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redsilva95's review
3.0
Thank you to the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This collection features 15 short love stories with tons of diverse representation. Sorry in advance for the repeated words in the synopsis. As it happens with any anthology, I LOVED some and really didn't connect with others, here's my individual ratings on each story:
"Silver and Gold" by Natasha Ngan (3 ★)
Prompt: Snowed in Together
A girl has to face her feelings for her competitor in a high stakes competition.
"Five Stars" by Amy Spalding (4,5 ★)
Prompt: Mistaken Identity
A girl is mistaken for an app driver by her high school crush.
"Unfortunately, Blobs Do Not Eat Snacks" by Rebecca Kim Wells (1 ★)
Prompt: Kissing Under the Influence
Two witches are set on a quest and they might have feelings for each other.
"Edges" by Ashley Herring Blake (5 ★)
Prompt: The Grumpy One and the Soft One
Trying to navigate high school without her twin sister, a girl must come to terms with her feelings for a cute girl she's helping out with school.
"What Makes Us Heroes" by Julian Winters (4 ★)
Prompt: Hero vs. Villain
The son of superheroes is trying to get over his famous ex-boyfriend, and is aided by a former best friend who wants more than friendship.
"And" by Hannah Moskowitz (1 ★)
Prompt: Love Triangle
A girl is torn between her boyfriend and his new best friend. My least favorite of the collection. It has good intentions, but it was way melodramatic and I didn't care for any of the characters.
"My Best Friend's Girl" by Sara Farizan (1 ★)
Prompt: Best Friend's Girlfriend
A girl is interested in her superhero's best friend's girlfriend. This one was way too convenient for my taste.
"(Fairy)Like Attracts Like" by Claire Kann (3 ★)
Prompt: Mutual Pining
A girl with secret powers is working on a Disneyland-like camp and is afraid of what could happen if her crush finds out what she's been keeping.
"These Strings" by Lilliam Rivera (3 ★)
Prompt: Sibling's Hot Best Friend
Girl wants to take over creative control over her family's work with puppets while she's also falling head over heels for her brother's best friend. I thought the ending was rushed, but I liked it overall.
"The Passover Date" by Laura Silverman (5 ★)
Prompt: Fake Dating
My favorite one! A girl takes her ex-best friend to a family gathering and sparks fly.
"Bloom" by Rebecca Barrow (3,5 ★)
Prompt: Love Transcends Space Time
A girl travels back in time to kill her mother's killer, only to fall in love with his daughter. This one had beautiful flowery writing.
"Teed Up" by Gloria Chao (3 ★)
Prompt: Oblivious to Lovers
A girl who wants to be at the top of her golf game in a male-dominated sport is falling for a cute boy who's also her competition. Cute story, but I really don't like sports lol.
"Boys Noise" by Mason Deaver (5 ★)
Prompt: Only One Bed at the Inn
Two members of a famous boy band travels to NY to celebrate the birthday of one of them. Very cute and adorable, I loved this one.
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Malinda Lo (5 ★)
Prompt: Secret Royalty
This was a scifi sweet romance between a hard working girl and a princess who's in disguise in order to have some fun.
"Disaster" by Rebecca Podos (1,5 ★)
Prompt: Second Chance Romance
It's 1999, and the end of the world might happen. In the meantime, two girls must work out their feelings for each other.
This collection features 15 short love stories with tons of diverse representation. Sorry in advance for the repeated words in the synopsis. As it happens with any anthology, I LOVED some and really didn't connect with others, here's my individual ratings on each story:
"Silver and Gold" by Natasha Ngan (3 ★)
Prompt: Snowed in Together
A girl has to face her feelings for her competitor in a high stakes competition.
"Five Stars" by Amy Spalding (4,5 ★)
Prompt: Mistaken Identity
A girl is mistaken for an app driver by her high school crush.
"Unfortunately, Blobs Do Not Eat Snacks" by Rebecca Kim Wells (1 ★)
Prompt: Kissing Under the Influence
Two witches are set on a quest and they might have feelings for each other.
"Edges" by Ashley Herring Blake (5 ★)
Prompt: The Grumpy One and the Soft One
Trying to navigate high school without her twin sister, a girl must come to terms with her feelings for a cute girl she's helping out with school.
"What Makes Us Heroes" by Julian Winters (4 ★)
Prompt: Hero vs. Villain
The son of superheroes is trying to get over his famous ex-boyfriend, and is aided by a former best friend who wants more than friendship.
"And" by Hannah Moskowitz (1 ★)
Prompt: Love Triangle
A girl is torn between her boyfriend and his new best friend. My least favorite of the collection. It has good intentions, but it was way melodramatic and I didn't care for any of the characters.
"My Best Friend's Girl" by Sara Farizan (1 ★)
Prompt: Best Friend's Girlfriend
A girl is interested in her superhero's best friend's girlfriend. This one was way too convenient for my taste.
"(Fairy)Like Attracts Like" by Claire Kann (3 ★)
Prompt: Mutual Pining
A girl with secret powers is working on a Disneyland-like camp and is afraid of what could happen if her crush finds out what she's been keeping.
"These Strings" by Lilliam Rivera (3 ★)
Prompt: Sibling's Hot Best Friend
Girl wants to take over creative control over her family's work with puppets while she's also falling head over heels for her brother's best friend. I thought the ending was rushed, but I liked it overall.
"The Passover Date" by Laura Silverman (5 ★)
Prompt: Fake Dating
My favorite one! A girl takes her ex-best friend to a family gathering and sparks fly.
"Bloom" by Rebecca Barrow (3,5 ★)
Prompt: Love Transcends Space Time
A girl travels back in time to kill her mother's killer, only to fall in love with his daughter. This one had beautiful flowery writing.
"Teed Up" by Gloria Chao (3 ★)
Prompt: Oblivious to Lovers
A girl who wants to be at the top of her golf game in a male-dominated sport is falling for a cute boy who's also her competition. Cute story, but I really don't like sports lol.
"Boys Noise" by Mason Deaver (5 ★)
Prompt: Only One Bed at the Inn
Two members of a famous boy band travels to NY to celebrate the birthday of one of them. Very cute and adorable, I loved this one.
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Malinda Lo (5 ★)
Prompt: Secret Royalty
This was a scifi sweet romance between a hard working girl and a princess who's in disguise in order to have some fun.
"Disaster" by Rebecca Podos (1,5 ★)
Prompt: Second Chance Romance
It's 1999, and the end of the world might happen. In the meantime, two girls must work out their feelings for each other.
anaidelawless's review
3.0
So anthologies...I always fall for them hoping to find something special and at the and of the book I always question whether the time spent was worth it.
So the first story was okay and I was almost sure I was in for a disappointment. Then the next like five stories were amazing and I felt like I would finally give an anthology five stars...and then the streak kind of ended and the rest was mediocre...
However to end on a positive note, I really loved the short stories by Amy Spalding, Kim Wells, Ashley Herring Blake and Julian Winters.
So the first story was okay and I was almost sure I was in for a disappointment. Then the next like five stories were amazing and I felt like I would finally give an anthology five stars...and then the streak kind of ended and the rest was mediocre...
However to end on a positive note, I really loved the short stories by Amy Spalding, Kim Wells, Ashley Herring Blake and Julian Winters.
aldarakamey's review
5.0
This book was read thanks to NetGalley
I loved this anthology, it's a good mix of stories that literally have a good material for everyone.
Quick, cute and lovable love stories. I recommend this book to all the book lovers.
I loved this anthology, it's a good mix of stories that literally have a good material for everyone.
Quick, cute and lovable love stories. I recommend this book to all the book lovers.
vrybs's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
hellwurld's review
4.0
super entertaining short stories !!! most of the stories i found to be super engaging and fun to read, and the book was genuinely just a great collection
jazzyjbox's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Short stories by some old faves and found some new authors to love too!
justforqueerbooks's review
4.0
Honestly, I am not one for anthologies but when I saw Julian Winters on here, I knew I had to give it a shot. And I am so, so glad that I did.
From girls sled racing to a fluffy heroxvillian story, I just became FULLY obsessed with this book and placed it on preorder immediately.
There was such an array of books in this anthology which is something I think people will really appreciate. While there were certain stories that felt rushed or not fleshed out enough, the ones that I enjoyed completely captivated me. Also, as someone who doesn’t always have a ton of time to read, these were really quick little stories that I snuck in during different parts of my day. And boy oh boy did they make me so happy. They stole my heart and I cannot wait to go through and annotate a physical copy.
Also, I’m pretty sure everyone knows this but me, but anthologies are freakin amazing! Like how does everyone not screech about them all the time? If I could, I would read this for the first time over and over and over again.
Needless to say, I truly enjoyed this and genuinely cannot wait to read more from these authors.
From girls sled racing to a fluffy heroxvillian story, I just became FULLY obsessed with this book and placed it on preorder immediately.
There was such an array of books in this anthology which is something I think people will really appreciate. While there were certain stories that felt rushed or not fleshed out enough, the ones that I enjoyed completely captivated me. Also, as someone who doesn’t always have a ton of time to read, these were really quick little stories that I snuck in during different parts of my day. And boy oh boy did they make me so happy. They stole my heart and I cannot wait to go through and annotate a physical copy.
Also, I’m pretty sure everyone knows this but me, but anthologies are freakin amazing! Like how does everyone not screech about them all the time? If I could, I would read this for the first time over and over and over again.
Needless to say, I truly enjoyed this and genuinely cannot wait to read more from these authors.
rachelmariereads's review
5.0
This is the best romance anthology I’ve ever read, and I truly believe that there is a story in here that will resonate with every reader. Fools in Love takes all of the most well-known tropes and spins them on their heads. Think “enemies to lovers,” “one bed,” “love triangle,” — you name it and it’s in here somewhere. And normally, I think of those tropes as cheesy, and overdone. But Fools in Love proved me wrong time and time again!
I think my favorite story was Bloom by Rebecca Barrow, with the trope “love transcends time and space.” In Bloom, Mera plans to travel back in time to kill the man who would end up murdering her mother. The writing and the magic system in here was so beautiful! Mera’s mother taught her flowers have magical properties, and that consuming an orange blossom can give you the power to travel in time, but you can’t control your destination. Instead of finding the man who killed her mother, Mera meets Delphine. This story was so heart-wrenching and tender, it absolutely stole my breath away.
But so many of the stories were incredible! Some of my other favorites were Five Stars by Amy Spalding, The Passover Date by Laura Silverman, and Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Melinda Lo. There were contemporary, fantasy, and sci-fi stories, and so much amazing representation! There were gay and lesbian couples, trans characters, and even a polyamorous trio, which I have never before seen in a piece of YA literature! There were Jewish characters, and Latinx characters, and Asian characters, and Black characters… this book truly had it all! Reading this made my heart so happy.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more impressed by a collection of stories. I really wasn’t sure how this was going to go when I cracked it open, but every story was wonderful to read! If you’re looking for a sweet romantic pick-me-up I promise you’ll find something special in Fools in Love! There is something in here everyone can enjoy, and I truly can’t recommend this enough! One of my favorites of the year, by far.
I think my favorite story was Bloom by Rebecca Barrow, with the trope “love transcends time and space.” In Bloom, Mera plans to travel back in time to kill the man who would end up murdering her mother. The writing and the magic system in here was so beautiful! Mera’s mother taught her flowers have magical properties, and that consuming an orange blossom can give you the power to travel in time, but you can’t control your destination. Instead of finding the man who killed her mother, Mera meets Delphine. This story was so heart-wrenching and tender, it absolutely stole my breath away.
But so many of the stories were incredible! Some of my other favorites were Five Stars by Amy Spalding, The Passover Date by Laura Silverman, and Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Melinda Lo. There were contemporary, fantasy, and sci-fi stories, and so much amazing representation! There were gay and lesbian couples, trans characters, and even a polyamorous trio, which I have never before seen in a piece of YA literature! There were Jewish characters, and Latinx characters, and Asian characters, and Black characters… this book truly had it all! Reading this made my heart so happy.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more impressed by a collection of stories. I really wasn’t sure how this was going to go when I cracked it open, but every story was wonderful to read! If you’re looking for a sweet romantic pick-me-up I promise you’ll find something special in Fools in Love! There is something in here everyone can enjoy, and I truly can’t recommend this enough! One of my favorites of the year, by far.