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. 

Featuring stories by Leigh Bardugo, Francesca Lia Block, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Brandy Colbert, Tim Federle, Lev Grossman, Nina LaCour, Stephanie Perkins, Veronica Roth, Jon Skovron, and Jennifer E. Smith.

* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review *

For me this was an okay anthology. There were some stories that stood out and made me fall hard for the characters and their love stories. Those same stories made me want to pick up (if I hadn't already) the author's other books! I haven't yet gotten the chance to read anything from Nina and Brandy so I'm definitely picking their novels soon.

But some of the other ones were quite... boring and really, I tried so hard to not skip them but eventually I read them all just because it felt wrong to not read them all. These are short stories so you fly by when reading them to be honest so if you are in the mood for some cute summer loves, this anthology is perfect for you. 

List of stories + ratings: 

✧Head, Scales, Tongue, Tale by Leigh Bardugo ★★★☆☆ 

Leigh's story was okay I guess. It started off really weird and it got to a point where I was like okay I can roll with this. Leigh is a fantasy writer so of course she put some fantasy sparkles to her story and I actually really enjoyed the story by the time I finished it. It was cute as heck.

✧The End of Love by Nina Lacour ★★★★☆ 

Oh Nina, you write stories that can conquer kingdoms and make rainbows out of pages of your stories/books. This is the first of two LGTBQ+ stories this anthology has. Nina Lacour's is about two girls having crushes for one another. I can't believe this story had such depth - family, friendships, love, feelings - it had everything and it is A SHORT STORY (??? How she did it is beyond me). Nina did it incredibly, and I can seriously said this was one of my favorites. 

✧Last Night at the Cinegore by Libba Bray ★★☆☆☆ 

Just nope. I got bored when I started this. I don't see it in this anthology, I mean? It was weird and the events happening in it were not of my liking. I only can say one word and that is: meh.

✧Sick Pleasures: For A and U by Francesca Lia Block ★☆☆☆☆ 

First I didn't understand at all what was happening. It doesn't fit the anthology to be honest. It's not cute, the characters are like foreign to me because I don't know them like you get nothing of their thoughts in a way you usually do get them and feel with them and for them. After I finished reading it, I was like "what did I just read" It was definitely not a good feeling.

✧In Ninety Minutes, Turn North by Stephanie Perkins ★★★★★ 

But then comes Queen of Cuteness, Stephanie Perkins and writes a frigging adorable and amazing story. Jeez, guys. This one was super cute and the characters are !!! magical squirrels that love each other so much, I almost died of how much I squealed during this story. I totally want a longer story with these same characters? Pretty pleaseeee.

✧Souvenirs by Tim Federle ★★★☆☆ 

This is another LGTBQ+ story with two guys working at an amusement park for the summer. The concept of the story was so fun! Also this is one of the stories that made me feel too much. I think I actually cried at one point omg. It was so bittersweet but yet an incredible story about love and who you are as a person. 

✧Inertia by Veronica Roth ★★★☆☆ 

It was too Divergent-y for me. You can actually see some stuff that if it doesn't appear in Divergent, it can appear at some point. Either way, I did enjoy her story and the characters there are so sweet together, I may have cried at the ending *hah* I'm such an emotional wreck when it comes to cute books I'm sorry omg.

✧Love Is The Last Resort by Jon Skovron ★★★★☆ 

Skovron's was super sweet and actually quite fun! We got lots of POVs and I really liked how it all developed by the end. I also really want a summer YA book about lots of friends in a resort and their interactions - I have wanted that for a while. So to get a little glimpse of what that book could be like, it was really great. + There is also a m/m couple here!

✧Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert ★★★★★ 

Brandy Colbert, with a little story, you have become one of my new faves. Your story is so easy to get into and so fun to read. I enjoyed hella lots reading the story of a girl who feels like her mission in life is being left behind. The interactions in her family and the way Brandy drew the story of Rashida made my heart smile + the little shippy moments we got from Rashida and Pierre were so my fave thing in the world. Hate to like= HECK YES. 

✧Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare ★★☆☆☆ 

Clare's story takes place inside a circus - this is something that I really liked. There was something in this story that I could salvage, because the whole other stuff was too confusing and it was like it was going too fast for me to catch up what was happening. Like when I finally got to a part, it was already going to another thing and another, and so went on. 

✧A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smith ★★★☆☆

Jennifer E. Smith is my girl to go for YA contemporaries. She writes sweet and summer-y books that you enjoy a lot. I did like her story in SD&SN but it wasn't WOW. I know one has to write a short story so there isn't enough space to develop lots of things in said story. But Smith did a great job and I will forever love the way she writes people and their stories.

✧The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman ★☆☆☆☆ 

Just disappointed and I'm sad that I have two 1-stars in this anthology. Grossman's story was okay I guess but after reading all the greatness in the last ones, you expect for that level. The Map of Tiny Perfect Things was slow and for me, it got boring at some point. 

 Overall: 3.75 stars 

As you can see, Lacour, Perkins, Skovron and Colbert were my absolute fave and I wish for all of them were longer tbh? Plus lots of the stories have POC main characters, and if not main characters, they are the love interests. Lacour's, Bray's, Perkins's, Roth's, Colbert's.  I really liked this and definitely enjoyed the stories more. I've heard the Christmas anthology is much better, so I'm picking up that some time soon definitely!