Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Blackout

This was another read for work, and definitely not my preferred genre. However, I was surprised by what I was able to find to enjoy. I think if you're someone who enjoys short, sweet, YA love stories, this book would be perfect for you. I will caution that these aren't romances, as not every one ends in a happily-ever-after or happy-for-now. But I will say that the main character in each story winds up fulfilled, whatever that might mean in their situation, so there are no bad endings in this book.

Aside from the obvious not-my-genre situation, the other thing I didn't like about this book was how inconsistently well anxiety was portrayed. Contrasting Mask Off with The Long Walk, I found the depiction of Tremaine's claustrophobia very relatable, and while at first Tammi's anxiety over the impending bridge situation was also spot-on, at the end it evaporated in a puff of plot resolution. True love doesn't overcome crippling anxiety! That's like everybody cheering as the guy in the wheelchair gets up and starts walking at the end of the movie. It just…doesn't work like that. Sure would be nice if it did!

There's some LGB content in this book, for those who look for that. Mask Off is about two boys, and Made to Fit is sapphic(also ownvoices, or close enough — Ashley Woodfolk is bi). T+ content is limited to the background, however.

If rating just off my own opinion, I would probably give this a 3.5, based largely off of how much I (unexpectedly!) genuinely enjoyed No Sleep Till Brooklyn. However, because I have few constructive complaints and mostly just feel that it was Not For Me, I'm going to be generous and bump it up to a 4.

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tetedump's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

4.0

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bkyng313's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

i really enjoyed this book. very cute and it made me feel good. i do wish it had a more cohesive ending about how everyone ended up at the block party though. other than that it was a great start to my year of reading in 2023

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calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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bookworm247's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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books_xoxo's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I freaking love this book. It was so good. Love the way every author made the characters somehow connected to each other, loved the relationships the characters were able to develop.

Simply I loved everything and ofc Kareem too.

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mxbluet18's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.75

One style of book I enjoy reading is queer stories, and books with diverse characters (in every sense). While I'm not one of the people being represented in these stories, I still like reading them because it feels good knowing that the people who don't get representation often are in this book.
~
It's a combination of several stories, with several characters of various ethnicities and queer identities. And that's something that unfortunately isn't seen too often in literature, especially the intersection of queer and POC.
~
I liked how the various characters from the stories featured all come together at the end of the book, even if they're not all mentioned you get snapshots of them.
~
One small thing that annoyed me a little bit is how some stories didn't get a complete ending. They didn't get a clear resolution to the issue they had. However, that's not life, and not all stories will have that, so it's a very minor thing.

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alliemikennareads's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted 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? N/A

5.0

Blackout is a short story collection that covers different relationships across New York during a summer blackout. I think this may make my “favorites of the year” list!

Usually in short story collections, I only like a few stories, but here I liked each one individually and as a collection. The writing is great throughout. The subtle way each story is interconnected is so fun. This is definitely YA but in a way that really worked for me - these characters are straddling that time period between high school and college, mature but still so young, and it’s just perfect. I love that intermixed in separate stories, the book has several chapters centered on the same two characters. The format kept things interesting and this ends on a completely perfect note.

Overall, this is really well written and a fun, quick read. I’d definitely recommend it to YA or short story fans!

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