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A review by brookeisbusyreading
Short Stuff by Kate Fierro, Alysia Constantine, Jude Sierra, Julia Ember, Jen Sternick, Tom Wilinsky
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
I haven’t read an anthology before, much less an LGBTQ+-centered one so I was excited!
- I Ate the Whole World to Find You
The title was so intriguing! I wasn’t expecting it to involve baking - or swimming - and I thought it was an odd combination at first. BUT it makes sense and fits so well! Basil and Will have an interesting dynamic and I love how the authors fit a slow-burn romance into a short story like this. It wasn’t heavy on the swimming or baking terms, which I do appreciate because I think it would’ve been a little chaotic since this is just a short story. It was nicely paced and the characters were well-developed too!
- The August Sands
Oh, my heart! I should have known how this story would end once it started but damn, the author just sucked me into Tommy and Chase’s adorable freaking relationship! Honestly though, ‘I relate to Tommy’ is a severely underrated statement for me. I WAS Tommy, down to the distance from home. Reading this story was like flashing back to two versions of myself when I moved away for college - the depressed introvert I was and the social nerdy butterfly with friends I hoped I would be… All that minus the romance (which I adore!). I’m conflicted about why I’m okay with the ending because I wanted it to keep going and a big happily ever after as they somehow made it to the same college or something like those teen movies.
- Love in the Time of Coffee
I’m a coffee fanatic (but maybe a specific one?). Starbucks frappucinos are my go-to but I fix coffee at home too. Never once have I considered a story like this - told from coffee fanatics with a love story woven in. The concept is delicious, pun intended! (Really though, each coffee described sounded SO GOOD!) Anya and Gemma’s relationship is the perfect balance of friendship and romance…but a tricky romance. The sexuality exploration in this story is one I feel deeply. I saw myself in so many parts of it for where I am now. This is also the kind of story I think I’d be okay with regardless of the ending. The journey for Gemma in particular was worth every page.
- Gilded Scales
This was a wonderful, fresh take on the ‘save the damsel in distress from the dragon’ trope I grew up on! It’s also been a while since I read a proper fantasy story. But a queer fantasy story? My first! I love how descriptive this story is, each of the characters is developed how they should be, and what’s in between the lines leaves room for that sweet spot of imagination I love. Bryne and Fenn’s relationship is full of fascination and, despite not knowing a lot about each of their individual interests or things they have in common, I don’t feel like I’m missing anything or that the relationship is forced in any way.
Overall, I’d say my favorite story in this book is probably The August Sands with my second favorite being Love in the Time of Coffee - both for my level of relatability with them and the characters. Tommy and Chase won me over, as well as that ending!
But as for Short Stuff itself, I LOVED IT! I really want more stories like this - similar anthologies or by these authors! The very real themes and obstacles the characters face is perfectly balanced with the fiction side of things so props to everyone involved for creating a book I happily stumbled across that made me FEEL things!
- I Ate the Whole World to Find You
The title was so intriguing! I wasn’t expecting it to involve baking - or swimming - and I thought it was an odd combination at first. BUT it makes sense and fits so well! Basil and Will have an interesting dynamic and I love how the authors fit a slow-burn romance into a short story like this. It wasn’t heavy on the swimming or baking terms, which I do appreciate because I think it would’ve been a little chaotic since this is just a short story. It was nicely paced and the characters were well-developed too!
- The August Sands
Oh, my heart! I should have known how this story would end once it started but damn, the author just sucked me into Tommy and Chase’s adorable freaking relationship! Honestly though, ‘I relate to Tommy’ is a severely underrated statement for me. I WAS Tommy, down to the distance from home. Reading this story was like flashing back to two versions of myself when I moved away for college - the depressed introvert I was and the social nerdy butterfly with friends I hoped I would be… All that minus the romance (which I adore!). I’m conflicted about why I’m okay with the ending because I wanted it to keep going and a big happily ever after as they somehow made it to the same college or something like those teen movies.
- Love in the Time of Coffee
I’m a coffee fanatic (but maybe a specific one?). Starbucks frappucinos are my go-to but I fix coffee at home too. Never once have I considered a story like this - told from coffee fanatics with a love story woven in. The concept is delicious, pun intended! (Really though, each coffee described sounded SO GOOD!) Anya and Gemma’s relationship is the perfect balance of friendship and romance…but a tricky romance. The sexuality exploration in this story is one I feel deeply. I saw myself in so many parts of it for where I am now. This is also the kind of story I think I’d be okay with regardless of the ending. The journey for Gemma in particular was worth every page.
- Gilded Scales
This was a wonderful, fresh take on the ‘save the damsel in distress from the dragon’ trope I grew up on! It’s also been a while since I read a proper fantasy story. But a queer fantasy story? My first! I love how descriptive this story is, each of the characters is developed how they should be, and what’s in between the lines leaves room for that sweet spot of imagination I love. Bryne and Fenn’s relationship is full of fascination and, despite not knowing a lot about each of their individual interests or things they have in common, I don’t feel like I’m missing anything or that the relationship is forced in any way.
Overall, I’d say my favorite story in this book is probably The August Sands with my second favorite being Love in the Time of Coffee - both for my level of relatability with them and the characters. Tommy and Chase won me over, as well as that ending!
But as for Short Stuff itself, I LOVED IT! I really want more stories like this - similar anthologies or by these authors! The very real themes and obstacles the characters face is perfectly balanced with the fiction side of things so props to everyone involved for creating a book I happily stumbled across that made me FEEL things!