Reviews

Up All Night: 13 Stories Between Sunset and Sunrise by Laura Silverman

melycp's review against another edition

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As someone that has never been a big fan of short stories, I actually really enjoyed this. I think this was because each story had a completely different set of characters and did not relate to each other so the flow was never disrupted.

The first story was definitely the strongest for me. The ending left me in complete and legitimate shock and I did not see the twist coming. The fact that most of the stories did not have an ending that you would have expected or could have predicted I found myself trying to guess what the twist at the end would be. Although not every single one had a shocking end, a lot of them still find their resolution in a way you would not have expected.

It was really easy to get lost in these stories. My biggest issue with short stories is that they are over just as I start becoming interested in what is going on. However, that was not the case here. Almost instantly you become invested in the characters, their backstories and the situation they currently find themselves in.

The cover was what first drew me into Up All Night. The colour combination is super eye-catching and beautiful. This perfectly encapsulates the mood and feelings of every story and its characters and showcases the time setting of the book in the most stunning way. The soft colours almost disguise the darker undertone that is ever-present during this book.

There was one story in particular that I struggled to connect with as it felt very hard to follow. There was a lot of repetition of certain sentences, which at first I thought was a print error. The structure of this story was not very obvious to me at first, however, looking back it now makes perfect sense to what it was about and the type of character that it was focused on.

Overall, Up All Night is a very strong collection of short stories. If you are the type of person that is not a huge fan of short stories then you should definitely still check this out. Every story has its resolution so for those of you that dislike the often non-endings of short stories, you won’t get that feeling here. Although do be prepared for endings you don’t expect or may not even like.

cgp1234's review against another edition

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3.0

A cute YA anthology full of stories that happen between sundown and sunup. I loved the premise of this collection, and a lot of the stories really captured the magical, vulnerable feeling of a late night when you're in high school. But a lot of the stories were also misses for me.

My favorites were:
-Never Have I Ever by Karen M. McManus
-Kiss the Boy by Amanda Joy
-When You Bring a Dog to Prom by Anna Meriano
-Under Our Masks by Julian Winters
-The Ghost of Goon Creek by Francesca Zappia

michelle_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

luccyanne's review against another edition

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5.0

Huge thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!
To anyone who isn't familiar with this book, it's a collection of 13 short stories from various YA authors. There isn't really much that connects the stories except for the fact that they are all set during the night and I absolutely loved that theme. This is a perfect book for all the night owls who like to stay up all night. And of course, I really recommend reading this at night.
I usually strongly dislike short story collections, because the quality varies hugely throughout the book (especially when it's written by multiple authors), but I am really happy to say that this book was an exception because I really enjoyed each and every one of the stories included.
To be honest, I requested this on Netgalley because I am a huge fan of Karen McManus and when I saw she contributed to this collection I knew I had to read it. And I am so glad I did because I discovered so many great authors and it has inspired me to read more of their work.
Like I said, all of the stories were great but I have to point out my favourites which were Karen McManus's story (obviously) and then Laura Silverman's and Julien Winters's.
I loved the genre and theme variety of the stories because it kept me entertained and I was always excited to read the next story. There were sweet and lighthearted stories but also hard-hitting and very important ones. I also very appreciated the inclusivity, because I have never read a story with non-binary characters before.
Overall this was a really pleasant read and I recommend this to everyone, especially to those like me, who want to give short story collections another shot.
And I want to thank Netgalley and Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with this ARC, it was a pleasure to read and review this amazing book.

andeez's review against another edition

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3.0

Thank you, NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for a review.

Up All Night has a story for everyone. For teens, it's a great way to escape into what other teens are doing when they don't go to sleep one night. And when I mean a story for everyone, I'm talking; robbery, meet cute, hero action, scary stories, and so much more.

I love recommending short story books for my middle school readers. If one story doesn't appeal, the next one might. These authors give kids exactly what they are looking for.

jilljemmett's review against another edition

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4.0

Up All Night is a collection of young adult short stories set from sunset to sunrise. The teens in these stories have a variety of experiences, including late night parties, prom night, and ghost hunting. The stories were a bunch of different genres, including romance, thriller, and horror.

All of these stories had diverse representation. Many of the main characters were people of colour. There were many stories about queer and non-binary characters. There was also a story with a main character in a wheelchair, so there was a perspective of a character with a disability.

A couple of my favourite ones were Never Have I Ever by Karen M. McManus and Shark Bait by Tiffany D Jackson. In Never Have I Ever, a group of kids play the drinking game and end up snooping at a haunted house in the neighbourhood. They discover something life changing in the house. In Shark Bait, a couple spend the night together on a beach in Martha’s Vineyard. They have to come to figure out what their futures will be after the summer ends. Both of these stories had shocking endings that gave me chills!

Up All Night is a great collection of short stories for young adult readers!

Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

arireadsitall's review against another edition

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4.0

This short story collection featuring some of my favorite young adult authors is out in the world today and worth the read.⁣

What I loved is each of the 13 stories felt fresh and like they could be their own book. The collection starts with a bang in the form of Never Have I Ever by Karen M McManus and all I want is the full edition of this story now! There’s romance, thrillers, and allll the drama aka something for everyone! ⁣

In true YA fashion, these stories feature friendship, heartbreak, first love, family expectations, and lots of hijinks. What they all have in the common are the strong protagonists within each. Have I convinced you yet?!⁣

shaffe71's review against another edition

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3.0

Never Have I Ever - 3

Like Before - 3

Old Rifts and Snowdrifts - 2.5

Con Nights, Parallel Hearts - 4

Kiss the Boy - 3.5

Creature Capture - 2

Shark Bait - 2

A Place to Start - 3

When You Bring a Dog to Prom - 2

Missing - 3

What About Your Friends - 2.5

Under Our Masks - 3

The Ghost of Goon Creek - 3

Overall rating works out to 2.81, rounded up to 3.

I've already forgotten most of these stories and the rest will surely go soon too.

readwithkat's review against another edition

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4.0

This collection of YA short stories was pure fun, and a wonderful reminder of why I love YA. The stories did what young adult books do best – capture what it’s like to be a teen, make difficult subjects accessible, and represent a wide range of identities. If you love YA, pick this up. If you aren’t sure but are curious about YA, this is a great place to start.

letstalkaboutbooksbaybee's review against another edition

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4.0

This was such a lovely little collection of YA short stories all set in the very early hours of the morning. I loved the diversity of both authors and characters as well as genres, from romcom to fantasy to even spooky ghost stories. I think there’s a story here for everyone.


Breakdown:

Never Have I Ever by Karen M McManus: 5⭐️
-hoooooooly shit that was amazing

Like Before by Maureen Goo: 4⭐️
-damn this is so realistic and sad

Old Rifts and Snowdrifts by Kayla Whaley: 3⭐️
-cute and fluffy

Con Nights, Parallel hearts by Marieke Nijkamp: 4⭐️
-this one was heavy but lovely, tw for child sexual abuse

Kiss The Boy by Amanda Joy: 3⭐️
-cute and sweet and innocent

Creature Capture by Laura Silverman: 4⭐️
-like Pokémon Go but with all the Natalia is of senior year

Shark Bait by Tiffany D Jackson: 4⭐️
-ummmm excuse me what was that ending!!!???

A Place To Start by Nina Lacour: 4⭐️
-this was so fun and sweet

When You Bring A Dog To Prom by Anna Meriano: 4⭐️
-this one made me miss high school and prom

Missing by Kathleen Glasgow: 3⭐️
-spoopy

What About Your Friends by Brandy Colbert: 3.5⭐️
-I kinda want a whole book on this one and not just a short story

Under Our Masks by Julian Winters: 5⭐️
-gay superheroes are my weakness

The Ghost of Goon Creak by Francesca Zappia 4⭐️
-I love ghost stories and I love friendship stories