Riddles in Mathematics by Katie Cotugno: 3/5 stars
This story was mildly predictable but sweet. The main character is in love with her brother's best friend. Dread South by Justina Ireland: 4/5 WOW! A super fun story with zombies during the slavery period of U.S. History. Omega Ship by Rae Carson: 5/5 HOLY SHIT! Two boys and a girl are the last remaining humans in existence and have inhabited a new planet. That HOLY SHIT factor is for the main character being a straight badass and not choosing between two boys, but *SPOILERS* choosing herself. La Reyencha del Tango by Renee Ahdieh: 4/5 The main character is visiting Brazil and is (conveniently) a pro-tango dancer which leads to her finding herself in a triangle between a douchey guy and a "Tango God." Cass, An, and Dra by Natalie C. Parker: 3/5 This story was interesting but dry. Cass can see the future of her choices when she is about to make a big decision, but still has to choose. Lessons for Beginners by Julie Murphy: 4/5 The main character gives kissing lessons to couples where kissing is an issue, and finds herself coming between a relationship. Triangle Solo by Garth Nix: 2/5 Meh. This one felt very middle-grade-esque. Two boys are in a school band on another planet (where it seems like Earth has colonized) and are visited by a girl from their past. Vim and Vigor by Veronica Roth: 5/5 YAY! A group of girls are mourning a death of one of their friends and comes back together one more time for a movie premiere of their favorite female superheroines which leads to another "future seeing." Work In progress by E. K. Johnston: 0/5 Nope. I couldn't even get through the first few pages of this one, the narrator shifted without any way of referencing who it was and it was just overall confusing and not appealing. #sorrynotsorry Hurdles by Brandy Colbert: 4/5 UGH THAT ENDING! Mavis is a track star set who has been training to eventually go to the Olympics, but when her best friend's brother returns from rehab, she questions her life choices. The Historian, The Garrison, and the Cantankerous Cat Woman by Lamar Giles: 5/5 HOLY SHIT! This story is great for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but is a little confusing in the beginning. Overall it was FREAKING FANTASTIC! The main character is the "Giles" of this Universe and has to make a tough decision regarding the person who is the town guardian's life. Waiting by Sabaa Tahir: 5/5 bc SABAA! The main character's best friend (who she is in love with) is in jail while she prepares to leave for Stanford with a boy who is in love with her. SO GOOD! Vega by Brenna Yovanoff: 2/5 stars This one was a bit confusing until you understood who was speaking, but from what I understood, the love triangle was between Las Vegas (the city), Elizabeth, and Alex, who hates living in Las Vegas. It showed both the nightlife scene and how people living in Vegas live. A Hundred Thousand Threads by Alaya Dawn: 4/5 stars This one took some getting used to as you definitely have to figure out who is narrating or questioning or explaining, but it is worth sticking with! It takes place in the future in Mexico while a small town is being overtaken and industrialized by powerful people who are also involved in a trafficking scandal. Before She Was Blood by Tessa Gratton: 0/5 stars Nope. Tried. Gave up. Unus, Duo, tres by Bethany Hagen: 5/5 stars If you don't read any other short story in this anthology, READ THIS ONE! It is set in a private school where two vampires attend and meet a girl who has leukemia. Interesting concept as well as carry out. I loved it! Overall, this anthology gave me all of the feels. Like all romance fan girls, I love a good love triangle, but what made this anthology special was that there was so many diverse authors that I wasn't familiar with and now can go find more from them.
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Meet Cute is a super cute anthology of YA authors writing short stories about the lead up to meeting someone. Actual Rating: 3.8/5 stars Siege Etiquette by Katie Cotugno: 3 stars The story of two people who haven't seen each other in a long time and end up trapped together in a bathroom when a house party is being raided. It reminded me of the movie "Can't Hardly Wait" from the 90s. This story was cute, nothing amazing. I would be interested if it became a full novel. Print Shop by Nina LaCour: 4 stars I immediately enjoyed the diversity in this one. The main character, Evie, starts working in a print shop where everything is made by an artist instead of computers and machines. An angry customer voices her unpleasant opinion of the shop on Twitter and begins a love interest. Interesting concept. Hourglass by Ibi Zoboi: 2 stars Honestly, I didn't care for Cherish's POV in this one. She came off as very whiny and "woe is me" because her best friend starts dating the guy who teased her for her size, thankfully she comes to term with who she is. Click by Katharine McGee: 4 stars I really liked the idea behind Click. Katharine McGee introduces a futuristic dating app where your entire social media presence and online footprint are analyzed and match you with another person. While the thought of this overwhelmed me, I really enjoyed the fast pace of the story and wit and banter between the characters. It also was a great peek into how love can be unexpected even when you're looking for it. The Intern by Sara Shepard: 4.5 stars SO CUTE! Clara interns for her dad's record label and has to show around one of the artists and unexpectedly falls for him-cheesy, I know, but so cute. The beauty is really in the details in this one. Somewhere That’s Green by Meredith Russo: 4.5 stars Another WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS story revealing a transgender girl's fears and fight with a school board about which restroom she is allowed to use while a gay student who isn't out yet deals with her own issues. It was a little slow, but a great, quick, look into a world I'm not familiar with. The Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton: 4 stars Very interesting concept. On a remote island, the people are born with a ring mark on their finger that reveals when they'll meet their soul mate. When two teens find a way to "hack the system" they see how their lives will play out and how they will live and fall in love with. Another interesting concept. I wouldn't read it as a whole novel, but it was a perfect short story. Oomph by Emery Lord: 5 stars Oomph was one of my favorites in this anthology! A super cute unexpected romance in an airport where mystery is in the air. Two girls meet in an airport pretending to be Marvel characters and hit it off. Loved it! The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout: 4.75 stars It might be the librarian in me, but I loved this story. It was a bit predictable, but worth it. Moss has to track down an overdue dictionary from the library that she works at and finds more than just a book. Sometimes books reveal people for us. ;) The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies: 5 stars Again, it might be that I was a math teacher in one of my past lives (before I became a librarian) but I loved this one. The main character writes her semester statistics project on the odds of her seeing a mystery boy from the subway again. 259 Million Miles by Kass Morgan: 3 stars Meh. It felt more like the main character was running away from his problems rather than facing them head on, which *spoilers* he ends up doing. Blythe and Philip are two finalists for a mission to Mars and only one of them will be chosen. They have to spend 24 hours in an isolation chamber together to see how they will interact and work as a team-of course the predictability is obvious-but they make it through the test. A beautiful display of how sometimes we meet someone at the wrong time. Something Real by Julie Murphy: 4 stars Julie Murphy wrote a perfect show story on how meeting your celebrity crush can sometimes be a disappointment, but you can meet someone in the process that makes up for it. Say Everything by Huntley Fitzpatrick: 0 stars Just no. I didn't care at all for the POV, the main character was unmemorable and it was honestly just slow and boring. The Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon: 6 (out of 5) stars When is it socially acceptable to dub Nicola as the queen of romance? I mean really, this short story was perfect and made up for the crappy one before it. Thomas goes to the Department of Dead Love to find out what happened that caused an end to his last relationship and ends up finding a way to heal his heart. So many good quotes come from this story. LOVED IT! Overall, I really enjoyed this anthology. Each story brought something different and it will appeal to all sorts of readers. |
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