mgsteede's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
byarsjp's review against another edition
3.0
2022 read #11
3.75 stars! This book has amazing writing and wonderful relationships. I disliked the many POVs because I couldn't keep track of them all but I like how they connect at the end.
3.75 stars! This book has amazing writing and wonderful relationships. I disliked the many POVs because I couldn't keep track of them all but I like how they connect at the end.
emmreadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This is an adorable collection of interconnected short stories focusing on relationships, and I just LOVED it. The narrators for this audiobook were phenomenal and truly brought the stories to life. The idea of a blackout as a bonding experience isn't new, but it was so well done in this book. If I *had* to pick a favorite, I'd probably pick All the Great Love Stories just because I'm a sucker for best friends to lovers but the stories are seriously all SO well done.
*Thank you to Harper Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review*
*Thank you to Harper Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review*
romanaromana's review against another edition
hopeful
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? No
3.5
3.5 stars.
(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).
What a lovely ending to the year. I'll take that.
Blackout does the intertwining anthology thing pretty well. I can't say I completely understood or remembered the connections between these characters, but I appreciated their links nonetheless, whilst enjoying their individual stories. I think the blackout as a way of drawing out these stories was a really great initial concept, and I really liked that they all had the same final destination. I would have really loved a final chapter which picked up on all of the characters once they reached the party in Brooklyn, but I appreciate that this would have been difficult with the number of authors involved.
It's always worth delving a little further into the stories I liked more and less in these types of books, so here we go:
'The Long Walk' is the only story which gets split into a few parts, and to be honest I think this made a massive difference to how much I enjoyed this particular story. It brought me much closer to the characters to be with them over a longer period, and I felt like I had much more to be invested in as they journeyed through New York.
By contrast, unfortunately the shorter stories in this collection made a much smaller impact on me. for instance, my imagination had a bit too much to do to build up the deep relationship between Lana and Tristán in Dhonielle Clayton's contribution. I love a friends-to-lovers, but I didn't think the particular scenario the pair found themselves in did enough to illustrate their friendship, and the ending felt all a bit rushed and unbelievable - in some ways, it felt like one-shot fanfic.
Anyway, this overall did a solid job of bringing light to what could be a sad and scary setting, which is exactly what it set out to do. It has done much to maintain my respect for these authors and I would absolutely pick up Whiteout, trusting that it would be another enjoyable read.
(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).
What a lovely ending to the year. I'll take that.
Blackout does the intertwining anthology thing pretty well. I can't say I completely understood or remembered the connections between these characters, but I appreciated their links nonetheless, whilst enjoying their individual stories. I think the blackout as a way of drawing out these stories was a really great initial concept, and I really liked that they all had the same final destination. I would have really loved a final chapter which picked up on all of the characters once they reached the party in Brooklyn, but I appreciate that this would have been difficult with the number of authors involved.
It's always worth delving a little further into the stories I liked more and less in these types of books, so here we go:
'The Long Walk' is the only story which gets split into a few parts, and to be honest I think this made a massive difference to how much I enjoyed this particular story. It brought me much closer to the characters to be with them over a longer period, and I felt like I had much more to be invested in as they journeyed through New York.
By contrast, unfortunately the shorter stories in this collection made a much smaller impact on me. for instance, my imagination had a bit too much to do to build up the deep relationship between Lana and Tristán in Dhonielle Clayton's contribution. I love a friends-to-lovers, but I didn't think the particular scenario the pair found themselves in did enough to illustrate their friendship, and the ending felt all a bit rushed and unbelievable - in some ways, it felt like one-shot fanfic.
Anyway, this overall did a solid job of bringing light to what could be a sad and scary setting, which is exactly what it set out to do. It has done much to maintain my respect for these authors and I would absolutely pick up Whiteout, trusting that it would be another enjoyable read.
debzemanlms's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing! Love that the stories were written by six oft favorite YA authors. As I read, I kept rooting for each character to make it through the blackout, not just waiting for the lights to come back on, but to have a light turn on inside of them. I would love to read another story where they all come together at the block party.
jesse_5's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
4.75
piarat's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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
3.0
onsamsbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Nic Stone and Tiffany D. Jackson wrote my favourite stories in this collection. The rest were good and still very enjoyable, but the other two stood out more in my opinion. This book definitely did what it set out to do and that was to write about young, black characters in love during a Blackout!
sheloves_toread's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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? N/A
4.0
jupiter_is_reading's review against another edition
4.0
i fr love this book. this shit had me covering my mouth bc i knew i would never have this kind of love lmao.