Summer Days & Summer Nights: Blog Tour Review!

Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories
Edited by Stephanie Perkins
With stories by Leigh Bardugo, Francesca Lia Block, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Brandy Colbert, Tim Federle, Lev Grossman, Nina LaCour, Veronica Roth, Jon Skovron, and Jennifer E. Smith

Published by St. Martins Griffin
on May 17, 2016

Source: eARC for review from publisher

Synopsis from Goodreads: Maybe it's the long, lazy days, or maybe it's the heat making everyone a little bit crazy. Whatever the reason, summer is the perfect time for love to bloom. Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories, written by twelve bestselling young adult writers and edited by the international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins, will have you dreaming of sunset strolls by the lake. So set out your beach chair and grab your sunglasses. You have twelve reasons this summer to soak up the sun and fall in love.

My take: First off, how cute it it that this cover is the same pond that was featured on My True Love Gave to Me, Perkins' winter-themed anthology? And that now that it's summer, the pond is thawed and everyone is swimming instead of skating? (Okay, maybe it's just me, but I was excited....)
Most of the stories evoked my own experience of summer: camping, amusement parks and carnivals, national park visits, day camp, movie theaters, the beach...  What could be more magical than a summer romance?

I think short stories are perfect for summer. In summer I'm either a) really busy, so a quick read between all my running around is perfect or b) relaxing and I don't want to read anything that's too mentally taxing...

Here's my take on a few of the stories.  Each had its own strengths and there is a little something for everyone, but I starred my three absolute favorites!

Heads, Scales, Tongues, Tail (Leigh Bardugo)
Though the topic and genre of this (spoiler) mermaids and magical realism (spoiler) were not my favorites, I always enjoy her writing.

The End of Love (Nina Labour)
I liked the overall idea of this -- a girl whose parents are divorcing feels completely adrift and tries to find balance between the security of continuity and the scariness of change -- but I felt like this plot needed more time to breathe and might have worked better as a novel.

Last Stand at the Cinegor (Libba Bray)
This story featured many Libba Bray trademarks, like humor and snappy dialogue and truly scary moments. But like some of her books (Beauty Queens) this got a little out-there for me...

Sick Pleasure (Francesca Lia Block)
I'd never read anything by this author and not sure if this is her typical style. Loved the 1980s California setting a lot, but the plot was a little too drift-y for my taste.

**In Ninety Minutes, Turn North (Steph Perkins)
Adorable! I loved revisiting this couple from the prior anthology. I smiled all the way through. And come on ... a funicular??

**Souvenirs (Tim Federle)
Really loved the writing in this one! I will be checking out his new book.

Love is the Last Resort (Jon Skovron)
This one is set in a resort and I was hoping for a retro Dirty Dancing vibe, but got more of a really retro, Jane-Austen-period-novel-translated-to-2016 vibe. There were a lot of characters (guests, employees, meddling mothers) and a lot of goings on.

**Good Luck and Farewell (Brandy Colbert)
I really enjoyed this one - set in Chicago and featuring more non-traditional family relationships and a sweet in-one-night romance. I hope she's writing a new book!

All in all, a fun selection of stories. Let me know in comments if you've read this or plan to!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a free advance copy of this book for me to review.