Reviews

I really liked the first half of this book, but then I lost interest in reading it and finally marked it as "read" so I could free up some fresh book energy. It's a good one though :)

dllh's review against another edition

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3.0

I like this series of anthologies generally and was keen to read one edited by Roxane Gay, since I had read a couple of her books last year. I found the collection pretty uneven, though. I don't recall any stories that I felt overwhelmingly positive about (in other words, none inspired a "wow" from me), and there were several that I felt very meh about and a couple that I was surprised were published in respectable magazines much less collected in a "best" anthology. I did dog-ear a few as worthwhile:

* "Los Angeles" by Emma Cline
* "Boys Go to Jupiter" by Danielle Evans
* "A History of China" by Carolyn Ferrell
* "A Big True" by Dina Nayeri
* "Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure" by Tea Obreht

ifthebook's review against another edition

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2.0

Pretty hard to believe that these were the best short stories in 2018.

cosmiccloudbird's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

jessthanthree's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

lukescalone's review against another edition

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3.0

Some of the stories in here were alright, but altogether I didn't enjoy them quite so much as other collections. I found myself skimming over a lot of them. However, "Boys Go to Jupiter" was outstanding.

anthonyk's review against another edition

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3.0

My first BASS collection of stories, edited by the amazing Roxane Gay. I found that most of the stories were enjoyable though there quite a few misses and not enough hits to even this out and make it stronger than the three stars I'm giving it. Still, would recommend this collection if you enjoy short stories, Roxane Gay, or are a true reader of the BASS anthologies.

On a similar note, I am planning on reading most of the BASS books I can get my hands on.

Favs: Cougar, Boys Go to Jupiter, What Got Into Us, The Brothers Brujo, Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure

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