Reviews

Overall, a really cool collection of love short stories with LGBTQ+ and POC rep! Definitely have some faves and ones I didn’t really like, but it’s cool to see all the different writing styles :)

morgieporgie's review against another edition

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Not a fan of short stories.

yourschloex's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-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? No

4.0

fantasticalsam's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

2.25

novaturient_bibliophile's review against another edition

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4.5

I have to admit, if the short stories were full length novels, I would not have enjoyed them as much. But as short stories, they were cute, and silly (affectionate), and still contained a lot of character development. I liked how the tropes were clear, while still being creatively used and not stereotypical. A lot of the stories were a tad cheesy though (but I suppose that’s the point) and I wasn’t a big fan of some of the writing styles. Sometimes I felt like I was reading one-shot fanfiction (not saying that’s bad, though). The representation and diversity were truly wonderful.
This reminded me of Fools in Love and Blackout.

rainbowbookworm's review against another edition

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3.0

The thing about tropes is that you know exactly what to expect. As a genre, romance is like comfort food. There is nothing better than eating your favorite dish... when it's done right. However, for every delicious, satisfying meal, there are times when there is something missing from your culinary comfort. Unfortunately, this collection is more like the former. I read plenty of love stories--predictably--with happy endings, but none of the authors did anything extraordinary.

Julie Murphy (Dumplin') "The Fake Relationship" The story was cute, but predictable, and the ending was too perfect.

Leah Johnson (Maybe You Should See Me in a Crown) "Stranded Together - I want to give this five stars, but it needed more details. The short story format did not do this story justice.

Abigail Hing Wen (Loveboat, Taipei) "Class Warfare" - What I enjoyed most was that the protagonist was a coder.

Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles) "One Bed" - At least Meyer created several new twists and may have breathed new life to this tired trope.

Caleb Roehrig (The Fell of Dark) "The Best Friend Love Epiphany" - Again: simplistic and predictable

Sarah Winifred Searle (???) The Secret Admirer - I love that this collection includes a queer graphic story! (This is the one 5-star read in the collection.)

Elyse Bryant (Happily Ever After) "The Grand Romantic Gesture" - another one that would have benefit from more pages so that there was more time to develop the characters and the plot.

I'll add the other 3 later.

theeuphoriczat's review against another edition

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3.0

This book blends the classic tropes, old romance with wit, and tenderness. From friends to lovers, to fake relationships, love at first sight, soul mates to the one bed trope. It was very entertaining, with great character developments and charm. I really enjoy this one.

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