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jalisssss's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
2.0
oliviaz620's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.25
ofwavesandpages's review against another edition
3.0
This was a wonderful collection, and I really enjoyed reading about these characters and their stories. I was pleasantly surprised by the overall writing styles, but also slightly disappointed with the length of some stories (I definitely wanted more!!). I don’t really have a strong preference of some stories over others, but the ones I really enjoyed were “Giving Up The Ghost”, “The Coward’s Guide to Falling in Love” and “Something Gay and Magical”.
sadgurlbribri's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This a collection of short stories about mixed race or lgbt couples. There are 16 stories from fairly well known YA authors. Like any anthology there are hits and misses . I thought I would love this book because I love romance and I love short stories. Unfortunately this really didn’t hit the spot I would say about 7/16 are worth reading .my personal favorites were “Turn the Sky to Petals”, “Starlight and Moondust”, “The Agony of a Hearts Wish”, “Gilman Street” and “Yuna’s Wall.”
jojopotato's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the majority of these stories and reading from new authors! I just bought an L.L. McKinney book and cannot wait to start reading. I look forward to reading more books like this and discovering new favorite authors.
jessmcall's review against another edition
2.0
First of all I LOVED the diversity in this. However, that was not enough. I really need to stop reading anthologies. They just always end up disappointing me. Maybe two stories are really great and then the rest are either okay or bad. This was about the same. There were a couple stories I liked but overall this was just meh.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review .
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review .
iambriam's review against another edition
I have never read an anthology of fiction or short stories before, but I found it enjoyable and loved all the different worlds people built and characters they managed to weave in such short plots! I think this book is exactly what it set out to be: an interesting book full of wildly different stories for young readers, pushing back at the fantasy and contemporary genres for being too white, too cis, and too heterosexual. While I didn't like every story in the book, I recognize they weren't all for me, as I'm a bit above the target audience. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed "Death and the Maiden" by Tara Sim, "Faithfull" by Karuna Riazi, and "Gilman Street" by Michelle Ruiz Keil. I'll definitely be looking up more of their work!
beinggirly5945's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
itskitasai's review against another edition
4.0
Overall rating :
Turn the Sky to Petals by Anna-Marie McLemore - 3/5 Although the writing was very beautiful, it's not a style I tend to love. I did love the imagery throughout, but the POV was the problem here.
Prom by Danielle Paige - 3.5/5 Short and Sweet, I wish it had been a little longer however. Similar writing style to the one above, but it conveyed the message perfectly.
What We Love by Lauren Gibaldi - 3.5/5 Loved the nerdyness of this, the story was a solid read for me
Giving Up the Ghost by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas - 4/5 I actually really enjoyed this, it gave me some similar vibes to The Archived which I read recently (although definitely not the same). I think that the ghost of the MC could have been better written, but I would love an entire series about this premise.
Your Life Matters by L.L. McKinney - 4/5 f/f BLM romance about a heroine and her sidekick. I just wanted more though. Also I felt like it was better written than the authors novel I read which is nice.
Starlight and Moondust by Lori M. Lee - 3.5/5 I don’t think I’m overly in love with Lee’s writing style, but this was a mildly interesting concept that I enjoyed.
Five Times Shiva Met Harry by Sangu Mandanna - 4.5/5 I really loved this one, but I was left wanting more! The concept was fun and I loved the way it was written
The Agony of a Heart's Wish by Samira Ahmed - 4.5/5 I really enjoyed this one too, I liked how it focused more on the impact their meeting had on their lives.
The Coward's Guide to Falling in Love by Caroline Tung Richmond - 3/5 Probably the most forgettable out of all of these and my least favourite
Death and the Maiden by Tara Sim - 4.5/5 Really loved this fresh retelling / mythology based short story.
Faithfull by Karunma Riazi - 4/5 I wish the characters backstories had been expanded on a bit more as I liked the concept but the execution let it down a little hence the 4/5.
Gilman Street by Michelle Ruiz Keil - 5/5 Definitely my favourite from this collection, I enjoyed the vibe of it the most. Also I felt like I could relate to the MC quite a bit.
"The Boy Is" by Elsie Chapman - 5/5 I also really enjoyed this one and the comments on authenticity.
Sandwiched in Between by Eric Smith - 3/5 It wasn’t anything special to me, quite forgettable as well.
Yuna and the Wall by Lydia Kang - 3.5/5 This was just alright, interesting concept and would have been better as the final story as I liked the way it progressed.
Something Gay and Magical by Adam Silvera - 4/5 I loved how short and sweet this was, although it had a few moments of cringe. I think it didn’t do well as the final story and I was left feeling like the anthology ended in a weird spot.
Overall rating is 3.9/5 so I have rounded up to 4/5. I wish there had been a bit more diversity in terms of ethnicities and body types - I know that sounds odd but it was the perfect time for a wide range of different couples and I felt like there were only a few. So while still being diverse, I think there were a few missed opportunities to make this a 5/5.
Turn the Sky to Petals by Anna-Marie McLemore - 3/5 Although the writing was very beautiful, it's not a style I tend to love. I did love the imagery throughout, but the POV was the problem here.
Prom by Danielle Paige - 3.5/5 Short and Sweet, I wish it had been a little longer however. Similar writing style to the one above, but it conveyed the message perfectly.
What We Love by Lauren Gibaldi - 3.5/5 Loved the nerdyness of this, the story was a solid read for me
Giving Up the Ghost by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas - 4/5 I actually really enjoyed this, it gave me some similar vibes to The Archived which I read recently (although definitely not the same). I think that the ghost of the MC could have been better written, but I would love an entire series about this premise.
Your Life Matters by L.L. McKinney - 4/5 f/f BLM romance about a heroine and her sidekick. I just wanted more though. Also I felt like it was better written than the authors novel I read which is nice.
Starlight and Moondust by Lori M. Lee - 3.5/5 I don’t think I’m overly in love with Lee’s writing style, but this was a mildly interesting concept that I enjoyed.
Five Times Shiva Met Harry by Sangu Mandanna - 4.5/5 I really loved this one, but I was left wanting more! The concept was fun and I loved the way it was written
The Agony of a Heart's Wish by Samira Ahmed - 4.5/5 I really enjoyed this one too, I liked how it focused more on the impact their meeting had on their lives.
The Coward's Guide to Falling in Love by Caroline Tung Richmond - 3/5 Probably the most forgettable out of all of these and my least favourite
Death and the Maiden by Tara Sim - 4.5/5 Really loved this fresh retelling / mythology based short story.
Faithfull by Karunma Riazi - 4/5 I wish the characters backstories had been expanded on a bit more as I liked the concept but the execution let it down a little hence the 4/5.
Gilman Street by Michelle Ruiz Keil - 5/5 Definitely my favourite from this collection, I enjoyed the vibe of it the most. Also I felt like I could relate to the MC quite a bit.
"The Boy Is" by Elsie Chapman - 5/5 I also really enjoyed this one and the comments on authenticity.
Sandwiched in Between by Eric Smith - 3/5 It wasn’t anything special to me, quite forgettable as well.
Yuna and the Wall by Lydia Kang - 3.5/5 This was just alright, interesting concept and would have been better as the final story as I liked the way it progressed.
Something Gay and Magical by Adam Silvera - 4/5 I loved how short and sweet this was, although it had a few moments of cringe. I think it didn’t do well as the final story and I was left feeling like the anthology ended in a weird spot.
Overall rating is 3.9/5 so I have rounded up to 4/5. I wish there had been a bit more diversity in terms of ethnicities and body types - I know that sounds odd but it was the perfect time for a wide range of different couples and I felt like there were only a few. So while still being diverse, I think there were a few missed opportunities to make this a 5/5.
dorkylittlehooman's review against another edition
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? No
2.5
the book was alright. many of the short stories were just ok, there were a few that stood out. (such as: starlight and moondust, the agony of a heart's wish, death and the maiden, faithfull, and gilman street). those are really good reads, and i def would recommend checking the book out at the library to read those 4 especially.