Some of you may remember the last compilation of short stories edited by Stephanie Meyer, "My True Love Gave to Me," which included 12 short stories based around the winter holidays. This book, "Summer Days and Summer Nights" is Stephanie's newly edited compilation of stories by a different set of authors, based in the summer time (surprised?).
"Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail" by Leigh Bardugo
Gracie is stuck in Little Spindle, the small town counterpart of Greater Spindle, spending her summer
Initially, this story started out a little confusing with some details sloppily included and unclear in their meaning. However, once you got into the story and past the back story, the story began to fold out clearly. Although I thought the story was sweet, I believed it to be moderately underdeveloped and rushed. Characters had minimal development, and the story panned out in jagged stagnated parts that didn't flow smoothly. I understand that the true story took place in each consecutive summer of Gracie's life, however I feel that Bardugo could have tried a little harder to make the tail (hahahaha get the pun?) flow better. Although character development remained a little weak, I did enjoy reading about Gracie's anxiety. Being someone who also deals with anxiety, I really related with the descriptions of Gracie's condition, ("hot knot of tension she always seemed to be carrying beneath her ribs..." (pg. 18)).
Star rating: 3/5 stars
Overall Ranking: 10th
Strengths: Relationship development, descriptions
Weaknesses: Poor character development, jagged plot structure
Initially, this story started out a little confusing with some details sloppily included and unclear in their meaning. However, once you got into the story and past the back story, the story began to fold out clearly. Although I thought the story was sweet, I believed it to be moderately underdeveloped and rushed. Characters had minimal development, and the story panned out in jagged stagnated parts that didn't flow smoothly. I understand that the true story took place in each consecutive summer of Gracie's life, however I feel that Bardugo could have tried a little harder to make the tail (hahahaha get the pun?) flow better. Although character development remained a little weak, I did enjoy reading about Gracie's anxiety. Being someone who also deals with anxiety, I really related with the descriptions of Gracie's condition, ("hot knot of tension she always seemed to be carrying beneath her ribs..." (pg. 18)).
Star rating: 3/5 stars
Overall Ranking: 10th
Strengths: Relationship development, descriptions
Weaknesses: Poor character development, jagged plot structure
"The End of Love" by Nina Lacour
I quite enjoyed Lacour's addition to this novel, her story was intricately crafted with simplistic yet beautiful descriptions and diction. The way the story took place in the present yet included elements from the past woven in throughout the plot kept the reader guessing and interested. I especially loved the setting Lacour managed to depict while Flora was camping, "We could hurl ourselves into the ocean with just one push of our limbs, but it also feels safer, more peaceful, than any place has felt for a very long time." And, one of the elements I also particularly enjoyed was Flora's battle with her feelings and coping with her parents' divorce (yet another thing I can relate with), "My chest constricts, and my stomach clenches, and I can practically hear Jessica telling me to give these feelings a voice." Although I think this story is pretty well-rounded, I still feel as if it's missing something (or maybe I'm just not used to short stories...?).
Star rating: 4/5 stars
Overall Ranking: 3rd
Strengths: Diction, plot development
Weaknesses: N/A
Star rating: 4/5 stars
Overall Ranking: 3rd
Strengths: Diction, plot development
Weaknesses: N/A
"Last Stand at the Cinegore" by Libba Bray
Mind you, I'm writing most of these reviews immediately after I finished reading the story, so most of these will be first impressions. My impression for this story was that it was extremely, extremely, strange. For obvious reasons it was strange (the whole strong paranormal element), but it was unusual in its composition as well. At first, I thought I was going to like it. The beginning was funny, well put together, and left the reader genuinely appreciating each of the characters. However, by the end, I was reading with my brow furrowed pondering some of the actions the characters took. (Spoiler ahead) I mean, a whole movie theatre with people (or who had initially been people) burned to the ground with everyone (besides the main characters) inside it, and yet the main characters were taking pictures of the scene and making out in cars? It just doesn't make sense to me. I was fairly disappointed by this one, sorry Libba.
Star rating: 1.5/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 12th
Strengths: Creativity, humor
Weaknesses: Fluid plot development
Star rating: 1.5/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 12th
Strengths: Creativity, humor
Weaknesses: Fluid plot development
"Sick Pleasure" by Francesca Lia Block
I initially thought that I wouldn't enjoy this one too much because of the peculiarly blunt writing style and having the character being named after single letters(?). And even until the last page I was doubting the chance of a good review for this story. However, the last page was a surprise, and a good one at that. Block wrote an honest story that didn't try to sugarcoat life and love. I also liked how it showed that even a short relationship with someone can truly impact you. And remember, "Words will be the answer. They always were."
Star rating: 4/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 6th
Strengths: Beautiful diction, subtle moral
Weaknesses: Weird character name choice, weak relationship development
Star rating: 4/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 6th
Strengths: Beautiful diction, subtle moral
Weaknesses: Weird character name choice, weak relationship development
In Ninety Minutes, Turn North by Stephanie Perkins
Now this was the short story that I was waiting for, thank you Stephanie Perkins (you never let me down). The setting was beautiful, the characters were well-developed, you actually understood what was going on (always a plus), and nothing seemed unrealistic to me. Not only did the characters and their relationship seem genuine, but they were also funny. The ending left me smiling, which is the typical effect a Stephanie Perkins novel has on me.
Star rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 2nd
Strengths: Character and relationship development
Weaknesses: Can she turn this into a book?
Star rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 2nd
Strengths: Character and relationship development
Weaknesses: Can she turn this into a book?
Souvenirs by Tim Federle
Honestly, this was my first gay relationship story I've ever read and I think it was really, really cute. I loved the contrast between the spunky, outspoken, thespian Kieth and the quiet, introverted, quirky Matt, and seeing how they both respected and appreciated each other. And, even if Kieth couldn't say the word love, it was clear that he did in fact love Matt (even with the expiration date on their relationship). "Souvenirs" was well-rounded with a well-developed plot and interesting characters, even if I did think the break-up seemed a little too easy.
Star rating: 4/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 5th
Strengths: Character development
Weaknesses: Unfinished metaphors and ideas
Star rating: 4/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 5th
Strengths: Character development
Weaknesses: Unfinished metaphors and ideas
Inertia by Veronica Roth
Well, this was different. But, I've decided, different in a good way. This story actually effectively made me feel the emotions that the characters were feeling in the tale, and I found myself holding my breath a few times. Even though I thought that the "Last Visitation" futuristic element was a little odd, I thought it was a clever way to convey what Roth needed the reader to understand in only a short amount of pages. I like how real the characters seemed, with Claire's depression and quirky nature and Matt's grief. Although, I do think the ending was a little cliche and predictable.
Star rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 7th
Strengths: Relationship development, creativity
Weaknesses: Cliche ending
Star rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 7th
Strengths: Relationship development, creativity
Weaknesses: Cliche ending
Love is the Last Resort by Jon Skovron
Yeah, I didn't really like this one. I thought it had a lot of potential with the setting and the spunky characters but the writing style was strange and off-putting. Not to mention the fact that everything fell into place so easily and perfectly with all the to-be couples coming together in a matter of two pages. Also, no one talks in the way a lot of the characters were conversing. So, yeah. Strange.
Star rating: 1.5/ 5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 11th
Strengths: Interesting Characters
Weaknesses: Weird writing style, unrealistic
Star rating: 1.5/ 5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 11th
Strengths: Interesting Characters
Weaknesses: Weird writing style, unrealistic
Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert
This was a well-rounded story by Colbert. The characters were different and refreshing and the story itself dealt with a variety of issues (grief, abandonment, accepting change, etc). I enjoyed the depth that each of the characters had and the complex relationship each character had with one-another. It's amazing how much complexity Colbert was able to achieve in such a short amount of pages. Would recommend.
Star rating: 4/5 Stars
Overall Raning: 4th
Strengths: In-depth plot and characters
Weaknesses: N/A
Star rating: 4/5 Stars
Overall Raning: 4th
Strengths: In-depth plot and characters
Weaknesses: N/A
Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare
At this point, I'm regretting doing individual reviews for each of these. So, I'm going to shorten them just a tad. So, to the review. Overall this was interesting as it dealt with an "evil" amusement park run by a demon (does Cassandra know how to write a story that doesn't involve demons?). The creepy amusement park allowed for a refreshing setting unique from your typical summer romance at the beach. I liked that sense it involved fantastical elements you couldn't easily predict what was going to happen and I really enjoyed the presence of a villain. Although I thought this was a pretty good story, I thought Cassandra could've let us see Lulu and Lucas' relationship develop a little more than we did.
Star rating: 3.5/ 5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 9th
Strengths: Creative setting and interesting characters
Weaknesses: Weak relationship development
Star rating: 3.5/ 5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 9th
Strengths: Creative setting and interesting characters
Weaknesses: Weak relationship development
"A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong" by Jennifer E. Smith
This story was my favorite. I'll admit, the characters weren't too developed but the promise of each character's complexity were there with details and nuances spread throughout the story. What really made me love this story was the struggle for Griffin to get passed thinking of his Aspergers as something that makes him incapable of being liked in the way that Annie did. Their relationship wasn't perfect but it was still very feel-good and I was left smiling and anticipating the next progression in their relationship throughout the whole story.
Star rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 1st
Strengths: Highlighting character flaws and relationship development
Weaknesses: Character development
Star rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 1st
Strengths: Highlighting character flaws and relationship development
Weaknesses: Character development
"The Map of Tiny Perfect Things" by Lev Grossman
Okay. So this was a solid short stories with an interesting plot and cool characters, but it felt kind of bland for me. I'm not sure what could've been added so that the story was spiced up a little bit, maybe better relationship development between Margaret and Mark. The search for "perfect things" was really cute though and Margaret's character was developed really well with the mystery surrounding her and her working past her mother's cancer. The best part of the story was the ending which was both powerful and heart-warming.
Star rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 8th
Strengths: Character development
Weaknesses: Plot sort of slow
Star rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Overall Ranking: 8th
Strengths: Character development
Weaknesses: Plot sort of slow
Top Three Favorite Quotes (in no particular order)
"And then it begins: the sound of unzipping, from the ground on one side, and up, and up, and down again. I close my eyes even though it's already dark, because of this sound. It's like my life opening up. And then it stops. And we climb in," from The End of Love by Lina Lacour
"Part of my soul detached and tried to follow A, but it slammed into the closed door like an alcoholic or a dazed, wounded animal and collapsed onto the ground," from Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block
"I was more comfortable just watching antics like these, turning them into a myth in my mind, a legend. I watched life so that I could find the story inside it-- it helped me make sense of things," from Inertia by Veronica Roth
"Part of my soul detached and tried to follow A, but it slammed into the closed door like an alcoholic or a dazed, wounded animal and collapsed onto the ground," from Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block
"I was more comfortable just watching antics like these, turning them into a myth in my mind, a legend. I watched life so that I could find the story inside it-- it helped me make sense of things," from Inertia by Veronica Roth
Overall, I liked Stephanie's other compilation of short stories, "My True Love Gave to Me," better than this edition. I thought the other compilation had stories that were more creative and entrancing. Because of some of the stories in this novel that were subpar (putting it lightly) I gave the novel a 3/5 Stars on Goodreads.
Last day of Booktube-A-Thon!!!!
Last day of Booktube-A-Thon!!!!