Title: Up All Night: 13 Stories between Sunset and Sunrise
Author: Laura Silverman
Genre: YA Anthology
Publication Date: July 13th, 2021
Ratings: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Goodreads Summary:
When everyone else goes to bed, the ones who stay up feel like they’re the only people in the world. As the hours tick by deeper into the night, the familiar drops away and the unfamiliar beckons. Adults are asleep, and a hush falls over the hum of daily life. Anything is possible.
It’s a time for romance and adventure. For prom night and ghost hunts. It’s a time for breaking up, for falling in love—for finding yourself.
Stay up all night with these thirteen short stories from bestselling and award-winning YA authors like Karen McManus, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nina LaCour, and Brandy Colbert, as they take readers deep into these rarely seen, magical hours.
This turned out to be one of my favorite short story collections. Not one story got lower than three stars. The group of writers that contributed were all so strong and there was such an incredible variety of types of stories: the dissolution of a friendship trio, the end of high school, and the merging of two families, to name a few. And yet, they all seem to capture the same sort of essence and theme—like the dawning of a new day, things change.
I do think the anthology definitely started out the gate really strong, but finished a little on the weaker side. Here are my individual ratings:
Never Have I Ever by Karen M McManus – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
What a great way to kick off this collection! A dare gone wrong giving a plot twist I did not see coming.
Like Before by Maureen Goo – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Honestly, this story hit me hard. A friendship breakup can sometimes be worse than the ending of a relationship.
Old Rifts and Snowdrifts by Kayla Whaley – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️:
I always like to see some great disability representation!!! I really loved the atmosphere Whaley created in this story of two former best friends stuck in a flower shop overnight during a snowstorm. What went wrong to break up their relationship in the first place and is it too late to repair?
Con Nights, Parallel Hearts by Marieke Nijkamp – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ambitious piece following two people waiting overnight in line at a convention that may have packed too much into a short story.
Kiss the Boy by Amanda Joy – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
An average quintessential tale of a girl trying to kiss her longtime crush at a Senior Lock-in event for the end of high school. A sweet tale that had a nice little adventure but was just okay.
Creature Capture by Laura Silverman – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Two best friends who go out searching for creatures on a Pokemon Go-like game. Extremely average.
Shark Bait by Tiffany D. Jackson – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ :
Even in short form, Tiffany D Jackson can make me cry. I want, no need, an entire expanded novel of this story. She is a master writer who knows just how much to give in a story to keep the reader wanting more. And I want more!
A Place to Start by Nina LaCour – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
On the eve of their parents’ wedding, two new step-siblings are spending time together for the first time and helping to make their house feel more like a home. Nina LaCour always creates such vivid stories and characters and I always love to read her character dynamics.
When You Bring a Dog to Prom by Anna Meriano – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Can’t have a YA anthology about nightlife without including the prom! Such a sweet story about a post-prom adventure that includes a party, a lost dog, and a little romance.
Missing by Kathleen Glasgow – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: I was surprised at how much I LOVED this. Me? A ghost story? I was totally hooked from the start and on the edge of my seat for the whole ride.
What About Your Friends by Brandy Colbert – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
A quieter story about the complications of a friendship where one girl chooses to spend her freshman year of college at school, while the other experiences a failed gap year. Are they able to mend their relationship when one friend ghosts the other out of embarrassment?
Under Our Masks by Julian Winters – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Following in the footsteps of the rest of his family, we follow a masked vigilante who protects his neighborhood from crime at night, while living the life a regular boy by day. Interesting and creative concept, just not for me.
The Ghost of Goon Creek by Francesca Zappia – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ending on an average note. The school’s resident ghost expert and loner helps a classmate with a local ghost story. They spend the night in the cemetery awaiting a ghost when other classmates interrupt. This had a lot potential but just ended up a little flat.
Through race, sexuality, and culture these stories reflect on that precious time between sunset and sunrise where anything can happen.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lindsay Glenne 