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A review by steph01924
Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins
3.0
Mini reviews for mini stories:
Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail:
This is the first time I've read any of Leigh Bardugo where it's not in the Grisha universe, and I really enjoyed this. The writing was very pretty, though at times I could FEEL it trying to be pretty, but overall I liked the aesthetic and the little town setting, and I wouldn't have minded the end being a little longer.
The End of Love:
I've never read anything by Nina LaCour before but something about this feels very familiar, though which author, I couldn't say. This makes me want to go camping, before I realize that camping in Florida in the summer means I would alternately sweat to death and be eaten alive by mosquitoes.
Last Night at the Cinegore:
I liked the setting of the old horror movie theater, but I got super confused once If all of that was a little more clear I would've liked it more, because there's nothing more annoying than not understanding how part A and B fit together when you're reading, especially for such a short story.
Sick Pleasure:
I was not a fan of this one. I've never really enjoyed this type of staccato, sparse, simplistic writing. It annoys me. I didn't like the way everyone just had a letter instead of a full name. The story was kind of depressing and didn't feel like it went with the rest. Pass.
In Ninety Minutes, Turn North:
Loved that this was a continuation from the last book, so it felt longer with more history behind it than most. The location felt perfect, North was adorable and Marigold was awesome, and I basically thoroughly enjoyed myself reading it.
Souvenirs:
The main character's voice could be a little annoying at times, but I liked the message of this one, how a good love doesn't have to be forever love, and it felt perfect for an anthology; i.e., I would not have wanted to read a full story about these people but it was just enough to keep me interested for twenty or so pages. The characters really did feel like real teens.
Inertia:
This was fine. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. The concept was kind of interesting, but I don't know how I feel about the ending.
Love Is The Last Resort:
This reminded me of a mix of High School Musical 2, where they all randomly worked at a resort and Zac Efron would go singing and dancing across a golf course like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, along with Jane The Virgin, with the witty narrator commenting on everything. So, safe to say I liked it a lot. It was the perfect combo of cheesy and fizzy. While some reviews mentioned there were too many characters, I didn't feel confused at all. There wasn't enough time for any of them to be more than stereotypes, but since this was a short story that relied on humor and archetypes, it totally worked.
Good Luck and Farewell:
This was another one I would've happily read in a full-length version. The main character's resentment of her cousin's girlfriend--I've definitely felt that irrational jealousy before. The story managed to be touching enough to get me a little teary-eyed in such a short time, and all of the characters leapt off the pages.
Brand New Attraction:
I've never read anything from Cassandra Clare and this only reaffirms that I won't any time soon. It wasn't horrible, but there was a lack of nuance in the writing. Nothing made this short story stand out (in fact, when going to write this, I counted it twice as one I hadn't read yet until I clicked on the page and saw the little illustration). It was a fun and interesting premise that fell short for me due to the writing.
A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong:
I really liked this one, as it's not something we've seen very often,. I was a little sad when it ended.
A Map of Tiny Perfect Things:
I loved the concept of taking in those little "perfect" moments. This was definitely a story that grew on me the more I read, because at first the MC seemed a little too silly. It was a kind of sappy and if this were a longer book I'd have way more questions about how this "wish" got granted, but overall it was a solid addition to the rest.
Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail:
This is the first time I've read any of Leigh Bardugo where it's not in the Grisha universe, and I really enjoyed this. The writing was very pretty, though at times I could FEEL it trying to be pretty, but overall I liked the aesthetic and the little town setting, and I wouldn't have minded the end being a little longer.
The End of Love:
I've never read anything by Nina LaCour before but something about this feels very familiar, though which author, I couldn't say. This makes me want to go camping, before I realize that camping in Florida in the summer means I would alternately sweat to death and be eaten alive by mosquitoes.
Last Night at the Cinegore:
I liked the setting of the old horror movie theater, but I got super confused once
Spoiler
the movie started talking and the owner of the theater was the...devil who trapped them in the movie? The movie that was decades old and traveled around from place to place? Was the owner of the theater the one who eventually got his old theaters burned down and moved on to a new one, stealing souls along the way?Sick Pleasure:
I was not a fan of this one. I've never really enjoyed this type of staccato, sparse, simplistic writing. It annoys me. I didn't like the way everyone just had a letter instead of a full name. The story was kind of depressing and didn't feel like it went with the rest. Pass.
In Ninety Minutes, Turn North:
Loved that this was a continuation from the last book, so it felt longer with more history behind it than most. The location felt perfect, North was adorable and Marigold was awesome, and I basically thoroughly enjoyed myself reading it.
Souvenirs:
The main character's voice could be a little annoying at times, but I liked the message of this one, how a good love doesn't have to be forever love, and it felt perfect for an anthology; i.e., I would not have wanted to read a full story about these people but it was just enough to keep me interested for twenty or so pages. The characters really did feel like real teens.
Inertia:
This was fine. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. The concept was kind of interesting, but I don't know how I feel about the ending.
Spoiler
I thought Matt was going to be killed off, and even though I always prefer a happy ending, I was sort of okay with it, but then suddenly he was fine. So yeah, it was nice they got together, but unexpected. I suppose if he had died then it would've also been a bit more downer than I expected out of this anthology. So, basically, I'm torn.Love Is The Last Resort:
This reminded me of a mix of High School Musical 2, where they all randomly worked at a resort and Zac Efron would go singing and dancing across a golf course like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, along with Jane The Virgin, with the witty narrator commenting on everything. So, safe to say I liked it a lot. It was the perfect combo of cheesy and fizzy. While some reviews mentioned there were too many characters, I didn't feel confused at all. There wasn't enough time for any of them to be more than stereotypes, but since this was a short story that relied on humor and archetypes, it totally worked.
Good Luck and Farewell:
This was another one I would've happily read in a full-length version. The main character's resentment of her cousin's girlfriend--I've definitely felt that irrational jealousy before. The story managed to be touching enough to get me a little teary-eyed in such a short time, and all of the characters leapt off the pages.
Brand New Attraction:
I've never read anything from Cassandra Clare and this only reaffirms that I won't any time soon. It wasn't horrible, but there was a lack of nuance in the writing. Nothing made this short story stand out (in fact, when going to write this, I counted it twice as one I hadn't read yet until I clicked on the page and saw the little illustration). It was a fun and interesting premise that fell short for me due to the writing.
A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong:
I really liked this one, as it's not something we've seen very often,
Spoiler
romance with a person on the spectrumA Map of Tiny Perfect Things:
I loved the concept of taking in those little "perfect" moments. This was definitely a story that grew on me the more I read, because at first the MC seemed a little too silly. It was a kind of sappy and if this were a longer book I'd have way more questions about how this "wish" got granted, but overall it was a solid addition to the rest.