This is a collection of disparate short stories. They are all different; the stories are not connected. They are technically 'love' stories, but I was surprised by how broad a range of interpretations love took.

I liked that it was a quick read. My favorite story was "Love Life Me Up." I tend to stay in my head, playing out scenes and conversations as she did. I wanted to know where this elevator was :-)

All the stories were interesting. I liked most of them.

Scarlet Yearnings is a short story collection centered on Love and its many complicated forms, it primarily follows Black and Latina women navigating a myriad of situations.
It was an entertaining and easy read. Each story reflects how love shapes us and the people around us in a unique way. I particularly liked how the central theme is mingled throughout the stories, also exploring the different facets of Love, like grief, betrayal, abandonment and more.
My favorite ones were "Love in Cosmic Times," a speculative sci-fi story about deception that kept me engaged the whole time, and "Love & Marriage", where we follow a couple that shows how their love prevails, even in complicated situations.
Some of the stories felt unfinished, they started with an interesting premise but fell short because of the lack of depth. There could have been more "show, don't tell" throughout the writing.
I think the author has great potential, I look forward to reading more of their work!

what stood out to me most is how each story approaches love and longing from a different angle. there isn’t just one version of desire here. it’s soft, consuming, hesitant, forbidden, and at times, a little dangerous. that range keeps the collection feeling dynamic rather than repetitive.

the writing leans sensory. you can feel the tension, the pull, the vulnerability in each interaction. it’s not just about physical attraction, it’s about emotional stakes, the kind that make every glance or touch feel loaded with meaning.

some stories hit harder than others, but that’s the nature of a collection. the strongest ones are the ones that linger, the ones that capture that mix of yearning and uncertainty that comes with wanting something, or someone, you’re not sure you can have.

this was a strong start to the Scarlet Yearnings Collection series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the genre. The characters were written well and thought the stories of love worked in this collection. Scarlet Ibis James has a strong writing style and hope to read more in this series and from Scarlet Ibis James.

The book started off slow but boy did it pick up!
I loved 3 particularly stories in here and they left me feeling like they needed more pages(they were too short) 😂
I enjoyed this until the last minute. The stories are great and relatable, which is something I often look to when reading short stories. I would love to own a copy and hopefully I can ship it to where I am across the world.

I love Scarlet’s work and hope to read more.