Average rating = 3.1 stars

One Small Step by Amie Kaufman (★★★★☆):

Naww! This was such a sweet story. Usually, I am not a fan of sci-fi stories but I actually enjoyed the Mars setting. Kaufman did a great job of developing her characters over such a short page span, to the point where I would happily pick up a whole book about Zaida and Keiko's earthly adventures. Also, yay for all the diversity!

I Can See The Ending by Will Kostakis (★★☆☆☆):

I did not enjoy this one, unfortunately. It had a great premise (psychic powers) but I strongly disliked almost all of the characters. The MC was rather bland and Nina was the type of person to make fun of fairy lights because they seemed to indie and hipster... so kind of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl who made fun of anything too 'mainstream'. Ugh. I wasn't a fan. I did really like Sophie though.

In a Heartbeat by Alice Pung (★☆☆☆☆):

Well, that was awful. I tend to avoid books about pregnancies and babies in general, but it was not the plot or themes that I didn't gel with. No, it was the characters. My God, they were so judgemental, racist and just... not nice people? There was also so much girl-on-girl hate (including 'popular girl' shaming, which you know I loathe). I could not deal with them. On top of that, Luis was a dickhead and I did not feel sorry for him in the slightest.

First Casualty by Michael Pryor (★★★★☆):

This was definitely the short story I was most looking forward to (it's Michael Pryor after all) and I am happy to say I was not disappointed. It was very sci-fi and while that's definitely not my choice genre, somehow, it just worked. In fact, I would happily read a whole novel set in this world. I adored seeing aliens that were actually, well, alien. I've read too many cringy paranormal romances with human-looking aliens before so it was nice to explore another race in a genuine way. I loved the themes. I loved the characters, although it was a little more plot-focused than I am used to and as a whole, I thought it was quite realistic and wonderful.

Sundays by Melissa Keil (★★★★★):

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! I adored this story so, so much. God, I am literally in love with the characters and their dynamics. It captured the beginnings/endings theme perfectly. I thought all of the characters were wonderful and loveable. I shipped the romance. I loved Gabe. I loved Lou. I loved them all. Loved, loved, loved.

Missing Persons by Ellie Marney (★★★★★):

Yessssss! I love friendship-y stories like this. There was no romance, just people meeting, connecting and genuinely liking to be in each other's company. It was so sweet. I thought the depth of characterisation was phenomenal for such a short story. Both Rachel and Mycroft were so fleshed out and three-dimensional. I obviously adored Mycroft - with his name, I also assume there was meant to be some sort of Sherlock thing happening? He was dorky and blunt and hilarious and just everything I love in a character.

Oona Underground by Lili Wilkinson (★☆☆☆☆):

Yeah, no. This was weird and not in a good way. I didn't get anything from it. I thought the characters were underdeveloped and odd (again, not in a good way). I did not connect to either of them and I definitely didn't ship it. The magic and witchery was so weird. Was it meant to be an Alice in Wonderland retelling? I don't know. Definitely not my thing.

The Feeling from Over Here by Gabrielle Tozer (★★★☆☆):

Meh. I didn't dislike this one but it was a bit... nothing. I don't know. I did like Cam. He was sweet and genuine, the typical 'good guy' from the love triangle trope but in the best way possible. I was not a massive fan of how snappy and kinda judgemental the female MC was (oops, I forgot her name). She was one of those people that think that if you seem popular and carefree, you obviously have no problems in your life. We all know that's bullshit so... she kind of irritated me. All in all, I just didn't get enough from this story. I wanted more feels, more... something.

Last Night at the Mount Solemn Observatory by Danielle Binks (★★★☆☆):

Well, that was incredibly depressing. I was not a massive fan of it but I did like that it focused on sibling relationships. It also really nailed the theme. It captured that awful sadness that comes from things changing and people moving on. I don't think I would read an entire novel from these characters' POVs because I was not a big fan of the writing style but it was by no means a bad story.

Competition Entry #349 by Jaclyn Moriarty (★★★☆☆):

Clever idea but I was not a fan of the juvenile tone. I liked the consept a lot but, again, there was just something missing from this one.