Serendipity: Ten Romantic Tropes, Transformed
Love is in the air in Serendipity, a collection of stories inspired by romantic tropes and edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer.
The secret admirer.
The fake relationship.
The matchmaker.
From stories of first love, unrequited love, love that surprises, love that’s been there all along, 10 of the brightest and award-winning authors writing YA have taken on some of your favorite romantic tropes, embracing them and turning them on their heads. Readers will fall for this collection of stories that celebrate love at its most humorous, inclusive, heart-expanding, and serendipitous.
Contributors include Elise Bryant, Elizabeth Eulberg, Leah Johnson, Anna-Marie McLemore, Marissa Meyer, Sandhya Menon, Julie Murphy, Caleb Roehrig, Sarah Winifred Searle, and Abigail Hing Wen.
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Community Reviews
I think I’ve decided the perfect thing to read during the month of November—when I’m busier working on Nanowrimo—is short stories. When I was approved to read the advance copy of this collection, I knew I wanted to read it now, as opposed to closer to the publishing date in January. Not only is it a collection of convenient short stories, each one features a story inspired by a romantic trope. And I love tropes. Some of my favorites are included here.
I loved that this one was so diverse, that it took most of the tropes and twisted them, making them new, and it even included a graphic novel short story, which was an unexpected bonus! The only author from this collection that I’ve previously read is Marissa Meyer, although I have Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy and When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon waiting on my bookshelf. But I also discovered some new authors to check out, as well. Which is another reason I like to pick up anthologies.
As with most short story collections, I enjoyed some stories more than others. I’ll be sharing my star rating and a few thoughts I jotted down as I read each story. I think a collection of short stories based on tropes is such a fun idea. Now I’d like one for the adult romance genre, as well. Maybe holiday-themed?? Come on publishers!
“Bye, Bye, Piper Perry” (The Fake Relationship) by Julie Murphy
This was a cute fake-dating story. The characters were solid, but the plot was a bit too predictable. I gave this one 3.25 stars!
“Anyone Else But You” (Stranded Together) by Leah Johnson
Cute stranded-together story! Who hasn’t fantasized about spending a night locked in a store? With someone, of course. Not alone. I enjoyed watching Perry grow past her assumptions about Jada, and letting down her guard. 3.25 stars!
“The Idiom Algorithm” (Class Warfare) by Abigail Hing Wen
Sweet story, I liked Tan and Winter a lot, but I wish we’d had more time to get to know them. I enjoyed the algorithm aspect! This one is set at Christmas, which was fun. 3.25 stars!
“Auld Acquaintance” (The Best Friend Love Epiphany) by Caleb Roehrig
Super cute and funny! Finally, two characters I was really rooting for. Set at a lock-in on New Year’s Eve, Ollie and Garrett are determined to find boys to kiss at midnight. I gave this one 4 stars!
“Shooting Star” (One Bed) by Marissa Meyer
I was pretty curious how Meyer would handle the One Bed trope for YA, but she made it work! And even managed to make this short story feel like a slow-burn. I gave this one 4.25 stars!
“Keagan’s Heaven on Earth” (The Secret Admirer) by Sarah Winifred Searle
This is the graphic novel short story set at Valentine’s. It’s very cute with great illustrations, but it’s super short. I gave this one 3.5 stars!
“Zora in the Spotlight” (The Grand Romantic Gesture) by Elise Bryant
I liked how the grand romantic gesture wasn’t what I expected or with the expected outcome. It also had a cute ending! 3.5 stars!
“In a Blink of the Eye” (Trapped in a Confined Space) by Elizabeth Eulberg
Cute twist on the trope. I thought it was well-done, creative, and sweet. AND it’s set in London. 4 stars!
“Liberty” (The Makeover) by Anna-Marie Mclemore
I fully expected to not like this one when I started it. I don’t typically care too much for The Makeover Trope OR stories about cheerleaders, but this one was creative and fresh. I liked that at its heart it was about being your true self. Very inspiring. I liked how the author utilized the definitions for the cheer moves throughout the story. 4 stars!
“The Surprise Match” (The Matchmaker) by Sandhya Menon
This one was fun! Probably the one that made me smile and chuckle the most. Sweet twist on the matchmaker trope. 4.25 stars!
Thank you to the publisher, Feiwel & Friends, and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
I loved that this one was so diverse, that it took most of the tropes and twisted them, making them new, and it even included a graphic novel short story, which was an unexpected bonus! The only author from this collection that I’ve previously read is Marissa Meyer, although I have Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy and When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon waiting on my bookshelf. But I also discovered some new authors to check out, as well. Which is another reason I like to pick up anthologies.
As with most short story collections, I enjoyed some stories more than others. I’ll be sharing my star rating and a few thoughts I jotted down as I read each story. I think a collection of short stories based on tropes is such a fun idea. Now I’d like one for the adult romance genre, as well. Maybe holiday-themed?? Come on publishers!
“Bye, Bye, Piper Perry” (The Fake Relationship) by Julie Murphy
This was a cute fake-dating story. The characters were solid, but the plot was a bit too predictable. I gave this one 3.25 stars!
“Anyone Else But You” (Stranded Together) by Leah Johnson
Cute stranded-together story! Who hasn’t fantasized about spending a night locked in a store? With someone, of course. Not alone. I enjoyed watching Perry grow past her assumptions about Jada, and letting down her guard. 3.25 stars!
“The Idiom Algorithm” (Class Warfare) by Abigail Hing Wen
Sweet story, I liked Tan and Winter a lot, but I wish we’d had more time to get to know them. I enjoyed the algorithm aspect! This one is set at Christmas, which was fun. 3.25 stars!
“Auld Acquaintance” (The Best Friend Love Epiphany) by Caleb Roehrig
Super cute and funny! Finally, two characters I was really rooting for. Set at a lock-in on New Year’s Eve, Ollie and Garrett are determined to find boys to kiss at midnight. I gave this one 4 stars!
“Shooting Star” (One Bed) by Marissa Meyer
I was pretty curious how Meyer would handle the One Bed trope for YA, but she made it work! And even managed to make this short story feel like a slow-burn. I gave this one 4.25 stars!
“Keagan’s Heaven on Earth” (The Secret Admirer) by Sarah Winifred Searle
This is the graphic novel short story set at Valentine’s. It’s very cute with great illustrations, but it’s super short. I gave this one 3.5 stars!
“Zora in the Spotlight” (The Grand Romantic Gesture) by Elise Bryant
I liked how the grand romantic gesture wasn’t what I expected or with the expected outcome. It also had a cute ending! 3.5 stars!
“In a Blink of the Eye” (Trapped in a Confined Space) by Elizabeth Eulberg
Cute twist on the trope. I thought it was well-done, creative, and sweet. AND it’s set in London. 4 stars!
“Liberty” (The Makeover) by Anna-Marie Mclemore
I fully expected to not like this one when I started it. I don’t typically care too much for The Makeover Trope OR stories about cheerleaders, but this one was creative and fresh. I liked that at its heart it was about being your true self. Very inspiring. I liked how the author utilized the definitions for the cheer moves throughout the story. 4 stars!
“The Surprise Match” (The Matchmaker) by Sandhya Menon
This one was fun! Probably the one that made me smile and chuckle the most. Sweet twist on the matchmaker trope. 4.25 stars!
Thank you to the publisher, Feiwel & Friends, and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
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