cassielaj's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Honestly, no notes. This is just one big lovely hug of a book and you should definitely read it. 

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sarahna's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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kaitlinlovesbooks's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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thebakerbookworm's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was such a cute collection of short stories about young love and discovering who you are—all set against a blackout in New York City.

For being short stories, they were all connected and worked well together; these characters are all unknowingly trying to get to the same block party, which made for a fitting finale. I loved how much we learn about each character even though we don't spend a ton of time with any of them—it was great writing! I loved that NYC felt like its own character; it's always fun when authors do that.

Overall, these were sweet stories celebrating young Black love that made my heart happy and hopeful. Definitely recommend if you enjoy YA romance or if you just need a lighthearted pick-me-up book.

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mandkips's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5


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onemorepagecrew's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Blackout is a collection of YA romantic short stories that simply felt good to read. The line up of authors is stellar and it was fun to see them in this format.

The stories all center on Black teen love during the New York City heatwave and blackout. They stand alone as stories and feel cohesive in the way the setting brings them together. It’s YA type romance and captures that young crush feeling balanced with teenagers settling into their own personal identities.

Several relationships are LGBTQ+ inclusive and everything has a charming quality to it. If you’re looking for a quick read that will make you feel good, this is a wonderful pick.
 
Content warnings (all minor): panic attacks, grief, death, bullying 

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amivireads's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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le3713's review

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I really enjoyed this beautiful set of interconnected love stories.

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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

An incredible concept. A beautiful read. Thank you to Dhonielle Clayton for bringing together Team Blackout Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon to write beautiful love stories. I couldn’t put it down & I didn’t want it to end. It was lovely to read love stories that normalize Black and queer relationships of all types. Love is love and this book shows that love can come to us in many forms, which is truly the beauty of it all. 

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arireadsitall's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book just filled my heart with so much YA happiness. It’s a story of black love, black loss, black joy, and it’s all centered around a blackout in New York on a hot summer day. The cast of characters written by these amazingly talented authors are unforgettable despite being featured in short stories. They’re the characters you root for as they search for themselves during this night en route to a summer block party. I loved the connection between stories and how they led to this one event!

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