I’m judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

This first story was so poignant and hilarious I couldn’t help but stop whatever I was doing and read it all the way through. “Luke quotes Rumi sometimes about how “love is a madman” and says anyone who doesnt get that can go fuck themselves. Sometimes, he just stares at Anita and sighs. She loves this, but when she considers his fifty thousand dollars’ worth of credit card debt, or the beer bottle caps strewn across the floor of his car like scabs, or the picture of his wife and daughter that fell out of his wallet when he went to pay for gas this morning, Anita marvels at how quickly she has fucked up her life.”

Love Like That follows different women, mostly younger adults, in how love, or some odd semblance of love or twisted influences on their lives.

The short stories were compelling - I felt often what the protagonist (if really a protagonist...) was going through. However, I kept looking for ways to understand how the stories were coming together as some appeared to do so, and that was throwing me off while reading - trying to make sure I wasn't missing something.

Each separate story gives an example of how women react / respond to challenges in love - if you go in not expecting the linkage, it's a hard and worthwhile read.

CW: sexualization of teen/pedophilia, death, ageism, abuse

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company, as well as Netgalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very intrigued by the synopsis and cover of this book. It ended up being an interesting read, but just not my cup of tea. I had a hard time following the flow of the book and it was more depressing than I was expecting.

I found the writing in these stories to be compelling and very unique . I liked that each one of the stories has it's own voice and told a story that was complex yet relatable at the same time. I definitely want to read more from this author. This is the first work that I have written and will definitely not be the last. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley and Goodreads.

I felt kinda meh about this one. Not really connected with the story, even though I did read the whole thing. I would read further books by the author. This one to me is bland.

2/5 Stars

This collection really felt all over the place. It seemed like every time I read a new story, I was “just getting to the good part” when it abruptly ended and it was on to the next one. I wish there was more cohesion, as a whole. I picked this up because I love reading character-driven stories about the human (especially female) condition... and the heavier the better!...but this didn’t quite deliver. The tone felt TOO dark. That being said, one story I enjoyed was “The Offering” which know it will be a long time before I can get out of my mind.

A collection of short stories that are gripping, thought provoking and interesting. Don’t pass this one up it’s a wonderful read.

Love Like That is a group of short stories about women, oftentimes finding them at their worst. There's a woman who finds her boyfriend's son seems more like a stranger, a woman dating a man much older than her, and an English teacher struggling with the system, to name a few. I enjoyed the author's unflinching look at womanhood in all its forms, and her writing style is very lyrical.

I'm rating the book 3 stars because the stories didn't leave much of an impression after I was done reading them. This may have been due to the disparate nature of the stories - the characters and situations did not connect to each other besides having female protagonists. If you enjoy short story collections, you might like this book more than I did.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting collection of short stories that are interesting, thought provoking and satisfying. You won't be disappointed.

I thought I'd try this one because I love character-driven stories about women and the cake on the cover (as well as the blurb) suggested a sweet, uplifting experience. It was actually quite dark time and again, but I kept going because sometimes life struggles are not a piece of cake to resolve.

This work of literary fiction has a lot of imagination in terms of the range of character situations (separated triplets, the aftermath of a car accident that killed an infant, a teenager who almost has sex with a grown man, oddly portrayed domestic abuse) but there were no firm resolutions, which even thoughtful literary works should have sprinkled here and there. The trouble I had with this was that there wasn't a thread or structure to connect these women. I don't know why I expected there to be one but so many of the stories are very depressing and maybe having a common theme or some sort of connection might have made it carry more purpose or lift.

Character details were given with sharp, succinct delivery (great in short stories) which shows me that Duffy-Comparone has a gift for storytelling and she definitely proved imagination in telling unique stories. I'll look for her next work but I did not feel the joyful connection promised in the synopsis.

Thank you, Henry Holt and Company and Emma Duffy-Comparone for an eARC copy of “Love Like That” in exchange for an honest review (via NetGalley).

I seem to be on a reading pattern of late that the synopsis sounds good, but when I read the book, it’s a clunker. Love Like That is a mishmash of people. The writing is disjointed and there is little cohesion. I didn’t relate to any of the characters. The one scene I did appreciated was when one character told off the woman who was rude to her and talking on the phone while expecting to be waited upon. I think everyone has had one of those moments. This book was a miss for me.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Company and Emma Duffy-Comparone for an eARC copy of “Love Like That” in exchange for an honest review (via NetGalley).

“Love Like That” is a short story collection that tackles the complexities of relationships, and the darkness that surrounds the things we do to find ourselves.

If you are a fan of character-centric stories as opposed to plot-centric stories, this may be a book for you. As a note, these short stories have a series of loose endings that are up to interpretation.

However, while the title of this book may imply love stories, prepare yourself for stories that are based in darkness and emotional turmoil. I enjoyed reading these stories, but prepare yourself for heavy topics. Some of the stories I enjoyed more than others, and it was difficult for me to connect to the characters in the stories. All in all, I think this was a good collection with great writing (if you love descriptive contemporary writing, this is for you), but it wasn’t my absolute favorite short story collection.

CW: ableism, sexual assault, pedophilia, divorce, infidelity, death, death of a child, struggles with conceiving a child, child abuse, domestic abuse, animal abuse, mentions of suicide

Emma Duffy-Comparone has comprised a surprising array of stories of love . Love in all its complexities and pitfalls. It brutal on one page a d delightful on the other. We meet lovers who compromise and hold firm in their love and devotion. I found myself reliving old infatuations and sympathizing at the inevitable. If you are looking for your cake and are willing to eat a bit of emotion too, here is your New Years read. Happy reading

I'm not a huge fan of short story collections typically, but lately I have been enjoying them more than usual and decided to give this one a try. Unfortunately I didn't see a clear through line between stories, wasn't my favorite.

A real look and families and dynamics within them. Love and anger all mix together to make life. But always know that family is forever.

An interesting, well-written collection of short stories. A lot of the characters were victims of their own self-absorption and poor choices so it was hard to identify with them, but it was a satisfying book.

A wonderfully written completely entertaining gem of a collection of short stories.I was drawn I. The author has a unique style highly recommend#netgalley#lovelikethat

Average short story collection, mainly focusing on middle class, middle-aged women making poor decisions regarding their love lives. I liked some better than others.

I love this delectable collection of stories. It was so joyful and unexpected. I would highly recommend for anyone questioning the human experience.