Gr 9 Up—Powerhouse authors Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola
Yoon intertwine tales of romance over the course of a New York City blackout. Love is represented in many
forms—sizzling and sweet—and these resonant entries featuring different Black characters will have readers longing
for summer nights and first love.

Six loosely interconnected and incredibly engaging stories about Black teens finding loving amidst a blackout in New York. ( )

I like how some of the characters are reoccurring in other short stories, really makes the New York setting feel real. Some stories may not blow you away, but I acknowledge it’s very hard to set up a romance with convincing characters and chemistry in only a few pages. Overall, not a bad collection.

Looking forward to the Netflix series for this!

The Long Walk (3.5 stars)
I liked this one. It’s one of those “lack of communication ruins everything” stories … but fun. Tammi and Kareem were interesting, and I wanted to know what caused their fallout so badly. Ms. Jackson has this tendency to slowly feed you the plot in her stories (Monday’s Not Coming, Grown, etc). It’s annoying lol but certainly one of her author trademarks.

Mask Off (2 stars)
This one was okay, but JJ’s narrative and dialogue felt so unrealistic at times. Maybe he’s got the range for it, I guess but I just don’t believe the average, 16ish boy is going to care about how women should be able to breastfeed in public without scrutiny. Some of the teenaged boys I’ve known would’ve been straining their necks to see a titty pop out.

Made to Fit (4 stars)
As always, I love Woodfolk’s ability to make us care about characters in few words. And her character descriptions? Stellar. The conversations between Nella and Joss flow so easily, even the flirting. Loved how soft Nella was.

All the Great Love Stories … And Dust (2 stars)
This one felt a little dry even though it takes places in a library and involves books. I didn’t care for Tristán. He wasn’t much beyond a ladies’ man. Lana’s insecurities about finding love and worries about growing apart from her friend were relatable.

No Sleep Till Brooklyn (4 stars)
I enjoyed this one. The dialogue/narrative was strong and entertaining, and I definitely understood Kayla’s FOMO (fear of missing out). Love triangle vibes.

Seymour and Grace (3 stars)
Surprisingly gets philosophical. It ends fitting, but I think it could've been extended. Not sure if the ladies had word counts for this project. ( )

This book is set in New York City amidst a citywide blackout during the summer. It weaves together six different stories. Five stories are written as their own sections and the sixth is interwoven among the five others. The characters are all in NYC and are planning on arriving at a block party later in the same day. Throughout the stories, the reader can identify other loose connections between the characters, even while the specific settings offer up different locations around the city. All of the stories are written by popular Black authors of young adult fiction and feature stories of love starring young, Black characters. I loved the stories in this book and how it was written. I feel it is especially approachable in that it reads like several short stories tied together. Since the stories all include some romance/love and take place in the summer, it makes an excellent beach or summer read. ( )

It's a hot summer day and a blackout has hit New York City. In interconnected short stories that all take place in this same window of time the book explores love, new beginnings, and possibilities on the way to a block party in Brooklyn. I especially liked seeing the connections between characters in the stories and the exploration of romance for the Black teens centered in each of the stories. ( )