Scan barcode
kristid's review
1.0
I loved how diverse the stories in this novel were! That was probably my favorite aspect. Diversity ROCKS! The writing was also superb. Although I wouldn’t expect any less from this group of authors. The stories were well developed and I wouldn’t call any of them predictable!
I don’t think that the light tone of the cover for this novel worked for these stories at all. I was expecting more romantic stories, and I think that is where my disappointment comes from. I was just expecting… more. I wouldn’t have necessarily called some of these connections “relationships.”
Overall Girl Meets Boy is a diverse and entertaining read.
I don’t think that the light tone of the cover for this novel worked for these stories at all. I was expecting more romantic stories, and I think that is where my disappointment comes from. I was just expecting… more. I wouldn’t have necessarily called some of these connections “relationships.”
Overall Girl Meets Boy is a diverse and entertaining read.
sarahannkateri's review
2.0
1.5
This book has a cool, modern cover, but it can't disguise the fact that several of the authors are past their prime, and others are decidedly second-string. Short story collections are usually hit or miss, and this one is no exception. There are some pretty decent stories in here, but there are also some pretty terrible and/or WTF? ones.
Although it's good that it tries to be diverse and inclusive, it does make it feel sort of scattered, especially if you read it in one sitting. On that subject, this book features African-American, Native American, Bengali, gay, straight, tomboyish, femme, overweight, short, and otherwise diverse characters and yet the cover features a thin, conventionally attractive, hetero, white couple. I usually love Chronicle Books' covers, but I think they totally dropped the ball on this one.
Maybe it would feel more cohesive if the theme was a little more narrow? Personlly, I didn't really find it to be an authentic look at teen relationships today, which I think was what it was aiming for.
Teens might pick it up because of the cover, but I can't really see it resonating with them.
This book has a cool, modern cover, but it can't disguise the fact that several of the authors are past their prime, and others are decidedly second-string. Short story collections are usually hit or miss, and this one is no exception. There are some pretty decent stories in here, but there are also some pretty terrible and/or WTF? ones.
Although it's good that it tries to be diverse and inclusive, it does make it feel sort of scattered, especially if you read it in one sitting. On that subject, this book features African-American, Native American, Bengali, gay, straight, tomboyish, femme, overweight, short, and otherwise diverse characters and yet the cover features a thin, conventionally attractive, hetero, white couple. I usually love Chronicle Books' covers, but I think they totally dropped the ball on this one.
Maybe it would feel more cohesive if the theme was a little more narrow? Personlly, I didn't really find it to be an authentic look at teen relationships today, which I think was what it was aiming for.
Teens might pick it up because of the cover, but I can't really see it resonating with them.
kricketa's review
4.0
NB- reviewed from an ARC.
3.5 stars? it's so hard to rate short story collections. this one contains 6 stories of male/female relations, each told from two perspectives written by different authors. from the cover, i expected them to be straight up white-bread romances, but i was pleasantly surprised by unexpected elements in the stories and the diversity of the authors and characters.
that said, why was this cover chosen? it's a pretty picture but i think it sells the book short. of course, i have trouble moving short story collections at my library, so maybe i can use the adorable cover to spring it on unsuspecting romance readers.
i especially enjoyed "the mouths of the ganges" and "sean aka clueless" as well as the final selections, the title of which i will look up later. i will definitely read more by terry davis and rita williams-garcia. i was disappointed in the opening story by my beloved chris crutcher but i still love him. overall, a well-done collection.
3.5 stars? it's so hard to rate short story collections. this one contains 6 stories of male/female relations, each told from two perspectives written by different authors. from the cover, i expected them to be straight up white-bread romances, but i was pleasantly surprised by unexpected elements in the stories and the diversity of the authors and characters.
that said, why was this cover chosen? it's a pretty picture but i think it sells the book short. of course, i have trouble moving short story collections at my library, so maybe i can use the adorable cover to spring it on unsuspecting romance readers.
i especially enjoyed "the mouths of the ganges" and "sean aka clueless" as well as the final selections, the title of which i will look up later. i will definitely read more by terry davis and rita williams-garcia. i was disappointed in the opening story by my beloved chris crutcher but i still love him. overall, a well-done collection.
anzuk's review
1.0
LOVE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT by Chris Crutcher - 1 star
SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE by Kelly Milner Halls - 1 star
FALLING DOWN TO SEE THE MOON by Joseph Bruchac - 1 stars
MOONING OVER BROKEN STARS by Cynthia Leitich Smith - 1 star
WANT TO MEET by James Howe - 1.5 stars
NO CLUE, AKA SEAN by Rita Williams-Garcia - -1 star
SEAN + RAFFINA by Terry Trueman - -1 star
MOUTHS OF THE GANGES by Terry Davis - 0.5 star
MARS AT NIGHT by Rebecca Fjelland Davis - 0.5 star
LAUNCHPAD TO NEPTUNE by Sara Ryan and Randy Powell - 0 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------
Average score: 0.45 stars
SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE by Kelly Milner Halls - 1 star
FALLING DOWN TO SEE THE MOON by Joseph Bruchac - 1 stars
MOONING OVER BROKEN STARS by Cynthia Leitich Smith - 1 star
WANT TO MEET by James Howe - 1.5 stars
NO CLUE, AKA SEAN by Rita Williams-Garcia - -1 star
SEAN + RAFFINA by Terry Trueman - -1 star
MOUTHS OF THE GANGES by Terry Davis - 0.5 star
MARS AT NIGHT by Rebecca Fjelland Davis - 0.5 star
LAUNCHPAD TO NEPTUNE by Sara Ryan and Randy Powell - 0 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------
Average score: 0.45 stars
pasalazar99's review
1.0
This book was really weird
Its obviously about a boy and a girl.
So we have the guy, Johnny who seems unable to control his pants around girls. He is kind of player, because he cheats and leaves the other girl but he doesnt do it on porpuse his teenage hormones tell him to screw every girl thats friendly. Although he is kind, funny, and he really want a relationship, he just doesnt know how.
And the girl: Wanda Wickham.
She is a true whore, and she knows it. That is the saddest thing of all. And she fell in love with Johnny but she doesnt belive he loves her and gets really boring. And she just wants sex and sex and guess what? SEX. Did I mentioned she is slut?
Its obviously about a boy and a girl.
So we have the guy, Johnny who seems unable to control his pants around girls. He is kind of player, because he cheats and leaves the other girl but he doesnt do it on porpuse his teenage hormones tell him to screw every girl thats friendly. Although he is kind, funny, and he really want a relationship, he just doesnt know how.
And the girl: Wanda Wickham.
She is a true whore, and she knows it. That is the saddest thing of all. And she fell in love with Johnny but she doesnt belive he loves her and gets really boring. And she just wants sex and sex and guess what? SEX. Did I mentioned she is slut?
joyagoffney's review
1.0
This was painful. Many of the stories were so boring. And maybe they could have been better if they weren't short stories, but I hardly would want to read any of them if they had their own novels. The first one was probably the most entertaining. The second to last was the longest and the most painful. This was a waste of time.
saavybookworm's review
4.0
Definitely different from what I originally expected. It isn't just about different couples falling in love. It deals with all kinds of issues that are faced: women's issues, men's issues, sexuality, family pressures, culture shocks, etc. It exceeded my original expectations and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the ending story!!
sunbear98's review
4.0
Ate this one up just like candy. Excellent collection of Boy/Girl stories. Each story is told from each person's perspective. I loved it because each person in the relationship knows the TRUTH....but we see both truths. The characters are all people you might know. It is a great read, get for your teen collections.
emmyref415's review
3.0
Interesting. I didn't love all the stories, and I was very disappointed with the story that was chosen to end the book, but I like the take on this book. I don't always enjoy books from multiple perspectives, but I think this book executed it well. I'm glad that so many different kinds of backgrounds and perspectives were offered, so we can really get a feel for the different scenarios. Pretty good.