Module 2 Review - Meet Cute

 

Bibliographic Information

Jennifer L. Armentrout, Dhonielle Clayton, Katie Cotugno, Jocelyn Davies, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Nina LaCour, Emery Lord, Katharine McGee, Kass Morgan, Julie Murphy, Meredith Russo, Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi. 2018. MEET CUTE. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN: 978-1-328-75987-0

Plot Summary

Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. MEET CUTE is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of "how they first met" from some of today’s most popular YA authors.

Readers will experience Nina LaCour's beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, Sara Shepard's glossy tale about a magazine intern and a young rock star, Nicola Yoon's imaginative take on break-ups and make-ups, Katie Cotugno's story of two teens hiding out from the police at a house party, and Huntley Fitzpatrick's charming love story that begins over iced teas at a diner. There’s futuristic flirting from Kass Morgan and Katharine McGee, a riveting transgender heroine from Meredith Russo, a subway missed connection moment from Jocelyn Davies, and a girl determined to get out of her small town from Ibi Zoboi. Jennifer Armentrout writes a sweet story about finding love from a missing library book, Emery Lord has a heartwarming and funny tale of two girls stuck in an airport, Dhonielle Clayton takes a thoughtful, speculate approach to pre-destined love, and Julie Murphy dreams up a fun twist on reality dating show contestants.

This incredibly talented group of authors brings us a collection of stories that are at turns romantic and witty, epic and everyday, heartbreaking and real.

Critical Analysis

Being that this was my first time reading a collection of short stories like this, I closed the book feeling underwhelmed. While some of the stories in Meet Cute by various authors were true to the title, some I felt I was dragging myself through their stories. There were some standouts, my favorites being the very first story in the book, “Siege Etiquette” by Katie Cotugno and “Oomph” by Emery Lord, and there were some that were at best mediocre. One of the best things I can say about this book is that there is a vast range of characters being represented. I appreciated the stories that spoke for the LGBTQ+ community with a tone of love and respect. Watching how the authors presented their meet cute stories was beautiful as each took a different approach to the topic. At times however, I found myself getting distracted during a few of the stories by grammatical errors, which speaks to the interest of the story being read. While this story is obviously written for young adults, I felt that the use of explicit language in some of them was forced and unnecessary to the story. Overall, I was glad when I finished this book. I am a person who loves a full rounded story, one with a beginning, middle, and end, so this book was more difficult than most for me to get through. I absolutely love the idea of a book of short stories and people potentially finding love, but I believe that this one fell short of my expectations.

Awards Won & Review Excerpt(s)

*Kirkus Reviews - Fourteen short stories from prominent authors for teens explore the moments when two people first meet.The collection's title suggests that these stories will showcase first encounters that wrap up with happily-ever-after endings. Many of the stories do deliver; several even end with first kisses. But occasionally the stories offer endings that are tinged with sadness, preventing the collection from becoming saccharine. Characters who share a genuine connection are separated by circumstances, whether it's traveling in vastly different high school social circles or being sent on a one-way mission to Mars. Topics beyond romance add complexity, as characters grapple with grief, financial hardships, and body-image issues. The collection is a welcome departure from strictly heterosexual romance, including cisgirl-meets-girl and transgirl-meets-girl connections in addition to girl-meets-boy scenarios. There are nods to modern dating with computerized matching services, reality TV, and introductions via social media. There's futuristic science fiction and a story that 1980s movie fans will recognize as a nod to Say Anything. The stories include great banter, the determination to find a boy from a crowded subway train, and the message that the rewards of love outweigh the potential pain of loss.A collection that adds much-needed diversity to the existing teen-romance genre.”

*Booklist - "Ultimately a well-rounded, charming collection of love stories that any reader will be happy to meet."

Connections

*Write your own “Meet Cute” short story. Plan out who your characters are, and how they will ultimately meet. Make sure to describe your setting and the order in which the events take place in your story.

*Read other books by the authors in the novel.

Armentrout, Jennifer. FALL OF RUIN AND WRATH. ISBN: 978-1250750198

Morgan, Kass. THE 100. ISBN: 978-0316234498

Yoon, Nicola. EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING. ISBN: 978-0553496642