melbie 's review for:

Serendipity: Ten Romantic Tropes, Transformed by Marissa Meyer

3.0

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I was again sucked in by the advertising online and wanted this one because I love a good romantic trope, I like YA, I like Marissa Meyer and Julie Murphy and I was excited to read these transformations. Overall it was an enjoyable read, but I don't know that the tropes were "transformed" particularly successfully, if at all in some cases! It seemed like the transformation part was just about writing diverse characters rather than creatively interpreting the tropes themselves. For me, the most "transformative" story was "In a Blink of the Eye" by Elizabeth Eulberg, which actually did twist the trope in some ways, but then didn't follow it through - which I was somewhat disappointed by! My favourite story was Shooting Stars by Marissa Meyer because it was cute, funny, and I really liked the characters. I also enjoyed Zora in the Spotlight by Elise Bryant, which was I think the most humourous of the tales. In a Blink of the Eye by Elizabeth Euklberg was good, as mentioned, and Auld Acquaintance by Caleb Roehrig was quote adorable. The Surprise Match by Sandhya Menon was sweet, but again I'm not sure how the trope was transformed? Keagan's Heaven on Earth by Sarah Winifred Searle was unique in that it was a lovely graphic novella. I didn't mind Anyone Else But You by Leah Johnson because who hasn't fantasised abut being trapped in a store overnight?! Those ones I really enjoyed the most. I felt The Idiom Algorithm by Abigail Hing-Wen was overly complicated. I wasn't fussed on Bye-Bye Piper Berry by Julie Murphy, which disappointed me because Dumplin' is one of my all time favourite YA novels. My least favourite of all was Liberty by Anna-Marie McLemore, because I didn't like any of the characters and I thought there was a real sense of negativity present in the story. Overall, it was a quick, easy, relaxing read for rainy days.