There’s something about snuggling in for the evening and picking up an anthology. Taking a skip into another world, into another person’s life for a moment, to discover new favorites. Today I’m going to be reviewing four anthologies coming up and already released to add to your TBR.
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Study Break edited by Aashna Avachat
College…the best time, the worst time, and something in between.
What do you do when orientation isn’t going according to your (sister’s) detailed plans? Where do you go when you’re searching for community in faith? How do you figure out what it means that you’re suddenly attracted to your RA? What happens when your partner for your last film project is also your crush and graduation is quickly approaching?
Told over the course of one academic year, this collection of stories set on the same fictional campus features students from different cultures, genders, and interests learning more about who they are and who they want to be. From new careers to community to (almost) missed connections — and more — these interconnected tales explore the ways university life can be stressful and confusing and exciting and fulfilling.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
A good anthology premise will always get me. I love that 1) this is an anthology all about the messiness of college 2) the interconnected stories. This is the only college anthology I can think of and for that reason I knew I had to pick it up. Don’t even get me started on some of my favorite authors in here. It’s full of authors I’ve loved, ones I’ve come to live since starting the anthology, and new discoveries. Anthologies are this perfect opportunities to add more books and voices to your TBR.
I feel like we don’t get enough stories on my TBR in this fragile moment of college and still being a teen. Of being 18 or 19 and still struggling to find our foothold especially in these hallowed halls and this ‘experience’ that has all sorts of strings and ideas attached to it. Find Study Break on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
When We Become Ours edited by Shannon Gibney & Nicole Chung
Two teens take the stage and find their voice. . . A girl learns about her heritage and begins to find her community. . . A sister is haunted by the ghosts of loved ones lost. . . There is no universal adoption experience, and no two adoptees have the same story. This anthology for teens edited by Shannon Gibney and Nicole Chung contains a wide range of powerful, poignant, and evocative stories in a variety of genres. These tales from fifteen bestselling, acclaimed, and emerging adoptee authors genuinely and authentically reflect the complexity, breadth, and depth of adoptee experiences. This groundbreaking collection centers what it’s like growing up as an adoptee. These are stories by adoptees, for adoptees, reclaiming their own narratives.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
As a transracial adoptee, there was no way I was not going to read When We Became Ours. This anthology means more to me than words. Growing up I never saw stories about adopted kids. This anthology soothes a wound I didn’t have words for until now. In this genre bending anthology, these fellow adoptees navigate feelings of family and belonging. Of growing up as a person of color and feeling that as something familiar and foreign in faces on the streets like us.
And then the title? This idea of belonging to ourselves. We can feel unmoored, lost, and stuck between. Between our family and another family behind our memories and nightly shadows. Or between the heritages of our families and ourselves, of finding a space of belonging. And so the fact that this anthology is about when we become ours? Tears on my face. Find When We Become Ours on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
Being Ace edited by Madeline Dyer
From a wheelchair user racing to save her kidnapped girlfriend and a little mermaid who loves her sisters more than suitors, to a slayer whose virgin blood keeps attracting monsters, the stories of this anthology are anything but conventional. Whether adventuring through space, outsmarting a vengeful water spirit, or surviving haunted cemeteries, no two aces are the same in these 14 unique works that highlight asexual romance, aromantic love, and identities across the asexual spectrum.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
We love to see the aspec stories by aspec authors all in one anthology. This anthology is such an important anthology to see. I also cannot get over the genre representation in here – further proving the representation of ace characters in all of literature. To see that there’s a place for them in space, underwater, and on streets. Something early on in the introduction I loved was that this anthology is a collection of windows, not doors. I’m not sure how else to describe how much this anthology meant to me and how impactful it will be for future YA readers.
There’s a great mix of authors I’ve loved for years now and new authors to me. Continually adding to my queer TBR! Find Being Ace on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
All Signs Point to Yes edited by g. haron davis, Cam Montgomery & Adrianne White
A haunted Aquarius finds love behind the veil. An ambitious Aries will do anything to stay in the spotlight. A foodie Taurus discovers the best eats in town (with a side of romance). A witchy Cancer stumbles into a curious meet-cute.Whether it’s romantic, platonic, familial, or something else you can’t quite define, love is the thing that connects us. All Signs Point to Yes will take you on a journey from your own backyard to the world beyond the living as it settles us among the stars for thirteen stories of love and life.These stories will touch your heart, speak to your soul, and have you reaching for your horoscope forevermore.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Not going to lie, I am not well versed in anthology, which, oddly enough, is why I was so intrigued by this anthology. But considering the amazing author list, I knew I had to read it and take a chance. One of my favorite elements of this anthology – besides the author list – was the genre mixing of fantasy, contemporary, and romance all blended into one. Now what you might be wondering, did I like my ‘sign’ story the best? Since I’m on the border of two signs (not to mention adopted so no precise birthday) I think I’m allowed to play around with it a bit!
I do want to mention that there not only are there queer stories here, but also aromantic representation which is such an important addition! That’s definitely one of the lines I loved seeing in the synopsis. Find All Signs Point to Yes on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
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