This was a beautiful book. I love the premise of exploring love beyond the exciting beginnings, and I love how Scarlet Ibis James explored all kinds of love in this collection: romantic, long married couples, potential love, family love, friendship, self love, lost love. A short story collection was the perfect vehicle to explore these questions.

My favorite stories were:
Code Black, Code White -- this was a more typical "love story" with two young people meeting and coming together. This explored the difference in their backgrounds, and whether they can make an interracial love work. I am part of an interracial family, and I really appreciated seeing these questions given true weight and value. It's not easy, and even a "happy ending" isn't just easy. I also simply enjoyed the structure and the narrator of this story.
What Grandmothers Hold -- This one jumped out at me for very different reasons, and I'm not sure I can even pin them down. The grandmother is welcoming home her distant son, and the very different way he has built (or abandoned) his family. This just felt so vivid and real to me on the page, and has stayed in my head long after I finished the book. Beautiful.

Personally, I preferred the stories with more plot and structure. In my reading style, some of the more abstract and inward-looking stories would have been a slog for me as a whole book. Therefore, this was the perfect way to explore some different styles and enjoy Ibis James's truly beautiful language.

I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it not only to people who already enjoy intercultural literature, but also to readers looking to expand their horizons... and I would recommend it to romance readers looking for a completely different take on the meaning of love.