A review by allebasi80
Up All Night: 13 Stories Between Sunset and Sunrise by Laura Silverman
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-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? Yes
4.0
4 overall.
Never Have I Ever (Karen McManus) - 4. Started out cheesy and meh, but built up intrigue well and twist at the end was surprising and well done. Impressive development and suspense for a short story.
Like Before (Maurene Goo) - 3.5. Well done but really sad. Good job capturing the feeling of loss that comes from growing out of a friendship.
Old Rifts and Snowdrifts (Kayla Whaley) - 4. Realistic characters, sweet story. Relatively simple, feel-good plot.
Con Nights, Parallel Hearts (Marieke Nijkamp) - 5. Wonderfully captures the feeling of wanting to trust your loved ones and being afraid of vulnerability at the same time. Really deep, relatable, heart-wrenching story. Believable characters w good representation. SUPER cool writing structure, with three equally possible options explored and quotes from the parallel show interspersed. Perfect execution of a meaningful, complex short story.
Kiss the Boy (Amanda Joy) - 4. Likeable enough characters, cute romance. Setting of a senior night scavenger hunt was cool.
Creature Capture (Laura Silverman) - 3.5. Cute story, somewhat simple. A bit preachy about making friends/going outside one's comfort zone.
Shark Bait (Tiffany Jackson) - 3.5. A little back and forth - narrator's ideas of good and bad seemed to change often, and some portrayals were confusing. Good message about standing up for oneself and one's own goals, but a bit roundabout.
A Place to Start (Nina LaCour) - 5. Really sweet story about two new siblings adjusting to each other. Touches on some realistically hard emotions, but is generally light - doesn't try to be more than the scope of this small snapshot in their lives. Realistic characters and touching development, with hope for the future.
When You Bring a Dog to Prom (Anna Meriano) - 3.5. A little back and forth in character/plot strength. Overall sweet in relationship development, both w friends and love interest. Filipinos! A bit cheesy, but feel-good.
Missing (Kathleen Glasglow) - 3.5. Intriguing, definitely got suspenseful and thriller-y. Classic supernatural horror short story, w a creepy premise, plot over characters, and an ambiguous ending.
What About Your Friends (Brandy Colbert) - 4.5. Good representation of the pain of lost friendship, as well as the tension but underlying trust and love that come from reuniting. Sweet story w realistic characters and situations and a feel good ending.
Under Our Masks (Julian Winters) - 5. Love the superhero theme. Good balance of enough worldbuilding for the short story with main reliance on the plot and development between the two characters. Realistic, likeable characters w a sweet story and satisfying ending.
The Ghost of Goon Creek (Francesca Zappia) - 3. Once again a little preachy on "how to do friends", w a quicker-than-believable development from social outcast to close friend of the populars. Sweet premise, but unbelievable process.
Never Have I Ever (Karen McManus) - 4. Started out cheesy and meh, but built up intrigue well and twist at the end was surprising and well done. Impressive development and suspense for a short story.
Like Before (Maurene Goo) - 3.5. Well done but really sad. Good job capturing the feeling of loss that comes from growing out of a friendship.
Old Rifts and Snowdrifts (Kayla Whaley) - 4. Realistic characters, sweet story. Relatively simple, feel-good plot.
Con Nights, Parallel Hearts (Marieke Nijkamp) - 5. Wonderfully captures the feeling of wanting to trust your loved ones and being afraid of vulnerability at the same time. Really deep, relatable, heart-wrenching story. Believable characters w good representation. SUPER cool writing structure, with three equally possible options explored and quotes from the parallel show interspersed. Perfect execution of a meaningful, complex short story.
Kiss the Boy (Amanda Joy) - 4. Likeable enough characters, cute romance. Setting of a senior night scavenger hunt was cool.
Creature Capture (Laura Silverman) - 3.5. Cute story, somewhat simple. A bit preachy about making friends/going outside one's comfort zone.
Shark Bait (Tiffany Jackson) - 3.5. A little back and forth - narrator's ideas of good and bad seemed to change often, and some portrayals were confusing. Good message about standing up for oneself and one's own goals, but a bit roundabout.
A Place to Start (Nina LaCour) - 5. Really sweet story about two new siblings adjusting to each other. Touches on some realistically hard emotions, but is generally light - doesn't try to be more than the scope of this small snapshot in their lives. Realistic characters and touching development, with hope for the future.
When You Bring a Dog to Prom (Anna Meriano) - 3.5. A little back and forth in character/plot strength. Overall sweet in relationship development, both w friends and love interest. Filipinos! A bit cheesy, but feel-good.
Missing (Kathleen Glasglow) - 3.5. Intriguing, definitely got suspenseful and thriller-y. Classic supernatural horror short story, w a creepy premise, plot over characters, and an ambiguous ending.
What About Your Friends (Brandy Colbert) - 4.5. Good representation of the pain of lost friendship, as well as the tension but underlying trust and love that come from reuniting. Sweet story w realistic characters and situations and a feel good ending.
Under Our Masks (Julian Winters) - 5. Love the superhero theme. Good balance of enough worldbuilding for the short story with main reliance on the plot and development between the two characters. Realistic, likeable characters w a sweet story and satisfying ending.
The Ghost of Goon Creek (Francesca Zappia) - 3. Once again a little preachy on "how to do friends", w a quicker-than-believable development from social outcast to close friend of the populars. Sweet premise, but unbelievable process.