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postitsandpens's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed with this anthology as a whole. I felt like it was far more miss than hit, and - at least for me personally - the misses were really, really bad, and even the ones I liked (apart from my two 5 star stories) were just okay, not amazing. For my thoughts on each story, please check out my status updates! I will not be copying them into this actual review space.
Imo, [b:My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories|20309175|My True Love Gave to Me Twelve Holiday Stories|Stephanie Perkins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1459353572s/20309175.jpg|28143699] was definitely the better set of stories. But of course, ymmv!
Imo, [b:My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories|20309175|My True Love Gave to Me Twelve Holiday Stories|Stephanie Perkins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1459353572s/20309175.jpg|28143699] was definitely the better set of stories. But of course, ymmv!
dukeml29's review against another edition
3.0
This was super cute and fun, and it was a perfect book for the summer. I didn't LOVE every single story, but I definitely enjoyed all of them!
kkdemarco's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book just as much as I loved the holiday collection! Such a fun way to kick off my summer reading. I had many favorites, but I especially loved Veronica Roth's story, "Inertia". And I liked how Stephanie Perkins brought the same characters back in "In Ninety Minutes, Turn North".
glindaaa's review against another edition
2.0
I'm entirely not so sure if I like owning this book at this point. Where I didn't like two stories in the winter edition because I hurried along: this book I didn't like in general anymore, so badly that the three stories that I liked couldn't even fix it anymore. I know it's a bit big and mean but it's just not what I expected ESPECIALLY compared to the winter one. Another note on that: it should have been nice to know to know you have to read that one first. I did but that made me lucky if you ask me.
It's just that these stories were too ridiculous for my liking. It probably happens to depend on the writers that came along. I expected easy as cupcake love stories, not something about monsters and zombies, which I don't hate for your information I'm a fantasy lover. I just didn't like all that was written down or it was too much.
Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail – 3 stars
The End of Love – 2 stars
Last Stand at the Cinegore – 3 stars
Sick Pleasure – 1 star
In Ninety minutes, Turn North – 4 stars
Souvenirs – 2 stars
Inertia – 4 stars
Love is the last Resort- 3 stars
Good Luck and Farewell – 1 stars
Brand New Attraction – 4 stars
A Thousand Ways this could go Wrong – 1 star
The Map of Tiny Perfect Everything – 2 stars
The first story was rather cute, I didn’t understand the first part in the beginning but boy did it make sense in the end and made me dislike the whole story at the end. The same goes for the last Stand at the Cinegore. It all started cute, I liked the whole setting until the movie came to life and it became a super stupid sappy movie scenario that I do not intend to watch and avoid with all costs of my life. This was both ridiculous that it hurt my feelings, I am a fantasy lover but this was utterly bullshit if you ask me. Which made me drop down in the stars, perhaps it would be more fun if it had not been in a short story book and not a short story book that was on romance because the plot was perhaps too thick to simply end in 30 to 40 pages.
The End of Love wasn’t bad but just when I was writing this review I couldn’t remember the whole story, which is why I gave it two stars. And Sick Pleasure started off nice until she slept with another guy because she wanted to be no virgin anymore but the right guy wasn’t available. If there are girls out there like that: believe me I will dislike that way of thinking from you. Because.. cuts herself off you know never mind. I’m not going into this, it’s just simply ridiculous! (I'm sorry if you felt offended but this is my opinion).
When I came to the story of Perkins, I should have known based on the title that it was about Marigold and North, for those of you that read my review on twelve christmas days, you all know that I would want to know more about Marigold and North so this story definitely made up for that. Obviously it's still short even the both of them together but I believe it is enough. I can live with this. This is the reference though that it should be nice to know that this book comes in second and you should read the winter version at first because of the time wise. I expected a whole different story nothing related, but I'm not going to complain because I liked it.
Souvenirs is like The End of Love.. what was it all about again? Some guys that were not really a couple and yet they were and there was this best boyfriend award that the coward didn't dare to give at the point that it might be important. Well yeah I don't know entirely what I thought of the story. I liked the main character, the one whose p.o.v. we follow but that's about it. The whole setting was a bit vague, why Keith was now Kieth. I don't know. Maybe it's that, all with all in general again perhaps too short to understand and like in my opinion.
Inertia was nice, as I half expected, which is bad to expect things from writers but I expected this story to be interesting. Definitely another soppy love movie that I might try to avoid with my entire being but we can't have everything. The whole future idea of being able to have a last visit before you perhaps die in surgery is an interesting factor what made the story better than it else had been and a bit too lovely but not going to complain again. I liked the characters that made it a lot easier again.
I rated the Love in the Last Resort 3 stars even though it was obvious what was happening, but it was super funny. I liked the writing style and how it ended up to be with the little boy that never talked, well at least he knew how to write but still it was obvious, it was the setting that made it a little less "everything-is-the-same-in-romance-all-the-time" so that was a bonus that made it a bit more fun.
Good Luck and Farewell, my only thoughts are: what was the point?
Brand new Attraction was funny, again something I wouldn't expect in here something about Twelve Summer Days and Summer Zombie Nights but it was a nice idea and again something completely different from the usual information that was going on and with a few twists and turns that didn't make it all focus on Lulu and Lucas which was nice. Even the reference to the good fitting names was in there, even when I thought it myself, which made it extra funny. The adventures of a travelling Evil Valentine Carnaval sounds fun.
A Thousand Ways this Could go Wrong I didn't like Annie, I didn't like Griffin which sounds very mean considering what he explains, which is nice! Because I don't think many people understand what it means and how it works but I know a few people and yes they are particular to hang out with, bit difficult but if we all be nice, we'll manage.
A Map of Tiny Perfect Everything: I know I should read this again at another point because of twelve days that I basically didn't like much, as I flew through the three/four stories I liked, it felt a bit dreadful and I was totally done with it. So this one gets the benefit of the doubt because I did start and I did finish but it didn't really have a point in my mind which is that for now it has two stars.
It's just that these stories were too ridiculous for my liking. It probably happens to depend on the writers that came along. I expected easy as cupcake love stories, not something about monsters and zombies, which I don't hate for your information I'm a fantasy lover. I just didn't like all that was written down or it was too much.
Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail – 3 stars
The End of Love – 2 stars
Last Stand at the Cinegore – 3 stars
Sick Pleasure – 1 star
In Ninety minutes, Turn North – 4 stars
Souvenirs – 2 stars
Inertia – 4 stars
Love is the last Resort- 3 stars
Good Luck and Farewell – 1 stars
Brand New Attraction – 4 stars
A Thousand Ways this could go Wrong – 1 star
The Map of Tiny Perfect Everything – 2 stars
The first story was rather cute, I didn’t understand the first part in the beginning but boy did it make sense in the end and made me dislike the whole story at the end. The same goes for the last Stand at the Cinegore. It all started cute, I liked the whole setting until the movie came to life and it became a super stupid sappy movie scenario that I do not intend to watch and avoid with all costs of my life. This was both ridiculous that it hurt my feelings, I am a fantasy lover but this was utterly bullshit if you ask me. Which made me drop down in the stars, perhaps it would be more fun if it had not been in a short story book and not a short story book that was on romance because the plot was perhaps too thick to simply end in 30 to 40 pages.
The End of Love wasn’t bad but just when I was writing this review I couldn’t remember the whole story, which is why I gave it two stars. And Sick Pleasure started off nice until she slept with another guy because she wanted to be no virgin anymore but the right guy wasn’t available. If there are girls out there like that: believe me I will dislike that way of thinking from you. Because.. cuts herself off you know never mind. I’m not going into this, it’s just simply ridiculous! (I'm sorry if you felt offended but this is my opinion).
When I came to the story of Perkins, I should have known based on the title that it was about Marigold and North, for those of you that read my review on twelve christmas days, you all know that I would want to know more about Marigold and North so this story definitely made up for that. Obviously it's still short even the both of them together but I believe it is enough. I can live with this. This is the reference though that it should be nice to know that this book comes in second and you should read the winter version at first because of the time wise. I expected a whole different story nothing related, but I'm not going to complain because I liked it.
Souvenirs is like The End of Love.. what was it all about again? Some guys that were not really a couple and yet they were and there was this best boyfriend award that the coward didn't dare to give at the point that it might be important. Well yeah I don't know entirely what I thought of the story. I liked the main character, the one whose p.o.v. we follow but that's about it. The whole setting was a bit vague, why Keith was now Kieth. I don't know. Maybe it's that, all with all in general again perhaps too short to understand and like in my opinion.
Inertia was nice, as I half expected, which is bad to expect things from writers but I expected this story to be interesting. Definitely another soppy love movie that I might try to avoid with my entire being but we can't have everything. The whole future idea of being able to have a last visit before you perhaps die in surgery is an interesting factor what made the story better than it else had been and a bit too lovely but not going to complain again. I liked the characters that made it a lot easier again.
I rated the Love in the Last Resort 3 stars even though it was obvious what was happening, but it was super funny. I liked the writing style and how it ended up to be with the little boy that never talked, well at least he knew how to write but still it was obvious, it was the setting that made it a little less "everything-is-the-same-in-romance-all-the-time" so that was a bonus that made it a bit more fun.
Good Luck and Farewell, my only thoughts are: what was the point?
Brand new Attraction was funny, again something I wouldn't expect in here something about Twelve Summer Days and Summer Zombie Nights but it was a nice idea and again something completely different from the usual information that was going on and with a few twists and turns that didn't make it all focus on Lulu and Lucas which was nice. Even the reference to the good fitting names was in there, even when I thought it myself, which made it extra funny. The adventures of a travelling Evil Valentine Carnaval sounds fun.
A Thousand Ways this Could go Wrong I didn't like Annie, I didn't like Griffin which sounds very mean considering what he explains, which is nice! Because I don't think many people understand what it means and how it works but I know a few people and yes they are particular to hang out with, bit difficult but if we all be nice, we'll manage.
A Map of Tiny Perfect Everything: I know I should read this again at another point because of twelve days that I basically didn't like much, as I flew through the three/four stories I liked, it felt a bit dreadful and I was totally done with it. So this one gets the benefit of the doubt because I did start and I did finish but it didn't really have a point in my mind which is that for now it has two stars.
fantasynonsense's review against another edition
4.0
Summer means a lot of things to a lot of people, and this was definitely evident in Summer Days and Summer Nights. What it does mean, at least here, is romance. Or having a catchy song from the hit musical Grease stuck in your head every time you read this title.
Either way, this was a nice blend of a lot of different things you might associate with summer: magic, mayhem, mystery, and maybe a few demons.
But not all of these stories worked as well as others. It leaves you with a sense of summertime sadness, if you will. (And no, there were not nearly enough puns in this collection).
By and large, I did enjoy this collection, probably a little more than My True Love Gave to Me, because this just has the feeling of listening to Summer Hits of the 90s while lying in a hammock. There were a few stories that had so little fun or magic in them, that strangely, those were the only ones that really felt out of place.
My mini breakdowns of all of the stories follow:
I adored this story. At this point Leigh Bardugo could write me a grocery list and sign it and I'd still spend 20$ and thank her for it. Her story had just the right amount of beautiful prose that I didn't expect actual magic until about halfway in, where it just felt natural. I loved how each part felt a little different as we watched the characters grow up. The light Little Mermaid vibes were just a bonus. 5/5 would buy the whole book just to read again
An adorable little love story. At some point I think we all have dealt with divorce during our teenage years and it feels very much like how a teen would deal with it. Plus we always need more queer lady romances where the drama doesn't center around their sexuality. This story was so precious.
4/5 feels like eating smores around a campfire with your friends
I wasn't sure about this one at first, mainly for the "bicurious" line that can just filter out of existence. But hey, the characters call each other out for some things they say in story, so we're good. Honestly I didn't expect much from this but it may tie for the favorite with Head, Scales... The general spooky that just got spookier was so well done and fun I didn't even realize we were in a survival horror until it was too late to back out. It's the type of story I'd love to see as an actual film because watching a flaming Cthulu plush being fired from an arrow is maybe the best thing I'd ever see.
6/5 I'd start the kickstarter for this movie yesterday
They can't all be winners and this one wasn't. I don't know what else to tell you except it was way more depressing that the meager plot couldn't hold my attention long. It has the exact feeling of standing in direct sunlight on a bleached sidewalk in L.A. when your uber cancels your ride on you.
1/5 I mean, you can read it.
Adorable! A solid summer romance. I remembered Marigold and North from the last collection a couple pages in and it was nice to visit them a few years later in their relationship. I wish we'd known a little more about their breakup but I enjoyed seeing North in his natural habitat and I loved Marigold's little drawings. These two are very cute together and if there's a fall story collection, I expect them back now. For punpkin carving. Or haunted house organization.
4/5 feels like a picnic after a hike on Mt. Rainier
I'll be real with you all. I forgot about this story as soon as I finished. I'm always glad to see more queer couples in literature that don't die or have family drama but there wasn't much memorable about the characters. I did like that they learned how to grow apart comfortably and realize there are better things waiting for them. It's something that when I was a younger version of me and exploring sexuality I'd really enjoy. I just think we came into the story a liiiiitle too late.
3/5 it's like a summer barbeque where you showed up a little too late to be fashionable
This one would've worked better as a full novel. The scifi elements in it weren't explained well enough to really feel like I had a handle on the story. And the idea behind it was nice but I ultimately didn't have a strong connection to any characters because I was more curious how the memory sharing technology worked.
2.5/5 the summer film you go to see because it's air conditioned and someone else bought your ticket.
This just felt like an awkward summer teen romance film. Everything felt a little jerky and stilted, the prose fluctuated so much in places that I wouldn't have known what era we were in if we didn't have the Harry Potter references.
2.5/5 when all the cheeseburgers are gone at the barbeque, so you end up with a hot dog
I can't just keep saying "woo diversity" because that's half the book. I had no real interest in this story because it felt like a whiny kid who didn't want people to leave her. And it was. What was up with the hints of alcoholism? How was that relevant? Was Bev a good person or not? The view was so narrow I had no idea what was going on with anyone else.
2/5 felt like that really long car ride where you end up on the sun side the whole time
I do not like Cassandra Clare. There. I said it. I keep trying everything and I just have resigned myself to the fact that she's not for me. Someone needs to tell her that borderline incest or weird non-blood family member forbidden romance is never sexy. It doesn't work. Also the villain felt like a mustache twirler and the demon thing was just... odd? Why do you need them for carnivals? How does the magic work?
0.5/5 someone peed in the swimming pool and everyone got evacuated.
I loved this! And I didn't even expect to! The start was a little bland for me but once the story picked up and we had the romance I was so into it. This was just a nice sweet summer romance without magic, but we won't hold that against it.
4.5/5
Lev Grossman just has this fantastically dry and witty style that works really well for magic, scifi or general oddness that we find in the world. I loved the idea of time freezing during the summer since it feels like you repeat the same day for three straight months and then it moves forward again. Loved that the whole idea of trying to find small miracles and moments of beauty in your life. I don't always love that we fall back on cancer as a plot point but the rest of the story works so well.
5/5 a solid finish to this collection.
Overall I really did enjoy this book and now it's just set me up to want all four seasons. At the very least, I'll wait patiently for my slightly spookier autumn story collection for as long as I need to wait.
Either way, this was a nice blend of a lot of different things you might associate with summer: magic, mayhem, mystery, and maybe a few demons.
But not all of these stories worked as well as others. It leaves you with a sense of summertime sadness, if you will. (And no, there were not nearly enough puns in this collection).
By and large, I did enjoy this collection, probably a little more than My True Love Gave to Me, because this just has the feeling of listening to Summer Hits of the 90s while lying in a hammock. There were a few stories that had so little fun or magic in them, that strangely, those were the only ones that really felt out of place.
My mini breakdowns of all of the stories follow:
➣ Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail by Leigh Bardugo
I adored this story. At this point Leigh Bardugo could write me a grocery list and sign it and I'd still spend 20$ and thank her for it. Her story had just the right amount of beautiful prose that I didn't expect actual magic until about halfway in, where it just felt natural. I loved how each part felt a little different as we watched the characters grow up. The light Little Mermaid vibes were just a bonus. 5/5 would buy the whole book just to read again
➣ The End of Love by Nina LaCour
An adorable little love story. At some point I think we all have dealt with divorce during our teenage years and it feels very much like how a teen would deal with it. Plus we always need more queer lady romances where the drama doesn't center around their sexuality. This story was so precious.
4/5 feels like eating smores around a campfire with your friends
➣ Last Stand at the Cinegore by Libba Bray
I wasn't sure about this one at first, mainly for the "bicurious" line that can just filter out of existence. But hey, the characters call each other out for some things they say in story, so we're good. Honestly I didn't expect much from this but it may tie for the favorite with Head, Scales... The general spooky that just got spookier was so well done and fun I didn't even realize we were in a survival horror until it was too late to back out. It's the type of story I'd love to see as an actual film because watching a flaming Cthulu plush being fired from an arrow is maybe the best thing I'd ever see.
6/5 I'd start the kickstarter for this movie yesterday
➣ Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block
They can't all be winners and this one wasn't. I don't know what else to tell you except it was way more depressing that the meager plot couldn't hold my attention long. It has the exact feeling of standing in direct sunlight on a bleached sidewalk in L.A. when your uber cancels your ride on you.
1/5 I mean, you can read it.
➣ In Ninety Minutes Turn North by Stephanie Perkins
Adorable! A solid summer romance. I remembered Marigold and North from the last collection a couple pages in and it was nice to visit them a few years later in their relationship. I wish we'd known a little more about their breakup but I enjoyed seeing North in his natural habitat and I loved Marigold's little drawings. These two are very cute together and if there's a fall story collection, I expect them back now. For punpkin carving. Or haunted house organization.
4/5 feels like a picnic after a hike on Mt. Rainier
➣ Souvenirs by Tim Federle
I'll be real with you all. I forgot about this story as soon as I finished. I'm always glad to see more queer couples in literature that don't die or have family drama but there wasn't much memorable about the characters. I did like that they learned how to grow apart comfortably and realize there are better things waiting for them. It's something that when I was a younger version of me and exploring sexuality I'd really enjoy. I just think we came into the story a liiiiitle too late.
3/5 it's like a summer barbeque where you showed up a little too late to be fashionable
➣ Inertia by Veronica Roth
This one would've worked better as a full novel. The scifi elements in it weren't explained well enough to really feel like I had a handle on the story. And the idea behind it was nice but I ultimately didn't have a strong connection to any characters because I was more curious how the memory sharing technology worked.
2.5/5 the summer film you go to see because it's air conditioned and someone else bought your ticket.
➣ Love is the Last Resort by Jon Skovron
This just felt like an awkward summer teen romance film. Everything felt a little jerky and stilted, the prose fluctuated so much in places that I wouldn't have known what era we were in if we didn't have the Harry Potter references.
2.5/5 when all the cheeseburgers are gone at the barbeque, so you end up with a hot dog
➣ Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert
I can't just keep saying "woo diversity" because that's half the book. I had no real interest in this story because it felt like a whiny kid who didn't want people to leave her. And it was. What was up with the hints of alcoholism? How was that relevant? Was Bev a good person or not? The view was so narrow I had no idea what was going on with anyone else.
2/5 felt like that really long car ride where you end up on the sun side the whole time
➣ Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare
I do not like Cassandra Clare. There. I said it. I keep trying everything and I just have resigned myself to the fact that she's not for me. Someone needs to tell her that borderline incest or weird non-blood family member forbidden romance is never sexy. It doesn't work. Also the villain felt like a mustache twirler and the demon thing was just... odd? Why do you need them for carnivals? How does the magic work?
0.5/5 someone peed in the swimming pool and everyone got evacuated.
➣ A Thousand Ways this Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smitho
I loved this! And I didn't even expect to! The start was a little bland for me but once the story picked up and we had the romance I was so into it. This was just a nice sweet summer romance without magic, but we won't hold that against it.
4.5/5
➣ The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman
Lev Grossman just has this fantastically dry and witty style that works really well for magic, scifi or general oddness that we find in the world. I loved the idea of time freezing during the summer since it feels like you repeat the same day for three straight months and then it moves forward again. Loved that the whole idea of trying to find small miracles and moments of beauty in your life. I don't always love that we fall back on cancer as a plot point but the rest of the story works so well.
5/5 a solid finish to this collection.
Overall I really did enjoy this book and now it's just set me up to want all four seasons. At the very least, I'll wait patiently for my slightly spookier autumn story collection for as long as I need to wait.
kristyreadsalot_'s review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this! Of course there were a few stories that I didn't like at all, but there were a lot that I loved!
lucyvpeters's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the stories I really enjoyed and other ones I could not finish. It was just a fun summer read.
chanteld's review against another edition
2.0
This anthology wasn't as fun as the Christmas holiday one. Maybe I took too long to read them. But with the exception of the last two stories I didn't really get into most of the other stories. In fact I skipped the stories by Libba Bray and Francesca Lia Block.
rdyourbookcase's review against another edition
2.0
The last three stories were the best in the book. Towards the middle, I almost gave up and didn't finish Summer Days and Summer Nights. However, I stuck it out, and I'm glad that I did. I'm not usually a big Cassandra Clare fan, but I absolutely loved her short story. Jennifer E. Smith's story about camp was probably my favorite though. I went back and forth on Lev Grossman's story, but the ending saved it. So skip the first nine stories, enjoy the last three.
emilymorgan02's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fun read...some of the stories seemed a bit rushed...it's hard to show two people fall in love with so little time, but I loved the uniqueness of each story and it's different take on love.