I was bound to strike out sooner or later with being head over heels for every new short story collection that was coming out-- unfortunately I had to find a few diamonds in the rough rather than loving every story of romantic tales with twists. And I was even sadly disappointed in a few authors I truly enjoy not having stories that matched the books I've come to love from them.

The two that were winners for me: Amy Spalding's "Five Stars" that was a twist on the mistaken identity trope. And, Mason Deaver's "Boys Noise" which plays off of their version of "only one bed at the inn".

I was also surprised that there really isn't anywhere specifically that mentions they're LGBTQ love stories and there isn't a bit more description about explaining the trope whether in a paragraph before the start of the story or after or even at the end where they give the authors' biographies.

Fools In Love was the perfect short (and cute!) book I needed to get me out of a slump. This selection of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC stories ranging in genre, perfected so many of my favourite tropes; one bed, love triangle, fake dating and more! Some authors added their own spin to these much loved tropes and others stuck to the roots but so many of them were executed beautifully.
But although I adored most of these stories of fools in love, some were not great. They could've been improved with a longer page count possibly, to allow for more development. Despite this, I would love to see many of these stories as full length novels, especially Unfortunately, Blobs Do Not Eat Snacks

i think i'm giving this a 3.5!
I love romance stories, so i was over the moon to get to review this book! however, there were a lot of stories in this where i was just unsure of what was happening and i just didn't really enjoy. also, the way this anthology ended with the second chance romance where two exes reunite after the earth learns that an asteroid is going to kill everyone in three days.... i didn't enjoy that story and sped through it because it gave me anxiety lmfao.

Thank you to Perseus Books, Running Press and NetGalley for the earc of this anthology in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun array of queer, romantic trope stories! I loved seeing so many familiar tropes done in some absolutely new settings. I generally struggle with anthologies, but this one kept my attention and really turned quite a few tropes on their ear.

A few really stood out for me, and I think everyone will enjoy this collection a great deal.

Fools in Love is an anthology of queer stories from across genres and tropes and I enjoyed it so much! I have to admit, some of the tropes could have been executed better but the others were so amazing and really made my heart swell! Loved this and everyone should definitely read this!

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD! I love romance tropes and this anthology had them all. I couldn’t get enough. Each story took me to a happy place and left me craving more. The characters were dynamic and relatable. The stories were moving and memorable. Extra points for the queerness and beautiful writing!

I had a lot of fun with this one. The last 40% of the book really supported me through my hangover and everything becase there's nothing better then reading about meets cutes and romance while feeling like you need to vomit.
Obviously I enjoyed some more then others, that's just a fact of anthologies but none of them felt like a chore to get through. There are a fair few that I hope are being pitched for full length novels. Also, big yay for the amount of f/f pairings!!

So I will be reviewing this book story wise. Some were actually great while others just could not make the cut:
1. SILVER AND GOLD ( Snowed in together): 1 Star Rating: my very first read was a very disappointing one. I had so many expectations from this trope. But this story is just so not up to mark. First half is just dedicated to some mountain race- which we so do not care about- the other half was given to romance. It would be much better if the author was more concise and clear about the characters she was writing.

2.FIVE STARS ( Mistaken Identity): 2 star rating: This was an okay read. The starting is kind of over stretched. It would be so much better if the writing and editing were better.

3. UNFORTUNATELY BLOBS DO NOT EAT SNACKS ( Kissing under the influence): 1 star rating: This story was so kiddish, more like a middle grade book rather than a young adult story. 95% of the book dealt with weird magic stuff which was not even remotely interesting. And where was the kissing under influence in this. There were also no good dialouges .

___________and why were the main love interests in the above three stories so far cocky, oversmart, YOLO kind of females, and the main character is underconfident. Is this some kind of new side trope we readers are being kept in the dark about?!__________

4. EDGES( The grumpy one and the soft one): 4 star rating; This was a pretty good story - short, sweet and simple. I like that not a lot of time is spent on useless stuff like giving long winded descriptions and they get exactly to the point. The emotions felt raw and real in this one.

5. WHAT MAKES US HEROES( Heroes Vs Villains): 3 star rating; A new perspective on the whole hero vs villain trope. Even though it wasnt much of my style, I still liked it. I especially liked how the protagonists stops accepting his parents forced decisions.

6. AND( Love Triangle): 0 star rating: okay, so this trope is like a really easy common one and we can find thousands of stories with the same trope. But this book is like a huge punch in in the face to all those books who used this trope well. So this book strated off pretty promising the first few pages but it is so uttterly ridiculous. Protagonist is stupid. And she develops feelings for a boy but is already in a relationship . Its like she sees this boy ONE time and is like OMG I love, i cant be happy without him, and now I cant stay with my boyfriend of three years. She tells her boyfriend- oh I love him so much and then cries. The boyfriend being a doormat, goes like - "oh no worries, lets all three date each other and forever be happy. easy peasy."
I am not against such time of relationships at all. But I really hate the way this story has been executed. Very poor story.

7. MY BEST FRIENDS GIRL:4 star rating: This was a nice story. The characters were well developed and actually had some character to them. There was an actual plot conflict to build the story up. The superhero element was also kind of interesting.

8. THESE STRINGS(Siblings hot best friend)-4 star rating; A very good story. Even though I am not a huge fan of this trope,I still ended up liking it because the writing had a very good flow and was overall well written. The main character was very likeable. It felt kind of short though.

9.THE PASSOVER DATE( fake dating)-3 star rating- Good story, nice and crisp writing. Trope is executed well. Ending was not rushed and felt apt. The humour was good too.

10.BLOOM( Love transcends space): good concept and idea. This was the first story i read for this kind of this trope. But it was just too long. tighter editing would be better.

11. TEED UP( Oblivious to lovers);- 4 star rating- I love dhow they explored the asian american theme in this one. the intense pressure sometimes put by asian parents, the sexism in a male dominated society, the misogny, everything has been presented well. romance was simple and cute.

12.BOYS NOISE( Only one bed at the inn): very very cute story. A simple writing style made it even more beautiful.

13. GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN( Secret Royalty)- 2 star rating- okay okay story. expected more from this trope
overall this was not a great read and but really liked all the representation. It was so very inclusive and diverse which i really appreciate. But I would not be reccomending this book to anyone.

This was super cute! I enjoyed that I didn’t know exactly what I’d be getting next. And the tropes were A+ 💜

"Fools in Love": 4⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, all the authors and publishers for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review.)

What an amazing compillation of short stories! I don't normally read many short stories because I like to get lost in a long, more detailed story, but these ones didn't disappoint!

So fluffy and cute, perfect for when you need a pick-me-up book or even a book to make you smile!

I loved the eclectic mix of tropes and stories in this little collection, and I especially loved the diversity in representation. It was a lot of fun and filled with many, many feels! Perfect for a summer vacation, as the stories are not too long, but well-written.

This collection of stories is as charming as it is refreshing. My only wish is that it had been available when I was growing up and exploring the world of romance and romantic writing.

Geared toward a young adult audience, these stories run the gambit from paranormal fantasy to contemporary romance and all the tropes in between. Since it's a collection of short stories, you can pick and choose the ones that speak to you, read them completely out of order, or just hunker down with a cup of cocoa and read the book straight through.

Bite-size romantic fiction, chock full of emotion. This collection is just fun.

Dear Fools in Love, it’s not you, it’s me. I mean, it might also be you, but I’ll take my share of the blame.

Anthologies are hard because there can be parts you like and parts you don’t, so coming up with an overall rating can be hard. That wasn’t really the case here because honestly, I just think this collection one wasn’t for me. I went into it expecting something totally different, and what I actually got just didn’t work for me. I’m a bit of a romantic, but I don’t think there was one couple in this collection that I liked. This just wasn’t my thing. Sorry Rebecca Barrow and friends 😬

1. Silver and Gold – Natasha Ngan
Rating: 1 out of 5.
Trope: Snowed In Together

"All had to do was cross the lake safely, and the silver medal was hers.
Mila had always preferred silver to gold, anyway."

Mila Solis is one of the few remaining competitors left on the Kiroki Trail during the annual race through 21 miles of treacherous terrain (basically it’s the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race set in an undeveloped fantasy world with wolves instead of huskies.) After navigating deadly obstacles, she faces the more daunting task of surviving the night stuck in a snowstorm with the reigning champion and her former one night stand, Rushanka Laikho.

I love SFF but one of my pet peeves is when authors throw a bunch of names and terms at you before the world has been established, and Natasha Ngan does exactly that in her short story. There is no worldbuilding whatsoever, and the romance is not convincing at all because it doesn’t seem like the two have interacted with each other outside of their one night stand. The action is a little exciting, I guess, but I found it hard to warm up to Silver and Gold.

2. Five Stars – Amy Spalding
Rating: 1.5 out of 5.
Trope: Mistaken Identity

"Friendly driver, good music, great kissing."

Navigating rush hour traffic in LA is the least of Krista Parker’s worries when her secret crush, Audrey Kim, mistakes Krista for her Rydr driver.

Nothing super original or exciting. It’s pretty much what you’d except from the synopsis. The two female leads are probably the main draw for most people.

3. Unfortunately, Blobs Do Not Eat Snacks – Rebecca Kim Wells

I know how much you love snacks. And blobs don’t eat snacks.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5.
Trope: Kissing Under the Influence

Tess Griffin is one step away from becoming a junior investigator of magical malfeasance. The only problem is that the one girl she can’t stand, Davina Winters, is her partner for their final exam. Well, that and the fact that their exam has apparently been highjacked for nefarious purposes.

The story isn’t too bad until you reach the title/trope part when things get a little too weird for me. There also isn’t really a satisfying resolution to the whole Leeside problem. There is some light worldbuilding here, but the slight Harry Potter vibes doesn’t cut it for me. I personally find the whole magical mumbo jumbo kind of boring.

4. Edges – Ashley Herring Blake
Rating: 1 out of 5.
Trope: The Grumpy One and the Soft One

It’s like she’s two different people. Or maybe I’m two different people. Maybe we both are, and all those little moments stolen in the quiet of my house are just that–stolen from our real lives.

Clover Hillock is the “queer queen bee” of Stoney River High School. Mac is…not. Since her twin sister left New Hampshire for sunny California, she’s pretty much been alone except during her private tutoring sessions with Clover when Mac teachers her how to draw and kiss and stuff.

I kinda feel bad for saying this, but I was bored. Like, I forgot this was part of the collection until I went back to write my review. I can see why people would like this; it just wasn’t for me.

5. What Makes us Heroes – Julian Winters
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
Trope: Hero vs. Villain

I snort, barely maintaining a scowl. ‘Since when do villains apologize?”
He pffts. “I’m not a villain. You know that.”

Shai Spencer (aka Artic) is definitely not stalking his ex- by staking out the coffee shop he frequents. And he’s definitely not doing it because his mom thinks they’re perfect for each other and because the publicity surrounding a level-one superhero and a level-two hero-in-training would be great for the Spencer family supers. And he’s most definitely not pretending to be dating his childhood friend-turned-villain, Kyan Coles (aka Levin,) when Logan (aka Magz) shows up with a girl on his arm.

Is it bad I started imagining a teen Frozone when I realized Shai was a black superhero who freezes things? Interesting concept, decent story writing, a little too preachy for my tastes.

6. And – Hannah Moskowitz
Rating: 0.5 out of 5.
Trope: Love Triangle

So you date two boys. They whisper about it in the halls. Your parents give you sideways glances. Enzo continues dating other girls and boys and Billy looks at girls but never touches and holds you extra tightly at the end of the night.

She loves her boyfriend, Billy. Then she meets Enzo and likes him too. She dates Billy and Enzo. Like the title.

Bold choice using second person narrative, but this story was not it.

7. My Best Friend’s Girl – Sara Farizan
Trope: Best Friend’s Girlfriend

"He told me he couldn’t believe the girl of his dreams was someone he could finally get close to because of me. He said I was the ultimate wing-woman. We joked about it, but I didn’t find it funny. It was only later that it occurred to me that I didn’t laugh because maybe she was the girl of my dreams."

Alia’s best friend, Hal, is actually an orphan from planet Zyxbrog masquerading as a human and the vigilante Heatwave. She’s the only one who knows his secret and is stuck covering whenever he needs to dash off to save Gateway City. It basically involves a lot of lying to his girlfriend, Clara, who she might know even better than Hal does.

The superhero angle didn’t work as well in this one and felt a bit forced. The story was flat, the characters were pretty generic, and the romance wasn’t convincing. Like, the resolution at the end was way too convenient.

8. (Fairy)like Attracts Like – Claire Kann
Rating: 0.5 out of 5.
Trope: Mutual Pining

"That never worked on Glory, the only person she’d never been able to fool completely. No, she was always watching Nia, always testing her. And even though she knew she shouldn’t, Nia let it become a thrilling game between them."

Nia has a secret: she’s cursed. She can’t lie, has to answer direct questions and sees sparks shoot out of someone’s mouth when they lie. At Fairydust Sleepaway Camp, she’s stuck with the only person she’s never been able to completely hide her secret from. To make matters worse, Glory decides to make things interesting by challenging Nia to a bet: whoever can prove she’s the best fairy can redeem a wish from the other person.

I was honestly just confused for most of this. Are they fairies, are they not? I’m not the biggest fan of magical realism to begin with, and it didn’t work for me here. I guess I can see the mutual pining if I squint, but I wasn’t into the relationship anyway.

9. These Strings – Lilliam Rivera
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
Trope: Sibling’s Hot Best Friend

"Funny, I always thought Oscar was just my brother’s annoying best friend growing up, but ever since he returned from a summer spent in Costa Rica things changed."

Lili has a lot of ideas for her family’s business, Marin’s Magical Teatro of Puppetry, but is largely ignored because she’s a girl. While her brother, Julián, spurns all the opportunities she’d kill for, Lili’s stuck collecting tickets. The only one who listens to her dreams and ideas is Oscar, Julián’s best friend…Julián’s very attractive best friend.

It started off pretty strong, but the resolution was so anticlimactic I ended up feeling kind of “meh” by the end.

10. The Passover Date – Laura Silverman
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Trope: Fake Dating

“And it’s not a date,” I repeat. “It’s just, you know, to keep my family from being annoying.”

Bringing a date to Seder is a Ableman family tradition, and after six dateless dinners, Rachel’s tired of hearing all her family’s comments about her singleness. Matthew Pearlman and Rachel were kind of friends before he joined the cool crowd and he’s interested in her sister, so he’s the perfect candidate for a fake date. Who knew he was such a good actor?

I like fake dating. I like crazy chaotic families. This was…not terrible.

11. Bloom – Rebecca Barrow
Rating: 0.5 out of 5.
Trope: Love Transcends Space/Time

"There is no way to control the orange blossom; it is the wildest and unwieldiest of all flora. It gives you what you need. It takes you where it is that you need to be, when you need to be."

It’s been eleven years since Mera’s mom died, and she’s finally ready to use the orange blossoms from their magic garden to go back in time and kill her mother’s murderer. But the blossoms have a mind of their own and when she arrives at the farmhouse, Richard Wells is dead. His daughter, Delphine, is very much alive though.

Time travel and I generally do not get along. I liked the prose though?

12. Teed Up – Gloria Chao
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Trope: Oblivious to Lovers

“Don’t you want to be just like Yani?” Because I was over the moon about seeing a girl who looked like me on television, seven-year-old me yelled “Yes!” without fully knowing what I was agreeing to. Since then, my life has been teed up for me.

Winning the US Junior Amateur as its first female competitor is the next step in launching Sunny Chang’s professional golf career. When she’s paired with the overly eager, excessively friendly Liam Russo, she knows he’s just another boy trying to throw her off her game.

I will never understand Gloria Chao’s insistence on discussing genitalia in her opening scenes. The love interest was fine if a bit generic, but I liked the exploration of immigrant parental expectations. I just wish the writing were…less cringe.

13. Boys Noise – Mason Deaver
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Trope: Only One Bed at the Inn

"Our first song was titled 'Boys Noise' by the band Boys Noise, from the debut album, wait for it…Boys Noise."

Felix Young is taking Lev to NYC for a surprise birthday trip. Between running away from fangirls and a tiny hotel room with–wait for it–only one bed, two boy banders take on the Big Apple and their big feelings.

I feel like Mason Deaver wanted another trope, got stuck with “just one bed,” did the bare minimum to check off that box, then wrote the story he wanted to write. At this point in the anthology, I was so over it I didn’t really care, but the story seemed like a weird choice for the trope. The commentary on the toxic nature of the entertainment industry was interesting, I guess.

14. Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Malinda Lo
Rating: 0.5 out of 5.
Trope: Secret Royalty

“Where did you find her?” Malika asked.
Jing told her the whole story, and then asked, “What do you think?”
“Let’s go back and talk to her. See if she does anything princessy.”
“Princessy?” Fei said skeptically.
Malika shot Fei and exasperated look before she left the shadow of the support strut. Princessy, she mouthed.

A slightly suss pretty girl visits The Fix Is In and asks Fei Cheng to repair an old comm. She ends up becoming the tour guide for the aforementioned girl at the night market. Around the same time, an announcement goes out that Princess Qīnghé is missing. This all takes place in space, but you can’t really tell if you miss a throwaway line in the first paragraph.

The opening scene reminded me so much of Kai and Cinder’s first meeting in The Lunar Chronicles (but like, set in Sci-fi Taipei instead of Beijing) that was pretty much the only thing I could think about for the rest of the story. I also don’t really get the romance; it was insta-love at it’s finest and not convincing at all. Like, they ate noodles together and fell in love? Maybe it was the endorphins from the Xi’an hot noodles that they thought was love. Also, the constant repetition of the princess’ “sugary cupcake smell” was weird.

15. Disaster – Rebecca Podos
Rating: 1 out of 5.
Trope: Second Chance Romance

"I decide to kill two birds. Three, actually:
Spend the apocalypse in comfort (or not–still have my fingers crossed for the interstellar construction workers)
Make my parents happy
Make Jem miserable at the maybe-end-of-the-world"

It’s 1999 and there’s an asteroid hurtling towards the earth. Everyone has abandoned the Frost Preparatory School for Girls in Boston except for Adina. What do you do when you’re alone and have three days left to live? Foist yourself on your ex’s rich family.

I’m running out of ways to say “this was not for me,” so I’ll save those of you who’ve made it to the end and just end the review now. Expect a lot of 90s references in this one.

I received an early digital copy from Perseus Books/Running Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Note the quotes are taken from the galley and may be different in publication.

Fools in Love: Fresh Twists on Romantic Tales, edited by Rebecca Podos and Ashley Herring Blake, is full of short stories with twists on romantic YA tropes by some of the most popular authors working in YA right now. You’ve got everything from fake dating to missed connections to love triangles and enemies to lovers, usually with a brilliant twist. And pretty much all of these stories are queer or diverse in another way – no straight white cis stories centred here, no ma’am – and my, how happy that makes me. I read this book spread over a couple weeks, reading just one or two stories to cheer myself up as all of them are just really lovely and delightful and positive. This is the kind of feel-good book that will make you feel better about yourself and the world and just kind of has the same effect as a hug or a cup of hot tea. While none of the stories were especially brilliant in a standout-favourite sort of way for me personally, none of them stood out as weak either – a solid anthology without clear weak spots. Highly recommended if you’re looking for something to cheer you up!

I chose this book because it offers a great deal of racial and LGBT representation, as well as meeting great writers through short stories. As I read I was very happy to know that it does what it promises, the stories remain within the theme of the anthology, recreating a trope of YA books and giving it its own style.

The book is short and cute, in general I think the authors maintain the narrative quality in each story. However, some stories are better developed or take better advantage of the anthology theme. It's obvious that there are writers with more experience than others. Of course, there is also the issue of personal tastes that influenced the experience. There are stories that were based on old-fashioned tropes (or that should go out of style, because they are problematic) and even if it is to give a twist to the plot it is difficult.

The theme of diversity is great, many of the stories are own voices and it is refreshing to find this great variety of characters starring in the stories. When there is no diversity, it shows and when there is diversity it shows even more.

Finally I just have to say that I liked the experience. Meeting new authors is always great, but that also makes it difficult for me to like the entire product. I give it 3.5 stars because I think it is a perfect book to read and relax.

This was such a sweet collection of stories. All based on different storytelling tropes, like "mistaken identity", "fake dating", or "only one bed", these stories bring a fresh twist on the classic tales we've all heard of. This anthology really feels like there is something for everyone. Personally, I loved the story about bringing a fake date to a Passover seder (since it reminds me of my own family's craziness), and the missing princess tale that's an homage to the film Roman Holiday. But there are also stories that are less overly happy and more unsure, which makes for a well-rounded anthology and the feeling that these tales have something to offer to everyone. There are diverse romances (honestly, the superhero vs. villain ex-boyfriend's story is so good) and I think that because the list of authors is so diverse, there really is the chance for everyone to be seen in these stories. A fun read that reminds us all that we're somewhat foolish when it comes to love.

4.5/5
This is an amazing collection of stories that I was so glad to get the chance to read. I loved the diversity and I loved the different romances and the different tropes in each one.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the authors for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

rating: ★★★★☆ (average calculated from individual ratings given for each story)

Fools in Love is an anthology written by a wide range of amazing authors, featuring 15 short stories that all revolve around teen romances. Each of these stories features a popular romance trope, for instance “enemies to lovers” or “ only one bed”. Some stories contain more magical and fantastical worlds, while others are set in a contemporary one. Each story offering a new & fun take on these well loved tropes.

Since this book consisted of a wide range of stories, I obviously didn’t love every single one; however I think that is to be expected. I also believe that there is a story for everyone, especially since we all have different opinions/things we like in books. I also found myself typically enjoying & loving the stories featuring my favorite tropes, while not being so fond of the stories featuring some of my least favorite tropes (like the love triangle trope). Despite not liking a few of the stories that did not take away from my enjoyment of this anthology as a whole, especially since I did enjoy most of the stories. Some of my favorites were Edges, The Passover Date, Teed Up, and Boys Noise!

Another reason why this anthology was so amazing was the amazing representation it featured! Most of the stories featured LGBTQ+ pairings and there were also a lot of stories following POC! it especially made me happy to read all the sapphic love stories, since I myself also identify as sapphic. It was a really nice change of pace from the majority of romance stories which feature heterosexual couples.

The only real thing I have to critique about this book is also solely based on my preferences in the stories I read, so it’s not much of a critique. I personally prefer to read stories that focus on characters and character development rather than plot based stories. So, especially considering that each short story needs to be told in a short amount of time, I would have preferred for some stories to focus more on the characters and developing their relationships & chemistry rather than spending that time developing a full fledged plot. However, most of the stories quickly immersed you in the world before mainly focusing on the characters!

Received via Netgalley. All opinions are expressly my own.

I am truly in love with this anthology. Most of the stories are beautifully queer (though some seemed afraid to use the word 'lesbian', a very common issue in contemporary stories... why are you so concerned about? It won't bite you!). I added so many authors to my TBR because I was enchanted with their writing, and I'm grateful for that (or not, as my TBR was already full) and I'd recommend reading it to all romance fans out there, especially the ones who are a part of the LGBTQ community, but don't usually see themselves in that kind of story. It's hard to give a more in-depth review in anthologies, so I'll just say it's definitely worth reading and leave it at that.

This was such an amazing romance anthology and I highly recommend it! I got all the feels while reading these stories and definitely needed some tissues for my leaking eyeballs. These stories are so cute and emotional and heartwarming. There's a lot of diversity and LGBTQ+ rep in these stories which is great. I liked some stories more than others, but you will definitely find some favourites and there's something for everyone. Go read this, it's perfection.

4.5/5 Stars