday, when Sam commences her research by making sure the conditions are exactly the same (which train, which car, which location), they pass each other again, and this time, the trains stop for a "signal malfunction," so Sam and "Mystery Boy" AKA "Demetrius von Snufflemuffin" have some brief interaction. The days continue, and Sam adjusts the conditions, resulting in not seeing "Demetrius." When everything goes wrong on her commute to school the day of her final presentation, Sam learns that "you can't plan for everything."
Musing about how "you'd think things would be different in 2017" and she wouldn't be the only girl in a 15-person AP Statistics class, Sam observes that "I read online that the White House wants to offer girls incentives not to pursue careers in STEM...the reason, I guess, is that girls can't hack it, and will just drop out eventually to make babies and soufflés. I don't even know what a soufflé is, and I have no desire to push a seven-pound human out of my lady parts until I have at least two degrees and am a pioneer in my field, thanks."
Realistic fiction. Girl POV 1st person. Girl/boy connection. Sam (Samara) has sister Aviva, and they seem to eat a vegetarian meal on Friday evening. Demetrius
Spoiler
/Dev259 Million Miles (Kass Morgan) - 17-year-old Philip is in the final round for a one-way trip to Mars on a mission to begin colonizing it. Blythe is another finalist. Philip is looking to escape a life on Earth dominated by an embarrassing viral video of him and the subsequent cruel comments. He relates that "I couldn't sleep, couldn't even get out of bed. Eventually, I stopped going to school. My parents tried everything..."
When discussing The Incident, Blythe says "People will move on eventually. They always do." Philip replies, "Not soon enough. Not before I go to college. Can you imagine trying to make it through freshman orientation? I heard there's a mural of me somewhere at Princeton." Blythe responds, "So don't go to Princeton. They're all dicks anyway."
Science fiction. Boy POV 1st person. Girl/boy connection. Characters presumed white; no descriptions or experiences related to race/ethnicity.
Something Real (Julie Murphy) - June, the president and founder of the Dylan Fan Club, is up against Martha in a reality show to win a date with Dylan, teen singer sensation. Throughout the course of filming the episode, they learn how authentic and real reality shows really are - not at all!
Dylan uses the terms "gross-ass," "b*tch," "Oh f*ck," and "I feel like sh*t." MC says "I swear to G*d" but otherwise does not use profanity.
Realistic fiction. Girl POV 1st person. Girl/girl connection. At least one MC presumed bi/pansexual. One MC is has Irish mom and Mexican dad; she is fat and confident. One character described as "Asian."
Say Everything (Huntley Fitzpatrick) - Emma's lot in life has changed, and now she works many hours after school in a diner and never goes on dates. Sean is part of a group of private school athletes who come in often as a team. One day, he stays after they leave and asks Emma on a date. Where he takes her is a major shock
Spoiler
: Sean now lives in Emma's old house, which has been repossessed by the bank now that his dad has been arrested as a con man, who swindled Emma's family out of all their money. Emma's ancestors lived in the house, with her grandmother purchasing art and furniture assuming her descendants would enjoy itRealistic fiction. Girl POV 2nd person. Girl/boy connection.
The Department of Dead Love (Nicola Yoon) - Thomas Marks wants a Do Over on his relationship with Samantha Fuentes, whom he has loved since he was 6. He has made it through various levels of the Department of Dead Love and is about to have an Autopsy done to determine whether a Do Over is indicated. As he and the HeartWorker apprentice, Gabby Lee, discuss his relationship, he gains more insight. MCs are 17/18. Thomas and Samantha are still in high school.
Science fiction. Boy POV 1st person. Girl/boy connection.
It was adorable, my only wish was that the stories were longer, they all left me pleading for more.
This book includes 14 short stories from different authors. They were all cutesy, some better than others. This book made me realize I'm not a fan of short stories. It was a quick read though, which was good.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Average rating: 3.25/5
My rating: 3.5/5
I went into this anthology wanting to like it and expecting some up and downs from both the nature of the format and the reviews I had seen from some Goodreads friends. Overall, I was not disappointed. I could have done without the two stories I rated 2/5, but I'm glad I read all the others. Sometimes you just need a cute, self-contained little love story to get you through the day and to make you smile and this anthology provided. There were a few shining stars that I was really impressed with including Oomph, Print Shop, and The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love.
I was excited to find that there were four, yes FOUR, f/f romances represented in this anthology, and one trans character. This is particularly important because of the dearth of f/f and trans contemporary stories in YA. I was kinda disappointed that there was no m/m romance represented, though. I also wish there were more perspectives from male characters to even out the perspectives a bit. Perhaps a transgender boy? All of the authors are women and as great as that is, I think I would have liked to see at least male author present a romance for this anthology.
I also used this anthology as a sampler to read works by some authors who I've been meaning to check out and see if I like their writing styles. After reading this I plan to read other works by Ibi Zoboi, Katharine McGee, Dhonielle Clayton and Julie Murphy.
Here are my specific thoughts on each of the 14 stories:
(LGBT stories are denoted with a 🏳️🌈 emoji!)
Siege Etiquette by Katie Cotugno - 2.5/5
This first story was not what I was expecting... and maybe not in a good way. The use of second person was hard to grasp at first and I didn't really understand the choice to use it, but it wasn't as disorienting as I first thought. I also didn't connect to the characters all that much. This was an odd start to a pretty good anthology and I wish they had made a better choice in a first story.
Print Shop by Nina LaCour - 4.5/5 🏳️🌈
Wow wow wow. This made me want to grab the closest Nina LaCour book and devour it. I absolutely loved this story - from the aesthetics and the setting of the Print Shop, to the writing style and the characters. Nina built a little piece of the world I want to live in, in just a few short pages. This story is perfectly queer and just what I wanted from this anthology.
Hourglass by Ibi Zoboi - 3/5
This one really left me wanting more. I was so disappointed when I flipped to the next page and saw there wasn't anymore of it. Still, I thought this story did a good job of tackling issues regarding body image, poverty, college, etc, but I really wish we had met the other character before the 3rd to last page. Regardless, I am definitely going to check out America Street by Zoboi now!
Click by Katharine McGee - 4/5
This was a very cute story! It was nice and consice and felt wrapped up by the end. I enjoyed the premise of the not-so-far-away dating app and the not-too-distant-future setting. I might check out Katharine McGee’s other work after reading this.
The Intern by Sara Shepard - 3/5
This one was nice, but not much more than that. I liked the exploration of grief but I didn’t feel very compelled by the characters or the couple. It also felt a bit rushed at the end. I did like the settings and the element of the psychic and the idea of the record label, but they could have been explored a bit more. Overall, it was just okay.
Somewhere That’s Green by Meredith Russo - 3.5/5 🏳️🌈
Initially I wasn’t sold on this story. I was hesitant to read a story that was partially from the POV of a transphobic person, even though I liked that the other main character was a trans girl and the transphobic character turned out to be a closeted lesbian. The story dealt with this transphobia, though, in a mostly positive way and despite not directly addressing certain micro-aggressions (like repeatedly calling the trans character “the transgender”, etc) I think the story did a good job touching on a significant issue for trans people. The f/f romance was cute and I really liked that the story was about characters being in a musical, but I felt that the musical theatre element was more intriguing in other stories in this anthology; it was just lacking for me. I also believe the character Nia is a WoC because she is said to look like the model Arisce Wanzer, and it’s nice to see a trans WoC represented.
The Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton 4.5/5
I love the setting and world-building the author managed to create in just a few short pages. I also really liked the character of Viola and Sebastien was cute too! I like that we got to spend so much time with the characters even thought it was a short story. I also found the magical element of the story to be very compelling.
Oomph by Emery Lord - 5/5 🏳️🌈
Oomph is right! This story was pretty much perfect and exactly what I wanted from this collection. I really loved the f/f airport meet cute; it felt very natural and well-paced. As much as I’d like a full novel on this couple, I think I’ll survive just imagining their future together in NYC.
The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L Armentrout - 2/5
I had to speed-read this one because it was just not good. The premise was kinda cute but the execution was way off. I hated the writing and really disliked the characters. Just, no thanks.
The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies - 4.5/5
Hypothesis: Low probability of me liking this story because of the premise of falling in love at first sight on the subway. Results: I actually loved it. Analysis: The writing and the characters really sold the premise for me. I loved the structure of the story, and the main character, her drive, and her love for statistics. She was just as skeptical as I was about her meet cute, and that made it very believable. I was almost late for class because I was glued to this book and couldn't wait to see how it ended. Conclusion: Surprisingly wonderful!
Something Real by Julie Murphy - 4/5 🏳️🌈
This was so cute, it had me smiling like an idiot! The reality show/date with a celebrity premise could have gone really gone awry in the wrong hands, but it was handled very well and turned out to be a wonderful meet cute. The ending this was very satisfying and the f/f romance was precious and believable - it definitely felt like something real. 😉 I’ve been interested in reading Dumplin’ and Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy and after reading this I will be sure to check them out!
Say Everything by Huntley Fitzpatrick 2/5
I’ve been trying to figure out what the opposite of a meet cute is; whatever it may be, that word would define this story. It’s unromantic, forced, awkward, stilted and overall just left me asking: why? I think the idea of the “Book of Lost Things” would be cool if approached differently, but this was lackluster at best.
The Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon - 4/5
The world-building in this story was pretty incredible and had me totally captivated. The relationship that the main character is trying to get over resonated with me a lot (to be honest I was almost in tears at one point) so this story might have spoke to me more than it does to others. The budding romance felt a little weak though, but I was pretty impressed. A strong and emotional ending to this anthology!
Those are my thoughts on Meet Cute. Overall I really enjoyed it and I'm glad I got to try something new with this review format. I don't think I've read an anthology like this before, so I'm also glad I tried that too! If you like anthologies I think this is a great one to pick up, as long as you expect both highs and lows. The diversity was probably the most enjoyable aspect, as I tended to rate the f/f romances the highest, because, of course.
It would be remiss of me not to credit Cece (ProblemsofaBookNerd) with the idea for this review format. Check out her review here.
My rating: 3.5/5
I went into this anthology wanting to like it and expecting some up and downs from both the nature of the format and the reviews I had seen from some Goodreads friends. Overall, I was not disappointed. I could have done without the two stories I rated 2/5, but I'm glad I read all the others. Sometimes you just need a cute, self-contained little love story to get you through the day and to make you smile and this anthology provided. There were a few shining stars that I was really impressed with including Oomph, Print Shop, and The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love.
I was excited to find that there were four, yes FOUR, f/f romances represented in this anthology, and one trans character. This is particularly important because of the dearth of f/f and trans contemporary stories in YA. I was kinda disappointed that there was no m/m romance represented, though. I also wish there were more perspectives from male characters to even out the perspectives a bit. Perhaps a transgender boy? All of the authors are women and as great as that is, I think I would have liked to see at least male author present a romance for this anthology.
I also used this anthology as a sampler to read works by some authors who I've been meaning to check out and see if I like their writing styles. After reading this I plan to read other works by Ibi Zoboi, Katharine McGee, Dhonielle Clayton and Julie Murphy.
Here are my specific thoughts on each of the 14 stories:
(LGBT stories are denoted with a 🏳️🌈 emoji!)
Siege Etiquette by Katie Cotugno - 2.5/5
This first story was not what I was expecting... and maybe not in a good way. The use of second person was hard to grasp at first and I didn't really understand the choice to use it, but it wasn't as disorienting as I first thought. I also didn't connect to the characters all that much. This was an odd start to a pretty good anthology and I wish they had made a better choice in a first story.
Print Shop by Nina LaCour - 4.5/5 🏳️🌈
Wow wow wow. This made me want to grab the closest Nina LaCour book and devour it. I absolutely loved this story - from the aesthetics and the setting of the Print Shop, to the writing style and the characters. Nina built a little piece of the world I want to live in, in just a few short pages. This story is perfectly queer and just what I wanted from this anthology.
Hourglass by Ibi Zoboi - 3/5
This one really left me wanting more. I was so disappointed when I flipped to the next page and saw there wasn't anymore of it. Still, I thought this story did a good job of tackling issues regarding body image, poverty, college, etc, but I really wish we had met the other character before the 3rd to last page. Regardless, I am definitely going to check out America Street by Zoboi now!
Click by Katharine McGee - 4/5
This was a very cute story! It was nice and consice and felt wrapped up by the end. I enjoyed the premise of the not-so-far-away dating app and the not-too-distant-future setting. I might check out Katharine McGee’s other work after reading this.
The Intern by Sara Shepard - 3/5
This one was nice, but not much more than that. I liked the exploration of grief but I didn’t feel very compelled by the characters or the couple. It also felt a bit rushed at the end. I did like the settings and the element of the psychic and the idea of the record label, but they could have been explored a bit more. Overall, it was just okay.
Somewhere That’s Green by Meredith Russo - 3.5/5 🏳️🌈
Initially I wasn’t sold on this story. I was hesitant to read a story that was partially from the POV of a transphobic person, even though I liked that the other main character was a trans girl and the transphobic character turned out to be a closeted lesbian. The story dealt with this transphobia, though, in a mostly positive way and despite not directly addressing certain micro-aggressions (like repeatedly calling the trans character “the transgender”, etc) I think the story did a good job touching on a significant issue for trans people. The f/f romance was cute and I really liked that the story was about characters being in a musical, but I felt that the musical theatre element was more intriguing in other stories in this anthology; it was just lacking for me. I also believe the character Nia is a WoC because she is said to look like the model Arisce Wanzer, and it’s nice to see a trans WoC represented.
The Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton 4.5/5
I love the setting and world-building the author managed to create in just a few short pages. I also really liked the character of Viola and Sebastien was cute too! I like that we got to spend so much time with the characters even thought it was a short story. I also found the magical element of the story to be very compelling.
Oomph by Emery Lord - 5/5 🏳️🌈
Oomph is right! This story was pretty much perfect and exactly what I wanted from this collection. I really loved the f/f airport meet cute; it felt very natural and well-paced. As much as I’d like a full novel on this couple, I think I’ll survive just imagining their future together in NYC.
The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L Armentrout - 2/5
I had to speed-read this one because it was just not good. The premise was kinda cute but the execution was way off. I hated the writing and really disliked the characters. Just, no thanks.
The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies - 4.5/5
Hypothesis: Low probability of me liking this story because of the premise of falling in love at first sight on the subway. Results: I actually loved it. Analysis: The writing and the characters really sold the premise for me. I loved the structure of the story, and the main character, her drive, and her love for statistics. She was just as skeptical as I was about her meet cute, and that made it very believable. I was almost late for class because I was glued to this book and couldn't wait to see how it ended. Conclusion: Surprisingly wonderful!
Something Real by Julie Murphy - 4/5 🏳️🌈
This was so cute, it had me smiling like an idiot! The reality show/date with a celebrity premise could have gone really gone awry in the wrong hands, but it was handled very well and turned out to be a wonderful meet cute. The ending this was very satisfying and the f/f romance was precious and believable - it definitely felt like something real. 😉 I’ve been interested in reading Dumplin’ and Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy and after reading this I will be sure to check them out!
Say Everything by Huntley Fitzpatrick 2/5
I’ve been trying to figure out what the opposite of a meet cute is; whatever it may be, that word would define this story. It’s unromantic, forced, awkward, stilted and overall just left me asking: why? I think the idea of the “Book of Lost Things” would be cool if approached differently, but this was lackluster at best.
The Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon - 4/5
The world-building in this story was pretty incredible and had me totally captivated. The relationship that the main character is trying to get over resonated with me a lot (to be honest I was almost in tears at one point) so this story might have spoke to me more than it does to others. The budding romance felt a little weak though, but I was pretty impressed. A strong and emotional ending to this anthology!
Those are my thoughts on Meet Cute. Overall I really enjoyed it and I'm glad I got to try something new with this review format. I don't think I've read an anthology like this before, so I'm also glad I tried that too! If you like anthologies I think this is a great one to pick up, as long as you expect both highs and lows. The diversity was probably the most enjoyable aspect, as I tended to rate the f/f romances the highest, because, of course.
It would be remiss of me not to credit Cece (ProblemsofaBookNerd) with the idea for this review format. Check out her review here.
“Cute” definitely covers it
As with any group of short stories, some were better then others. But overall they were cute and inclusive and thought provoking in the best way that leaves warm and fuzzies in your chest. It is definitely worth the read!
As with any group of short stories, some were better then others. But overall they were cute and inclusive and thought provoking in the best way that leaves warm and fuzzies in your chest. It is definitely worth the read!
I am a hopeless romantic. I love love. This book was perfect for me.
Bite sized short stories from different authors with differing points of view about different people falling in love in different universes in a variety of ways; from the mundane to the sci-fi inspired, or as my fellow fan fiction enthusiasts would say, its a whole bunch of meet cutes in a bunch of different AUs.
Some stories were more entertaining and better than others, but I loved them all. After all, I love love, right?
There were more lesbian stories than I was expecting, which was a refreshing surprise; it wasn’t just a bunch of stereotypical straight people meeting in stereotypical straight ways. The diversity was awesome.
Overall this book was adorable, easily digestible, and a pure and innocent way to spend a day of reading. I loved it.
Bite sized short stories from different authors with differing points of view about different people falling in love in different universes in a variety of ways; from the mundane to the sci-fi inspired, or as my fellow fan fiction enthusiasts would say, its a whole bunch of meet cutes in a bunch of different AUs.
Some stories were more entertaining and better than others, but I loved them all. After all, I love love, right?
There were more lesbian stories than I was expecting, which was a refreshing surprise; it wasn’t just a bunch of stereotypical straight people meeting in stereotypical straight ways. The diversity was awesome.
Overall this book was adorable, easily digestible, and a pure and innocent way to spend a day of reading. I loved it.