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bibliokyra's review against another edition
5.0
SO WE CAN GLOW is a fun, refreshing short story collection that I breezed through. Each story pulls you under its spell and you become emotionally invested in these women. These stories are a celebration of womanhood and female desire. Cross is a skilled, passionate storyteller and it shows in her work. SO WE CAN GLOW sparkles and shines and I cannot think of a more fitting book for Women’s History Month.
Thank you, Grand Central Pub, for gifting me this short story collection!
Thank you, Grand Central Pub, for gifting me this short story collection!
dg_reads's review against another edition
5.0
I received a complimentary copy of SO WE CAN GLOW by Leesa Cross-Smith for an honest review. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing!
SO WE CAN GLOW is a book of short stories that I first heard about on the Reading Women Podcast’s most anticipated reads episode. I was in the process of looking for my next short story collection, so I immediately requested a copy from the publisher.
This is a collection of short stories, varying in length from a couple sentences to several pages, but all really take the “short” in short stories to heart. These are all stories which center on women, whether it be young girls to older women. They are going through various phases of life with complicated relationships from young crushes to good and bad marriages to divorce. The settings vary a lot too, from midwest to California, though all are primarily contemporary. The most unique settings, like a produce aisle or a stuck elevator, can lead to a great story!
I really loved this collection of stories. This was my first read of Leesa Cross-Smith’s writing and I am blown away by how much emotion and information she can convey even in the shortest of stories. Her descriptive language is wonderful as well! As I think is the case with any short story collection, some stories resonated with me more than others, but I really loved the entire collection!
While these are all stories that stand alone, there also are connections between several stories where familiar characters make another appearance. I loved this and it also says a lot about the strength of the writing that I remembered the characters from earlier stories so well even as I did spread out my reading of this one over the month as is my norm for story collections.
I definitely recommend this one to the short story fans fans! SO WE CAN GLOW is out on March 10, 2020!
SO WE CAN GLOW is a book of short stories that I first heard about on the Reading Women Podcast’s most anticipated reads episode. I was in the process of looking for my next short story collection, so I immediately requested a copy from the publisher.
This is a collection of short stories, varying in length from a couple sentences to several pages, but all really take the “short” in short stories to heart. These are all stories which center on women, whether it be young girls to older women. They are going through various phases of life with complicated relationships from young crushes to good and bad marriages to divorce. The settings vary a lot too, from midwest to California, though all are primarily contemporary. The most unique settings, like a produce aisle or a stuck elevator, can lead to a great story!
I really loved this collection of stories. This was my first read of Leesa Cross-Smith’s writing and I am blown away by how much emotion and information she can convey even in the shortest of stories. Her descriptive language is wonderful as well! As I think is the case with any short story collection, some stories resonated with me more than others, but I really loved the entire collection!
While these are all stories that stand alone, there also are connections between several stories where familiar characters make another appearance. I loved this and it also says a lot about the strength of the writing that I remembered the characters from earlier stories so well even as I did spread out my reading of this one over the month as is my norm for story collections.
I definitely recommend this one to the short story fans fans! SO WE CAN GLOW is out on March 10, 2020!
bookalong's review against another edition
4.0
"How she sat at the kitchen table, born again, drowning in sunlight. Her husband was a good man and she loved him, but he didn't know how to be special, how to glow. She said it was pretty simple and she'd teach him. There was no big secret. You just had to let things in your heart get real dark first."
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Thoughts~
This is a smart, fun and enjoyable collection of 42 short stories. Some longer, other are quite short, but all affecting. They are all about women and focus on love, youth, heartache, sisterhood, heartbreak, desire, motherhood, wives, female friendships, and strength. Cross-Smith is a talented writer and I was so impressed with her story telling abilities. She had me nostalgic for my 90's youth, the comfort of teenage friendships, tv shows, hot summers and Winona Ryder movies. I will definitely be checking out her other books. Recommend checking this one out!
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Thank You to the publisher for sending me this book opinions are my own.
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For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
•
Thoughts~
This is a smart, fun and enjoyable collection of 42 short stories. Some longer, other are quite short, but all affecting. They are all about women and focus on love, youth, heartache, sisterhood, heartbreak, desire, motherhood, wives, female friendships, and strength. Cross-Smith is a talented writer and I was so impressed with her story telling abilities. She had me nostalgic for my 90's youth, the comfort of teenage friendships, tv shows, hot summers and Winona Ryder movies. I will definitely be checking out her other books. Recommend checking this one out!
•
Thank You to the publisher for sending me this book opinions are my own.
•
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
sarahsbookstack's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know how best to review short stories. I enjoyed this read. Some of them are so short, I don't exactly know what I was supposed to get out of it. But as you get in further, you get to see some of the stories connect and come from a different perspective. Or even the same person relaying the story in a different way.
All are from the viewpoint of women and show their inner most thoughts and feelings that aren't always expressed.
All are from the viewpoint of women and show their inner most thoughts and feelings that aren't always expressed.
clareads_'s review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this!! This was a gorgeous, lush anthology with tons of short stories focused on feminine lust, desire, and friendship. I really appreciated this as other anthologies often felt all over the place and never really felt right , but with this, as it was all written by the same author, it felt really cohesive and thematically strong - with reoccurring characters and plot points throughout.
the writing was so so vivid and beautiful it felt like it had transcended across the pages, and the ATMOSPHERE. I really felt the lush arizona heat, the sticky cherry lip gloss, the thirsty lust...... I also appreciated the author's variation in medium with plays, playlists, text messages, and short & sweet prose - it really mixed things up a bit and really tied the entire anthology up so nicely.
however I WILL say that I am 100% not the target demographic for this, and a lot of the adultery and middle age nostalgia centered in America's deep south is.... too niche + not my cup of tea. It holds a lot more adult themes and cheating than I would really prefer, so maybe I'll like it more in 20 years LMAO. some stories were also just a BIT too short, just a tad too uninteresting, and just not relatable imo, but obviously this is all down to personal preference - and I really did love the VIBE it exuded and the overarching message of the novel to just embrace and bask in one's femininity, and does so by exploring all of its beauty and sins with nothing left behind.
favs: some are dark, some are light, summer melts + pink bubblegum and flowers
the writing was so so vivid and beautiful it felt like it had transcended across the pages, and the ATMOSPHERE. I really felt the lush arizona heat, the sticky cherry lip gloss, the thirsty lust...... I also appreciated the author's variation in medium with plays, playlists, text messages, and short & sweet prose - it really mixed things up a bit and really tied the entire anthology up so nicely.
however I WILL say that I am 100% not the target demographic for this, and a lot of the adultery and middle age nostalgia centered in America's deep south is.... too niche + not my cup of tea. It holds a lot more adult themes and cheating than I would really prefer, so maybe I'll like it more in 20 years LMAO. some stories were also just a BIT too short, just a tad too uninteresting, and just not relatable imo, but obviously this is all down to personal preference - and I really did love the VIBE it exuded and the overarching message of the novel to just embrace and bask in one's femininity, and does so by exploring all of its beauty and sins with nothing left behind.
favs: some are dark, some are light, summer melts + pink bubblegum and flowers
mswocreader's review against another edition
1.0
Anthologies can be such hits or misses with each story greatly varying. This one was a huge miss for me. I thought having one author would make it more cohesive but for the most part it was a mess. I actually skimmed a few of the stories because they were so drab. Some stories were like bad poems while some were fully fleshed out. I went into this anthology with the wrong expectations. I expected a good anthology filled with enjoyable stories about black women embracing their desires and passion. Instead it felt very white and even the stories that weren't about teens had school girl crush type longing. And some of these stories felt like prompts. The beginning was there but the middle and end was missing or just lacked. I couldn't connect to most of the stories.
msmoodyreader's review against another edition
emotional
slow-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? Yes
4.5
thespinystacks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
4.5
This is a beautiful and special collection of short stories, described as lush and glittery.✨✨
Leesa Cross-Smith's sensuous stories -- some long, some gone in a flash, some told over text and emails -- drench readers in nostalgia for summer nights and sultry days. They recall the intense friendships of teenage girls and the innate bonds between mothers, the first heady rush of desire, and the pure exhilaration of womanhood, all while holding up the wild souls of women so they can catch the light.
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My favourites were :
We, Moons
Winona Forever
Some are Dark, Some are Light, Summer Melts
Two Cherries under a Lavender Moon
….. and there were more.
This was beautiful, special, and just unforgettable.
Leesa Cross-Smith's sensuous stories -- some long, some gone in a flash, some told over text and emails -- drench readers in nostalgia for summer nights and sultry days. They recall the intense friendships of teenage girls and the innate bonds between mothers, the first heady rush of desire, and the pure exhilaration of womanhood, all while holding up the wild souls of women so they can catch the light.
——————————————————————
My favourites were :
We, Moons
Winona Forever
Some are Dark, Some are Light, Summer Melts
Two Cherries under a Lavender Moon
….. and there were more.
This was beautiful, special, and just unforgettable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Cursing, Grief, and Infertility
hkburke2's review against another edition
5.0
These stories felt very familiar and utterly new. Women women women.