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booktrunks's review against another edition
3.0
Synopsis: Hungry Hearts is a collection of stories by 13 different authors that all take place in Hungry Heart Row, a collection of restaurants with comfort, magic, and some revenge!
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Thoughts: I thought this was a really interesting collection! I have to admit, there was a very specific vibe I was expecting to get from the book, kind of comforting and warm and feel good, and I just didn’t get that most of the time. In Hungry Heart’s defense, it didn’t claim to be that, but I think with the cute cover and everything, I wasn’t expecting as many stories involving murder and revenge (not that there was anything wrong with those ones). My favorite stories in the book were Gimme Some Sugar, The Missing Ingredient, The Grand Ishq Adventure, and Bloom! I did definitely enjoy the book, but I left just slightly disappointed from what I was looking for when I picked this up. Would definitely recommend to anyone who liked food related books, and people who like cozy mysteries (especially involving food!!).
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Thoughts: I thought this was a really interesting collection! I have to admit, there was a very specific vibe I was expecting to get from the book, kind of comforting and warm and feel good, and I just didn’t get that most of the time. In Hungry Heart’s defense, it didn’t claim to be that, but I think with the cute cover and everything, I wasn’t expecting as many stories involving murder and revenge (not that there was anything wrong with those ones). My favorite stories in the book were Gimme Some Sugar, The Missing Ingredient, The Grand Ishq Adventure, and Bloom! I did definitely enjoy the book, but I left just slightly disappointed from what I was looking for when I picked this up. Would definitely recommend to anyone who liked food related books, and people who like cozy mysteries (especially involving food!!).
rose_peterson's review against another edition
3.0
I probably wouldn't have picked this up if not for a YA book club I'm in...and that would've been okay. I like the general premise of short stories sharing a common setting and overlapping a bit in characters and events, and I liked how these stories reflected a wide range of realities. (When have you ever read a YA story about a teen from Montenegro?) I thought the strip's name, "Hungry Hearts," was corny, though, and some of the magic felt like it was included to fit the theme, not in service of the story itself. Some also just weren't quite tight enough; they needed better editing. Good representation but not the best food writing as I'd hoped.
dylankakoulli's review against another edition
2.0
Erm.
Started off well, but then got far too cheesey and YA romance towards the end.
That’s said, I enjoyed the inclusion of diverse characters and delish food featured. With the latter certainly perking up my tastebuds!
Overall, a sweet but basic book.
2 stars
Started off well, but then got far too cheesey and YA romance towards the end.
That’s said, I enjoyed the inclusion of diverse characters and delish food featured. With the latter certainly perking up my tastebuds!
Overall, a sweet but basic book.
2 stars
genieinanovel's review against another edition
4.0
Since this an anthology, I will rate the stories individually. Overall though, I enjoyed most of the stories in this collection and I loved how they all connected in some way. Usually, it was by mentioning characters that appear in other stories or the restaurants. Not to mention the themes of each were either food or love, or in some cases, both. Not all the stories were fluffy, some were kind of weird to be honest, but again, I enjoyed most of them.
- Rain by Sangu Mandanna – 5 stars
- Kings and Queens by Elsie Chapman – 5 stars
- The Grand Ishq Adventure by Sandhya Menon – 5 stars
- Sugar and Spite by Rin Chupeco – 2 stars
- Moments to Return by Adi Alsaid – 4.5 stars
- The Slender One by Caroline Tung Richmond – 4 stars
- Gimme Some Sugar by Jay Coles – 4 stars
- The Missing Ingredient by Rebecca Roanhorse – 2.5 stars
- Hearts à la Carte by Karuna Riazi – 3 stars
- Bloom by Phoebe North – 3 stars
- A Bountiful Film by S. K. Ali – 4.5 stars
- Side Work by Sara Farizan – 3.5 stars
- Panaderia ~ Pasteleria by Anna-Marie McLemore – 2 stars
Overall, there were three or four stories that I didn’t care for much. My least two favorites of the collection were Panaderia and Sugar and Spite, I just could not get into them at all. The Missing Ingredient was good up until the end when it took a weird/creepy turn that just ruined it for me.
My favorites from the collection were Rain, Kings and Queens, The Grand Ishq, Moments to Return, and A Bountiful Film. To me, those stories make the book worth reading and those are the ones that have stuck with me since finishing it.
So even though some stories I gave a 2 or 3 star rating to, I’d say the book is overall 5 stars. The individual ratings are just based on how I liked the stories. That’s not to say someone else won’t think they’re worth 5 stars, because the writing of all of them is great. If you haven’t checked out this book yet, you definitely should!
- Rain by Sangu Mandanna – 5 stars
- Kings and Queens by Elsie Chapman – 5 stars
- The Grand Ishq Adventure by Sandhya Menon – 5 stars
- Sugar and Spite by Rin Chupeco – 2 stars
- Moments to Return by Adi Alsaid – 4.5 stars
- The Slender One by Caroline Tung Richmond – 4 stars
- Gimme Some Sugar by Jay Coles – 4 stars
- The Missing Ingredient by Rebecca Roanhorse – 2.5 stars
- Hearts à la Carte by Karuna Riazi – 3 stars
- Bloom by Phoebe North – 3 stars
- A Bountiful Film by S. K. Ali – 4.5 stars
- Side Work by Sara Farizan – 3.5 stars
- Panaderia ~ Pasteleria by Anna-Marie McLemore – 2 stars
Overall, there were three or four stories that I didn’t care for much. My least two favorites of the collection were Panaderia and Sugar and Spite, I just could not get into them at all. The Missing Ingredient was good up until the end when it took a weird/creepy turn that just ruined it for me.
My favorites from the collection were Rain, Kings and Queens, The Grand Ishq, Moments to Return, and A Bountiful Film. To me, those stories make the book worth reading and those are the ones that have stuck with me since finishing it.
So even though some stories I gave a 2 or 3 star rating to, I’d say the book is overall 5 stars. The individual ratings are just based on how I liked the stories. That’s not to say someone else won’t think they’re worth 5 stars, because the writing of all of them is great. If you haven’t checked out this book yet, you definitely should!
bluerobinredwren's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
hwilliams's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
louturnspages's review against another edition
4.0
**Actual rating 3.5 stars**
Reading compiled short stories is often of mixed bag. I loved the theme of the book and the focus on love and family in one diverse and unique neighborhood. Some of these stories were great, some were fine, and others I just didn’t enjoy.
Reading compiled short stories is often of mixed bag. I loved the theme of the book and the focus on love and family in one diverse and unique neighborhood. Some of these stories were great, some were fine, and others I just didn’t enjoy.