This was a fun read and wonderfully diverse group of stories. Like most short story collections there will be favorites and less favorites, this book is no exception. Most of the stories had me smiling throughout my read and longing for more. I applaud the selection of authors and their takes on romance tropes like “stranded together” or “the secret admirer” they were fun and hopeful like my favorite contemporary romance novels are but I would not classify them as transformed.

The diversity ranges were appreciated as each inclusion felt organic and natural. We see different sized people, different cultures and different romance preferences that are often included as side stories in many romance novels but here take center stage. The spotlight this book shone on my favorite genre was wonderful and needed. My favorite stories wound up being by Leah Johnson (stranded together trope), Marissa Meyer (1 bed trope), Sandhya Menon (the matchmaker trope) with a special shout out to Sarah Winifred Searle and their take on the secret admirer that I was surprised to see presented in a graphic novel format.

Definitely recommend to anyone who loves to see HEA endings and are fans of Meyer.

Thank you to Team Fierce Reads and Macmillan Childrens publishing for providing this galley to me through a YallFest contest.

@sdrosereads on IG review to be published 3/2/22

Thank you so much @netgalley and @fiercereads for gifting me a copy of Serendipity in exchange for an honest review.

💕 Mini Review 😘

I am a huge lover of anthologies, so when I got approved for Serendipity I was ecstatic. I also love Marissa Meyer!

Serendipity has 10 stories written about 10 different romantic tropes.
Bye Bye, Piper Berry-by Julie Murphy (The Fake Relationship)
Anyone Else But You-by Leah Johnson (Stranded Together)
The Idiom Algorithm-by Abigail Hing Wen (Class Warfare)
Auld Acquaintance-by Caleb Roehrig (The Best Friend Love Epiphany)
Shooting Stars-by Marissa Meyer (One Bed)
Keagan’s Heaven On Earth-by Sarah Winifred Searle (The Secret Admirer)
Zara In The Spotlight-by Elise Bryant (The Grand Romantic Gesture)
In A Blink Of The Eye-by Elizabeth Eulberg (Trapped in a Confined Space)
Liberty-by Anna-Marie McLemore (The Makeover)
The Surprise Match-by Sandhya Menon (The Matchmaker)

I enjoyed a few of these stories, especially Menon’s, but honestly, I wasn’t huge fan of some of these. They either seemed unbelievable or I didn’t just love the characters. I was sad to not love this one but I am glad I got the chance to read this and I know a lot of y’all will love this book!

If you love anthologies and are a sucker for some of these tropes, then I definitely recommend Serendipity to you! I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really liked the stories in this anthology, but overall I was just kind of underwhelmed. I still definitely recommend it if you're a fan of any of these authors!

Serendipity is the latest anthology that caught my attention. I'll confess that it was originally the Jane Austen fan in me that dragged my eyes to this cover. However, the lead and contributing authors were more than enough to keep me invested.

Serendipity is an anthology that takes ten romantic tropes and turns them into ten short stories. You'll find amazing authors involved in this project, such as Marissa Meyer, Elise Bryant, Elizabeth Eulberg, Leah Johnson, Anna-Marie McLemore, Sandhya Menon, Julie Murphy, Caleb Roehrig, Sarah Winifred Searle, and Abigail Hing Wen. I love new perspectives on classic tropes, so this was an instant sell for me. Better yet, the takes are more inclusive and endearing, all running along that feeling of Serendipity.

Overall I really enjoyed Serendipity. It was sweet and endearing, hitting that craving for short romantic plots full of emotion and charm. However, I don't think this anthology quite hit the mark if the goal was to bend classic tropes. Don't get me wrong – those classic tropes are very much a part of this tale. The thing is, I don't think they're as altered as the description led me to believe. That was a little disappointing, as it had been one of the main reasons why I was so desperate to read Serendipity.

For those curious, the tropes included in Serendipity are mainly: fake dating, friends to lovers, rivals to lovers (love it), forced proximity, one bed, romantic gestures, love at first sight, makeovers, and soulmates.

A cut collection of romance trope short stories. I liked some better than others, but overall thought it was a good collection.

Great collections of stories by some fantastic authors. Loved all the stories and hope there will be more collaborations by these authors again.

It’s been a while since I’ve read an anthology, so this was a really nice one to read; especially before Valentine’s Day.

The ten romantic tropes were: fake dating, stranded together, class warfare, best friend love epiphany, one bed, secret admirer, grand romantic gesture, trapped in a confined space, the makeover, and the matchmaker.

However, the audiobook only features nine stories because one of them (the secret admirer trope) was told in a graphic novel format. I’ve never seen a graphic novel in an anthology before, so it was quite refreshing to see.

I’ll share my rating and one sentence thoughts on each story.

Bye, Bye, Piper Berry by Julie Murphy— 3 stars
Thought this was cute, and I liked how it was told in dual POVs; but this didn’t stick with me by the end.

Anyone Else But You by Leah Johnson— 3.5 stars
Again, this was super cute, but this didn’t make me swoon as much as I wanted it to.

The Idiom Algorithm by Abigail Hing Wen—2 stars
This just straight up confused me; though I’m happy the main character ended up with someone else.

Auld Acquaintance by Caleb Roehrig— 5 stars
Hands down my favourite story in this whole anthology; I was swooning the whole time.

Shooting Stars by Marissa Meyer—4.5 stars
Close second fave; really loved this and this was super sweet.

Keagen’s Heaven on Earth by Sarah Winifred Searle—2 stars
My only physical read. But I don’t think a graphic novel is the right format for a short story; it all felt rushed and there was no proper development.

Zora in the Spotlight by Elise Bryant—2 stars
Super annoyed with fact the protagonist kept talking about how invisible and insecure she was; also couldn’t stand Astrid’s character.

In a Blink of The Eye by Elizabeth Eulberg—3 stars
It was nice to read something by this author again, but this was too cheesy and corny for my liking.

Liberty by Anna-Marie McLemore—2 stars
This was just okay for me, there was nothing truly outstanding about this one.

The Surprise Match by Sandhya Menon—3 stars
Super cute, but wasn’t the most memorable.

I loved how diverse the stories were and the romances were very sweet. This is the perfect short story collection to read during this time of year.

Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ALC and e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Serendipity is a collection of ten stories that incorporate romance tropes. From best friends falling in love to the one bed, some stories will feel familiar and others include an added twist--some twists I liked (even loved) and others I did not. In addition to different tropes, the stories are also diverse, including LGBTQ+ and racial/ethnic representation. I wanted to highlight my favorite stories "Liberty" by Anna-Marie McLemore, "Shooting Stars" by Marissa Meyer, and "Zora in the Spotlight" by Elise Bryant. With an anthology, the stories can be hit or miss but these three stories were well-written and, in a few pages, allowed my heart to flutter. "Liberty" managed to leave me feeling empowered, and I wanted to immediately read it again.

Truth be told, straight-up romance really isn't my thing, but with the amazing editor, fabulous authors, and, to be honest, the super cute cover, I had to give it a try. I enjoyed the focus on various romantic tropes. It was a slightly cheeky approach, completely acknowledging the trajectory of each story. It worked for me. Admittedly I enjoyed some stories more than others, but overall it was a fun, easy read. I look forward to having this in my library.

I think I said it best on my #Booktok with this one... Slight obsessed and totally in love. #Serendipity is a compilation of ten romantic tropes featuring diverse young adult characters and chuckle worthy trope tackling.

There was something to adore in each short story. One of my favorites features being trapped in a confined space and a love interest with good 'ol Big Ben. I could just see myself in the main character.

The character diversity and orientation was excellent. Different takes on situations, settings and perfect for the upcoming Valentine's Day. When it comes to my romance reads, I typically prefer more adult themes or my romance hiding in the pages of young adult fantasy. I am pretty thrilled with how much I enjoyed this step away from my comfort zone.

Thank you Fierce Reads, Feiwel and Friends and Macmillan Childrens Publishing Group for the digital advanced reader copy and the gorgeous surprise edition! True rating 4.5/5.

A lovely collection of short stories that takes worn out tropes and gives them a twist! With an impressive list of authors behind the collection, it’s not hard to find something to love for everyone.

I’ve never been a huge fan of short stories. It always feels as though we ~just~ scratch the surface before it’s time to move on to the next tale. But that’s kind of the point, right? To give you a little taste and then move on. I’m not even sure what the best way to review a collection of short stories is, so I think I’m just going to give a mini review of each story.

BYE BYE, PIPER BERRY – Julie Murphy
(The Fake Relationship)

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and Murphy starts us off strong. Best friends Piper and Gabe fake a relationship to get back at Piper’s cheating ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be Gabe’s best friend. I liked this little story and thought the way it ended was cute.

ANYONE ELSE BUT YOU – Leah Johnson
(Stranded Together)

This was probably one of my favorites. Enemies Perry and Jada get trapped together in a store after hours and have to survive the night together. Super fun f/f relationship that ends with a romantic gesture at a dance. Loved the fire between these two!

THE IDIOM ALGORITHM – Abigail Hing Wen
(Class Warfare)

I don’t understand this story at all. The idioms were fun, but the story made very little sense. Tan and Rebecca have been dating for a while and then all of the sudden, her parents whisk her away without a trace. Tan keeps looking for her by putting together an algorithm and when he finds her, it’s not what he expects. It just felt overly dramatic and unrealistic.

AULD ACQUAINTANCE – Caleb Roehrig
(The Best Friend Love Epiphany)

Ope, loved this one too. Garrett and Ollie are besties who are planning to ring in the new year at a lock-in. If they can’t find someone to kiss, they plan to kiss each other. But when Ollie overhears Garrett’s crush talking about kissing him at midnight, Ollie takes matters into his own hands. Ollie and Garrett were precious and I want a whole book about them. Please and thank you. M/m relationship.

SHOOTING STARS – Marissa Meyer
(One Bed)

I am a huge sucker for the one bed trope. On a class trip, Misty and Roman keep finding themselves in one bed situations and it was everything one could hope for. I really liked this one!

KEAGAN’S HEAVEN ON EARTH – Sarah Winifred Searie
(The Secret Admirer)

I’m so glad I had a physical copy because this one was impossible to read on my kindle. This is written as a graphic novel (or, short story). The illustrations were adorable and I liked the overall story, but the writing was a little clunky. Maybe that’s just because of the style?

ZORA IN THE SPOTLIGHT – Elise Bryant
(The Grand Romantic Gesture)

Friendship trio, Jorge, Astrid, and Zora, are on a mission to win Astrid’s ex-girlfriend back with a grand gesture. But when they get to the dance, another individual has grand gestures on the brain, and Zora finds herself the recipient. The secondhand embarrassment in this story is sooo real. And Zora is way too forgiving. But it had a cute ending!

IN A BLINK OF THE EYE – Elizabeth Eulberg
(Trapped in a Confined Space)

I really liked this story! Morgan has been in love with England since she decided as a child she was going to be a princess. On a class trip, she gets stuck in the Ferris Wheel with her best friend’s boyfriend, and nemesis, Tyler. Being stuck together forces them to confront their issues and attempt to work things out.

LIBERTY – Anna-Marie McLemore
(The Makeover)

Ximena has finally made it on the cheerleading squad as a flier. Unfortunately, the squad isn’t overly welcoming and her base teammates are just the worst. Enter Camila. Ximena used to watch Camila’s YouTube makeup tutorials, and now she’s her new base. The two work together to bring out the best in each other and I really enjoyed their relationship.

THE SURPRISE MATCH – Sandhya Menon
(The Matchmaker)

Rosie is her school’s unofficial matchmaker. She’s developed a program that uses the student’s social media accounts to find their perfect match. Her best friend, Easton, asks her to check his match and she’s shocked to learn the system picked her. Now she’s faced with a dilemma because she thinks he had his heart set on someone else. The relationship between Easton and Rosie is so sweet!

Overall, this was a really cute collection of stories. I imagine that no matter who you are, you will have favorites, and others that don’t click as well. None of the tropes are approached in the tradition way, and it was fun to see what kind of twist they would take.

Serendipity edited by Marissa Meyer is a collection of short stories inspired by classic romance tropes. With ten adorable stories within it, this is a unique and diverse anthology. I enjoyed each of the authors’ contributions, and I found Marissa Meyer’s and Elizabeth Eulberg’s stories the most impressive. This is the perfect read for romance fans.

Containing short stories from ten authors, this anthology reimagines a range of well-loved romance tropes, such as best friends to lovers, being trapped in a confined space, and a secret admirer. Because these tropes are so popular, it can be difficult to make them feel new again, but I found myself pleasantly surprised by the direction many of them take. I’m not sure I completely agree with the synopsis’s claim to turn each of these tropes on their heads, but this is still an entertaining read with a story to satisfy every romance fan.

❀ DIFFERENT FORMS OF STORYTELLING

As an anthology, I appreciated the diversity within this book. Not only are there many stories about diverse characters, but the content and form of each story is also varied. There is even one graphic novel by Sarah Winifred Searle, which is something I have never seen in an anthology before. This inclusion of different forms of storytelling is something I would love to see more of.

❀ MANY FAVOURITES IN THIS ANTHOLOGY

After finishing this book, I came away with many favourites. I was especially impressed with Marissa Meyer’s “Shooting Stars,” featuring the “one bed” trope. This story is about camping, and since the characters are so well developed, it feels like it could be a full-length novel. Elizabeth Eulberg’s story about confined spaces also surprised me. The idea of being trapped in the London Eye is intriguing, and I enjoyed the more friendship-focused twist.

❀ A COLLECTION OF ADORABLE ROMANCES

Serendipity edited by Marissa Meyer is a collection of adorable romances inspired by classic tropes. While not every story feels completely fresh, I loved the anthology’s diversity, and I enjoyed each author’s contribution. There is something in here for every romance fan, making this the perfect cozy collection to curl up with this winter.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Macmillan for letting me read this anthology!

I was super excited to get my hands on this one! Leah Johnson? Elise Bryant?? All arranged by Marisa Meyer? Sounds good to me! Admittedly, this is the first real anthology I've read outside of plays in college, however this really worked well with my reading habits!

Each story was around 20 pages, which made this perfect for reading before bed! I really liked reading one story each night and it was so satisfying to get the whole story in at one sitting.

As for the plot of each story, there were no parameters! There was representation of different cultures, sexualities, and many many tropes. Admittedly, some I loved more than others, but that's what is great about anthologies! They don't all have to be exactly perfect! I loved the getting locked in a store, enemies to lovers, grand romantic gestures, and soulmate tropes and how they were all intermingled together! Some of these little stories, I wished I could read more character development, but that's hard to develop in such a short frame work. Each story had it's own happily ever after that felt very true to each unique author.

If you're a romance trope kind of person, absolutely consider picking up this anthology for an easy read!

A romance anthology where every story is based on different tropes? I was sold the second I first heard about it and it didn't disappoint.

Rating an anthology isn't always easy. So while reading I tried to rate all the different stories on their own and based on that calculated the average score.

I think over all this was a great read. Only one story couldn't totally convince me (The Idiom Algorithm), but most of them were solid 3 star reads. 3 of them were even higher and I can't decide what my favorite story was.

It's either Shooting Stars or The surprise match. I enjoyed both immensely. They had a very cute love story and relateble characters.

Here are the ratings for the stories:

Anyone else but you: 3 out of 5
The Idiom Algorithm: 2 out of 5
Auld Acquintance: 4 out of 5
Shooting Stars: 4 out of 5
Zora in the Spotlight: 3 out of 5
In the Blink of an Eye: 3 out of 5
Liberty: 3 out of 5
The Surprise Match: 4 out of 5

3.5/5

*A big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC*

This was one of the new releases that I was really looking forward to next year because:
  1) I like romance tropes and
  2) Because Marissa Meyer was editing it.
I had heard of the other authors before but haven’t really read any of their books. In many ways, this book felt like a sampler to determine if I would want to read more from them or not. It was interesting to see the small ways that authors would incorporate themselves into their stories. Whether it was their sexualities, race/ethnicities, or even chapter formatting, it made each story stand out from the rest. And although I did not like all of the stories, I think that most were entertaining and wonderful to read. My favorite ones were Shooting Stars by Marissa Meyer and In the Blink of the Eye by Elizabeth Eulberg. There was just something about them that really appealed to me and made me want to read more. I would’ve liked to give an individual review for each story like I typically do, but they are so short that I wouldn’t want to accidentally spoil and ruin them. Therefore, I’ll just give a general overview of the entire anthology.

Like I mentioned before, this book was pretty diverse, and I think that it is due to the authors involved. Everyone wrote what they felt comfortable about, which let all characters feel real. In terms of race and ethnicities, I feel like most books have the tendency to not let their characters of colors simply exist without pointing out the hardships associated with them. And while that is realistic, when I look at a romance book for escapism, personally, I don’t like being reminded of those struggles. It made me happy that in these stories, it was established how/what these characters were, and then it was never an issue after that. One of these short stories is an exception, but only because the protagonist learned to love and accept herself throughout the chapter. This made the collection strong but wasn’t enough to hide its struggles.

The main issue lies with the fact the book doesn’t deliver what it advertised it would. Are there romance short stories, each specializing in a different trope? Yes. But are they actually transforming the romantic tropes they are based off? Absolutely not. The only ones that actually have twists with how they incorporated the tropes within their respective stories are The Idiom Algorithm by Abigail Hing Wen, Zora in the Spotlight by Elise Bryant, In a Blink of the Eye by Elizabeth Eulberg, and Liberty by Anna-Marie McLemore. All the other stories used their tropes in ways that have been used before. I don’t blame those authors for sticking with what is common and has worked in the past, but I think it would’ve been more fitting if this anthology advertised itself as a collection of ten romance stories instead of ten transformed romance stories. In addition, several stories left character issues unresolved. Flaws were somewhat brushed under a rug and were never brought up again. Or they offered some lame excuse for it and it was all good. It bugged me because this wasn’t an issue with all of the stories, meaning that it was possible to fully develop characters without pretending their flaws weren’t important.

Despite what it may seem, I don’t dislike this novella. I enjoyed most of the stories, and I think that hardcore romance readers might like what these authors have to offer.

When I tallied up the good and the bad stories, there was exactly 5 good ones and 5 bad ones - but the good stories were so good I feel that they more than made up for the barely memorable bad stories.

Stories like Anyone Else But You, about two teens trapped in a party store overnight together and In The Blink Of The Eye, about a girl trapped in the London Eye with her best friend's boyfriend, I would dearly love to read full books about.

The bad stories largely suffered from being unmemorable, to the point where I had to comb back through the book to remember them. Stories like Liberty and Auld Acquaintance really struggled with the lack of breathing room of a full length novel, while the comic I found really confusing.

Overall though I really enjoyed this - anthologies are a brilliant way of getting the feel of an authors writing style, and I've found multiple new to me authors whose books I cannot wait to add to my shelves.

Such a cute book for YA romance fans. Love introducing students to short story collections because they're great for reluctant readers.

Review will be posted on Forever Young Adult blog on 2/1/22.

Cover Story: Who Are You?

This is a very staid cover that feels like it’s trying to be classy. I’m getting more fantasy vibes than contemporary, and it’s hovering on that line of: am I YA or Adult?

The Deal:

Are you in love with love? Do you want to skip the pretense of a book being about anything other than that liminal moment when two people’s lips touch for the very first time? If so, you’re gonna love this collection. Each story focuses on a specific, well-known trope in the romance world, from being stuck inside a store overnight, to sharing a bed, to realizing the love of your life has been standing beside you this whole time—or, at least, for the entire time you’ve been in high school.

Dream Makers:

“Shooting Stars” (One Bed) by Marissa Meyers

Misty and the rest of her class are going on a trip to Yellowstone and they’re taking the train to get there, so immediately this story intrigued me more so than others because I also took an overnight Amtrak train trip in October. It’s like I was there! What ensues is a series of moments between Misty and her crush where he needs a place to sleep in the train, the wilderness, and a hotel. The writing and pacing of this short were really well done and kicked off the stronger back-half of the anthology.

“Zora in the Spotlight” (The Grand Romantic Gesture) by Elise Bryant

I was told by the synopsis for this book that authors would be turning tropes on their head, but I didn’t really see much of that until this story. Zora is wearing something similar to a super popular girl at their prom, and consequently gets a grand romantic gesture directed AT her that isn’t FOR her. Bryant managed to pack a lot into this short story and executed it effectively. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I had great fun imagining the way this grand gesture went and could totally see it playing out in a mid-2000s teen movie.

“Liberty” (The Makeover) by Anna-Marie McLemore

Similar to Bryant, McLemore took their classic trope of “The Makeover” and freshened it up. After looking too “Latina” the last time she tried out for the cheerleading squad, Ximena earned her spot as a flyer by doing things like wearing clothes that flatten her ass and straightening her curly ponytail. But to her shock, the gorgeous teenage YouTube beauty guru she used to follow (who always encouraged her viewers to embrace their diversity) transfers to the school and immediately gets on the squad. I thought the cheer setting was fun and Camila and Ximena’s moments together worked.

Heartbreakers:

“Auld Acquaintance” (The Best Friend Love Epiphany) by Caleb Roehrig

Ollie and Garrett attend a NYE lock-in at their high-school and Ollie realizes he’s in love with his BFF after a hot jock says he wants to kiss Garrett at midnight. My biggest issue with this story, aside from the writing feeling a bit pedestrian, is that Ollie is majorly annoying. Their dramatic argument that led to the declaration of love left me feeling cold.

“Bye Bye, Piper Berry” (The Fake Relationship) by Julie Murphy

I also didn’t like Piper Berry, which is making me realize why these two are my least favorite stories. Piper is angry her boyfriend cheated on her, so she pretends to date their mutual friend, Gabe, who’s always been in love with her (but also knew the friend was cheating??). At one point she’s in the front row of the ex’s school play macking all over Gabe in an effort to distract the ex from doing a good job and that’s just rude on multiple levels—you don’t mess with the theatre, plus she doesn’t even think about how crappy that is to the rest of the cast. There’s righteous anger and then there’s being a dick.

Love Takers:

“In the Blink of an Eye” (Trapped in a Confined Space) by Elizabeth Eulberg

This was less about romance and more about realizing you’ve been a jerk to your friend and her boyfriend who you saw first but are feel salty he liked her more. So…kudos to Morgan for the growth? I guess the author DID flip the script on the trope, but it didn’t exactly fit with the tone of the other stories.

“The Idiom Algorithm” (Class Warfare) by Abigail Hing Wen

I’m not really sure if I’d define “class warfare” as a romance trope (I feel like maybe they were going for “the other side of the tracks”?). This had some promise but the story structure was…odd? Tan’s exchange-student girlfriend, Rebecca, is embarrassed for him to meet her mega-rich family, and then he employs a fancy algorithm to look for her after she disappears. I got whiffs of a Paper Towns obsession over a girl who isn’t what you thought, and I didn’t like the stalker male protagonist there or here.


Bonus Factor: Sampler Platter

This anthology features quite a few popular YA authors, so if you were ever unsure whether or not you’d enjoy a writer’s work and didn’t want to devote an entire book to figuring it out, I’d say this could give you a pretty good inkling. I’ve read 5 of the 10 authors before this, and there were a few who got me interested enough to want to pick up their full-length works.

Bonus Factor: Nostalgia

Woman smiling and holding heart-shaped object
Who doesn’t remember a time when they were wondering, often in vain, whether their crush liked them back? Or their first kiss? There’s a moment in Meyer’s “Shooting Stars” when Misty ends up squished next to her crush in a group photo and she just hopes they never have to move—man, that took me right back to similar “I’m in too deep” crush moments from my teenage years.

Break Glass In Case Of: Hopeless Romanticism

I really should probably stop reading anthologies because I usually find myself going “meh” by the end, but like any dogged, hopeless romantic, I just keep dusting myself off and trying again. Some managed to hit the right balance of humor, warmth, and sweetness in their stories, while others left me longing for the single life. Unfortunately, in a sea of contemporary settings, all ten stories started to feel a bit same-y. I think this is a great anthology for younger readers or those who want to sample a bunch of popular authors of today in quick succession.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Feiwel and Friends. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Serendipity is available now.

Anthologies are always hard to review. And yet, I always read them and review them. But there was no way I could miss this one… with romance tropes and Marissa Meyer? Yeah, I had to have it.

So I thought with this one I would love my favorite romance tropes. but that wasn’t necessarily true. I LOVED the secret admirer story, even though it’s not something I usually enjoy. The comic was a large part of why I liked it also. The art was great, but it was a little wordy for a comic. But it was still really good. The others I liked were not only my favorite tropes, but they were also some of my favorite authors; Julie Murphy’s Fake Dating, Leah Johnson’s Stranded Together, Caleb Roehrig’s Best Friend Love Epiphany, Marissa Meyer’s One Bed, and Elise Bryant’s Grand Romantic Gesture. This was the reason I had to buy this. Yes this was an author name grab, but I knew it would be something that I love because of the topic.

On the flip side of that, there were some that I didn’t care for. Like the Idiom Algorithm, that was about Class Warfare. It’s one trope that I hate, but only because that shouldn’t be something that gets in the way of people falling in love. But what I most didn’t like about this was the way it ended. In an anthology about romance, there shouldn’t be a non-happy ending. I also wasn’t a huge fan of The Makeover trope story as I’m not a fan of that trope either. But even though I didn’t care for the story, it wasn’t all bad. (Besides the ending of that one story lol)

I thought this book would be a surefire win for me and it was! There were some that I liked and some that I didn’t so much like. So to come up with my rating, I took into account what I thought about all the stories. I rated them all and then averaged them together. I feel this is the most fair thing to do when there’s a lot of different things that have to come together for one result. And it’s oddly close to something I would give a Meyer book anyway lol

I guess what disappointed me a bit was that it felt like almost none of these stories “transformed” the tropes nor “turned them on their heads”. Since that’s what I was expecting from the cover and the synopsis, I was left feeling a little let down.

The majority of the stories were honestly fine, but not great per se. I’d still say they’re worth reading if you’re looking to add a bit of cuteness to your day.