Thank you so much to Running Press Kids and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. Sometimes anthologies take me quite a bit of time to get through because I only read a story or two at a time in between reading other works. I kind of did that here, but I think the anthology format was used effectively and kept me interested enough that I was consistently drawn in to read on, even when an individual story wasn't my favorite. (Sometimes anthologies offer a little something for everyone, and that means some stories you LOVE and others just fall flat. Others curate the stories to one specific reader who would like pretty much everything as a whole. This is definitely the former, so it's a good intro to authors you may not have read before, but it's unlikely you'll think each story is equally amazing.)

Fools in Love brings together the best of romance story tropes, combined in a fresh mix of genres, without the overarching heteronormativity. The entire book is majority LGBTQ+ and features diverse casts. Each short story plays into a trope, like "fake dating" and "enemies to lovers," which is fun and the primary appeal of the work. I'm not sure how I feel about each specific trope being listed out quite literally on the title page - in one way I understand that it has to be broken up that way so you know what's ahead, but I found it a little hard to remember each story by a title, a trope, a genre, and an author all at once in my ebook.

My favorite stories in the collection were Boys Noise by Mason Deaver, Edges by Ashley Herring Blake, Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Malinda Lo, My Best Friend's Girl by Sara Farizan, Teed Up by Gloria Chao, and Five Stars by Amy Spalding. Predominantly, the stories I loved most were by authors I have already read and enjoyed in the past, so I'm thankful to be able to see more from them. But I've definitely jotted down some other names and added even more books to my TBR after checking out participating writers!

4.5 stars. This collection made me so happy. There were a couple of stories that I liked a little bit less than others, but all of the short stories were enjoyable. My personal favorites were Silver and Gold, Five Stars, Bloom, and Disaster. There is such a wide variety of stories in this collection, and I feel like there is something for everyone in it. The cast of characters is mostly LGBTQIA+, and it is also racially diverse. I read it in two sittings, but if you're looking for a collection of short stories that you can come back to when you have a little bit of free time, this is a great choice. Some of the stories made me laugh and some of them made me cry. There's a little bit of everything.

<i> This e-ARC was provided by NetGalley, in exchange of an honest opinion. </i>

<b> Over-all Rating: </b> 2.8 ⭐

"Fools in Love" is a collection of love stories from different authors. It was a diverse read, full with different love stories.

📚 "Silver and Gold: Snowed in Together", by Natasha Ngan - 2 ⭐
📚 "Five Stars: Mistaken Identity", by Amy Spalding - 2.5 ⭐
📚 "Unfortunately, Blobs Do Not Eat Snacks: Kissing under the influence", by Rebecca Kim Wells - 2 ⭐
📚 "Edges: The grumpy one and the soft one", by Ashley Herring Blake - 4 ⭐
📚 "What Makes Us Heroes: Hero vs. Villain", by Julian Winters - 4.25 ⭐
📚 "And: Love Triangle", by Hannah Moskowitz - 1.5 ⭐
📚 "My Best Friend's Girl: Best friend's girlfriend", by Sara Farizan - 2.5 ⭐
📚 "(Fairy)Like Attracts Like: Mutual Pining", by Claire Kann - 2.5 ⭐
📚 "These Strings: Sibling's Hot Best Friend", by Lilliam Rivera - 2.5 ⭐
📚 "The Passover Date: Fake Dating", by Laura Silverman - 4 ⭐
📚 "Bloom: Love Transcends Space Time", by Rebecca Barrow - 2 ⭐
📚 "Teed Up: Oblivious to Lovers", by Gloria Chao - 4 ⭐
📚 "Boys Noise: Only One Bed at the Inn", by Mason Deaver - 4.5 ⭐
📚 "Girls just want to have fun: Secret Royalty", by Malinda Lo - 2 ⭐
📚 "Disaster: Second Chance Romance", by Rebecca Podos - 3 ⭐

I love the fact that this book has so much diversity. Reading some other reviews, I have to agree with some points:
- I wasn't capable to connect to all characters. Some of the stories didn't give enough details that allow the reader to connect.
- It is lacking the existence of different endings. I think it would be nice if some of these stories dealt with heartbreak or other things at the end... Just so it could be different.

Not all short stories were for me, as you can see. Despite all that, I'm thankful for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Lately I've been reading a lot of contemporary books even though it is not my favorite genre but it's where I could find more LGBTQ+ stories I like and when I hear that Mason Deaver, who wrote one of my favorites books of this year so far, has a story in it I immediately added it to my august tbr.

So first of all, I thought this books was going to be a bunch of contemporary fiction stories but then I read the first one and I was different, then I read the second one, which was one of my favorites, and when I got deeper into the book I realized that it was some of the most popular tropes of the romance genre put into queer stories, I think that the twist that they had was wonderful.

I enjoyed a lot this book and even though some weren't my cup of tea, they all were awesome. You really have a good mix of stories, you have sci-fi, fantasy and contemporary short stories with LGBTQ+ representation, what else could you ask for?

A joyful celebration of romance and the tropes so often found in stories about love. The best part of the anthology was how dedicated it was to diversity in its authors and the characters each author wrote.
The stories play to different strengths, with some authors opting to keep the narrative completely contained within the pages given and others leaving the readers with room to interpret or make additional assumptions. Overall, no two stories echoed each other, thus resulting in an anthology where any reader of YA might find a new favorite.

3.5, averaged my ratings of all the stories.

I picked this up because Mason Deaver has a story in this anthology, but three are stories by many great authors. This is really great if you're looking for something short and cute.

This is a great collection of short queer and BIPOC stories that range from regular contemporary stories to whole new fantasy universes all including fools in love. All reimaginings of popular tropes, this book includes many fun situations such as love triangle, fake dating, only one bed among so many other great ones interpreted in new ways or staying true to its roots.

Some of these stories were great, some weren't, some could've been better given a longer page count. There were a few stories I really liked, only one or two I didn't enjoy and the rest I we're good but needed more time to be developed. Many of these stories I would love to see as full length novels, especially Unfortunately, Blobs Do Not Eat Snacks.

This has a super cute collection of romance stories. It was a quick read and all the stories were so diverse and different from each other. Most of the characters were likeable as well which is always helpful:). I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

This collection will be so fit for young adult LGBTQIAP romance lovers and it's coming out this December!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every story. Such a diverse read I would say!
Many of these stories struck me as very experimental; concepts and techniques are developed in these stories that you wouldn't see from a full-length YA novel, which was very refreshing, if not risky.

*4.5 Stars*

15 stories, 15 authors. All romantic. And I had a great time. Like all anthologies, I liked some stories more than others but overall, I really enjoyed this.
I felt like the stories where just the right length and I felt for the characters and was shipping them like crazy while still never being bored.
I was disappointed by some stories though but they truly were a minority.
I wish I could review all the stories one by one but my memory is not what it once was. Maybe I'll reread it and will do that then... I definitely did enjoy it so much that I'll buy it and will probably reread it at some point!

This book gave me all the feels. I loved the diversity and the queer takes on all of the different romance tropes. Normally short stories feel like they are missing something but I felt connected to each of the characters and each of their stories. The different author styles kept me guessing, with some written in a contemporary style whilst others had a fantasy or sci-fi setting. If anything, I wish there was a follow-up book with a short story sequel for all of the stories in this. Amazing book for teen and adult readers!

this book is an unusual mix of happy adolescent love stories that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Many of these pieces struck me as being highly experimental; themes and approaches are explored in these stories that you wouldn't find in a full-length YA novel, which was refreshing, if not dangerous. Of course, given the variety of genres and author styles, there were certain stories I favored over others; but, this collection genuinely has something for everyone. Although the general balance favors f/f relationships, bi, homosexual, trans, and straight characters all have their moments in the limelight. Contemporary, fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, and superheroes are among the genres represented.
Readers looking for a charming, engaging, queer-inclusive romance YA novel need look no further.

Complete review (in Spanish): Instagram @entre.mi.libro.y.yo

What I didn´t like about this book:

The fact that some short stories didn´t give me enough context to like the characters, to get to KNOW them.


What I liked about this book:

Some stories were SO CUTE, I was literally smiling at my phone and *hoping* to have a love story like that someday.

So much diversity, not only about gender but also about religion and race. VERY GOOD AUTHORS!


I definitely think that this book made me realize that short stories are not for me, I couldn´t root for the characters and it made me feel frustrated every time I had to start a new story.

Thanks for sharing this book with me NetGalley and authors!

Thank you NetGalley, Running Press, and the authors of Fools In Love for sending me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this anthology to be funny and creative. This collection had 15 stories that focused on different romance tropes. I appreciated the unique stories and the representation of the LGBTQ+ community was amazing! Some of my favorite stories were Five Stars, The Passover, and Teed Up.

Overall, I enjoyed the majority of the stories and recommend this to anyone looking for some YA romance with stories that have excellent LGBTQ+ representation!

This book made me fall back in love with anthologies, I think. That is to say that I truly enjoyed every single story held within and definitely will need to buy a physical copy once it releases.

This collection includes 15 short stories, with each one being based around a different popular romance trope. Think 'there was only one bed', 'love triangle', 'mistaken identities', 'my best friend's girlfriend', etc. Things you think you've read every possible iteration of, but somehow we all still find incredibly cute and comforting and sweet despite that fact. After all, tropes make it to become tropes for a reason - because they work, and we love them no matter what.

Each of the stories reads quite quickly, making it easy to blow through a few of the short stories before you've even realized you've been reading all that long. Most of the stories are also centered around LGBT couples; I believe all but one is, really, if I remember correctly - and one other story involves a polyamorous couple, which is something so rarely explored in (contemporary) fiction! I tend to only see that in sci-fi these days, feels like. I loved how diverse all of the stories were, honestly. It felt like there was truly a little something for everyone in this. I can't imagine people not finding the stories adorable.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for a free arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a cute book! Containing 15 short romance stories by different authors and different tropes there are stories for everyone! Each author wrote about one trope form fake dating, to one bed, love triangle, second chance romance and more! This book also contains amazing LGBTQ+ representation! Many of the characters are members of the LGBTQ+ community and are shown in great light. There are also many kinds of stories from more contemporary romances to fantastical or sci-fi settings. I truly believe there is at least one short story for every type of reader in this book.

Some of my personal favorites stories in this book were the passover date, boys noise, and disaster. I loved how this story covered all kinds of love stories and tropes. Normally I don’t read short stories because I like to really get to know the characters and watch them grow. However many of these stories were amazing and the characters were easy to connect to and love! I enjoyed the short stories as you got such diversity in content.

The only reason this is not 5 stars is some of the stories I didn’t connect to and some felt a little rushed. But overall this is a great book with great representation and diversity!

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy of Fools in Love! I absolutely love short stories so I’m sooo excited I got the chance to read this!

What makes this collection so fun is that the authors each had their own trope and wrote a short story about whatever love trope they were given. I liked that the trope was listed under the title so you knew what kind of story you were reading before you started. I think this will work out great for people because we all have different taste! Me personally, I’ll give anything a try, but for those who have specific taste, they are able to skip around and read the stories that most speak to them!

Overall I would recommend to anyone needing some cute YA love stories!

Individual story ratings:

Silver and Gold by Natasha Ngan 3 stars
Five Stars by Amy Spalding 4 stars
Unfortunately, Blobs Do Not Eat Snacks by Rebecca Kim Wells 3 stars
Edges by Ashley Herring Blake 3 stars
What Makes Us Heroes by Julian Winters 5 stars
And by Hannah 3 stars
My Best Friend’s Girl by Sara Farizan 4 stars
(Fairy) Like Attracts Like by Claire Kann 3 stars
These Strings by Lilliam Rivera 3 stars
The Passover Date by Laura Silverman 5 stars
Bloom by Rebecca Barrow 4 stars
Teed Up by Gloria Chao 3 stars
Boys Noise by Mason Deaver 3 stars
Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Malinda Lo 5 stars
Disaster by Rebecca Podos 4 stars

This book is perfect for LGBTQ+! Even if you are not part of the community, the stories are still very enjoyable to read. There was a lot of variety in the different stories. I enjoyed how one chapter would be fantasy and the next contemporary. Most of the stories were very well written. There was one that read like a Wattpad type story which was terrible, but the rest were pretty good. Some of the different tropes were interesting. Some stories didn’t actually follow that trope very well. Like one literally just mentioned how there was one bed just briefly and that was it, but the story was still very good. If they followed the tropes a little more than it would be even better.

Overall I liked all of the stories, but some of them could have been written a little better.

I acquired the e-arc through Netgalley, thank you!

Fools In Love is a collection of stories all focused on romance. It varies from contemporary, fantasy to science-fiction. Each story focuses on a different popular romance trope.

I really enjoyed this anthology! The thing I appreciate the most is how LGBTQIA+ representation there was! I also definitely discovered some new great authors. I think this type of book could be very good for new readers who want to explore different romance tropes and find out what they enjoy, or also discover new authors to check out. My personal favourite stories were "Unfortunately, blobs do not eat snacks" by Rebecca Kim Wells, "My best friend's girl" by Sara Farizan, and "(Fairy)like attracts like" by Claire Kann. I would have read fulls books about these stories!

.............


Silver and gold by Natasha Ngan - 4
"Snowed in together"

Five stars by Amy Spalding - 2,5
"Mistaken identity"

Unfortunately, blobs do not eat snacks by Rebecca Kim Wells - 5
"Kissing under the influence"
My favourite quote: "Tess," the blob said, sounding infinitely patient. "I'm not a blob."

Edges by Ashley Herring Blake - 3
"The grumpy one and the soft one"

What makes us heroes by Julian Winters - 2
"Hero vs. Villain"

And by Hannah Moskowitz - 1
"Love triangle"

My best friend's girl by Sara Farizan - 4
"Best friend's girlfriend"

(Fairy)like attracts like by Claire Kann - 4
"Mutual Pining"

These strings by Lilliam Rivera - 1
"Sibling's hot best friend"

The passover date by Laura Silverman - 5
"Fake Dating"

Bloom by Rebecca Barrow - 5
"Love transcends space time"

Teed up by Gloria Chao - 2
"Oblivious to lovers"

Boys noise by Mason Deaver - 4,5
"Only one bed at the Inn"

Girls just want to have fun by Malinda Lo - 3,5
"Secret royalty"

Disaster by Rebecca Podos - 5
"Second chance romance"

Fools In Love is an inclusive and charming collection of stories! It puts a new spin on well-loved classic tropes such as: only one bed, sunshine/grump, hero vs. villain, fake dating, and more. I absolutely loved how much LGBTQ+ representation was included in almost every story. While I was previously familiar with several of these authors, I also enjoyed hearing from the new voices! By the end of this anthology, you’ll undoubtedly have added these authors’ previous works to your TBR.

Several stories that really stood out to me were Julian Winters’ “What Makes Us Heroes,” Malinda Lo’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” Gloria Chao’s “Teed Up,” Mason Deaver’s “Boys Noise,” and Rebecca Barrow’s “Bloom.” In What Makes Us Heroes and Girls Just Want to Have Fun, I wanted a full book that followed these characters!! I loved how typical gender dynamics in regards to sports were flipped in Teed Up and Boys Noise explored what you have to sacrifice as a celebrity in the music industry. Bloom was reminiscent of an Anna-Marie McLemore story, combining magical realism and love across time.

This anthology has superb pacing; I flew through these joyful and poignant stories. With settings ranging from contemporary to outer space, there’s something for everyone. Fools in Love is the perfect book for anyone who enjoys romance, classic tropes, and seeking excellent LGBTQ+ rep in love stories. Fools in Love releases on December 7, 2021. Thank you to Ashley Herring Blake & Rebecca Podos, all the participating authors, Perseus Books/ Running Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc.

I loved these stories. I love the LBGQT stories as they are eye opening and it is a good way to understand others.

I also love short stories.