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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Thank you for making this book so sapphic.
Ladies, if you were wondering, it’s surprisingly gay. There was one story that was bi as hell and it gave me LIFE.
Ladies, if you were wondering, it’s surprisingly gay. There was one story that was bi as hell and it gave me LIFE.
The extra star is for the Department of Dead Love (which would have gotten 5 stars)
3.5 stars. There were a few stories in here I LOVED but
I found most of them to be so sweet but very predictable. Ultimately, “Meet Cute” was a feel good read. I loved the idea of compiling short stories about young love into one book and I’m glad I read them!
I found most of them to be so sweet but very predictable. Ultimately, “Meet Cute” was a feel good read. I loved the idea of compiling short stories about young love into one book and I’m glad I read them!
Meet Cute is a collection of short stories spotlighting young couples meeting in a “cute” way. Most of the stories in this collection are rather good, which is a rare find in a short story anthology.
Story One: Siege Etiquette by Katie Cotugno
Siege Etiquette has a rather interesting setting - a house party that is being raided by the police. Hailey, the most popular girl at school, hides in a bathroom thinking she’s alone, and meets Wolf, the school loner, there. The character development on this one isn’t strong, but the plot and setting were pretty exciting. 3/5
Story Two: Print Shop by Nina LaCour
Print Shop follows seventeen year old Evelyn as she takes a job at a local print shop and helps the owners build a web presence. When Lauren, a disgruntled customer, blasts The Print Shop on Twitter, Evelyn has to find a way to smooth it over. LQBTQI is not a genre that I typically enjoy, but Print Shop was good. I enjoyed reading about a millennial coming into an established business, and putting her own spin on the way they do things. 4/5
Story Three: Hour Glass by Ibi Zoboi
Cherish feels like she’s always lived in her best friend Stacy’s shadow, even though Cherish is 6 foot 5 inches & one of the few black girls in town. Desperately wanting to get into a HBCU, Cherish has grown tired of life in her small town. When Cherish make the decision to attend Senior Prom, she searches for the perfect prom dress, which is how she meets Mamadou. I felt like Hour Glass could have been more exciting. Much of the story focuses on Cherish’s lamentations about being and feeling different from the people around her, and wishing for a different life. 3/5
Story Four: Click by Katharine McGee
In the year 2020, you can find your perfect match with Click. Click aggregates every like, every comment, every photo you’ve ever posted on the web, & analyzes your personality. From there, it matches you with people you will likely “click” with. On her first Click date, Alexa meets Radan, & pretty soon they are heading off on an adventure neither of them will soon forget. Click was such a fun story, and I enjoyed musing about a dating service that matches you based on your online presence. 5/5
Story Five: Intern by Sara Shepard
Clara is interning at her father’s record label while grieving the loss of her mother. She gets asked to accompany a brooding artist named Phineas on a trip to a local psychic. Can Phineas help Clara see the beauty in a life without her mom? Intern was kind of forgettable to me. The beginning was interesting - a girl interning at her dad’s record label, but once she meets up with Phineas, it got kind of boring. 3/5
Story Six: Somewhere That’s Green by Meredith Russo
Nia is a transgender female who wants to use her school’s women’s restrooms and dressing facilities. Lexie is Nia’s faith-driven classmate who outspokenly opposes the idea ... or so it seems. The two meet when cast in a school production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” Somewhere That’s Green read too much like propaganda for me. It took a current hot button issue - same sex restrooms - and built a story around it. I felt like the author tried to hard too get readers to sympathize with Nia. 2/5
Story Seven: The Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton
On the Isle of Meridian, young people meet the love of their life based on the coil tattoos on their ring finger, which gradually fade until they’re left with one unique coil that matches their one true love. When Vio meets Sebastien, they do the one thing you’re not allowed to - ensnaring, letting their coils touch - which offers them a glimpse into their future. Another story that has a fun premise. However, once Vio and Sebastien ensnare, thinks get a little murky and confusing. It’s hard to tell what exactly is going on. 4/5
Story Eight: Oomph by Emery Lord
“Margaret” meets “Natasha” in the JFK airport security line as they crack jokes about being spies for the CIA & FBI. The girls run into each other again at the gates, and strike up conversation and Natasha’s parents’ divorce, and Margaret’s fears about starting acting school at NYU. I love airport stories, so Oomph has that going for it with me. However, I felt that Meet Cute already had several LGBTQI stories in it, so to come across another was a downer for me. I was hoping that girls would just end up being good friends that met in a cute way. 4/5
Story Nine: The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Moss, who works part-time in her small town’s public library, looks forward to coming to work each night & calling Mr. H. Smith to remind him to return the dictionary he borrowed 4 months ago. The phone calls have become a sort of fun game, but are they what they seem? Of course I loved the library setting of this book, and Moss was a really likable character. The writing was fresh and enjoyable too! 5/5
Story Ten: The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies
When Sam spots a cute boy in a blue hoodie on a passing subway, she decides that this must be the topic of her project for her AP Statistics class. What is the probability that Sam will see him again? What follows is a cute adventure involving subway schedules, the weather, & some very unpredictable variables. This was my favorite out of the bunch. The plot was fresh, the characters were likable, and the story was fun! 5/5
Story Eleven: 259 Million Miles by Kass Morgan
Phillip wants to leave his life on Earth behind him & join a space mission to Mars, especially after an embarrassing video of him was posted online & now has millions of views & scathing comments. While going through the space trials, he meets an intriguing girl named Blythe, who also wants to make the trip to Mars. This one had a pretty interesting premise, and hit it me right in the feels toward the end probably more than any of the other stories. 4/5
Story Twelve: Something Real by Julie Murphy
June has made it onto the reality TV show “A Date Come True,” where she hopes to win a date with the musician who she started a fan club for - Dylan Wachowski. As June meets Martha, her competition, & the girls prepare to battle it out for a date with Dylan, they begin to wonder if this competition is all its cracked up to be. Another story that was a lot of fun. I loved seeing the transformation of the plot and characters. However, I wasn’t buying that ending. 4/5
Story Thirteen: Say Everything by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Emma works at a diner, where she watches “him,” Sean, come in time and time again with his friends. He’s obviously from money, like she used to be. When Sean asks Emma on a date, she’s surprised, but there’s more to this date than meets the eye. I know that Say Everything was supposed to be sweet, but it just read so boring! After the first couple of pages, I just couldn’t get into it. 3/5
Story Fourteen: The Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon
Thomas is suffering from a broken heart. And in a future world where the government now has a “Department of Dead Love,” the broken hearted can explore just why their relationships ended. Thomas meets Heartworker Gabrielle, who is to perform a “relationship autopsy” on him to discover just what went wrong between him and Samantha, his first and only love. The Department of Dead Love could have made an interesting longer novel, but as a short story it tried to do too much in too little time. We were introduced to too many places and concepts to really make meaningful sense of everything. 3/5
Story One: Siege Etiquette by Katie Cotugno
Siege Etiquette has a rather interesting setting - a house party that is being raided by the police. Hailey, the most popular girl at school, hides in a bathroom thinking she’s alone, and meets Wolf, the school loner, there. The character development on this one isn’t strong, but the plot and setting were pretty exciting. 3/5
Story Two: Print Shop by Nina LaCour
Print Shop follows seventeen year old Evelyn as she takes a job at a local print shop and helps the owners build a web presence. When Lauren, a disgruntled customer, blasts The Print Shop on Twitter, Evelyn has to find a way to smooth it over. LQBTQI is not a genre that I typically enjoy, but Print Shop was good. I enjoyed reading about a millennial coming into an established business, and putting her own spin on the way they do things. 4/5
Story Three: Hour Glass by Ibi Zoboi
Cherish feels like she’s always lived in her best friend Stacy’s shadow, even though Cherish is 6 foot 5 inches & one of the few black girls in town. Desperately wanting to get into a HBCU, Cherish has grown tired of life in her small town. When Cherish make the decision to attend Senior Prom, she searches for the perfect prom dress, which is how she meets Mamadou. I felt like Hour Glass could have been more exciting. Much of the story focuses on Cherish’s lamentations about being and feeling different from the people around her, and wishing for a different life. 3/5
Story Four: Click by Katharine McGee
In the year 2020, you can find your perfect match with Click. Click aggregates every like, every comment, every photo you’ve ever posted on the web, & analyzes your personality. From there, it matches you with people you will likely “click” with. On her first Click date, Alexa meets Radan, & pretty soon they are heading off on an adventure neither of them will soon forget. Click was such a fun story, and I enjoyed musing about a dating service that matches you based on your online presence. 5/5
Story Five: Intern by Sara Shepard
Clara is interning at her father’s record label while grieving the loss of her mother. She gets asked to accompany a brooding artist named Phineas on a trip to a local psychic. Can Phineas help Clara see the beauty in a life without her mom? Intern was kind of forgettable to me. The beginning was interesting - a girl interning at her dad’s record label, but once she meets up with Phineas, it got kind of boring. 3/5
Story Six: Somewhere That’s Green by Meredith Russo
Nia is a transgender female who wants to use her school’s women’s restrooms and dressing facilities. Lexie is Nia’s faith-driven classmate who outspokenly opposes the idea ... or so it seems. The two meet when cast in a school production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” Somewhere That’s Green read too much like propaganda for me. It took a current hot button issue - same sex restrooms - and built a story around it. I felt like the author tried to hard too get readers to sympathize with Nia. 2/5
Story Seven: The Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton
On the Isle of Meridian, young people meet the love of their life based on the coil tattoos on their ring finger, which gradually fade until they’re left with one unique coil that matches their one true love. When Vio meets Sebastien, they do the one thing you’re not allowed to - ensnaring, letting their coils touch - which offers them a glimpse into their future. Another story that has a fun premise. However, once Vio and Sebastien ensnare, thinks get a little murky and confusing. It’s hard to tell what exactly is going on. 4/5
Story Eight: Oomph by Emery Lord
“Margaret” meets “Natasha” in the JFK airport security line as they crack jokes about being spies for the CIA & FBI. The girls run into each other again at the gates, and strike up conversation and Natasha’s parents’ divorce, and Margaret’s fears about starting acting school at NYU. I love airport stories, so Oomph has that going for it with me. However, I felt that Meet Cute already had several LGBTQI stories in it, so to come across another was a downer for me. I was hoping that girls would just end up being good friends that met in a cute way. 4/5
Story Nine: The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Moss, who works part-time in her small town’s public library, looks forward to coming to work each night & calling Mr. H. Smith to remind him to return the dictionary he borrowed 4 months ago. The phone calls have become a sort of fun game, but are they what they seem? Of course I loved the library setting of this book, and Moss was a really likable character. The writing was fresh and enjoyable too! 5/5
Story Ten: The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies
When Sam spots a cute boy in a blue hoodie on a passing subway, she decides that this must be the topic of her project for her AP Statistics class. What is the probability that Sam will see him again? What follows is a cute adventure involving subway schedules, the weather, & some very unpredictable variables. This was my favorite out of the bunch. The plot was fresh, the characters were likable, and the story was fun! 5/5
Story Eleven: 259 Million Miles by Kass Morgan
Phillip wants to leave his life on Earth behind him & join a space mission to Mars, especially after an embarrassing video of him was posted online & now has millions of views & scathing comments. While going through the space trials, he meets an intriguing girl named Blythe, who also wants to make the trip to Mars. This one had a pretty interesting premise, and hit it me right in the feels toward the end probably more than any of the other stories. 4/5
Story Twelve: Something Real by Julie Murphy
June has made it onto the reality TV show “A Date Come True,” where she hopes to win a date with the musician who she started a fan club for - Dylan Wachowski. As June meets Martha, her competition, & the girls prepare to battle it out for a date with Dylan, they begin to wonder if this competition is all its cracked up to be. Another story that was a lot of fun. I loved seeing the transformation of the plot and characters. However, I wasn’t buying that ending. 4/5
Story Thirteen: Say Everything by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Emma works at a diner, where she watches “him,” Sean, come in time and time again with his friends. He’s obviously from money, like she used to be. When Sean asks Emma on a date, she’s surprised, but there’s more to this date than meets the eye. I know that Say Everything was supposed to be sweet, but it just read so boring! After the first couple of pages, I just couldn’t get into it. 3/5
Story Fourteen: The Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon
Thomas is suffering from a broken heart. And in a future world where the government now has a “Department of Dead Love,” the broken hearted can explore just why their relationships ended. Thomas meets Heartworker Gabrielle, who is to perform a “relationship autopsy” on him to discover just what went wrong between him and Samantha, his first and only love. The Department of Dead Love could have made an interesting longer novel, but as a short story it tried to do too much in too little time. We were introduced to too many places and concepts to really make meaningful sense of everything. 3/5
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for the ARC!
I got interested in this book mostly because of Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon and Huntley Fitzpatrick. I knew it was a children's book, but I was hoping to enjoy it anyway. Unfortunately, I did not. I'm so sorry.
I got interested in this book mostly because of Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon and Huntley Fitzpatrick. I knew it was a children's book, but I was hoping to enjoy it anyway. Unfortunately, I did not. I'm so sorry.
Actual Rating: 2.5 (average)
Siege Etiquette by Katie Cotugno - 1/5
Print Shop by Nina Lacour - 3/5
Hourglass by Ibi Zoboi - 1/5
Click by Katherine Mcgee - 4/5
Ihe Intern by Sara Shepard - 3/5
Somewhere That's Green by Meredith Russo - 2/5
The Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton - 4/5
Oomph by Emery Lord - 4/5
The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout - 3/5
The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies - 4/5
259 Million Miles by Kass Morgan - 5/5
Something Real by Julie Murphy - 3/5
Say Everything by Huntley Fitzpatrick - 2/5
The Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon - 1/5
Siege Etiquette by Katie Cotugno - 1/5
Print Shop by Nina Lacour - 3/5
Hourglass by Ibi Zoboi - 1/5
Click by Katherine Mcgee - 4/5
Ihe Intern by Sara Shepard - 3/5
Somewhere That's Green by Meredith Russo - 2/5
The Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton - 4/5
Oomph by Emery Lord - 4/5
The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout - 3/5
The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies - 4/5
259 Million Miles by Kass Morgan - 5/5
Something Real by Julie Murphy - 3/5
Say Everything by Huntley Fitzpatrick - 2/5
The Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon - 1/5
To be honest: I skipped a couple of these, started most but didn’t finish, and only read maybe three all the way through.