Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Blackout

I loved this anthology so much!!!

It follows multiple points of view as a power outage strikes New York. The black POV’s each have their own love stories that come to light in the darkness.

The characters were all so loveable and complex, there were stories that I liked more than others, but overall this book was very enjoyable.

Content Warnings

hodanayan's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

emmaward55's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted

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

This was everything I wanted and didn't know that I needed. More people need to be making noise about this wonderful little collection of stories.

Content Warnings

courtneyfalling's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful 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

4.0

This was really cute, and I loved how the stories and characters intertwined! There was also a really sweet sense of intergenerational connection, supportive friendships, and friends-to-lovers arcs across the stories.

Tammi and Kareem (written by Tiffany D. Jackson): I feel like a lot of their storyline hinged on miscommunication, and the final "reveals" didn't pay off enough for me. There were still so many things it felt like they each needed to talk through! I also wonder a little bit about the choice to intersperse their scenes with the other stories, vs. to just do six stories.

JJ and Tremaine (written by Nic Stone): I love them. I love how past moments between the characters got woven in. I actually gasped aloud at one point

when Tremaine said JJ looked better without his mask

. Possibly my favorite of the stories.

Nella and Joss (written by Ashley Woodfolk): I also totally love them. A little insta-love but I really liked the setting for this story and the other context that allowed them to open up to each other. Also good sapphic rep around confusing friendships and finding romantic love!

Lana and Tristán (written by Dhonielle Clayton): Childhood friends to lovers arcs kept popping up! I guess it makes sense with the phase of life (final summer before college, reflecting on who they are and who they want to be) that the characters are in. I also related a lot to Lana's struggle to find the perfect book and moment to tell Tristán about her feelings, only to have that perfectionist drive become what made the moment more difficult for her.

Kayla, Tre'Shawn, Micah, and Jazmyn (written by Angie Thomas): I wasn't sold on the love triangle/quadrangle at the beginning of this, but it grew on me a lot by the end.

I liked how Kayla was able to discover that her real fear was not knowing who she was not as "Tre'Shawn's girlfriend," especially as someone who's been in that kind of young, serious, long-term relationship and had very similar anxieties. I feel like they were depicted well and we leave Kayla in a good headspace.

Seymour and Grace (written by Nicola Yoon): I liked them! They had a sweet meet-cute and this felt like the most traditionally YA romance story out of them all. (Two strangers with existential thoughts pushed together by coincidence and able to finally open up, only to realize they want to take those feelings into their real lives.)

Overall: I did expect to get a final chapter with all the characters at the block party, to wrap up some of the loose ends, mostly because all of the stories felt very fast-paced with bringing their characters together. I wanted to know, for example,

if Kayla gets to meet up with her cousin, or if Kareem pulls off DJing, or if JJ and Tremaine arrive together in a public way, and so on.

Nothing is too glaringly outstanding, but it's all these small details!

Content Warnings

cheye13's review against another edition

Go to review page

inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Adorable stories! I loved how they were all discrete stories, yet kept a subtle thread (beyond just the blackout) linking them all together. While I love the little stories for what they are, they really did leave me wanting more. I'd love to see a full novel with this ensemble cast.

★★★★★ | Mask Off
★★★★ | The Long Walk, All the Great Love Stories... and Dust
★★★ | Made to Fit, No Sleep Till Brooklyn, Seymour and Grace

Content Warnings

maddy_s's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

veilchen's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"Black out" ist eine Sammlung von 6 Kurzgeschichten, die alle während einem stadtweiten Stromausfall in New York während einer Hitzewelle stattfinden. Sie haben alle kleine Verbindungen zueinander - aber prinzipiell dreht es sich in allen um Liebe zwischen POC.

Geschrieben von 6 women of color in mitten der weltweiten Covid-Pandemie, sprüht "Black out" nur so von Leben, Liebe und Gemeinschaftsgefühl, dass man während den Lockdowns so vermisst hat. Jede Geschichte hat ihren eigenen Charme und individuelle Dyamik zwischen den Charakteren, und obwohl es natürlcih subjektive Qualitätsunterschiede gibt, fügen sie sich alle zu einem hoffnungsvollen feel-good Buch zusammen, dass mich immer wieder zum Lächeln brachte.

Egal, welche Dynamiken man besonders mag: Instalove, Strangers to lovers, friends to lovers oder queer love - es gibt für jeden etwas. Manchmal war mir die Botschaft etwas zu offensichtlich beziehungsweise wirkte sie oft mal ein wenig gezwungen, aber darüber kann man leicht hinwegsehen, wenn man einfach mal ein wenig in eine besser Welt abtauchen will, die voller Liebe und Leben ist.

Content Warnings

kayladaila's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.75

Content Warnings

More...