I loved the holiday collection that Perkins did a few years ago, and Summer Days and Summer Nights was just as good! Stories from some of the best in YA.

The last three stories were the best in the book. Towards the middle, I almost gave up and didn't finish Summer Days and Summer Nights. However, I stuck it out, and I'm glad that I did. I'm not usually a big Cassandra Clare fan, but I absolutely loved her short story. Jennifer E. Smith's story about camp was probably my favorite though. I went back and forth on Lev Grossman's story, but the ending saved it. So skip the first nine stories, enjoy the last three.

The perfect book to read in the summer. I loved the fact that it was made of up of short stories by some of my favourite authors so that I could dip in and out of it.

A really fantastic anthology, I loved these stories from some of my favourite authors. It's a really wonderful collection of tales.

Unable to read due to being archived and copy no longer available. Neutral rating given to combat this.

My full review of this book was posted as part of a blog tour as requested by the publisher upon release.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Maybe I'm just not as much of a fan of anthologies as I thought I was? I'm sure teens will enjoy this, and I can see giving it to a reluctant reader who doesn't want to commit to a long book. The shorter stories might be more appealing. But for me, nothing was as fleshed out as I would have liked. And of course, some of the stories always end up being better than the others and I either skimmer or skipped those ones. I didn't like Bardugo's story, which was sad because I usually like her. It was all just meh for me.

This was not exactly the sweet summer anthology I was expecting. Many of the stories were bittersweet and packed quite a punch, and I was enthralled by most of them. Of course, I was most keen to read Stephanie Perkins' story, a continuation of her winter tale from My True Love Gave To Me, but to be honest it disappointed. I found North rude and a bit of a jerk this time around. My favourite stories were by Leigh Bardugo, Jennifer E. Smith, and Veronica Roth. Others by new authors to me, such as Francesca Lia Block, intrigued me and made me want to hunt out their other work.

Individual Ratings:
Head, Scales, Tongue, Tale by Leigh Bardugo – ★★★★★
The End of Love by Nina Lacour – ★★
Last Night at the Cinegore by Libba Bray – ★★★★
Sick Pleasures: For A and U by Francesca Lia Block – ★★★
In Ninety Minutes, Turn North by Stephanie Perkins – ★★★
Souvenirs by Tim Federle – ★★★
Inertia by Veronica Roth – ★★★★
Love Is The Last Resort by Jon Skovron – ★★★
Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert – ★★★
Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare – ★★★
A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smith – ★★★★★
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman – ★★★

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

I loved this anthology! It was the perfect book to bring to the pool. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to download this title before it was archived

I started this on vacation last summer and decided to take my time finishing it. It's a compilation of short stories by several best-selling YA authors, so I decided to read one short story between other books. It was the perfect way to take this in. I especially enjoyed "Brand New Attraction" and "The Map of Tiny Perfect Things."

I hope Stephanie Perkins keeps doing these.

Review on my old blog: http://botanical-studies.tumblr.com/post/144000449654/title-summer-days-summer-nights-author

Four stars: A fascinating set of short stories, all set in summer that feature different types of romances. A fun read.

What better way to pass a lazy summer afternoon than with a short story anthology. Summer Days & Summer Nights is a rather unique collection of short stories. I was surprised by the overall tone of the book. I was expecting light, fun and flirty and what I got was more of a bittersweet, melancholy tone. These stories cover a gamut of emotions, and some are indeed fun while others tackle more difficult topics. Still there is a bit of something for everyone. From good old fashioned romance to sci fi to paranormal. Almost all the stories are winners, so definitely take a chance on this one.
Here is the breakdown:

Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail by Leigh Bardugo : This story opens the book and what a fantastic opener it is. I loved this tale about a girl who thinks she sees the fabled lake monster in the local lake. When she seeks out, Rachel, the wise woman who knows about the paranormal, she is told to ask Eli, the summer boy who always appears to be wet. This was such a delightful book about summer love with a unique twist. The writing is sharp, descriptive and unforgettable, and the ending, is not to be missed. This was one of the best of the bunch. Four and a half stars.

The End of Love by Nina Lacour: This is tale about a teenage girl who is dealing with the loss of her life as she knows it because her parents are in the middle of a divorce. To escape the heartbreak, she enrolls in a summer class where she again runs into her crush. This is a f/f romance that is rather nice, which was a surprise. It takes the edge off the sad tone. Three and a half stars.

Last Stand at the Cinegor by Libba Bray: A spin on the horror classics. It is the last night of the Cinegor theater, a movie theater known for showing all the cheesy horror classics. It is also the last night for the hero to ask out his crush. All hell breaks loose when the movie actually spawns evil and the patrons become mindless zombies. A cheesy and funny horror tale with a romantic ending. However, the happily ever after ending felt a little out of place in light of the terror and violence. Still it was fun. Three stars.

Sick Pleasures by Francesca Lia Block: This is definitely the rotten apple in the bunch. It is melancholy depressing and just awful. The author uses initials instead of names which is irritating. Basically it chronicles a summer romance that was abandoned. At first, I was liking the romance between the good girl and the bad boy with the Mohawk, but then it fails. There is depression, drug use and jealousy. It may be a true story. Either way it was downright awful. Skip this one. Two Stars.

In Ninety Minutes, Turn North by Stephanie Perkins: The feel good story of the bunch. This is the continuation of the short story by Perkins featured in the Christmas anthology. We catch up with Marigold and North a few months down the line, only to learn that they have broken up. Marigold is attempting to win North back, and to do so she must track him down at the mountain resort where he is working. Even though I was disappointed in the beginning to learn that these two had gone wrong, it ends up right. It is sweet and fluffy. Four stars.

Souvenirs by Tim Federle Surprisingly, this break up story ends up not being so sad. Summer at the local theme park is winding down, and that means break up day for a young man and his boyfriend as they will be going their separate ways. I was surprised by this one. I liked the way the two ended things, it was just right. I especially appreciated how supportive the mother was. Three and a half stars.

Inertia by Veronica Roth: Another wonderful tale. This one starts out sad as a girl learns that she must go to the hospital to be part of her long time friend's dying wish. Before he passes thanks to wonder drugs, the two have a chance to reconnect in memories and talk to one another. Even though their friendship had faltered, when it mattered the most, they got it right and helped one another. This one was powerful and moving. I really liked it. Four and a half stars.

Love is the Last Resort by Jon Skovron: A slapstick, comedic romance that features three resort employees collaborating together to bring about two couples. It is rather funny. I especially liked the voice of the narrator, and I loved him even more when I found out who he was. I just wish that there was more of Zeke in the story as he was my favorite. Four stars.

Good Luck and Farewell’ by Brandy Colbert: This is another one I could have done without. It is sad and melancholy as a young girl struggles with the move of her cousin, whom she has counted on since her mother died. It is depressing, but there is a spark of hope at the end. I just didn't like this one. Two stars.

Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare: What screams summer more than a carnival? Except this isn't your run of the mill carnival. Instead it is a dark carnival that features terror and screams, and the power of the carnival is a demon. Even though it is a dark carnival, it really isn't all that dark until the evil uncle swoops in claiming he is there to save the day. Thankfully, the plucky niece and the uncle's stepson figure out the truth as they fall in love. An entertaining story. Three and a half stars.

A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smith: This is a wonderful little romance, that has a unique twist. I loved the characters in this one. I especially loved the male romantic lead, he is so special. I adored the way he connected with the six year old boy with autism. I would love to see this drawn out into a full story. It is touching, sweet and adorable. Don't miss this one. Five stars.

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman: I think this may have been my favorite of the bunch. This one features a boy and girl who are mysteriously reliving the same day over and over, just like in Ground Hog Day. They come together and create a map of wonderful and beautiful events they witness during the day. There is a sad twist at the end, but I loved it none the less. This one is magical, tender and wondrous. Five stars.

As you can see, this is a rather eclectic mix, with a couple of misses and some stand outs. There is certainly a story for everyone, and the stories will appeal to each reader differently. I had fun with this collection, and I am glad I took the chance. If you want something unique for summer reading, this definitely a fun collection of short stories to try.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

Summer Days and Summer Nights is a delightful companion to the wonderful book "My True Love Gave to Me." With many short stories in one place, it allows you to read some wonderful summer contemporary stories that will have you falling in love with all the authors, as well as the summer season.

Another year, another seasonally themed short story anthology edited by Stephanie Perkins. Summer Days & Summer Nights is an anthology of twelve stories containing summer loving, in which some people are having a blast and some people are not. For the most part, I liked this anthology. There were maybe two stories that I wasn’t head over heels for.

HEAD, SCALES, TONGUE, TAIL BY LEIGH BARDUGO
The first short story in Summer Days & Summer Nights is Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail by Leigh Bardugo. It starts out being about this strange woman named Annalee who moves to town. Then it goes on to talk about this girl named Gracie who sees a creature in the lake – similar to the Loch Ness Monster. Gracie ends up forming a friendship with this boy from a summer family named Eli. Eventually that friendship turns to romance. Only, Gracie never sees him the other nine months out of the year. Overall, this story was strange and wondrous and a great start.

THE END OF LOVE BY NINA LACOUR
The End Of Love by Nina Lacour is only the second story in Summer Days & Summer Nights, but I think it may be a contender for my favorite story in the anthology. Nina Lacour’s short story is about Flora who is about to be a senior in high school. Flora decides that because her best friends are going to be gone all summer, she will audit a geometry class at summer school. She already passed geometry with flying colors but she really needs to get out of her house. You see, her parents are divorcing and she just can’t take being at home. Only, she did not quite count on her ex’s friends – Mimi, Travis, and Hope being in her class. Mimi, FYI, is the one who made Flora realize that she’s not entirely straight. So, what occurs is a story of moving past an upsetting event, coming to terms with it, and finding not only hope but also love. I was really into Lacour’s story and of course wouldn’t mind if this was expanded into a full book. It’s very well written.

LAST STAND AT THE CINEGORE BY LIBBA BRAY
Of course, leave it to Libba Bray to contribute a twisted sort of love story to Summer Days And Summer Nights. Kevin works at what’s called the Cinegore, which is a cineplex located in Deadwoood, Texas. The Cinegore only shows horror movies. Anyways, it is about to be torn down and built into something better. For the last night, the staff is showing a movie that’s only been aired twice due to the fact that it possesses the souls of those who watch it. Kevin has a thing for one of his coworkers, Dani, but he’s never really had the courage to tell her. Tonight, though, he decides to do it. Only, there’s a couple things that end up getting in his way. So, this story took me awhile to read and get into, but ultimately, I was a fan.

SICK PLEASURES BY FRANCESCA LIA BLOCK
Sick Pleasures by Francesca Lia Block is a story that I could honestly take or leave. It’s about this girl whose about to go to college. She has a group of best girlfriends. She refers to everyone by their first initial instead of their actual name. I got confused. I honestly don’t even know the main character’s name. Anyways, I think the story is set in the 80s because it talks about punk and zines. Anyways the girl goes to a club and meets this boy who is kind of a punk and falls for him. His name is A. They have a falling out though and so, ultimately, the story is about lost love. As with all things FLB your mileage may vary.

IN NINETY MINUTES, TURN NORTH BY STEPHANIE PERKINS
In Ninety Minutes, Turn North by Stephanie Perkins is kind of like a sequel to Perkins’ short story in My True Love Gave To Me. This story features Marigold and North again. Only, this time, they are broken up. Marigold lives three hours from North in Atlanta. She is interning at an animation company. North broke up with her due to the distance. Marigold finds out where he went though — he doesn’t have to run the Christmas tree farm. So, North is working at a national park. Marigold comes to find him and she hopes – save him. She wants to convince him to move to Atlanta and in with her. I do not make this sound all that exciting, but trust it is very well written. I love this story the most so far.

SOUVENIRS BY TIM FEDERLE
Tim Federle’s contribution to Summer Days And Summer Nights is Souvenirs. It’s a story about a boy named Matt who is working at a theme park for the summer. The story takes place on Matt’s last day at the park. It is his break up day with Keith, another young man who works at the park but is an actor in the show. Matt is really good at the souvenir shop that he’s in charge of and getting guests to buy more than they had anticipated. So, this story is kind of Matt’s way of looking over his relationship with Keith and coming to terms with the breakup. It’s very well written and a story that definitely makes me want to check out more of Federle’s work.

INERTIA BY VERONICA ROTH
I feel like Inertia by Veronica Roth is a contemporary story with just a few futuristic elements. Her story is about Claire who struggles with depression. The story opens with Claire being woken up in the middle of the night. She’s on her former friend Matt’s last visitation list. What this means is that in the future, there is this medical procedure where two people – one dying and one living – can be connected and relive memories together and say their last words all in the brain. It eases death and actually is quite meaningful. So, Claire goes to the hospital and goes through the rite with Matt. We see their friendship evolve. We also see that both clearly have feelings for each other and don’t act on them. Plus, we see the two go through some tough emotional times. This story is a bit longer than the others in the book, but it is very engaging and pretty unique too.

LOVE IS THE LAST RESORT BY JON SKOVRON
Jon Skovron’s contribution Love Is The Last Resort is sort of a weirdly written story. I mean, it feels exaggerated and overwrought. Maybe that was on purpose though. Anyways, Love Is The Last Resort is narrated by what seems to be an omniscient narrator. It is set at a summer resort and follows both the staff and the guests for a bit of an upstairs downstairs feel. There’s Lena who is gorgeous and who has been working at the resort a few years in a row. Lena is tasked with picking up Arlo from the station and bringing him to the resort for the first day on the job. There’s also two guests who are a bit star crossed. However with some gentle nudging and a scheme hatched by Lena and Arlo, they end up getting together. Lena and Arlo also have some feelings for each other too, so it seems. In all, an okay story with some romance, but not my favorite of the anthology.

GOOD LUCK AND FAREWELL BY BRANDY COLBERT
Good Luck And Farewell by Brandy Colbert is set in Chicago. It opens at a beach. Main character Rashida’s cousin, Audrey, is about to leave to move to San Francisco with her girlfriend, Gillian. Rashida is upset by this because Audrey has been a bit like a surrogate parent to her after her mother died. Anyways, the story goes on to Audrey’s going away party where Rashida meets Gillian’s brother, Pierre, and has a bit of an attraction to him. However, it’s not love at first sight. Instead, the two dislike each other and Rashida is kind of mean to Pierre. With a turn of events though, the two end up spending a length of time alone and really bonding. Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It made me want to seek out Colbert’s book which I think is Pointe but don’t quote me on that.

BRAND NEW ATTRACTION BY CASSANDRA CLARE
Okay so Brand New Attraction which is Cassandra Clare’s contribution to Summer Days & Summer Nights is definitely weird. On the other hand, it shows she can actually write something besides shadow hunters. This story is about a dark carnival. The main character, Lulu, has grown up with the carnival and does not really have any peers. One day, her father goes away and leaves a note saying he owes all kinds of money all over. So, then Lulu’s uncle comes in with her step-cousin, Lucas to take over. Lulu’s uncle is totally sketchy but she does end up crushing on Lucas (can’t escape all the tropes I guess). Anyways, the story has a supernatural element. I just wasn’t too sure how it really fit in with all the other stories. Your mileage may vary.

A THOUSAND WAYS THIS COULD ALL GO WRONG BY JENNIFER E. SMITH
A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong is totally characteristic Jennifer E. Smith, so basically I loved it. It’s about this girl named Annie who has has a crush on this guy in her Spanish class, Griffin, forever. So, Annie finally asks Griffin out and he says yes but not without some agonizing waiting. And so, they plan to meet and play pop a shot at the arcade. Alas, things do not go as planned and this story is about how the two react to it. It’s sweet and lovely and I just now find myself longing for a longer book from Smith to read.

THE MAP OF TINY PERFECT THINGS BY LEV GROSSMAN
I really liked the concept and the writing within The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman. So, this story is narrated by Mark. Mark finds himself living the same August day over and over and over again. However, he is the only one who is aware of the day repeating. He divides his time between reading books at the library and swimming at the pool. He doesn’t mind this. Until, one day it all changes. A girl shows up at the pool named Margaret and it turns out she’s aware of the repeating day thing too. Together, the two plot out tiny perfect moments throughout the day on a map and slowly begin to fall for each other. Overall, this was an excellent story to close out Summer Days & Summer Nights.