Young Adult reads just haven't been hitting the 'mark' for me lately, so I did go into this with slight reservation even though it came highly recommended by a fellow book friend! I'm really, really glad I decided to go ahead with it and even happier that I decided to listen to it!

"A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks…"

This little blurb could not explain this any better! This is a compilation of six short stories about love, written into one book. 

First, you'll come across The Long Walk by Tiffany D. Jackson - Tammie and Kareem are ex-lovers who find themselves fighting for the same internship when the lights go out in NYC and they're forced to walk back home, together. This is the longest story in the bunch, spanning in multiple chapters throughout the book. What's really interesting, is as you're reading this, they'll come across different locations or objects in the book that become relevant in the book. For example, they walk past the library where one of our stories takes place or they see a double-decker tour bus where another story is taking place! I loved the characters in this story and I loved that it teaches that COMMUNICATION is the number one key in any healthy, functioning relationship.

Next up is Mask Off by Nic Stone where you follow a LGBTQ male/male story about Tremaine and JJ. This was perhaps one of my least favorite stories in the bunch as I personally felt like it jumped around a lot and just wasn't cohesive. It does touch on some important social issues though and I think that's important to note. 

We then follow a romance about Joss and Nella in Made to Fit by Ashley Woodfolk. This was a cute LGBTQ female/female relationship that is about a match made by people they care for in a Senior Living Facility. It wasn't my favorite, but it was still cute. 

All the Great Love Stoires....and Dust by Dhonielle Clayton is next up which follows Lana and Tristan in a library as their love story gets written. I'm going to be honest, this was my least favorite and I don't remember too much more about other than who the characters were and where it takes place. 

Angie Thomas is next up in the Blackout with No Sleep Till Brooklyn which follows student visiting New York from the South and a love triangle. I was super disappointed because while I love Angie Thomas and her other works...this story was just. Meh. The love triangle was messy and ultimately..I don't even think it ends up happening so..yeah.

Finally, we have Seymour and Grace by Nicola Yoon. I have mixed feelings about this one. This is about a ride share driver who ends up accompanying his fair to a party after he runs out of gas. They end up hitting it off and I assume the rest is history. I have mixed feelings because while the story itself is super cute...I feel like its kinda creeperish and I don't know how I'd feel about that! 

Overall; I really enjoyed this book and especially the full cast audio version of it. I loved the idea behind it, how it all flowed together, and that all types of black love were represented. If you're looking for a hit you in the heart, feel good, short-story - this is your sign to read this!