Genre: romance, young adult, anthologies, short stories, lgbt, contemporary
Published: January 4th 2022
Pages: 320
Publisher: Feiwel Friends
Synopsis
Love is in the air in this is a collection of stories inspired by romantic tropes and edited by #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer.
The secret admirer.
The fake relationship.
The matchmaker.
From stories of first love, unrequited love, love that surprises, love that’s been there all along, ten of the brightest and award-winning authors writing YA have taken on some of your favorite romantic tropes, embracing them and turning them on their heads. Readers will swoon for this collection of stories that celebrate love at its most humorous, inclusive, heart-expanding, and serendipitous.
Contributors include Elise Bryant, Elizabeth Eulberg, Leah Johnson, Anna-Marie McLemore, Marissa Meyer, Sandhya Menon, Julie Murphy, Caleb Roehrig, Sarah Winifred Searle, and Abigail Hing Wen. (source)
Thoughts
t’s been a while since I’ve read an anthology, so this was a really nice one to read; especially before Valentine’s Day.
The ten romantic tropes were: fake dating, stranded together, class warfare, best friend love epiphany, one bed, secret admirer, grand romantic gesture, trapped in a confined space, the makeover, and the matchmaker.
However, the audiobook only features nine stories because one of them (the secret admirer trope) was told in a graphic novel format. I’ve never seen a graphic novel in an anthology before, so it was quite refreshing to see.
I’ll share my rating and one sentence thoughts on each story:
Bye, Bye, Piper Berry by Julie Murphy— 3 stars
Thought this was cute, and I liked how it was told in dual POVs; but this didn’t stick with me by the end.
Anyone Else But You by Leah Johnson— 3.5 stars
Again, this was super cute, but this didn’t make me swoon as much as I wanted it to.
The Idiom Algorithm by Abigail Hing Wen—2 stars
This just straight up confused me; though I’m happy the main character ended up with someone else.
Auld Acquaintance by Caleb Roehrig— 5 stars
Hands down my favourite story in this whole anthology; I was swooning the whole time.
Shooting Stars by Marissa Meyer—4.5 stars
Close second fave; really loved this and this was super sweet.
Keagen’s Heaven on Earth by Sarah Winifred Searle—2 stars
My only physical read. But I don’t think a graphic novel is the right format for a short story; it all felt rushed and there was no proper development.
Zora in the Spotlight by Elise Bryant—2 stars
Super annoyed with fact the protagonist kept talking about how invisible and insecure she was; also couldn’t stand Astrid’s character.
In a Blink of The Eye by Elizabeth Eulberg—3 stars
It was nice to read something by this author again, but this was too cheesy and corny for my liking.
Liberty by Anna-Marie McLemore—2 stars
This was just okay for me, there was nothing truly outstanding about this one.
The Surprise Match by Sandhya Menon—3 stars
Super cute, but wasn’t the most memorable.
I loved how diverse the stories were and the romances were very sweet. This is the perfect short story collection to read during this time of year.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ALC and e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
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