I really wanted to give this book my whole heart, but after the incredibly insensitive posts on behalf of Nic Stone coupled with her and her partner reaching out to me in DMs after I called them out, I don't have it in me to support anything with her name on it anymore.

This was a nice and enjoyable read. I love how every character had a role and a important part to play in this book. I also loved how friendships and relationship were used in this story. I have never read Blackout, but because of this book it will be my next read!

I love a good Christmas compilation type book and this one stood up!

There is a snowstorm in Atlanta right before Christmas that basically shuts things down. All of the stories take place during the hours right before, during or after the snowstorm and they all come together. Each story of young love showed a different type of couple with different issues, obstacles and hurdles.

Whiteout
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 11/8/22
Author: Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 304
GR: 4.12

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and HarperCollins and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This was a wonderful sapphic romance read. This was a follow up to Blackout, which I have not read yet. However, saying that, this could be read as a standalone, I had no issues keeping up. I adored the premise of this book, being caught up in this snowstorm. I loved that this was a collection of some Atlanta teens during the snowstorm, and their respective friendships and relationships, it really set the tone well for the story. The story is narrated in flashbacks and the present, which I appreciated as you got the backstory. I loved the multiple tropes it followed, friends to lovers, second chance romance, and grand gestures; I really love the grand gestures. I loved that this is more than just a romance, it has some queer romance and friendships sprinkled in, a really diverse novel. The characters were fleshed out well with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and so creative. The authors’ writing style was a complex blend of crisp writing that flowed well, was funny, was emotional, and just brilliant. This is out now and I have read that the audiobook has multiple narrators, enhancing the reading experience. I highly recommend, go pick up today!

I absolutely adore this group of friends (or found family) (or smack of jellyfish). Their whole story is beautifully told, with all the bumps one would expect, and the happily ever after we all deserve.

Stevie is, perhaps, the most relatable. "What if I'm too hard to love? What if I'm too afraid? Too all over the place for a good love story?" Oh, Stevie. We all ask that question.

Please read this amazing gorgeous book.

Amazing line up of authors giving readers an even more amazing line up of stories. This is the perfect book to cozy up with during Winter. I kind of wish I had saved this for Winter but at the same time I am glad I read it early so I can recommend it to friends.

This is just the most delightful collection of stories. I loved Blackout so much and I was thrilled to see that these authors were coming together with another anthology and this is such a wonderful follow-up. I love the premise of each couple having their own story that intertwines with a larger arc, and I just love the celebration of young love, of Blackness, of queerness…this is just a joy!

Loved this collection of short stories! I was invested from the first page and I loved every single romance we got to see shine in this novel. 5/5 stars.

This book had so many wonderful holiday romances written by diverse voices. Of Course you don't really know who wrote what unless you decipher the hints at the end. If you are looking for something read in the snow (or not) I recommend!

I was so excited to get a chance to read this after reading and loving Blackout! The stories in this collection are more closely integrated than the stories in Blackout; here, all of the characters are working together (on some level) to help reunite a couple whose love story has gone off the rails because of a mistake. It was a beautiful collection of lost love, confused love, first love, and friend love and I felt warmed and comforted while reading it. No love story was too stressful and I appreciated the attention to not just romantic love but also family, friends, and strangers. Absolutely 10/10 would recommend!

I loved Blackout so much, I loved the energy of the setting (NYC) and what it did for the characters. Sadly, this sequel didn't give the same energy. A huge snowstorm has Atlanta at a standstill with everyone being told to stay home. Except for twelve friends who are out in the weather trying to help a friend win back the girl of her dreams. Every story was pretty much a second chance romance, and that got a bit predictable. Biggest problem was that the standstill of the traffic/city made for a slow book.

I loved Blackout so of course I'm going to read Whiteout by the same incredible bunch of authors! Dare I say it - I may have even liked this one more!

Several teens band together to help out their friends, Stevie and Sola who look like they might break up after a horrendous family dinner. Everyone plays a part, running around Atlanta during the Christmas rush to get these two back together in a grand gesture. Only, now the city is being hit by a freak snowstorm and the city has been shut down. Uh oh.

I loved how each story fit together to form a puzzle in this book. Each author dovetailed their section and characters perfectly. By the end I was just a big puddle of AWWW.

This book is a perfect collection of Black YA love with great LGBTQ representation as well.

Pick this book up for sweet Christmas YA romance vibes!

“‘Love isn’t easy. That’s the truth. And it may be partly a bunch of chemical stuff in our heads…but it’s worth it every time.’”

When a historic snowstorm blankets the city of Atlanta, causing chaotic traffic and a stay-at-home order, one friend group decides to risk the snow in order to help one of their own with the biggest apology of her life. But with flat tires, almost-accidents, grounded flights, and dead batteries, their secret plan-within-a-plan seems destined to fail. Yet one should never count out young love, for its warmth might just be enough to melt the ice on this sparkling and snowy night.

When the novel BLACKOUT came out last year, I immediately gobbled up the story and then proceeded to recommend it to almost every person I know. So when I saw that the same dynamic team of writers was joining forces yet again to write another interwoven narrative about love, well, my happy dance might have been…a lot. But Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon never disappoint, and I absolutely loved their newest novel, WHITEOUT. Perfect for the winter holidays, this story just makes you feel all warm inside like someone has lit a fire in your heart. From second-chances to forced proximity to—yep, you guessed it—caught in a snowstorm, this is the book to pick up if you enjoy reading about all kinds of love. Get yourself a copy right away!

Content Warnings: Strong language, gender dysphoria, mentioned death of a parent, referenced car accidents, anxiety, referenced intimate scenes, homophobia

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

I am, once again, blown away by the collective genius that happens when Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon come together to write. As with Blackout, Whiteout brings the reader along during a weather emergency that leads to a city-wide shut down, this time in Atlanta. As a Georgia girl, born and raised, this story felt like home. I lived so close to I75 during Atlanta's infamous 2014 Snowpocalypse. I've walked the Jungle under Hartsfield-Jackson--it's as beautiful as they described and makes you not want to take the train. I've been to concerts at Mercedes-Benz and absolutely choked up when Jimi walked onto the stage of the Fox and described our beautiful theatre--that is-it-a-ceiling-or-is-it-the-sky will truly take your breath away.

As ever, I appreciate all of the representations of love that Whiteout conveys, in both romantic relationships between people of all genders, but also the overwhelming friendship between this cast of characters. These people, even in a literal state of emergency/shelter in place, still found a way to show up for each other, no matter what. This is something that I wish happened more in real life, but if authors like these keep writing, and the world keeps consuming, stories like this, I think it might help to change the world for the better.

I am so grateful for having been able to read this book.

3.5 stars.

First, I LOVE the setting. As a former Georgian, Atlanta is near and dear to my heart. I appreciate the accuracy of the depictions, and the specificity of the southern experience. This also makes the book feel much more grounded in reality because the way that southern and northern states respond to snown storms is vastly different due to infrastructure. I know it can seem like a small detail, but it really made the story work for me.

Similar to Blackout, Whiteout is enjoyable and a quick read. There is inclusive rep through a variety of character backgrounds that makes the story really draw in an audience and allow students to see themselves in characters.

The love stories are not twisting or groundbreaking, but they are comforting and exciting in a youthful way. While this book doesn't have the same pull that Blackout did, it is a cute read for an inclusive holiday story. There are cheesy, arguably cliche, moments, but I think that can add to the feel of a hallmark story.

As a note, I do not agree with or support the rhetoric of some authors involved in this publication, specifically surrounding supporting Israel.

A great follow up oto their anthology BlackOut., filled with great YA themed love stories set against the backdrop of winter. I love all of these authors and their collab really is a tour de force of creativity. 5 stars all around.

Who doesn’t love a good love story?! How about 6 love stories all interwoven and beautiful? Well then you are in luck because that is exactly what Whiteout is. Set in Atlanta in the middle of a snowstorm during the holiday season these amazing authors each write a story featuring characters that seem ELA sly weave between the stories. The black love, queer love, gay love, all human love in this book would warm any grinches heart as these young people profess their truths and find the words to communicate with each other!

Wonderful collection of stories and awesome authors in this too! And I enjoyed reading this. And there were good one and still alright ones too.

❄️ WHITEOUT 🐋

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Putting this review out a day early because I will be too busy tomorrow for a lot of reasons! This book was the perfect fluffy winter love story to read on an 80° day 🥴 and I actually liked it better than Blackout because the characters were way more connected and the story had a tighter narrative. Also, who doesn’t love cute aquarium dates?

Synopsis (from publisher): “Atlanta is blanketed with snow just before Christmas, but the warmth of young love just might melt the ice in this novel of Black joy, and cozy, sparkling romance—by the same unbeatable team of authors who wrote the New York Times bestseller Blackout!

As the city grinds to a halt, twelve teens band together to help a friend pull off the most epic apology of her life. But will they be able to make it happen, in spite of the storm? 

No one is prepared for this whiteout. But then, we can’t always prepare for the magical moments that change everything.
From the bestselling, award-winning, all-star authors who brought us Blackout—Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon—comes another novel of Black teen love, each relationship within as unique and sparkling as Southern snowflakes. “

Book is out tomorrow (11/8) so go check it out as a reward for VOTING and also as a companion piece for whatever other books are coming out tomorrow. You know 😊

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for letting me read this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“Sometimes people just belong to each other, so it doesn’t matter how bad they mess up.”

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review an early copy of this new release.

I really enjoyed Blackout and read it in one day, so I was super eager for Whiteout to come out. When I got approved for it on Netgalley I was so, so excited. But that excitement is now gone and I didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to or thought I would.

This book felt…different than Blackout and didn’t catch my attention the way Blackout did. The story was cute and creative but I just wasn’t really invested in any of the characters. I actually found Stevie to be quite annoying at times. It was all one story instead of stories connected together to form one. Which isn’t a bad thing, but I wasn’t expecting it to be like that.

The representation in this book is fantastic, covering minorities, LGBTQA, and mental health. One of the characters has panic attacks frequently and I related to her well and thought it was done so well.

Overall, not a great read but not a bad one. I may not have been in the right mood for this one, I’m not sure. It felt like I was never going to be done with it though…

“Overthinking is like breathing for me, and what-ifs are oxygen.”