I expect that an anthology is likely to include some stories I like and some that I don't, but this particular collection was one of the most uneven I've encountered. I came close to giving up on it because I didn't care for any of the first few stories. It wasn't until I got to Sympathétique, by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, more than a third of the way through the book, that I found a story that really engaged me. From that point, I found the stories overall more enjoyable, and there were a few that I really liked:
Messages Left in Transit, Devices Out of Sync - S.B. Divya
Summer of Our Discontent - Tyler Keevil
A Grave Between Them - Karina Sumner-Smith
The Hidden Knowledge Society - Bogi Takács (seeing eir name on the author list was the main reason I picked up the anthology to begin with, so I was very happy that eir story was one I hadn't read before and one I liked)
The Light of Stars - Amanda Sun

I also appreciated the Astronaut's Four Seasons, by Jane Yolen, as one of the few contributions that spoke in a very obvious way to the theme. In general, I did not feel that the organization and selection of stories did a very good job of illuminating any sort of central idea or focus. I was somewhat anticipating that the stories might be sorted into sections by season, but they were not, nor did there seem to be any other clear guiding principle for the order of entries, which I think could have really helped this feel like a more cohesive collection.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and the amazing publisher for an advanced copy of this! Many of the stories were relatable and I couldn't put this down. I did have some trouble following certain portions because I struggled to understand and connect, which was definitely a great aspect of this title. A little something for everyone. The writing was engaging, well-developed, and flowed smoothly. I truly enjoyed this group of authors.

Couldn't get through this one no matter how hard I tried. I just think this collection of short stories is not for me. I liked the concept and I thought I would enjoy it, but I think the writing styles of these authors does not work with my taste.

Huge thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this! This was a bit of a mixed bag for me - some of the stories I couldn't put down, and others I struggled to connect with. The writing was engaging throughout though, so I'll keep my eye out for some of these authors longer works!

This speculative fiction anthology from a range of diverse authors was outstanding. There were no weak contributions, each story and the two poems included were beautifully written and very powerful and moving. I enjoyed every single one of them and some were sensational. Particular favourites included: "Dress of Ash" by Y M Pang, a heartbreaking take on the Cinderella fairytale; "Summer of Our Discontent" by Tyler Keevil, a chilling look at memory, identity and invasion set in the beautiful Welsh countryside; and "A Grave Between Them" by Karina Summer-Smith, a challenging look at the more sinister side of superpowers. But this list could go on and on as I loved every single story in this collection - which is incredibly rare and so should be celebrated all the more. I loved them all and would reread them all. I will be looking out for more anthologies from this publisher based on the strength of this one.

The stories are mostly told, not shown, which makes them hard to capture and hold, which is a shame, because the tales are diverse and about serious subjects. There's even an appendix with resources for mental health and other needs addressed by the stories. I received this anthology through NetGalley.

I throughout enjoyed the different writing styles each author. The collection of short stories was refreshing and very interesting to read. Although I did enjoy some of the short stories more than others. It was hard to stay focused and entertained due to the storylines. But I liked that they were all centered around coming of age stories and each one brought something different.

A lovely collection of stories by excellent writers. I enjoyed the mix of genres, the different perspectives and the chance to spend time wandering and wondering with writers familiar and new. Definitely worth your time, and you'll have the added enjoyment of notes from the writers after each story. Great theme that's well-executed without feeling one-note .

I'm often asked for recommendations on what to read. When your reading time is limited, you want a book or author that will transport you from your everyday blahs or educate you. My answer is usually an anthology in the theme of their favorite genre. An anthology serves as a sampler of works, usually with a central theme, that often introduce us to a new-to-us author. The theme for this anthology is "a quality life", a theme we hear often in the news or social media. These authors all approach the theme with an eye to what they would consider a quality life and how to find and live it to the fullest. Each story is short, some a few pages, some longer. This also allows the readers to fit a complete story into a limited time.

I was not familiar with many of these authors, but have since researched and purchased many of their back titles. This anthology has more than met my expectations and will definitely be a gift for many of my reading circle. Add it to your TBR list and you will not be disappointed.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I usually love short story collections. This one, however, I have very mixed feelings about. There didn't seem to be a clear theme or at least something to connect the stories together, leaving me wondering what the overall theme was. It was supposed to be "Seasons of Life" but for some reason, this collection didn't leave me with the feeling of exploring what a good life was.
I also felt that some of these lacked a real solid ending. I know that short stories are just that, short. But only a handful of these left me with any sort of feeling after reading them. My favorites were 'Hope to See a Ghost Tonight' (although I wish it were longer to really explore the horror elements), "Robocare' (which reminded me of a short film I watched once on the Dust network), and 'Blue Kueh' (which I felt was one of the few that did have an ending that I was satisfied with).

Overall, it was just ok. I do think that some people would be able to find a common link between these stories but I just couldn't.

Is a great collection of stories. This has 23 different short stories. All each have thier own charm. This has a mix of everything so has something for everyone.

Read "Seasons Between Us" for a closeup of reality. This isn't a social media or influencer extravaganza of feels. These stories are the real deal. These stories explore life as it really is: good, bad, beautiful, and sometimes ugly.

This is an interesting and diverse anthology of stories, if a little out of my comfort zone. Some really resonated with me, others not so much. My favorite parts were the ‘advice to younger self’ notes at the end of each contribution, which I found unfailingly wise and revealing. That said, I’m not convinced that the short story format is for me, as they always seem to end just as I’m getting into the characters. I think I’ll probably stick to full-fledged novels from now on.

What is a life well-lived? This topic clips the 23 stories from a broad range of speculative fiction subgenres together.

I expected much from several outstanding authors like Jane Yolen, Alan Dean Foster (my teenage favorite author), Rich Larson, and Maurice Broaddus. Additionally, I’m always on the hunt for new authors surprising me.

Let’s just say that I didn’t write a single review for any of those stories. Nothing catched my eyes, most of the stories were just mediocre and none of them touched me.

Jane Yolen gave a poem – I’m sorry, but I don’t read poems, like at all. Foster’s story was nice, but extremely short, a ten minutes read. Broaddus is capable to produce great stories (like his “City of Refuge”), but this was yet another BLM story, and an unegaging one.

No recommendation for this one from my side.

I tried repeatedly to get into this collection. I skipped around when I felt bogged down, but each story felt bogged down. Maybe I am in the wrong head space, but it didn’t click for me. I see people love it I wanted to be one of those people too. I just wasn’t.

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.

I rarely read short story collections or fantasy or sci fi stories but the premise behind this one sounded interesting. And it did not disappoint. Most stories were interesting and thought provoking. A few were a bit to sci-fi for me but many were realistic and almost plausible especially after living through a pandemic.

I especially liked each other's notes to their younger selves at the end of each story.

What I Didn’t Like:
-Lack of cohesion. I love short story collections. This one, however, doesn’t have a clear thread that brings the stories together. There’s no sense of balance to them, nothing tying them together.
-Short stories really need to pack a punch. Either be emotional, poignant, daring, or shocking. Otherwise, how will you remember this short journey? These lacked that punch. They lacked staying power.
-No world building. I understand we’re dealing with short stories here and there really isn’t TIME for complex world building. The problem here is that to fully appreciate some of these futuristic worlds you needed that building, you needed the time and space to understand it.

What I Did Like:
-The sci-fi aspects dropped into many of these stories were captivating. I love that many of them made AI or other technology commonplace.
-Poetry. Often a short story anthology will shy away from including poetry. This one embraced it, including two poems. Actually, one of my favorite pieces from the collection was one of the poems. Great choice to include it!

Who Should Read This One:
-Anthology readers who like literary voice and sci-fi components.

My Rating: 2 stars. For me the missing cohesion and forgettable nature of the stories was problematic.

I always have some difficulty rating a collection of short stories, especially one as diverse as this one. There is a common theme to the stories, the way our identities evolve throughout the seasons of our lives. Every story here is a 'coming of age' story at heart.
But genre and writing style vary a lot, and that automatically means you like some more than others.

There were a few stories I thought were just OK, and a few that I liked a lot and that will linger. Overall, I liked this collection.
I must admit I'm not a huge fan of short stories to begin with. I like to be swept away to another world, immerse myself in other characters, and I find that very hard to experience with a story that's practically over before it's begun. So I guess people who do like short stories will probably get more out of this.

“Seasons Between Us”, edited by Susan Forest & Lukas K. Law, several authors
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Very good read. It is a collection of short stories, a mix of sci-fi, light fantasy and dystopian. Some are a bit creepy but they mainly exams our relationships with others and with ourselves. I would call it “Black Mirror with a heart”.

They are consistently good stories from beginning to end, a rare thing in collections with different authors.

I liked how in a couple paragraphs the authors transported me to the world they created, being it in with a Japanese family and a cyborg, a tar farm hunted by ghosts who can control the weather, an alternative reality where slavery still exists (actually it still does in some places), or in retelling of Cinderella with sword masters.

There was one main feature in each story: human relationships and its importance in every situation. What it represents to us and how far would we go for the ones we love.

Another cool thing of this book is that in the end of each story the author leaves a note to their young self.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This collection of short stories have a common theme- the seasons of life; birth, youth birth growing old and death. And the meaning and wisdom we can gleam from each season or even as each days starts anew, and we are given a chance to try again.

They are a nice mix of fantasy and science fiction, stories and poems, some left me satisfied, and others I really wanted to continue to find out what happens next. I especially enjoyed the advice each other would have given to their younger self. Enjoyable read.