Book Review: Mixtape: A Love Song Anthology

Anthology

Format: ebook

Rating: 3 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

Genre: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary

Publisher: Self-Published

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

What’s more romantic than a love song? A mixtape full of them.

Twelve bestselling and award-winning authors have curated an anthology of brand-new, standalone stories inspired by love songs.

Review

I picked up this story because of Elle Kennedy's story. I haven't even heard of the other authors. (Sorry) That's the good thing about anthologies: you can explore new and different authors.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the anthology overall. The first story actually got my first 1 star ever. Overall, there was the one 1 star, two 2 stars, seven 3 stars, and 2 four stars. The Elle Kennedy story was my favorite and very sweet. The other story I really enjoyed was "Say Yes". 

It is a pretty diverse anthology especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ and sexual kinks/fetishes. The diversity is good because it exposes you to different things, but it also limits the possibility of a five star read overall.

I did review a handful of the individual stories on my blog if you want to check those out.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Review: Toil & Trouble Edited by Tess Sharpe & Jessica Spotswood

Anthology

Format: ebook

Rating: 3 Stars

How I Got It: NetGalley

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Supernatural

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

History tells us women accused of witchcraft were often outsiders: educated, independent, unmarried, unwilling to fall in line with traditional societal expectations.

Bold. Powerful. Rebellious.

A bruja’s traditional love spell has unexpected results. A witch’s healing hands begin to take life instead of giving it when she ignores her attraction to a fellow witch. In a terrifying future, women are captured by a cabal of men crying witchcraft and the one true witch among them must fight to free them all. In a desolate past, three orphaned sisters prophesize for a murderous king. Somewhere in the present, a teen girl just wants to kiss a boy without causing a hurricane.

From good witches to bad witches, to witches who are a bit of both, this is an anthology of diverse witchy tales from a collection of diverse, feminist authors. The collective strength of women working together—magically or mundanely--has long frightened society, to the point that women’s rights are challenged, legislated against, and denied all over the world. Toil & Trouble delves deep into the truly diverse mythology of witchcraft from many cultures and feminist points of view, to create modern and unique tales of witchery that have yet to be explored. 

Review

***I received this book via NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

I was pretty excited about this collection. I have liked Jessica Spotswood's Cahill Witch Chronicles and there aren't a lot of witch books/stores out there. But I ended up rather disappointed.

Short stories are incredibly hard to write, in my opinion. It is a particular skill set which not all authors have. I have not read most of these authors longer works so I can't speak to their writing more broadly. 

A lot of the stories came across as pushing an agenda. I'm not offended by the content, but it is annoying to me when things feel forced. I think it's like when a major issue/event happens and then popular shows need to have a similar story line to "address" it. You can do a PSA without feeling like a PSA. 

There were a few stories I did enjoy reading. Jessica Spotswood's and "Death in the Saw Tooths"-sorry I can't remember the author's name-were both interesting. And they made me want to read more like a full length novel of those stories.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this, but I don't want to just dismiss it. One of the things about an anthology is that it exposes you to a large amount of authors/stories. Most likely you'll find something you like and maybe you'll find a new favorite author.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Review: Seven Days & Summer Nights Edited by Stephanie Perkins

Stand Alone
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 384
Rating: 3 Stars
How I Got It: Borrowed from Library
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

 

Maybe it's the long, lazy days, or maybe it's the heat making everyone a little bit crazy. Whatever the reason, summer is the perfect time for love to bloom. Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories, written by twelve bestselling young adult writers and edited by the international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins, will have you dreaming of sunset strolls by the lake. So set out your beach chair and grab your sunglasses. You have twelve reasons this summer to soak up the sun and fall in love.

Review

I picked this up from the library instead of buying it and I'm glad about that. I'm really just not a short story person. Especially with romance because they often feel forced or too fast.

There were three stories I really enjoyed. They were the ones by Stephanie Perkins, Jon Skovron, and Jennifer E Smith. Stephanie Perkins' actually was related to the story she wrote in the Holiday anthology so it was like visiting old friends. I've never even heard of Jon Skovron, but his story was my favorite. The writing style was kind of meta which I like. And he had a ton of characters but still made it believable. Jennifer E Smith's was cute and had characters on the autism spectrum which I'm always a fan of.

For the other stories, they either weren't my style or felt forced. I'm a believer in love, but a lot of them felt like insta-love. That being said, the stories that didn't work for me I can see how it would be for the others. There are a variety of stories in characters, tone, and style. So, it is a well-curated collection if you want it to have broad appeal.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena

My True Love Gave to Me Anthology

Format:  Hardcover

Pages: 32

Rating: 4 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

                The first quarter of this story I thought it was going to be a disappointment. I wasn’t connecting with Shy. And I found the Mexican/racial divide bits a little heavy-handed. After finishing the story, I think the author was trying to explain a complex history in a very short time and did the best he could.

                I did end up loving Shy. Reading about his struggle with his pride was hard. It’s heartbreaking to see the situations people end up in and, sometimes, stay in because they feel like they can’t ask for help.

                I also liked Haley and the relationship she developed with Shy. They created an interesting friendship. It developed quickly, but felt natural and organic.

                The ending was definitely open-ended. But I didn’t mind. It was an ending full of hope and potential.

Thanks for reading!

~Holly