booksandpops4000's review against another edition
5.0
See story ratings below:
Head Scales Tonge and tales: 3.5
The end of love: 4
The last stand at cinegore: 5
Sick Pleasure: 3
In nighty minutes turn north: 5
Souvenirs: 3.5
Inertia: 4 .5
Love is the last resort: 4.5
Good Luck and Farwell: 4
Brand New Attraction: 4
A thousand ways this could go a wrong: 5
The map of perfect Timings:
Such a prefect bunch of stories and a great summer read! I am demanding we get a fall and spring one:)
Head Scales Tonge and tales: 3.5
The end of love: 4
The last stand at cinegore: 5
Sick Pleasure: 3
In nighty minutes turn north: 5
Souvenirs: 3.5
Inertia: 4 .5
Love is the last resort: 4.5
Good Luck and Farwell: 4
Brand New Attraction: 4
A thousand ways this could go a wrong: 5
The map of perfect Timings:
Such a prefect bunch of stories and a great summer read! I am demanding we get a fall and spring one:)
cricket771's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the holiday counterpart however I did find a couple authors that I'm going to add to me "to read" list.
rockingreader's review against another edition
4.0
Wish I'd started this before/early summer versus late summer/fall. Nice collection of YA tales; some fantastical, some not, all pretty good.
thebooksareeverywhere's review against another edition
4.0
https://thebooksareeverywhere.com/2017/09/01/review-summer-days-and-summer-nights/
With this one being a collection of stories, I honestly don’t know how to review it. I think I’m just going to have to go one by one – because this book is so diverse!
Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail by Leigh Bardugo – 4 out of 5 stars
“The person she liked best didn’t like her enough to want more of her, and she didn’t want to pretend that wasn’t awful.”
I really enjoyed this start to the book, and it genuinly surprised me! Leigh Bardugo has a great way of interspersing romance and fantasy, and I honestly didn’t expect it to work as well as it did.
The End of Love by Nina Lacour – 5 out of 5 stars
“As much as people want to look on the bright side, skip straight to the future when everything will be okay, the truth is that there is this time, where you sometimes have trouble breathing, and you feel powerless.”
I would say that The End of Love was possibly my favourite of all the 12 stories. It had a great summery feel and the love was adorable. I totally related to the main characters love for school and I liked the way it included difficult topics such as her parents divorce. The camping off summer vibes perfectly.
Last Stand At the Cinegore by Libba Bray – 3 out of 5 stars
“I get it’ Dani said, suprising me. ‘When you watch one of these old movies in a place like this, you’re connected to everybody else who’s ever watched it. You can practically feel them around you.'”
I liked some parts of this story – especially the appreciation of film! – but it was just so weird. The whole thing is about this creepy horror movie that like, comes out of the screen and turns everybody to demons. And the whole demon attacking thing seems so damn unrealistic. What’s summery about that? That said, I liked the characters and the concept was very unique!
Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block – 2 out of 5 stars
“Love can be so sttange and sad. It can be hard to understand why we run toward certain people and away from others at different times in our lives. Why we search so hard for that thing we are looking for, and the run so fast when we find it”
Unfortunately I am giving this one such a low rating for two reasons.
The characters names are literally letters. Like M, L, J and A. Oh, and I. What could possibly be more confusing than naming the narrator I? It might seem like a small thing, but it annoyed me from the off.
I literally don’t remember anything happening in this story. Maybe nothing happened, maybe it was just really not memorable. Either is pretty bad.
In Ninety Minutes Turn North by Stephanie Perkins – 5 out of 5
“The person she liked best didn’t like her enough to want more of her, and she didn’t want to pretend that wasn’t awful.”
I have a feeling that Stephanie Perkins has this amazing secret ability where she can just put anyone under a spell that makes us fall in love with her writing. Because this story is just so goddamn cute, and I love it so much. The whole location gave it a unique feel, the speech was adorable and omg, even the title is so cute. Yes, it may not be the most summery story, but I don’t even care.
Souvenirs by Tim Federle – 2.5 out of 5 stars
“What is life, it comes to me, without the occasional risk of pizza?”
I didn’t dislike this story – I just had…issues with it. Keith for a start was not the best love interest, and I felt like he was quite inconsiderate of Matt’s feelings. However, I did like the setting being in a theme park and it gave off a summery vibe! The narrative was pretty unique as well – it reminded me of David Levithan actually.
Inertia by Veronica Roth – 2 out of 5 stars
“Some people might leave you,’ he said, for once ignoring a joke in favor of something real. ‘But it doesn’t mean you’re worth leaving. It doesn’t mean that at all.”
The first thing that stood out about this one is that the technology they use is so damn similar to that in Divergent. Like come on, I want something new. This story also had nothing to do with summer, but I guess the concept was pretty cool and I felt for the characters.
Love is the Last Resort by Jon Skovron – 4 out of 5 stars
“Because if we are all fools, then perhaps there is some wisdom in falling in love.”
I actually really liked this one – it shocked me quite a lot! The whole summer resort gave the right vibes and I loved the varying characters. I definitely thought Skovron pulled off having a number of characters in a short story, and even though it was pretty predictable and unrealistic, I enjoyed watching this story play out. It even made me laugh out loud at points!
Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert – 3 out of 5 stars
“I think maybe saying good-bye isn’t bad at all. Maybe it meabs I’m making room for someone new.”
I remember enjoying this one a lot at the time, but the reason I’m giving it such a low rating is because I really can’t remember it very well. And what I do remember, I don’t really think much actually happened. However, I did like the representation, LGBTQIA+ relationship and the fact this story tackled grief.
Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare – 2 out of 5 stars
“I snuggled into his arms as the last of the fireworks faded, and high above, Mephit flapped across the sky, his wings silhouetted against the moon.”
This story was just weird. I’m not one for demons or dark magic etc, so I honestly found it quite hard to grasp. I don’t think that’s just me though – going in depth about magic and demons might be a little too much for such a short story. I also didn’t get the summery vibes I was hoping for, and I actually had a problem with…incest. Like, I know the people aren’t actually family..but they are by marriage. I just found that a bit weird.
A Thousand Ways this Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smith – 5 out of 5 stars
“He was a mystery that—for reasons I didn’t quite understand—I felt desperate to solve.”
Oh my, here we go. This is exactly what I was looking for. For one, the love interest is goddamn sweet and has a love of kids. The main character works in a summer camp, giving off the perfect vibe for summer. Also, back to the love interest again – he is on the autism spectrum! And it doesn’t change the way she feels for him! Just yes, omg. This one was so good. Maybe my favourite?
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman – 5 out of 5 stars
“Probably falling in love is always a little like that: You discover that one other person who understands what no one else seems to, which is that the world is broken and can never, ever be fixed. You can stop pretending, at least for a little while. You can both admit it, if only to each other.”
Okay so I actually really liked this one and I actually thought the concept was pretty original compared to some of the other stories. It gave a different vibe, but I still found it pretty summery. Also, the love interests were both interesting and had good character depth. The plot was interesting, and left some intruige for the reader.
So overall, I did enjoy this book. There were plenty of stories I didn’t like, but the ones I did really brought my rating back up and made me love this novel a lot!
★★★★
-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽
With this one being a collection of stories, I honestly don’t know how to review it. I think I’m just going to have to go one by one – because this book is so diverse!
Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail by Leigh Bardugo – 4 out of 5 stars
“The person she liked best didn’t like her enough to want more of her, and she didn’t want to pretend that wasn’t awful.”
I really enjoyed this start to the book, and it genuinly surprised me! Leigh Bardugo has a great way of interspersing romance and fantasy, and I honestly didn’t expect it to work as well as it did.
The End of Love by Nina Lacour – 5 out of 5 stars
“As much as people want to look on the bright side, skip straight to the future when everything will be okay, the truth is that there is this time, where you sometimes have trouble breathing, and you feel powerless.”
I would say that The End of Love was possibly my favourite of all the 12 stories. It had a great summery feel and the love was adorable. I totally related to the main characters love for school and I liked the way it included difficult topics such as her parents divorce. The camping off summer vibes perfectly.
Last Stand At the Cinegore by Libba Bray – 3 out of 5 stars
“I get it’ Dani said, suprising me. ‘When you watch one of these old movies in a place like this, you’re connected to everybody else who’s ever watched it. You can practically feel them around you.'”
I liked some parts of this story – especially the appreciation of film! – but it was just so weird. The whole thing is about this creepy horror movie that like, comes out of the screen and turns everybody to demons. And the whole demon attacking thing seems so damn unrealistic. What’s summery about that? That said, I liked the characters and the concept was very unique!
Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block – 2 out of 5 stars
“Love can be so sttange and sad. It can be hard to understand why we run toward certain people and away from others at different times in our lives. Why we search so hard for that thing we are looking for, and the run so fast when we find it”
Unfortunately I am giving this one such a low rating for two reasons.
The characters names are literally letters. Like M, L, J and A. Oh, and I. What could possibly be more confusing than naming the narrator I? It might seem like a small thing, but it annoyed me from the off.
I literally don’t remember anything happening in this story. Maybe nothing happened, maybe it was just really not memorable. Either is pretty bad.
In Ninety Minutes Turn North by Stephanie Perkins – 5 out of 5
“The person she liked best didn’t like her enough to want more of her, and she didn’t want to pretend that wasn’t awful.”
I have a feeling that Stephanie Perkins has this amazing secret ability where she can just put anyone under a spell that makes us fall in love with her writing. Because this story is just so goddamn cute, and I love it so much. The whole location gave it a unique feel, the speech was adorable and omg, even the title is so cute. Yes, it may not be the most summery story, but I don’t even care.
Souvenirs by Tim Federle – 2.5 out of 5 stars
“What is life, it comes to me, without the occasional risk of pizza?”
I didn’t dislike this story – I just had…issues with it. Keith for a start was not the best love interest, and I felt like he was quite inconsiderate of Matt’s feelings. However, I did like the setting being in a theme park and it gave off a summery vibe! The narrative was pretty unique as well – it reminded me of David Levithan actually.
Inertia by Veronica Roth – 2 out of 5 stars
“Some people might leave you,’ he said, for once ignoring a joke in favor of something real. ‘But it doesn’t mean you’re worth leaving. It doesn’t mean that at all.”
The first thing that stood out about this one is that the technology they use is so damn similar to that in Divergent. Like come on, I want something new. This story also had nothing to do with summer, but I guess the concept was pretty cool and I felt for the characters.
Love is the Last Resort by Jon Skovron – 4 out of 5 stars
“Because if we are all fools, then perhaps there is some wisdom in falling in love.”
I actually really liked this one – it shocked me quite a lot! The whole summer resort gave the right vibes and I loved the varying characters. I definitely thought Skovron pulled off having a number of characters in a short story, and even though it was pretty predictable and unrealistic, I enjoyed watching this story play out. It even made me laugh out loud at points!
Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert – 3 out of 5 stars
“I think maybe saying good-bye isn’t bad at all. Maybe it meabs I’m making room for someone new.”
I remember enjoying this one a lot at the time, but the reason I’m giving it such a low rating is because I really can’t remember it very well. And what I do remember, I don’t really think much actually happened. However, I did like the representation, LGBTQIA+ relationship and the fact this story tackled grief.
Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare – 2 out of 5 stars
“I snuggled into his arms as the last of the fireworks faded, and high above, Mephit flapped across the sky, his wings silhouetted against the moon.”
This story was just weird. I’m not one for demons or dark magic etc, so I honestly found it quite hard to grasp. I don’t think that’s just me though – going in depth about magic and demons might be a little too much for such a short story. I also didn’t get the summery vibes I was hoping for, and I actually had a problem with…incest. Like, I know the people aren’t actually family..but they are by marriage. I just found that a bit weird.
A Thousand Ways this Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smith – 5 out of 5 stars
“He was a mystery that—for reasons I didn’t quite understand—I felt desperate to solve.”
Oh my, here we go. This is exactly what I was looking for. For one, the love interest is goddamn sweet and has a love of kids. The main character works in a summer camp, giving off the perfect vibe for summer. Also, back to the love interest again – he is on the autism spectrum! And it doesn’t change the way she feels for him! Just yes, omg. This one was so good. Maybe my favourite?
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman – 5 out of 5 stars
“Probably falling in love is always a little like that: You discover that one other person who understands what no one else seems to, which is that the world is broken and can never, ever be fixed. You can stop pretending, at least for a little while. You can both admit it, if only to each other.”
Okay so I actually really liked this one and I actually thought the concept was pretty original compared to some of the other stories. It gave a different vibe, but I still found it pretty summery. Also, the love interests were both interesting and had good character depth. The plot was interesting, and left some intruige for the reader.
So overall, I did enjoy this book. There were plenty of stories I didn’t like, but the ones I did really brought my rating back up and made me love this novel a lot!
★★★★
-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽
mouwuol's review against another edition
2.0
didn't enjoy most of the stories.
Cassandra clares was predictable (out of all people her MC could've chosen.. she chose her step cousin?! well its Cassie Clare, that stuffs expected)
this book reminded me to pick up more Jennifer E Smith books so im looking forward to reading more from her :)
Cassandra clares was predictable (out of all people her MC could've chosen.. she chose her step cousin?! well its Cassie Clare, that stuffs expected)
this book reminded me to pick up more Jennifer E Smith books so im looking forward to reading more from her :)
bookish_spoonie's review against another edition
3.0
3 Stars
A decent collection of short stories. My favourite was by far the story by Veronica Roth, she has such.great imagination and I was emotionally invested from the start. There were quite a few I wasn't hugely interested in but overall it was a good book.
A decent collection of short stories. My favourite was by far the story by Veronica Roth, she has such.great imagination and I was emotionally invested from the start. There were quite a few I wasn't hugely interested in but overall it was a good book.
tulipswift's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t remember much of the first half but the best ones in here are probably brandy Colbert, Cassandra Clare (wasn’t expecting a lot but actually the best story in the book! Tell me why he has to be her uncle’s stepson!?!?
bellatora's review against another edition
4.0
This collection was overall not as strong as [b:My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories|20309175|My True Love Gave to Me Twelve Holiday Stories|Stephanie Perkins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1459353572s/20309175.jpg|28143699]. I felt like fewer of these stories caught my attention than the first volume. It's probably not a surprise that the first collection had a higher percentage of authors I love. In this series (and I do hope it's a series! I would love fall and spring versions), my enjoyment of the stories strongly correlates to how much I've liked the authors' other works. Although at first it surprised me that Cassandra Clare and Levi Grossman had two of my favorite short stories, once I thought about it I realized it wasn't really a surprise. I may have strong negative feelings about Clare's Mortal Instrument series, but I still re-read her Draco Trilogy. And while Lev Grossman's Quentin Coldwater is the #1 Most Slappable Protagonist, his Magicians trilogy held a strange charisma for me. The one standout new-to-me author was Nina LaCour. Her [b:Everything Leads to You|18667779|Everything Leads to You|Nina LaCour|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389744233s/18667779.jpg|25626888] was already on my to-read list, but now I have much higher expectations.
Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail (Leigh Bardugo) [B+] - The story of a girl who thinks she sees the local legendary water monster. Looking for answers, she is directed by the local mystery woman/witch to talk to a summer kid about it. This summer kid is a teenage boy who is obsessed with cryptozoology and loves to eat strawberry-dipped ice cream at the local DQ. Boy and girl hang out all summer, and then boy goes away at the end of the next summer. Girl is not overly suspicious about the fact that the boy is UNCONTACTABLE during the school year (he says he comes from a sheltered family, is home-schooled, and his parents don’t let him have a cellphone/TV/etc. Except he clearly knows how to use the library so he probably could have an e-mail account). The start and the end were a little too strange for me, but it was fairly cute and it felt appropriately summery.
The End of Love (Nina LaCour) [B+/A-] - A girl's mom and dad are divorcing (amicably, after years of fighting), and she is upset that her parents are giving away/selling her entire childhood. The girl she has a crush on and the girl's friends are in her same summer school class. A very cute romance and some fun friend bonding ensue. It felt like the beginning of a full book - there was still more story to tell! I especially wanted to know the fallout of her finally telling her mom that her mom was being entirely selfish. There had been so much buildup and tension caused by the girl's resentment of her parents, and I felt like I never got the catharsis of the resolution.
Last Stand at the Cinegore (Libba Bray) [B-] - I am not sure that campy, comedic horror really works in a book setting. I don't know why I can completely get behind in a TV show (yes, I actually enjoyed Scream Queens), but when written out, it just leaves me with a bad taste. I mean, a whole movie theater of innocent people get turned into demons and die gory deaths just to set up a teen romance? Those poor people! This story was supposed to be funny (I think), but it just made me sad that innocents were slaughtered for no purpose (and I don't care that the only audience members who were given speaking lines were Jerk Bully and Snooty Hipster. I'm sure there were good people there too).
Sick Pleasure (Fracesca Lia Block) [F] - My very, very least favorite. I feel like most of the authors were on board with the idea that these are romantic YA stories. This one was...not romantic. In fact, the ending was deflatingly realistic. I also spent most of my time wondering why all the characters are only known by their initials. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for it, and all it did was confuse and annoy me. I also spent far too long wondering if this story was in the first or third person, because the narrator/main character is known as "I." Do you see how that could be confusing? What is the purpose? There are 26 other letters in the alphabet! Why choose the one letter that could cause such confusion?? Spoiler: It's in the first person.
In Ninety Minutes Turn North (Stephanie Perkins) [A-]- A sequel to My True Love's "It's a Christmas Miracle, Charlie Brown." Since the first story, Marigold and North broke up (!). Marigold shows up at North's new job, determined to win him back. While I loved the first story more, I was excited to see Marigold and North return. I would read many more stories about these two crazy kids.
Souvenirs (Tim Federle) [B-] - This is the story of Matt and Kieth’s “break-up” day. That is Kieth with an "ie", which basically says everything you need to know about Kieth. He is a showboating egoist, and I could not see any downside to Matt and him ending things. I know he's cute, but you can do better, Matt! I'm not sure if the audience was supposed to be rooting for the break-up to occur. But I sure did. Most of the time is spent with Matt working at the local amusement park, watching Kieth, who also works at the park, and being bummed out. Far too much moping. The ending...confused me. I think it was supposed to be empowering?
Inertia (Veronica Roth) [B] - I feel like I should have liked this more? But then didn’t? In the future, those individuals who doctors predict will certainly die are granted Last Visitations by selected loved ones. The loved ones and the dying have their memories merge, and can interact in these memories. The story's love interest is in a car accident, and has included his ex-best friend as one of his Last Visitors. Will they make-up? Will they make-out? Will he survive? I really felt like this concept should have given me all the feels, but it didn't, and I can't put my finger on why.
Love is the Last Resort (Jon Skovron) [B] - A cutesy, light bit of fluff, that was perhaps a tad too airy for my tastes. This is a screwball comedy of a variety of couples who are Meant to Be at an exclusive resort.
Good Luck and Farewell (Brandy Colbert) [B] - Rashida's aunt/surrogate-mom is moving away with her girlfriend to California. Rashida is understandably sad and more than a little resentful. She ends up falling for her aunt’s girlfriend’s surrogate brother. Rashida dealing with the transition/change of losing her mother figure of course took more precedence than the romance. But it didn't leave enough time for the romance, and that left the romantic relationship feel rushed and incomplete.
Brand New Attraction (Cassandra Clare) [A-] - This story made me really, truly wish that Clare wrote a YA book that was not the nine millionth Mortal Instruments novel. This is about a girl whose dad owns a Dark Carnival (complete with adorable demon). Her evil uncle tries to take over the carnival, but she (and a cute guy) work to foil him. It may a bit too Scooby Doo for some, but I found the Dark Carnival concept intriguing and spooky, and I wouldn't mind if it was expanded on for a full-length novel.
A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong (Jennifer E. Smith) [B-] - A camp counselor and her love interest. I honestly cannot think of anything to say about it.
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” (Lev Grossman) [A+] - My very, very favorite one of all. A boy and a girl are trapped repeating August 4 (a la Groundhogs Day. They make a map of all the tiny perfect moments in the day, and the final tiny perfect moment holds the key to making the world finally turn to August 5. I am still a bit confused by how the 4th dimension is tied in, but I found this story adorable and nearly perfect.
Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail (Leigh Bardugo) [B+] - The story of a girl who thinks she sees the local legendary water monster. Looking for answers, she is directed by the local mystery woman/witch to talk to a summer kid about it. This summer kid is a teenage boy who is obsessed with cryptozoology and loves to eat strawberry-dipped ice cream at the local DQ. Boy and girl hang out all summer, and then boy goes away at the end of the next summer. Girl is not overly suspicious about the fact that the boy is UNCONTACTABLE during the school year (he says he comes from a sheltered family, is home-schooled, and his parents don’t let him have a cellphone/TV/etc. Except he clearly knows how to use the library so he probably could have an e-mail account). The start and the end were a little too strange for me, but it was fairly cute and it felt appropriately summery.
The End of Love (Nina LaCour) [B+/A-] - A girl's mom and dad are divorcing (amicably, after years of fighting), and she is upset that her parents are giving away/selling her entire childhood. The girl she has a crush on and the girl's friends are in her same summer school class. A very cute romance and some fun friend bonding ensue. It felt like the beginning of a full book - there was still more story to tell! I especially wanted to know the fallout of her finally telling her mom that her mom was being entirely selfish. There had been so much buildup and tension caused by the girl's resentment of her parents, and I felt like I never got the catharsis of the resolution.
Last Stand at the Cinegore (Libba Bray) [B-] - I am not sure that campy, comedic horror really works in a book setting. I don't know why I can completely get behind in a TV show (yes, I actually enjoyed Scream Queens), but when written out, it just leaves me with a bad taste. I mean, a whole movie theater of innocent people get turned into demons and die gory deaths just to set up a teen romance? Those poor people! This story was supposed to be funny (I think), but it just made me sad that innocents were slaughtered for no purpose (and I don't care that the only audience members who were given speaking lines were Jerk Bully and Snooty Hipster. I'm sure there were good people there too).
Sick Pleasure (Fracesca Lia Block) [F] - My very, very least favorite. I feel like most of the authors were on board with the idea that these are romantic YA stories. This one was...not romantic. In fact, the ending was deflatingly realistic. I also spent most of my time wondering why all the characters are only known by their initials. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for it, and all it did was confuse and annoy me. I also spent far too long wondering if this story was in the first or third person, because the narrator/main character is known as "I." Do you see how that could be confusing? What is the purpose? There are 26 other letters in the alphabet! Why choose the one letter that could cause such confusion?? Spoiler: It's in the first person.
In Ninety Minutes Turn North (Stephanie Perkins) [A-]- A sequel to My True Love's "It's a Christmas Miracle, Charlie Brown." Since the first story, Marigold and North broke up (!). Marigold shows up at North's new job, determined to win him back. While I loved the first story more, I was excited to see Marigold and North return. I would read many more stories about these two crazy kids.
Souvenirs (Tim Federle) [B-] - This is the story of Matt and Kieth’s “break-up” day. That is Kieth with an "ie", which basically says everything you need to know about Kieth. He is a showboating egoist, and I could not see any downside to Matt and him ending things. I know he's cute, but you can do better, Matt! I'm not sure if the audience was supposed to be rooting for the break-up to occur. But I sure did. Most of the time is spent with Matt working at the local amusement park, watching Kieth, who also works at the park, and being bummed out. Far too much moping. The ending...confused me. I think it was supposed to be empowering?
Inertia (Veronica Roth) [B] - I feel like I should have liked this more? But then didn’t? In the future, those individuals who doctors predict will certainly die are granted Last Visitations by selected loved ones. The loved ones and the dying have their memories merge, and can interact in these memories. The story's love interest is in a car accident, and has included his ex-best friend as one of his Last Visitors. Will they make-up? Will they make-out? Will he survive? I really felt like this concept should have given me all the feels, but it didn't, and I can't put my finger on why.
Love is the Last Resort (Jon Skovron) [B] - A cutesy, light bit of fluff, that was perhaps a tad too airy for my tastes. This is a screwball comedy of a variety of couples who are Meant to Be at an exclusive resort.
Good Luck and Farewell (Brandy Colbert) [B] - Rashida's aunt/surrogate-mom is moving away with her girlfriend to California. Rashida is understandably sad and more than a little resentful. She ends up falling for her aunt’s girlfriend’s surrogate brother. Rashida dealing with the transition/change of losing her mother figure of course took more precedence than the romance. But it didn't leave enough time for the romance, and that left the romantic relationship feel rushed and incomplete.
Brand New Attraction (Cassandra Clare) [A-] - This story made me really, truly wish that Clare wrote a YA book that was not the nine millionth Mortal Instruments novel. This is about a girl whose dad owns a Dark Carnival (complete with adorable demon). Her evil uncle tries to take over the carnival, but she (and a cute guy) work to foil him. It may a bit too Scooby Doo for some, but I found the Dark Carnival concept intriguing and spooky, and I wouldn't mind if it was expanded on for a full-length novel.
A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong (Jennifer E. Smith) [B-] - A camp counselor and her love interest. I honestly cannot think of anything to say about it.
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” (Lev Grossman) [A+] - My very, very favorite one of all. A boy and a girl are trapped repeating August 4 (a la Groundhogs Day. They make a map of all the tiny perfect moments in the day, and the final tiny perfect moment holds the key to making the world finally turn to August 5. I am still a bit confused by how the 4th dimension is tied in, but I found this story adorable and nearly perfect.
kayelletea's review against another edition
2.0
I liked less than 1/2 of the stories. Veronica Roth's was my favorite.