Blackout: A Novel

I liked the idea but just didn't enjoy the set up if the book.

I liked the stories and how the different authors combined their writing styles to create a cohesive book.

Book Stats Stars: 3.5 StarsStart Date : 02/11/24Ending Date: 02/16/24Genre: YA Contemporary Romance Form: Hardback Book/ AudiobookPage Count: 256Publishing Date: 06/22/21Point of View: 1st Person ,Dual POV'sSetting: New York City and BrooklynMy Blog: https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2024/02/16/blackout-by-various-authors/StoryGraph:https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/8cebab75-b6f1-4181-91f8-34a679506ceeBlackOut is a set of short stories set in New York City in the middle of a Blackout where an upcoming Block party in Brooklyn interconnects them.The Long Walk Home by Tiffany D. Jackson :4.0 Stars- This one starts the book off and is told in five acts which kind of acts like an intermission between the other short stories. I have read Grown by Tiffany Jackson before so I already knew and loved her work. I enjoyed this one for the most part but I just got tired of the Main Character acting towards her ex boyfriend that she still was in love with but for some reason couldn't trust.Mask Off by Nic Stone:4.5 Stars- This honestly was one of the strongest stories in the book by a mile. It's all about self identity and finding out who you are behind the mask.Made to Fit by Ashley Woodfolk: 4.5- The second strongest story in the book because the main character's grandfather and her grandparents' love story is interconnecting with hers. I will be reading Ashley Woolfolk books in the future because I loved her writing.After these three, it seems like everything went downhill quickly with the last three.All the Great Love Stories and Dust By Dhonielle Clayton: 2.5 Stars I did not like the love interest at all and felt like the main character could do better. The Love interest didn't take anything serious so it was unbelievable to me that he would take the MC love confession at the end seriously and actually be in love with her. I have read Dhonielle Clayton's The Belles Series before which I like the first one and DNFed the second so I knew her writing already. This one was boring as hell and it was in a library after closing hours.No Sleep Till Brooklyn by Angie Thomas: 2.0 Stars- Child! Angie needs to stay writing stories about Social Justice and Racism and never drip her toes fully into romance again. Her writing a love triangle.. actually love square on a bus was a hot mess. Just leave it alone Angie! lol I am giving it a 2.5 because my love for Angie is deeper than my disdain for this story. I still love THUG and On the Come Up and still need to read Concrete Rose.Seymour and Grace by Nicola Yoon:3.5 Stars- This was just ok but nothing really special about it but just an ok way to end the book. It didn't really tie up anything to me by not involving everyone else who was going to the block party. We just saw a small peak of the Block Party itself.Here's my final ranking of Stories from best to worst.Mask Off by Nic Stone:4.5 StarsMade to Fit by Ashley Woodfolk: 4.5 StarsThe Long Walk Home by Tiffany D. Jackson :4.0 StarsSeymour and Grace by Nicola Yoon:3.5 StarsAll the Great Love Stories and Dust By Dhonielle Clayton: 2.5 StarsNo Sleep Till Brooklyn by Angie Thomas: 2.0 StarsFinal Rating 3.5 StarsIt honestly should have been another story dealing with the person who was throwing the Block Party( who was mentioned several times throughout the different stories) and the Block Party in general. Just to really tie all the stories together by seeing the people in the past stories actually there and having a good time. Since the Block party besides the Blackout itself was a thread that was woven into the story. The Black Out was the event that started these stories and the Block Party should have been the event to end and tie it together. So if you need something quick to read for this month this is lighthearted about Black Young Adult Love, I would recommend this.