Summer Days and Summer Nights Review
This beautiful collection features twelve gorgeously romantic stories, by some of the most talented and exciting YA authors writing today. Includes: Leigh Bardugo, Nina LaCour, Libba Bray, Francesca Lia Block, Stephanie Perkins, Tim Federle, Veronica Roth, Jon Skovron, Brandy Colbert, Cassandra Clare, Jennifer E Smith, Lev Grossman.
To be completely honest with you I picked up this Summer Days and Summer Nights for incredibly shallow bookish reasons at YAUK… the cover was simply gorgeous and velvety to touch, and it had an old fashioned material bookmark made into it! It looked like summer!! If summer teen romance was ever to take on a bookish form this would be it!
Naturally the lovely girls manning the stand did not have to work very hard to sell it to me, and got a lot of help from my dear friends Caz and Faye who happily thrust it into my hands and said “Get it, you’ll love it!” And right they were.
This is a collection of 12 stories by 12 different authors. In view of this I thought I would do something different and choose 3 words for each story that I felt best represented them.
1. Dark. Magic. Deep
2. Ending. Beginning. Love
3. Horror. Movie. Action
4. Hope. Choices. Words
5. Mountains. Rescue. Love
6. Love. End. Confidence
7. Memories. A chance. Healing
8. Love. Love. And thrice Love
9. Goodbye. Hello. Understanding
10. Magic. Darkness. Carnival
11. Special. Love. Different
12. Miracles. Time. Ready
Although I chose a variety of words the common underlying denominator has to be love in all its shapes, sizes and forms. Ranging from true love, loving and letting go, friendship and family this lovely easy summery breeze of a read covers it all. Being able to pick it up read a story and then put it down again made it feel like I had 12 books for the price of one and that every read was a new tale! I know that obviously it was, but it felt a lot better than having to always stop midway through a chapter and perhaps right on a cliff hanger! No cliffhangers here, only tales of romance in all of their colorful variety.
Each little story has its own set of morals to teach and impart. A few drew smiles and laughter, others drew a couple of happy tears and yet others made me appreciate a side of love I had not considered. Not all summer love is frivolous and superficial, some of it touches you forever and changes you for better.
I love how every author contributed to a different facet of what people know and think love to be. Some of these lovely authors I knew already and recognised their penmanship, others who I did know took me a little by surprise and I have to admit I was pleasantly impressed, others in turn were completely new to me but I will now be scouring the bookshelves for their work!
Reviewed by Pruedence
