Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for review.

I was SO excited to read this book...ever since the announcement by some of my favorite authors. It did NOT disappoint. The brainchild of Dhonielle Clayton, this COVID-quarantine project pulled in the best of the best to write an interwoven, short story collection ANY teen will love. I may be a 50 yr old, suburban, white woman - but I know the importance of own voices, ESPECIALLY in a meet-cute, young love, beach read novel.

I'm old enough to remember NBC's Must See TV's New York Blackout (Mad About You, Friends, Seinfeld). These stories are 10 times better. I can't wait to get this in our middle school library. Better yet, I can't wait to buy it as gifts for all of the teens in my life.

The given book description is a really good way of explaining this story without spoiling the specifics. This is a collection of sweet love stories, each unique and empowering in their own way. I enjoyed each of the perspectives and the way each person experienced a different form of love. There was no big moment where these stories all collided with one another in a hugely dramatic way; however, all characters were clearly connected and I enjoyed the little details that showed how each of the POVs were related. To me, it made this so much stronger than it would have been if it was just six completely individualistic stories. It reminded me of the movie Valentine's Day -- except with Black youth and some great queer representation. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone looking for a light-hearted/heartwarming read.

What's better than an #ownvoices novel? A novel that has six of the most promising and talented black YA authors today. More often than not, when you find a themed collection of stories, they are exactly that-- just a couple of stories put together under one theme. This goes further. It uses the blackout to tie all these different stories together, and bit by bit you realize they all belong in this one group. These different individuals with their own stories and their own voices.
If you haven't read anything of these authors yet, this is an easy step in the world of their writing. Highly recommend.