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cdubiel's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this set of stories - many so short, you can read multiple stories in one sitting. Cross-Smith's writing glitters. There is sadness in some of the stories, but there is also so much joy. People coming together after a long time apart, people meeting for the first time, people finding happiness in small things. I especially loved finding Easter eggs for other stories in later ones.
motleybooksandtea's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
generalalarm's review against another edition
4.75
Every single one of these stories is as tangible and delightful as a piece of hard candy. This collections takes you through dusty diners and dim pool halls, suburban basements and kitchens, teenage girls’ bedrooms, and a fancy apartment building elevator. And each has an enchanting heroine. Sometimes she’s a mother, others a young girl, but always she’s richly rounded with passion, desire, and need. These are complex, nuanced, extraordinarily well-written stories of love and loss and all that comes between, painted with sticky lipgloss.
ralovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for my free copy!
I love short stories, and this collection is unlike any others I can remember. All of the pieces are about women and relationships - all kinds of relationships! Some feel like spoken-word pieces with lists of items or feelings that have a certain rhythm. Others are slim vignettes into a life that you KNOW there's more to the story, but you just get a little slice. This collection really impressed me in the back half, when some of the pieces loop back around to others from the front half. You get a story from another person's perspective, or a side character shows up as a main character later, or it's the same story but earlier in time. I kept flipping back and forth as references dinged in my brain, like, why does this sound familiar? The callbacks made me more invested in the characters and thankful for the time I got to spend with them.
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I wasn't trying to get tan the same way the white girls tried to get tan. How they'd hold their arms up to mine and say I'm almost as dark as you and I wouldn't say anything because everyone knows white people want to be blank and no white person wants to be black. ("Out of the Strong, Something Sweet")
"Men being honest with themselves and truly listening to women... it has the potential to change the world," she says. (Owen's mom, in "Some are Dark, Some are Light, Summer Melts")
And she didn't ask permission before walking down the glossy hallway in her black-tights-feet to his bedroom so she could check out his books. To see who he really was. ("Dark and Sweet and Dirty")
I love short stories, and this collection is unlike any others I can remember. All of the pieces are about women and relationships - all kinds of relationships! Some feel like spoken-word pieces with lists of items or feelings that have a certain rhythm. Others are slim vignettes into a life that you KNOW there's more to the story, but you just get a little slice. This collection really impressed me in the back half, when some of the pieces loop back around to others from the front half. You get a story from another person's perspective, or a side character shows up as a main character later, or it's the same story but earlier in time. I kept flipping back and forth as references dinged in my brain, like, why does this sound familiar? The callbacks made me more invested in the characters and thankful for the time I got to spend with them.
---
I wasn't trying to get tan the same way the white girls tried to get tan. How they'd hold their arms up to mine and say I'm almost as dark as you and I wouldn't say anything because everyone knows white people want to be blank and no white person wants to be black. ("Out of the Strong, Something Sweet")
"Men being honest with themselves and truly listening to women... it has the potential to change the world," she says. (Owen's mom, in "Some are Dark, Some are Light, Summer Melts")
And she didn't ask permission before walking down the glossy hallway in her black-tights-feet to his bedroom so she could check out his books. To see who he really was. ("Dark and Sweet and Dirty")
leeahsmestad's review against another edition
3.0
Per usual- mixed bag. I’m not sure why I try short stories, it’s just not for me. There were some gems though!
adrianareadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
So I loved this book. I am not normally one for an anthology of short stories but what Smith writes was so poignant and powerful.
...Not to mention that I read the opening piece to like three people.
It’s full of stories about women who are flawed and real and honest; i knew these women. I loved her writing style and the the aspects of life she chose to write about. The prose was beautiful as well.
You’ll finish this book and want to hang out with your friends immediately.
This was an arc given for an honest review
...Not to mention that I read the opening piece to like three people.
It’s full of stories about women who are flawed and real and honest; i knew these women. I loved her writing style and the the aspects of life she chose to write about. The prose was beautiful as well.
You’ll finish this book and want to hang out with your friends immediately.
This was an arc given for an honest review
lottpoet's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
txfu's review against another edition
4.0
Liked it a lot. Not all the stories stuck the landing for me (many felt abbreviated and didn't resonate emotionally for me). Many of these women reminded me of myself at various points in my life. Overall reading this collection felt a lot like summer - sweaty, humid, languid, almost too sweet, simultaneously full of hope for adventure and ennui.
Stories that stood out to me: A Tennis Court, Girlheart Cake with Glitter Frosting, Pink Bubblegum and Flowers, Out of the Strong Something Sweet
Stories that stood out to me: A Tennis Court, Girlheart Cake with Glitter Frosting, Pink Bubblegum and Flowers, Out of the Strong Something Sweet