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lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a great read, I loved all these stories and they were really enjoyable to read!
emily_mh's review
3.0
Unfortunately, I found this book to be pretty disappointing overall. There were some good stories, my favourites being The South Street Challenge by Eric Smith and Doublespeak by Tehlor Kay Mejia, but there weren’t enough to make me want to recommend this read. I really had to push myself to get through it.
Furthermore, there are also two big flaws in the premise of the anthology. The first is that preceding each story would be a short description of how someone’s Venus sign impacts their love life, which would set the reader up to expect similar qualities in the MC or LI. However, only the Sun sign of the MC or LI would come up in the story itself. So the book conflated the person’s Venus sign with their Sun sign, which for a book centred on astrology, seems like a big mistake? Secondly, the anthology includes a story for the “thirteenth star sign” Ophiuchus. However, acknowledgement of this sign throws off the dates of all the other star signs, which means that the Sun signs of all the other characters in the book are thrown off as traditional dates for these signs are mentioned in the stories. Additionally, to my knowledge Ophiuchus is not generally accepted by the astrological community as a legitimate star sign, so why is it being included in an astrologically-themed book?
My general thoughts concluded, I will now review each of the stories individually.
ruler and killer by g. haron davis (Aries): This was a very average story with a generic premise, and a trope I personally despise: instalove. I also didn’t understand why the MC wanted the Coronet when their family or guards or whatever killed her mother?
The Taste of a Kiss by Roselle Lim (Taurus): I loved the MC in this story, but the romance plotline was a little confused. Most of the story felt like a set-up to be a best friends to lovers situation, but it ended up being a second-chance romance. I had a hard time believing that kindy friends who hadn’t seen each other since then would be all over each other 14 years later. At the same time, it was kind of swoony.
Doublespeak, Tehlor Kay Mejia (Gemini): I loved this! It was a perfect Gemini story and had a great premise generally. I felt so bubbly and excited for the MC.
L(Train)iminal by Karuna Riazi (Cancer): This was a little messy in terms of timeline; it was at times unclear whether something was happening in the past or present. I did, however, like the premise of a homeless, undocumented witch needing to be grounded to do their best magic.
Alternative Combustion by Kiana Nguyen (Leo): This was incredibly half-baked. What even happened? Who were the characters? I sure didn’t know.
Sometime in September by Byron Graves (Virgo): This was a perfectly fine story. The plot worked well in a short story format.
Fake Scorpio by Mark Oshiro (Libra): I really loved the MC of this story, and the love story worked well in a short story format. However, the plotline of being a fake Scorpio felt really disconnected from it.
The South Street Challenge by Eric Smith (Scorpio): An incredibly sweet story, both in terms of the romance and the friendships the MC enjoyed. Well suited to being a short story.
Formation by Cam Montgomery (Ophiucus): As well as my qualms concerning this star sign’s inclusion, I simply did not understand what was happening in this story. I also don’t like immortal/mortal romances as they’re problematic, especially concerning this age group.
Anchor Point by Lily Anderson (Sagittarius): This was sweet, fun, and surprising. Archery was a great way at further incorporating Sagittarius into the plot.
Mucho, Mucho Amor by Alexandra Villasante (Capricorn): The romantic tension in this one was a little messy. I didn’t like how the LI up and left without giving the MC a chance to explain. Otherwise, I loved this story, especially the mother/daughter relationship that it featured.
I Come From the Water by Adrianne White (Aquarius): What even happened in this story? What was the point? I still don’t know and am very confused.
The Cure for Heartbreak by Emery Lee (Pisces): This was a lovely story that worked perfectly in a short story format. It also made me laugh out loud.
As a final side note, the audiobook was really subpar. There was one narrator in particular that was insufferable, and unfortunately I don’t know who they were as the audiobook didn’t indicate who was narrating each story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
Major warning for the undocumented migrant experience. Moderate warnings for deportation, loss of a loved one, sick parent. Minor warnings for misogynoir, polyamorphobia, sick grandparent, child birth, drowning, hunting, gentrification.amberinpieces's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Blood
Minor: Death, Self harm, Grief, and Death of parent
boricuabookfairy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
cakt1991's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posted a review. All opinions are my own.
This is a fun anthology with a cool concept, and I love how each author took on a different sign and did their own thing with it. There are some duds, and some that went over my head a bit, but the ones that shine made it worth it, like the food infused contribution from Roselle Lim got Taurus, Mark Oshiro’s about being on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio, or Lily Anderson’s narrative of an archer in high school sports, symbolic of Sagittarius. No matter your taste, there’s sure to be something for everyone.
This is a fun anthology with a cool concept, and I love how each author took on a different sign and did their own thing with it. There are some duds, and some that went over my head a bit, but the ones that shine made it worth it, like the food infused contribution from Roselle Lim got Taurus, Mark Oshiro’s about being on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio, or Lily Anderson’s narrative of an archer in high school sports, symbolic of Sagittarius. No matter your taste, there’s sure to be something for everyone.
booktribe's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
All Signs Point to Yes is a short story collection inspired by astrology and love! There’s a story for every sign! And it’s very diverse with Black, Latine, Asian, and Indigenous representation. As well as lesbian, gay, pansexual, bisexual, non-binary, and trans rep!
I first requested this book because I felt like who better to review this book than me, a lover of books and astrology? I just had to read it! As soon as I started the book I loved the fact that all the stories were based on Venus signs, which is the planet of love, instead of sun signs. I did feel like most of the stories were accurate to their signs. And I love that there was a mix between fantasy and contemporary stories. I didn’t love this book like I thought I would, but I did enjoy it.
My favorite stories were the Libra, Pisces, Taurus, and Virgo stories. Sadly, out of this whole collection, those are the only stories I gave above 3 stars to. Some of the other stories were pretty confusing or boring to me. But those four stories I mentioned were the standouts. But, there is one thing that bothered me in the Virgo story that I must address. I was very happy to see Indigenous representation in this collection! However, there was so much appropriation of AAVE (African American Vernacular English), it made me very uncomfortable. I enjoyed this story, and individually I gave it 4 stars, but it would’ve been a 5 star read for me if not for the appropriation of AAVE. I hope the author can improve upon that in his next work.
I wish I had enjoyed this collection more being that I love astrology and it was written by all authors of color. It sounded like the perfect read for me, but several stories left a lot to be desired in my opinion. However, I would love if there was a part 2 with new love stories for each sign! I would definitely read that!
Thank you Inkyard Press and NetGalley for this arc! All opinions are my own.
TW: parental death, parental abandonment, addiction recovery, bullying
I first requested this book because I felt like who better to review this book than me, a lover of books and astrology? I just had to read it! As soon as I started the book I loved the fact that all the stories were based on Venus signs, which is the planet of love, instead of sun signs. I did feel like most of the stories were accurate to their signs. And I love that there was a mix between fantasy and contemporary stories. I didn’t love this book like I thought I would, but I did enjoy it.
My favorite stories were the Libra, Pisces, Taurus, and Virgo stories. Sadly, out of this whole collection, those are the only stories I gave above 3 stars to. Some of the other stories were pretty confusing or boring to me. But those four stories I mentioned were the standouts. But, there is one thing that bothered me in the Virgo story that I must address. I was very happy to see Indigenous representation in this collection! However, there was so much appropriation of AAVE (African American Vernacular English), it made me very uncomfortable. I enjoyed this story, and individually I gave it 4 stars, but it would’ve been a 5 star read for me if not for the appropriation of AAVE. I hope the author can improve upon that in his next work.
I wish I had enjoyed this collection more being that I love astrology and it was written by all authors of color. It sounded like the perfect read for me, but several stories left a lot to be desired in my opinion. However, I would love if there was a part 2 with new love stories for each sign! I would definitely read that!
Thank you Inkyard Press and NetGalley for this arc! All opinions are my own.
TW: parental death, parental abandonment, addiction recovery, bullying
catherinereads88's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the eARC to read and review!
"A literal star-studded anthology that delivers a love story for every star sign straight from the hearts of thirteen multicultural YA authors."
What an amazing collection of stories!! When I was younger I was obsessed with astrology, and though I've grown away from it quite a bit, I still love to see it pop up in my life, so when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it! And I was not disappointed at all! Each story touches on their sign in very unique ways and I truly loved the different takes all the authors took. There were some contemporary stories, fantasy, sci-fi, and they were of course all love stories, straight and queer! I am, of course, partial to my sign of Scorpio, so I loved The South Street Challenge by Eric Smith, it was so touching and I was feeling all the feelings! A few more I truly loved were Taurus: The Taste of a Kiss by Roselle Lim, Virgo: Sometimes in September by Byron Graves, and Sagittarius: Anchor Point by Lily Anderson. But legit, they were all so amazing, definitely one to check out!
"A literal star-studded anthology that delivers a love story for every star sign straight from the hearts of thirteen multicultural YA authors."
What an amazing collection of stories!! When I was younger I was obsessed with astrology, and though I've grown away from it quite a bit, I still love to see it pop up in my life, so when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it! And I was not disappointed at all! Each story touches on their sign in very unique ways and I truly loved the different takes all the authors took. There were some contemporary stories, fantasy, sci-fi, and they were of course all love stories, straight and queer! I am, of course, partial to my sign of Scorpio, so I loved The South Street Challenge by Eric Smith, it was so touching and I was feeling all the feelings! A few more I truly loved were Taurus: The Taste of a Kiss by Roselle Lim, Virgo: Sometimes in September by Byron Graves, and Sagittarius: Anchor Point by Lily Anderson. But legit, they were all so amazing, definitely one to check out!
thebiasedbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
A special thanks to Inkyard Press for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC! When I read the premise behind this anthology, a love story for each astrological sign, I was so pumped! There were quite a few wonderful stories included in this anthology!
One thing I really enjoyed about this book is that each story lists the astrological sign it corresponds to, and some of the traits for that sign. I thought most of the authors did exceptionally well at staying true to the signs they wrote about.
Additionally, some of the stories were so heartwarming and endearing. They weren’t necessarily complex or deep, but sometimes we need to read a lighthearted love story! On the other hand, some of the stories completely missed the mark. I probably would have rated this book lower if not for a few stories that were redeeming. The ones that weren’t great were confusing, or simply didn’t make sense.
Finally, I feel really conflicted by the fact that the editors included a story based on the sign ophiuchus. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, there was a huge revelation within the world of astrology some years ago. Some people claimed that their is a 13th sign, ophiuchus. The story in the anthology is about a girl who can change people’s birth charts, and she is supposed to change anyone who was born under ophiuchus. It was a compelling premise, but I was a little disappointed that this sign was included at all. Most astrology experts have written off the idea of a 13th sign. While there could technically be as many as 21 zodiac constellations, many experts use the 12-sign system.
Overall, there were some highly disappointing aspects in All Signs Point to Yes, but there were also a few stories that were truly adorable!