A review by pragreads
Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins

4.0

Love was a tiny firefly in the distance, blinking on right when I needed it to.

Don't get me wrong, it sounds fucking delightful. And some of the stories are delightful (evidence: Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail by the queen herself. And Inertia by Veronica Roth. Beautiful.)

But then there's crap like Last Stand at the Cinegore: a horror romance that had me barfing. My head hurt reading it, it was terrible.

This is my problem with anthologies: there are stories that are perfect, and then there are those... that aren't.

It's as real as you want, as fake as you hope.

Here's a list of stories you should skip. Because if these weren't there, it's a solid 5 stars for me.

#3 Last Stand at the Cinegore by Libba Bray
#4 Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block
#10 Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare (I know, I know. But it's honestly terrible. Just trust me on this one.)
#12 The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman

(except for #12, which I'll admit I just skimmed tthrough, these were one star bad. bang head against the wall bad.)

Anyway.

It's hard to review an anthology because so many different stories, but can I just say these were everything I asked for. And then some more.

Cuteness overload.
Pools of fluff.
Heartbreak.
Giddy anticipation.
Butterflies in your stomach.

This has it all.

My heart was like a speeding train. That thing inside me- that pulsing organ that said I was alive, I was all right, I was carving a better shape out of my own life- was the sound track of our first kiss, and it was much better than any music, no matter how good the band might be.