13 Little Love Stories: An anthology inspired by Taylor Swift songs

by Elise Bryant, Jennifer Dugan, J. Elle

From bestselling YA authors comes thirteen dazzling contemporary romances inspired by the songs of Taylor Swift!

If you could live inside one Taylor Swift song for a day, which would you pick? In this shimmering anthology, thirteen best-selling and acclaimed authors do just that, reimagining some of Taylor’s most iconic songs as love stories. 

Whether you’re in an era of fairy lights and folktales or diss tracks and dance floors, here’s a playlist that features all the The soaring high note of first love. The minor key of heartbreak. And the steady rhythm of true friendship and self-discovery.

As clever and unforgettable as the songs that inspired them, these stories are sure to play on repeat in your head and your heart. 

Stories
Elise Bryant
Jennifer Dugan
J. Elle
Jessica Goodman
Sloan Harlow
Crystal Maldonado
Krystal Marquis
Katharine McGee
Julie Murphy
Lynn Painter
Laura Sebastian
Sara Shepard
Jesse Q. Sutanto

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Anthologies, Short Stories, Contemporary, Young Adult Romance, Fiction

331 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2026

About the author

Elise Bryant is the NAACP Image Award-nominated author of Happily Ever Afters, One True Loves, Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling, It’s Elementary, and The Game Is Afoot. For many years, Elise had the joy of working as a special education teacher, and now she spends her days reading, writing, and eating dessert. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Long Beach, California. You can visit her online at www.elisebryant.com.

Reviews

[tasiaaaa (semi hiatus)]

LYNN PAINTER IS IN THIS. I REPEAT LYNN. PAINTER. IS IN THIS

[ଘRory ( semi-hiatus)]

💖 pre-release vibes💌:

Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play♪.
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate♪
But the writers gonna write, write, write, write, write...༄
And the readers gonna read, read, read, read, read...༄
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake♫ ♪
I shake it off,I shake it off ♪ .

[Gabby]

3.5 stars
As a Swiftie, I had sooooo much fun with this. I actually made this a little challenge for myself, I had my sister put washi tape on the song titles and I read each story trying to guess which Taylor Swift song inspired it and I had way too much fun. If you'd like to see that video, it's available to watch on my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/gabbyreads/po...

But I really enjoyed some of these stories! I will include my ratings for each story down below, but I was pleasantly surprised by a few of these. I didn't care for a lot of them though, and some of them felt so cringe and soooo young and insta love. But I LOVED the story inspired by Cardigan, that one was probably my favorite (and it was sapphic!!!!) followed by the story inspired by Cruel Summer, that was also a favorite. I do selfishly wish more of these stories were queer, and if they ever did this again (which I would love btw) I really hope they consider writing adult romances instead of YA!

My ratings for each story:
The Grand Gesture - 2/5
Everything Unspoken - 2/5
This One's Just For Us - 2.5/5
It Happened One Wednesday - 3.5/5
Group Project - 3/5
Brake For It - 4/5
Five Summers - 5/5
The Cardigan in Question - 5/5
Once Upon a Grad Night - 2/5
We're Here Now - 4/5
Fool's Gold - 2/5
Ali Gets a Clue - 4.5/5
Creative Differences - 3.5/5

No but seriously, this was so fun and creative, and I LOVE the idea of a Taylor Swift song being the inspiration for a short story. It inspired me to want to write my own. I really hope they make a second anthology collection in the future, and if they dooooo I selfishly have some songs I would LOVE to see short stories for, like: All Too Well, Fortnight, Midnight Rain, ivy, cowboy like me, You're on Your Own Kid, Lavender Haze, Dress, illicit affairs, Delicate, False God, and Cornelia Street.

[Annabella⁷ (henry li’s version)]

WAKE UP LADIES🗣️ I LOVE THE SOUND OF THIS💌🪩🏹🥂💖

[angelpompom]

Short stories just don’t seem to hit with me much anymore. Lynn’s Painter’s was good though!

1. Grand Gesture by Elise Bryant ✨Fifteen✨ 3 stars
2. Everything Unspoken by J. Elle 💕Love Story💕 2 stars
3. This One’s Just for Us by Jesse Q Sutanto 💋Ours💋 2 stars
4. It Happened One Wednesday by Lynn Painter 💌Begin Again💌 4 stars
5. Group Project by Krystal Marquis 😎Style😎 1 star
6. Brake for Me by Jessica Goodman 🚘Getaway Car🚘 3 stars
7. Five Summers by Sloan Harlow ☀️Cruel Summer☀️ 2 stars
8. The Cardigan in Question by Julie Murphy 🧵Cardigan 🧵 1.5 stars
9. Once a Upon a Grad Party by Crystal Maldonado 🌿Willow🌿 3 stars
10. We’re Here Now by Katherine McGee 🎧Hits Different🎧 2 stars
11. Fool’s Gold by Laura Sebastian 💎Bejeweled💎 1 star
12. Ali Gets a Clue by Jennifer Dugan 🐶The Black Dog🐶 2.5 stars
13. Creative Differences by Sara Shepard 🖤The Tortured Poets Department🖤 3 stars

[sophia_thesecond (in my noah kahan era)]

started on 5/26 finished on 6/1

this was interesting. there were a few stories that I really really liked, but the rest were just okay. I love the idea of each story being connected to a taylor swift song, but I feel like most of them didn't really portray the songs. for a few I felt like they could be continued and be made into a full book, or just longer short story. most ended kind of abruptly. overall, this was alright a few (especially lynn painters) were pretty good, but most were just mediocre.

my ranking of the stories:

it happened on wednesday- lynn painter
five summers- sloan harlow
once upon a grad night- crystal maldonado
group project- krystal marquis
this one's just for us- jesse q sutanto
we're here now- katherine mcgee
brake for it- jessica goodman
the cardigan in question- julie murphy
creative differences- sara shepard
the grand gesture- elise bryant
ali gets a clue- jennifer dugan
fool's gold- laura sebastian
everything unspoken- j. elle

[zoya ᯓ★]

wait stop, the premise for this book is actually fire?? and why are all the authors my fav YA authors???
I cannot WAIT for this !!

[NJB sandwich ౨ৎ (Taylor’s Version)]

⭐️2.5

The stories just didn’t pull me in and failed to grab my attention… I feel bad bc ik a lot of work probably went into this but it just wasn’t at all what I feel like was marketed as…

[☆ Savannah Moreau ☆]

Overall rating: 3.2 🌟

The Grand Gesture (Fifteen): 2.8 🌟
Everything Unspoken (Love Story): 3 🌟
This One's Just For Us (Ours): 3.2 🌟
It Happened One Wednesday (Begin Again): 4 🌟
Group Project (Style): 2.5 🌟
Brake For It (Getaway Car): 2.8 🌟
Five Summers (Cruel Summer): 3.8 🌟
The Cardigan In Question (Cardigan): 3 🌟
Once Upon A Grad Night (Willow): 3.2 🌟
We're Here Now (Hits Different): 3 🌟
Fool's Gold (Bejeweled): 4 🌟
Ali Gets A Clue (The Black Dog): 2.5 🌟
Creative Differences (The Tortured Poets Department): 4.2 🌟

At some points, I questioned if the authors even listened to the song they were writing about..

[Sophie (Book-Dragon)]

— — Would You Recommend? — —

It depends. Are you a Swiftie? Because then yes. Please do.

— — Why 4 stars? — —

Because despite how much I loved each story, I feel like some of them , weren’t super Taylor Swift song like. If that makes sense. Some of them had enough references to make me satisfied. Others didn’t have a lot.

— — What I liked — —

- Playlist: Begin Again 🃏
- Playlist: Cruel Summer ☀️
- Playlist: Style 💋

— — What I disliked.. — —

- How some stories didn’t have as many Taylor Swift references.

— — Overall — —

1. I loved it!
2. TAYLOR SWIFTTTT
3. It was such a cute read
4 I wish there were more references.

— — - Happy Readings! - — —
- - - - - - 💋🃏☀️- - - - - - -

[liz ౨ৎ]

As a Swiftie who doubles as a romance reader, I thought this book would be perfect for me. It was not…

The writing? Painfully juvenile (even for a YA book). The T.S. references? Extremely underwhelming. The book itself? Not what I was hoping.

This just fell incredibly flat for me, and I disliked a majority of the stories. The only one that stuck out to me as enjoyable was the one written by Lynn Painter.

Yeah, this is a no from me.

[Haley]

I received an advanced digital copy from Penguin Teen Canada in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 28%/94 pages.

I read the first 3.5 short stories and didn’t feel any interest to continue. I feel like I might be TOO big of a Taylor Swift fan because the comparisons to the songs references were too small for me. Additionally, of the three stories I read completely I would individually rate around 1-2 stars each. Writing short stories is a skill, but I found all of the stories so far suffered heavily in the pacing department and tried to fit too much in.

[Emily]

not my favorite. most of the stories felt a little too detailed and then the ending was rushed. also not a huge fan of most the story concepts, but i do think they fit the theme of the songs very well.

[Drew's ambitious reading]

Overall rating is a 3.5 I'll share my favorite stories later on when work isn't busy! But love how queer and diverse this was and if you a taylor swift fan totally check this out!!(:

[Emilia]

This was a cute anthology! I love that there was such a diverse group of authors contributing. I enjoyed reading the creative ways each story interpreted Taylor’s songs, which lend themselves so well to storytelling. I also liked that the stories progressed in order through her discography. Due to the amount of stories and length of book, each author didn’t get a ton of page space, which left a lot of the stories feeling rushed or lacking depth. The most successful of these stories didn’t try to do too much with the word count, but tracked a love story through one event or day. I’ve never really reviewed an anthology, but here is my ranking of the stories from most favorite to least favorite!

Once Upon a Grad Night - Crystal Maldonado
It Happened One Wednesday - Lynn Painter
Group Project - Krystal Marquis
The Grand Gesture - Elise Bryant
The Cardigan in Question - Julie Murphy
Creative Differences - Sara Shepard
This One’s Just for Us - Jesse Q. Sutanto
Ali Gets a Clue - Jennifer Dugan
Five Summers - Sloan Harlow
Brake For It - Jessica Goodman
We’re Here Now - Katharine McGee
Fool’s Gold - Laura Sebastian
Everything Unspoken - J. Elle

Thank you Netgalley, Putnam, and all of the authors for the chance to read and review 13 Little Love Stories ahead of its publication, in exchange for an honest review!

[cyd]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. This book had a super cute idea and i loved some of the author’s contributions. When reading short story book where each story has different authors it’s to be expected that some are better than others. I think some of the stories were super strong and interesting while others dragged on. I understand why they book hadb13 different stories for the Tayloe Swift reference but I do wish they cut some of the stories to allow the other ones to be expanded on. Each story was super short so the good ones were super underdeveloped. I did love the idea of each story being inspired by a Taylor Swift song. Overall this was cute but I wouldn’t pick this up if you aren’t a huge Taylor Swift fan.

[Esther]

Do not waste your time on this. I love Lynn Painter’s, but every other story was just…honestly quite bad.

[Sahana Ramnath]

Absolutely perfect set of songs and stories for them, I had an amazing time reading this anthology over the last few days! See below for my review of each story!


The Grand Gesture, by Elise Bryant (Tay song: Fifteen) -
A perfect, heartfelt beginning to this anthology, this story captured everything that Fifteen represents about best friends and character growth and grand gestures ❤️ I was desperately hoping for this ending to the story, and I was ecstatic when Elise ended it that way!


Everything Unspoken, by J. Elle (Tay song: Love Story) -
Ok so this one was SO immersive? Halfway through the story, I forgot that I was reading a song-inspired anthology, and I was thinking that "Love Story" would so perfectly represent this story, when I remembered that yes, this story *was* written for this song :")


This One's Just For Us, by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Tay song: Ours) -
I think we can agree this place is ours -- (from the story)
I am screaming at how lovely this story was, it had pining and swoon and angst and the best resolution :")
"Ours" is my favorite song on Speak Now (which is a top-3 album for me), and this story absolutely crushed it!


It Happened One Wednesday, by Lynn Painter (Tay song: Begin Again) -
Ok this *perfectly* captured the melancholy to hesitant happiness to elation of this song. The last line of the story was amazing ++ I loved that in this story we get to also see the pov of the guy from "Begin Again"!


Group Project, by Krystal Marquis (Tay song: Style) -
Ok this story very much represents the two pre-choruses of "Style", I loved it! Style's lyrics are bittersweet but also hopeful, and this story was amazing at putting in all those emotions in ++ I love that the story ended with the beginning of the song ❤️


Brake For It, by Jessica Goodman (Tay song: Getaway Car) -
I *loved* this story, it focused on a part of "Getaway Car" that often gets brushed past (aka the reason *why* a getaway car was needed). I was rushing through the story because I had no idea which direction it would go, aaand it ended in the perfect manner! ++ Loved that actual getaway car in the story!


Five Summers, by Sloan Harlow (Tay song: Cruel Summer) -
And I screamed "For whatever it's worth,
I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?"
Stahppp, this was such a perfect story for Cruel Summer, I feel like listening to the song on repeat now! The story is split across five summers, and it's amazing how I felt the actual passage of time (but also connected with each summer) in such a short story. I was tearing up by the last summer :")



The Cardigan in Question, by Julie Murphy (Tay song: Cardigan) -
First of all, yay for the sapphic romance! I'd been wondering if we would get one in this anthology, and this story SO lived up to my hype. This was so so sweet and swoony, and I loved the slow-burn between Betty and Augustine :") I can't accurately convey how much I am freaking out about this story, it was just >>>>> I'm so going to reread it soon ❤️


Once Upon a Grad Night, by Crystal Maldonado (Tay song: Willow) -
You know the part at the end of the Willow mv where she finds her soulmate and they just hold hands in the sweetest way possible and walk away together? That's *exactly* the vibes this whole story gave, it was insanely swoony and cute ❤️


We're Here Now, by Katharine McGee (Tay song: Hits Different) -
Hits Different is such an underrated song, I love that this story was built inspired by it, and the way the heartbreak surrounding the song eventually turned into the MC finding her true love ❤️


Fool's Gold, by Laura Sebastian (Tay song: Bejeweled) -
This story was such a clever play on both the meaning behind the word and the meaning behind the song! Like YES, the MC is both kinds of Bejeweled and I love that for her ❤️ she still *can* make the whole place shimmer on her own ❤️


Ali Gets a Clue, by Jennifer Dugan (Tay song: The Black Dog) -
Huge yay for the second sapphic romance in this anthology!! The best friends to bi awakening to lovers was so raw and sweet in this one ++ I loved it so much ❤️ ++ I loved that the music in the coffee shop played such a huge role in this story, similar to the music in The Black Dog in the song!


Creative Differences, by Sara Shepard (Tay song: The Tortured Poets Department) -
Ahh this was the perfect story to end the anthology on, it had everything from love to crushes to revenge and to mystery! I loved that this book showed both the desperate parts of TTPD and also spun the typewriter and poets angle into a hopeful new love ❤️

[Selene]

I love an anthology. It is such a great way to taste test a wide range of authors. Usually there are always authors I’ve read from before and loved/liked something from. It’s always a treat reading from someone you know you are going to vibe with but it’s so great to discover new to you talent and have a broader range of books to select from in the future. This anthology did not disappoint! There are some really amazing authors in here. To date I think this is the anthology I’ve loved the most. Even if you weren’t a Taylor Swift fan but wanted some short love stories this anthology would be for you. Obviously, it makes it far better when you are a T Swift fan.

The Grand Gesture by Elise Bryant
Playlist: Fifteen
5 Stars
I absolutely adored this story and it definitely captured the tone of the song Fifteen. Harriet and Gaile’s friendship is lovely! I’m so glad that this was the first story in the anthology and its focus was on the love of friendship.

Everything Unspoken by J. Elle
Playlist: Love Story
5 Stars
This was a great retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I loved the inclusion of slight magic.

This One’s Just For Us by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Playlist: Ours
5 Stars
This was such a quick and cute story. I could have stayed in this world with Ting and Eric forever. This whole story made me think of “so don't you worry your pretty little mind. People throw rocks at things that shine. And life makes love look hard. The stakes are high. The water's rough. But this love is ours.”

It Happened One Wednesday by Lynn Painter
Playlist: Begin Again
5 Stars
A secondish chance romance. I love a good knew each other in high school and randomly ran into each other as adults trope. So far this is the story that most closely resembles the lyrics of the song it was written for. I appreciated the title and all the little Easter eggs within this story.

Group Project by Krystal Marquis
Playlist: Style
4.5 Stars
I enjoyed that this was written like this story inspired the song Style. The ending says he will pick her up at midnight and that’s how the song starts so I want to picture the song as Ryan and Lando’s ending.

Brake For It by Jessica Goodman
Playlist: Getaway Car
4.5 Stars
At first I thought this story was going in a different direction and I was ready to give it 2 stars. But then it took a turn thankfully! I love a good friendship coming out on top!

Five Summers by Sloan Harlow
Playlist: Cruel Summer
4.5 Stars
I noticed a couple small references to the song lyrics written thoughtfully into this story. Sloan Harlow did a good job of still helping you to root for Will after their fallout.

The Cardigan in Question by Julie Murphy
Playlist: Cardigan
4 Stars
A solid story of grief and moving on.

Once Upon a Grand Night by Crystal Maldonado
Playlist: Willow
5 Stars
Deja has lived life for her mom but tonight on graduation night with the help of Luca she learns to let go and live life for herself.

We’re Here Now by Katherine McGee
Playlist: Hits Different
5 Stars
College friends to lovers. The relationship was a little quick but I enjoyed the story especially after Carly’s betrayal.

Fool’s Gold by Laura Sebastian
Playlist: Bejeweled
4 Stars
I liked the magical elements to the story. I was also glad to see another love of friendship story.

Ali Gets a Clue by Jennifer Dugan
Playlist: The Black Dog
4 Stars
Suspected unrequited love and friends to lovers.

Creative Differences by Sarah Shepard
Playlist: The Tortured Poets Department
4 Stars
This isn’t what I anticipated for the last story in the collection but it was still good.

[Hailey Miller]

Overall, a solid 4-star read! Below are my individual ratings for each of the 13 love stories and the songs that inspired them!


Elise Bryant: The Grand Gesture 4.00 (Fifteen) 👑
J. Elle: Everything Unspoken 4.00 (Love Story)👑
Jesse Q. Sutanto: This One's Just For Us 5.00 (Ours)🔮
Lynn Painter: It Happened One Wednesday 5.00 (Begin Again)🧣
Krystal Marquis: Group Project 3.00 (Style)🌊
Jessica Goodman: Brake for it 5.00 (Getaway Car)🐍
Sloan Harlow: Five Summers 4.00 (Cruel Summer)🏹
Julie Murphy: The Cardigan in Question 3.00 (Cardigan)🌲
Crystal Maldono: Once Upon a Grad Night 4.00 (Willow)🍂
Katherine McGee: We're Here Now 4.00 (Hits Different)🌌
Laura Sebastian: Fool's Gold 3.00 (Bejeweled)🌌
Jennifer Dugan: Ali Gets a Clue 3.00 (The Black Dog)✍
Sara Shepard: Creative Differences 4.00 (The Tourterd Poets Department)✍

[sydney]

3 ⭐️ overall. this was a cute concept, but there were only a few stories i really liked while the others were just okay to me (mainly read for lynn painter).
1. grand gesture (fifteen) 2.5 stars
2. everything unspoken (love story) 2 stars
3. this one’s just for us (ours) 3 stars
4. it happened one wednesday (begin again) 4 stars
5. group project (style) 1 star
6. brake for it (getaway car) 2 stars
7. five summers (cruel summer) 3 stars
8. the cardigan in question (cardigan) 4 stars
9. once upon a grad party (willow) 2 stars
10. we’re here now (hits different) 2 stars
11. fool’s gold (bejeweled) 1 star
12. ali gets a clue (the black dog) 3 stars
13. creative differences (the tortured poets department) 2 stars

[Nicole]

Short story collections are hard to rate so we’ll go with 4 stars. I loved some, enjoyed others. They were all quick, cute reads.

Favorites:
- The Grand Gesture, Elise Bryant
- It Happened One Wednesday, Lynn Painter
- Five Summers, Sloan Harlow
- Once Upon a Grad Night, Crystal Maldonado
- Ali Gets a Clue, Jennifer Dugan

Thanks to Goodreads Giveaways and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the print ARC.

[Yvonne W]

First off, I love books that are collection of short stories by different authors! It's refreshing to see different styles of writing all in one book. And when the shared topic is Taylor Swift songs?! Count me in! If you love love and Taylor Swift, then I hope you will give this book a chance and check it out!

13 Little Love Stories is a collection of love stories, each story based on a Taylor Swift song and each written by a different author. I found the best way to enjoy this book was to play and listen to the Taylor Swift song first then dive into the story. It's so interesting to me how each author interprets the song and tries to bring the gist of the song to life in the story. Some do a better job at that than others but nevertheless I still enjoyed each story. My favorites are the ones by Lynn Painter and Jesse Q. Sutanto. Both stories I would definitely read a whole book of, if it were ever expanded!

Thank you so much to Penguin Young Readers Group, GP Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for a chance to read this advance copy! Highly recommend to all my Swifties!

[Sofia]

I can’t even say I didn’t get what I expected because I didn’t know what to expect. I just didn’t connect with this at all, but I think it’s hard to when it’s just short stories and not enough time to connect with the characters or an actual plot to follow. I wish I liked this more than I did

[Serenity]

I LOVED the idea of this anthology, they should do something like this again! Like with Olivia or Taylor but different songs :) Sutanto, Bryant, Murphy, and Dugan were definitely stand-outs!!

[♡Teagan♡]

This was soo cute but also so hard to rate because so many different stories and
Authors but i generally really enjoyed it but i did dislike 1 or 2 of the stories

[Kaitlyn]

3.5⭐️
Some were defiantly better than others, but I really only picked this up bc it had Lynn Painter.

[Taylor]

Honestly, this is exactly what it sounds like it is

[Violet]

SUPER cute idea but would definitely not recommend to anyone or really think about it again 🙈

[Bob McBob the Farmer]

This was an incredibly interesting read for me as I am personally not a Taylor Swift fan. Please don't come at me Swifties, I can respect her but the songs aren't my style. So let it be known that I listened to all of these songs before I read the respective short stories and these are just my opinions based on how they relate to the song and the stories itself. Was I a fan of the songs? Not particularly. Did I enjoy the stories? We'll get into that shortly. As I typically do with anthologies, I'm rating them individually since these are different works.

"The Grand Gesture" by Elise Bryant with the song "Fifteen" - 3/5 stars. This was a cute story to start off with. I think the story fit really well with the song and it was obvious it was taken pretty much directly from it. The "plot twist" was incredibly obvious but it was really sweet. The characters needed to be fleshed out more though.

"Everything Unspoken" by J. Elle with the song "Love Story" - 1/5. Okay, for one let me talk about Romeo and Juliet. Something I absolutely hate about modern day adaptations of this play is how it's all love stories now. Romeo and Juliet is quite literally a tragedy. In the First Folio, it is printed quite largely The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The whole point of the story is the danger of teenage love and how wrapped up teenagers become in it. It is by all means not a love story. They kill themselves in the end, how the hell does that say a love story? I think because of my personal thoughts about the song I already went into this story with a bad mindset so I apologize in advance if I judge it too harshly. The reimagining of Romeo and Juliet was there with the names somewhat. Marlo with Montague. Quinton was obviously Tybalt. The throwing rocks after the cupcake shop was the ball meeting and the balcony scene. But where the fuck do you get Vale from Capulet? Also Jules, obviously Juliet, is Jules Marlo. It's Juliet Capulet, not Juliet Montague. ROMEO MONTAGUE! The author clearly didn't fucking read the original play and went off of purely the song and maybe a Wikipedia summery of Romeo and Juliet if they even bothered. And then the random ass mind reading? It made absolutely no sense. The one saving grace of this was the writing itself. Fuck this story, it was absolute ass cheeks.

"This One's Just For Us" by Jesse Q. Sutanto with the song "Ours" - 5/5. This was by far the best story in the whole book. It was just so cute and heartwarming! The banter was absolutely adorable and I loved the origami. It read as incredibly real and raw. Ting's an absolute badass and the two of them are so cute together! My only complaint is that this isn't a full length book. I need more!

"It Happened One Wednesday" by Lynn Painter with the song "Begin Again" - 4/5. This was a super cute story that really fit the song well. It was giving cozy-up-in-bed-with-a-hot-cup-of-tea-and-a-book-on-a-cold-fall-day vibes. I loved it so much. The banter and everything was cute. And that card game reveal? I actually laughed out loud. It did drag a bit though during the first half and I wished it picked up more. Super sweet overall though.

"Group Project" by Krystal Marquis with the song "Style" - 1/5. For one, this story did not fit the song at all. I listened to the song and thought I knew exactly what I was getting into. At the end of the story, I had to listen to the song again because I was so confused about how the two even connected. I mean, there are some similarities but there isn't much else to draw from. The two don't belong together in the slightest, I didn't like either of the characters, and the writing was god awful. I was waiting for the story to be over the entire time. I really wanted to DNF it. I then looked at the author's profile and what do you know! I DNF'd one of her books. I typically don't DNF so that shows you something, haha! Anyway, here's one little snippet that shows how bad the writing was. "Ryan hesitated at each open door and peeked around every corner for Principal Tanner, who liked to wander the halls and catch students outside their classrooms. Or worse still, another student." It took me three reads to understand that they meant another student catching them. How an editor didn't catch this misplaced modifier, I have no clue.

"Brake For It" by Jessica Goodman with the song "Getaway Car" - 3/5. I listened to the song and at the beginning of the story, I was confused at first why this was a romance. Then the twist came in. It was really clever and I really enjoyed it. I only wish that we saw at the end maybe some flashbacks of the planning and all that. I just wish he maybe did something even a little worse and I think it would've hit even better. Girl power!

"Five Summers" by Sloan Harlow with the song "Cruel Summer" - 2/5. To me, this story was not the song at all. For one, the writing was also really bad here and was the perfect example of telling instead of showing. I think the idea was there but it shouldn't have been a short story. Also, the story was breaking up and getting back together where to me the song seems very "fuck him and that whole summer." I think it should've been the breakup and then that, like the last one. That's an issue with the later stories of this book, the songs focus on being yourself and you don't need a man but the stories seem to say the opposite. I just don't understand it I guess.

"The Cardigan in Question" by Julie Murphy with the song "Cardigan" - 4/5. I thought this one was adorable and really matched the song quite well. The whole cardigan spiel was really cute and I enjoyed the romance. It made me smile. I do think though it was a bit stalker-ish at first so that does put me a little on edge. Otherwise, adorable.

"Once Upon a Grad Night" by Crystal Maldonado with the song "Willow" - 3/5. I thought this one was incredibly underwhelming. I totally get the draw between the song and the story but the song was a lot more mellow where in the story they ditch prom for a head-banging concert. I think it would fit the song more if they ditch for pizza or something instead. I thought it was just mediocre overall. Neither of the characters were all that interesting.

"We're Here Now" by Katharine McGee with the song "Hits Different" - 2/5. This story was incredibly forgettable. For one, it was all over the place. Also, it had nothing to do with the song! The song is a "fuck you" breakup song but there's a literal romance at the end? It made no sense. I think the whole second romance should've been scrapped and ended with the "fuck you" of her ex and still going back to the company. That's badass and powerful but how it was made out in the story was giving a weak and a girl who needed a man to be her own person. Gross.

"Fool's Gold" by Laura Sebastian with the song "Bejeweled" - 2/5. I was more confused by this one than anything else I guess. I think the story matched the song really well but it just didn't fit in. I really liked the whole fantastical element and how she did it but it just didn't fit with the song or with the love story concept. It wasn't even like it was getting revenge on her ex, it was more so just stealing the jewels. Very cool concept but it should've been a standalone book.

"Ali Gets a Clue" by Jennifer Dugan with the song "The Black Dog" - 1/5. Anyone who knows me by now knows I despise Jennifer Dugan books. This short story was no different. It's not her writing, it's actually somewhat decent. It's her stories and the plots if that makes any sense. For one, the song is another "fuck you" breakup song. It's longing to get back but knowing that you shouldn't. This just... wasn't? It had basically nothing to do with the song at all other than the coffee shop name. I get the pining but it's for someone else. And the "fuck you" over the breakup but she also didn't even care about it? There was so much wrong with this story but I'm so over Jennifer Dugan I'm not even going to get into it.

"Creative Differences" by Sara Shepard with the song "The Tortured Poets Department" - 4/5. Finally, the queen to end it off strong! I'll be totally honest, I bought this book just for her and it was a little bit of torture sitting through those other stories just to get to hers. And she did not disappoint! She did an amazing job using the song. Other than the "Getaway Car" one, this was the only other that used a breakup song and did it right. It actually spent time on the breakup and then had a little hint of hope at the end which was really sweet. That's what the others should've been doing. As always, the others having to take notes from the greats. No surprise there. Anyway, a really cute story. I just wish the ending wasn't so rushed. Otherwise, pretty much perfect.

For all of one person wondering what my ranking of the short stories are, here you go.
1. "This One's Just For Us" by Jesse Q. Sutanto with the song "Ours" - 5/5.
2. "It Happened One Wednesday" by Lynn Painter with the song "Begin Again" - 4/5.
3. "Creative Differences" by Sara Shepard with the song "The Tortured Poets Department" - 4/5.
4. "The Cardigan in Question" by Julie Murphy with the song "Cardigan" - 4/5.
5. "Brake For It" by Jessica Goodman with the song "Getaway Car" - 3/5.
6. "The Grand Gesture" by Elise Bryant with the song "Fifteen" - 3/5 stars.
7. "Once Upon a Grad Night" by Crystal Maldonado with the song "Willow" - 3/5.
8. "Fool's Gold" by Laura Sebastian with the song "Bejeweled" - 2/5.
9. "We're Here Now" by Katharine McGee with the song "Hits Different" - 2/5.
10. "Five Summers" by Sloan Harlow with the song "Cruel Summer" - 2/5.
11. "Group Project" by Krystal Marquis with the song "Style" - 1/5.
12. "Ali Gets a Clue" by Jennifer Dugan with the song "The Black Dog" - 1/5.
13. "Everything Unspoken" by J. Elle with the song "Love Story" - 1/5.

The average of the short stories is 2.69 so I'm rounding that up to 3 stars overall.