I really like anthologies but this one definitely missed the mark by a lot. I didn’t like any of the stories, I found myself flipping through a lot of them and decided to dnf it early and just barely skim some of the stories.

It was quite boring. All of the stories. They needed a lot of work. If I managed to finish the book I’d probably rate it a full 1 star out of 5. Maybe 2 if I were feeling generous.

I requested this as a lover of anthologies. I own and have read so many and unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me. I am a lover of YA but these ones just felt a little juvenile even marketed in this category. I’m trying to find the words to articulate exactly what didn’t do it for me and I am having trouble. Some key words that come to mind are juvenile (as previously stated), underdeveloped, and read more like a first draft than finished stories. Really love the concept, but the execution for me fell flat.

Overall, just not my cup of tea. Maybe the writing style, but I found myself cringing at more than one story. I know I am not seventeen anymore, but I don't think reading should have an age limit. Even as an adult, I think I am able to relate to younger characters. In this one, I just couldn't.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book which I received
through Netgalley.
Nice stories, but not great

This anthology just wasn't for me. There are six stories and I only finished the first three because I dnf'd The last three. The second was by far my favorite which I gave a 3.5/5 rating.

I'm not generally into romance plot driven stories. I enjoy it when it's not the main focus, but I was hoping for something to wow me.

OVERALL RATING: 4/5

On the Edge of Seventeen is a young adult anthology with stories from Cara McKinnon, M.T. DeSantis, A. E. Hayes, Serena Jayne, Mary Rogers and Kylie Weisenborn. It’s a collection which intends to depict the chaotic transition into adulthood. Not only does it do so with magic and superpowers, but at its core, it deals with significant issues of sexuality, gender, identity and of course, love at the edge of seventeen.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this anthology, but there were some stories that I found two-dimensional with no real depth. Although I completely understand the fact that these stories are significantly short, there were some that really were incredible, and others that fell short. It is completely doable to make an intriguing, awesome, kick-ass read within a short word limit.

As there were six short stories within this anthology, I’ll write a brief review on each. However, I will not provide a synopsis of each story, as I really do not want to accidentally give spoilers!

M.T. DeSantis - “Be Null, My Heart”

We have super powers! Emma was born into a superhero family with superhero threats - but, she also goes to high school like a normal seventeen-year-old. I have to say the writing, the flow, the overall plot-line of this short story was absolutely incredible,! It was a refreshing narrative that reminded my of a mix between The Incredibles and Sky High. The only aspect I’ll have to critique for this story, was that I felt that the character development could have been handled with more depth. Honestly, I just wanted more!

rating: 5/5

A. E. Hayes - “Her First Fever”

I would have to say that Her First Fever would be on of my favourite stories from this anthology, alongside Be Null, My Heart. Mainly because the chemistry between Johnny and Madeline was too adorable and written in such a beautiful way that I was entranced - even though it was ‘insta-love’, which is a trope that I do not really enjoy - but I adored it! Especially the way in which Johnny was written; I have to day that he was such an intriguing character and one that was inherently interesting. The writing and the plot-line was wonderful and I wish there would be a full-length novel. One criticism, however, would be that I didn’t really feel any sort of connection with the main protagonist, Madeline, and I felt that her character could have been explored better - however, the limitation of constructing a short story is the fact that there is not significant room for authors to explore such aspects of the story.

rating: 4/5

Serena Jayne - “Dead Man’s Party”

Magic. Zombies. This story was a wild ride and I enjoyed every minute of it. The story was intriguing, the character development was done well and the overall flow of the narrative was wonderfully done. To be honest, the relationship and dynamic between Xander and Shay was beautifully written and I look forward to reading more from this author.

rating: 4/5

Cara McKinnon - “Three Jagged Pieces”

I adored how McKinnon wrote about issues concerning gender and sexuality identity and it definitely was a refreshing take on the old ‘love triangle’ trope. I found that each character, Ava, Noah and Sam were wonderfully written and done so with respect and love. However, I have such a violent reaction against love triangle-esque plot-lines, even ones with this sort of story-line. I find that there I lose interest in such stories - especially when there are multiple perspectives. But somehow, this story kept my attention and I ended up loving it.

rating: 3.5/5

Mary Rogers - “The Crayon Thief”

The Crayon Thief was a such a fun read. Rogers definitely knows how to keep her audience immersed within her story by providing a depth to the characters and to the narrative itself which had me emotionally invested with the characters. I was a bit suspicious about Randall (a.k.a Mr Popular) - but I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I wish I was able to read more.

rating: 5/5

Kylie Weisenberg - “Now I Am”

Another case of insta-love. I have to admit that the premise of the story was intriguing. Anna is a ghost who is in love with the very-alive Carter - what could possibly go wrong? I enjoyed reading about Anna’s reality; in that, she is a ghost who is clearly moving around the realm of the living. To be honest, I found it incredibly lonely - and I believe that Weisenberg touched on this briefly. However, I found the execution of the story quite underwhelming. Insta-love, for me, can be hit-or-miss. I felt myself losing interest in this story every time Anna mentioned Carter as ‘the boy she loved’. I felt that there was literally no chemistry between the two love interests and most importantly, it felt forced. I really believe though, that if this was a full-length novel, that it would have been an incredible read as it would have allowed the time for a relationship to naturally develop and create that romantic and emotional element that was missing from the short story.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this anthology to lovers of YA romance! It was a collection that highlighted different themes which, at its core, illustrated the sometimes chaotic nature of young adulthood.

I was so excited to read this book, because I was really in a mood for contemporary at that time. And I must say that I am a little disappointed. From the whole collection, the story that is pretty good is the story of Johny and Madeline in "Her First Fever", even though there's an insta love game strong happening around here, the story was brought and flowing quite nicely.
I wish I can enjoy this book as much. But, unfortunately this one is not for me.

A variety of stories offered in the anthology. It has a bit of everything: contemporary, superheroes, and fantasy-magic. It has stories that'll make you feel nostalgic and smile feeling seventeen again.

Not what I expected. Not my type of book. I like depth to my stories, and length. I did not get that from these short stories. I didn’t even finish the whole thing.

I have conflicting feelings about this book. On one hand, I like romance stories to be resolved, but on the other hand, I like short stories to leave something for me to think about. Most of the stories here felt like mini-novels, and because they were short stories, the pacing and character development would always feel a little bit off, since they had to accomplish the goal of a novel in the space limit of a shorter piece. I would say "Her First Fever" and "Three Jagged Pieces" were my favorites, out of all of them. Cute read, overall, with some intriguing concepts that would have been cool to see in a more expanded format.

You can't help but reminisce your teenage years when you read the stories in this anthology. There are a variety of themes highlighted in each story and what I found quite refreshing was that the characters, despite the challenges, were all able to find their ways towards resolutions. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC, fans of YA would love this short collection.