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The Edge of Everything
You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Now what? In this collection of six coming-of-age stories, New York Times bestselling authors explore all-too-relatable angst, self-discovery, and first love during those messy, in-between years when possibility and risk intertwine. We’ve all been there.
Safe Harbor by Nicola Yoon and David Yoon
In this charming coming-of-age short story from New York Times bestselling authors Nicola Yoon and David Yoon, a group of teens’ lives collide when they’re brought together under unconventional circumstances—forcing them to confront hidden truths and personal secrets.
Julia at the Drive-In by Rainbow Rowell
A shy high school girl steps out of her comfort zone in this tender and wistful coming-of-age story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell.
Winter Breakage by David Levithan
A winter-break gathering among college friends is a surprisingly revealing day in this heartfelt coming-of-age short story by New York Times bestselling author David Levithan.
The Price of Admission by Dustin Thao
Two teens, divided by class, find each other in this heart-wrenching coming-of-age short story about belonging and second chances by #1 New York Times bestselling author Dustin Thao.
Three of Hearts by Katie Cotugno
Three college friends wrestle with a complicated dynamic in a witty and romantic coming-of-age short story about first love and self-discovery by New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno.
Back to You by Ann Liang
An exhausted career woman on the verge of death has the opportunity to redo her life in this enchanting short story about miraculous second chances from New York Times bestselling author Ann Liang.
Safe Harbor by Nicola Yoon and David Yoon
In this charming coming-of-age short story from New York Times bestselling authors Nicola Yoon and David Yoon, a group of teens’ lives collide when they’re brought together under unconventional circumstances—forcing them to confront hidden truths and personal secrets.
Julia at the Drive-In by Rainbow Rowell
A shy high school girl steps out of her comfort zone in this tender and wistful coming-of-age story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell.
Winter Breakage by David Levithan
A winter-break gathering among college friends is a surprisingly revealing day in this heartfelt coming-of-age short story by New York Times bestselling author David Levithan.
The Price of Admission by Dustin Thao
Two teens, divided by class, find each other in this heart-wrenching coming-of-age short story about belonging and second chances by #1 New York Times bestselling author Dustin Thao.
Three of Hearts by Katie Cotugno
Three college friends wrestle with a complicated dynamic in a witty and romantic coming-of-age short story about first love and self-discovery by New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno.
Back to You by Ann Liang
An exhausted career woman on the verge of death has the opportunity to redo her life in this enchanting short story about miraculous second chances from New York Times bestselling author Ann Liang.
7 pages, Audiobook
First published June 6, 2026
About the author
Nicola Yoon
35 books19.1k followersNicola Yoon is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star. She is a National Book Award finalist, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book recipient and a Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner. Both her novels have been made into major motion pictures. Nicola grew up in Jamaica and Brooklyn, and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, novelist David Yoon, and their family.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 15, 2026
This was so very deeply average and there are way better things to spend your time on. I gave most of them two stars, but I don’t think it’s really indicative of the authors’ talents but more the short format they had to shoe these into.
August 10, 2026
anthologies can be so hit or miss, but the edge of everything was such a fun, quick read! It’s the ultimate sampler if you’re looking to test out some top-tier ya authors or find a few new favs.
while a couple of stories didn't completely click for me the collection as a whole is totally worth it for the standouts:
safe harbour : easily my absolute fav! instead of angsty drama, it was a warm, touching look at seeing past stereotypes.
back to you: super cute, painfully relatable office romance vibes, and way more emotional substance than i expected.
julia at the drive-In & winter breakage: one was a sweet, wholesome romance with a great little twist, and the other nailed that awkward, overthinking stage of being a teen.
overall, a super cute compilation that leaves you wanting more :)
thanks to and amazon original stories for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
while a couple of stories didn't completely click for me the collection as a whole is totally worth it for the standouts:
safe harbour : easily my absolute fav! instead of angsty drama, it was a warm, touching look at seeing past stereotypes.
back to you: super cute, painfully relatable office romance vibes, and way more emotional substance than i expected.
julia at the drive-In & winter breakage: one was a sweet, wholesome romance with a great little twist, and the other nailed that awkward, overthinking stage of being a teen.
overall, a super cute compilation that leaves you wanting more :)
thanks to and amazon original stories for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me with an eARC.
This was a fun collection of stories. My favorite one was The Price of Admission by Dustin Thao. It was the one where I was strongly rooting for the character to succeed. The others were nice too but within the short length I didn't feel as much of an attachment. A lot of it was more coming-of-age oriented which I couldn't really related to but apart from that it was fun.
This was a fun collection of stories. My favorite one was The Price of Admission by Dustin Thao. It was the one where I was strongly rooting for the character to succeed. The others were nice too but within the short length I didn't feel as much of an attachment. A lot of it was more coming-of-age oriented which I couldn't really related to but apart from that it was fun.
August 8, 2026
Going into this collection, I wasn't sure what to expect since anthologies can be so hit or miss depending on the author. Turns out that ended up being pretty accurate here, some of these completely won me over and others just didn't click. Here's how each one landed for me:
Safe Harbor was such a nice surprise. I picked it up expecting angry, angsty teens butting heads, and instead got something so much warmer. Watching the characters slowly see each other as actual people instead of stereotypes was really touching, and Ms. Waters was my favorite - funny and strict and caring all at once. My only real complaint is that it was over way too fast.
Julia at the Drive-In was super cute, sweet and short. The characters were adorable, the romance felt wholesome, and the little twist at the end was a nice touch. Another one I wished had been a full-length story.
Winter Breakage really captured that feeling of being a teenager and overthinking everything. Eric's anxiety felt painfully relatable, though his constant spiraling tested my patience at times. I wished for a bit more context going in, and the ending felt too open-ended, but it still nailed that awkward, uncertain stage of growing up.
The Price of Admission was my first from Dustin Thao and, unfortunately, not a great start. The beginning pulled me in, but the momentum disappeared somewhere along the way. I did appreciate the exploration of class dynamics, but the writing often felt like listing things rather than building atmosphere, and the romance never really had chemistry.
Three of Hearts was just okay for me. I never really connected with the characters, Ellery felt like your typical relatable college freshman, Camp was the standout thanks to his backstory, and Danny barely got any development. The ending felt forced. I think this was one of those cases where I just wasn't the target audience.
Back to You closed things out on a high note. This was suuuper cute and way too relatable as someone who's spent plenty of time in an office job. The romance gave me exactly the warm fuzzy feelings I wanted, with a little more substance than I expected.
Overall a mixed bag, but the highs definitely made it worth the read. Safe Harbor and Back to You are the ones I'll be thinking about for a while.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Safe Harbor was such a nice surprise. I picked it up expecting angry, angsty teens butting heads, and instead got something so much warmer. Watching the characters slowly see each other as actual people instead of stereotypes was really touching, and Ms. Waters was my favorite - funny and strict and caring all at once. My only real complaint is that it was over way too fast.
Julia at the Drive-In was super cute, sweet and short. The characters were adorable, the romance felt wholesome, and the little twist at the end was a nice touch. Another one I wished had been a full-length story.
Winter Breakage really captured that feeling of being a teenager and overthinking everything. Eric's anxiety felt painfully relatable, though his constant spiraling tested my patience at times. I wished for a bit more context going in, and the ending felt too open-ended, but it still nailed that awkward, uncertain stage of growing up.
The Price of Admission was my first from Dustin Thao and, unfortunately, not a great start. The beginning pulled me in, but the momentum disappeared somewhere along the way. I did appreciate the exploration of class dynamics, but the writing often felt like listing things rather than building atmosphere, and the romance never really had chemistry.
Three of Hearts was just okay for me. I never really connected with the characters, Ellery felt like your typical relatable college freshman, Camp was the standout thanks to his backstory, and Danny barely got any development. The ending felt forced. I think this was one of those cases where I just wasn't the target audience.
Back to You closed things out on a high note. This was suuuper cute and way too relatable as someone who's spent plenty of time in an office job. The romance gave me exactly the warm fuzzy feelings I wanted, with a little more substance than I expected.
Overall a mixed bag, but the highs definitely made it worth the read. Safe Harbor and Back to You are the ones I'll be thinking about for a while.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
August 14, 2026
I enjoyed reading this collection of short stories, each one centered on a coming-of-age theme. It was interesting seeing the various approaches and writing styles by the authors. They each did a great job of touching on relatable awkward moments that I’m sure many of us have experienced.
The standouts for me were Julia at the Drive-in and Back to You, I felt these two stories did the best job of capturing a moment in time and made it feel like a complete story in so few pages.
Thank you to Amazon Original Stories for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The standouts for me were Julia at the Drive-in and Back to You, I felt these two stories did the best job of capturing a moment in time and made it feel like a complete story in so few pages.
Thank you to Amazon Original Stories for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
August 19, 2026
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc+!
i loved this series!! it's basically a collection of short stories that i find so rooted in the human condition that truly they have put words to these ambiguous feelings i have sometimes that that is truly a feat.
safe habor ★★★★☆
3.5/5☆
this is essentially is the breakfast club has therapy. that's all. it has a very early 2000s feel to it that i appreciate. while i also think these heavy topics of divorce and family were heavily skimmed due to it being a short story, i found myself still quite invested in the little found family of isabel, gray, lilliam, preethi and joey. and ms waters.
ms waters has gotta be the most unprofessional therapist ever but i liked the bond she had with the teens. talking about the different fallouts of divorce did hit me even if it never went deeper than surface level.
isabel and gray are pretty cute, though i wish we got more development. the small enemies to maybe lovers was nice. dancing to bob marley at ms waters wedding is a fitting ending considering isabel's arc.
julia at the drive-in ★★★★☆
rainbow rowell has done it again!! i only hoped that this would somedau be expanded into the full length novel because i simply loved rowell's eleanor and park, and fangirl. at it's heart, julia at the drive-in is a coming of age story, that stays so rooted in reality, putting to words about the feelings of someone who's there but not quite.
despite it being a short story, i found that i really related to julia, and her conversation with wyatt really stuck with me. there's a thing about being in school and having friends (with a lower case f) that i got. "maybe we're not really friends. maybe we're just passing time with each other in the same space" is such a thing.
but more than that i feel like i really got julia. being there, being friendly enough to be friends (but really more acquaintances) with people who could talk to you or hang out with you, but never being interesting enough to be more than just there. got i felt that in my soul.
and honestly i love that someone as self assured as wyatt can be facing the same problem, because truly we never know what someone is going through. the whole thing about his friends not asking him about him spending time in michigan, but caring just enough to pass is depressing af. i also liked the romance, and the fact that wyatt knew who julia was all along.
all in all a sweet story!!
winter breakage ★★★★★
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!!
this was so good?? i don't even have the words because it feels like david levithan looked into my soul and pulled them out from the very strings of me. this reads like one of those (sorry) pretentious litfics where college students talk in a way humans don't normally talk. and usually i hate this but in this small dose, i absolutely fell in love with it.
someone play iris by the goo goo dolls because that is the perfect soundtrack for this shory story.
i always say i relate to a character, but i can say now, eric is me and i am eric. this book explores the dynamics of being in a friend group but only ever in the periphery, and the way it describes what friends are like after high school, i related to it so much. in secondary school, friendships feel earned, going through a lot together. maybe it's just me, but in tertiary, i've never felt many of my friendships hit the same depth as then. maybe it's because i am like eric, keeping myself out of it despite desperately wanting to be in it.
"i'm positive that they would be just as happy if i wasn't here. and these are my friends."
"i'm scared that nobody wants me here. i'm scared that you, specifically, don't want me here, that you're nice to me because you're a genuinely nice person who's nice to everyone, not because i'm at all interesting."
oh break my heart anymore will you???
i loved the ending, the hopeful but still ambiguous ending.
' "where are we?" i ask.
sending my real question, he answers, "we'll get there. i promise." '
i might be hallucinating but i sniffed out queer undertones here too between eric and noah. eric says he doesn't want to date him, and that is all right. it just feels like their relationship is to be further explored.
oh boy i would like to read this author's other books too.
the price of admission ★★★★☆
well this was fun. i've been a fan of dustin thao since you've reached sam and when haru was here. to read that this is a story about classism in school i was more than excited to dive in.
to be clear this is NOT a romance. the romance is not the point and it pissed me off so much i wanted to smack dalton and cornelia over the head with a brick because they are the personficiation of the awfulness of classism, the top whatever percentage. this book, told through evan's pov, is not subtle at all and the way it shows these rich, elite people holding their own achievements above those of 'lower class' because they did not deserve it is truly awful.
yes the romance between dalton and evan was sweet at first (the napkin swan was so cute honestly), but the person dalton is just as terrible. the moment evan steps over him (not even on purpose, he just got into princeton), that's it for them.
that being said, i loved evan as a character. his headstrong personality, trying it fit in with dalton and his gang with expensive shoes is natural. while we might scream at the book for him not to, isn't it so natural for us to want to fit in anyway? in the end when he realises that his mum is right that he needs to stand up for himself (love his mum's attitutde!!) because nothing they do can ever measure up to them, that was probably the perfect clap back. yes the nose job comment was low but i do not care!!
three of hearts ★★★☆☆
uhhh.... this might have flew over my head a little bit. i see a lot of reviews talking about that awkward phase of finding out who you are, and i agree. this is very much that phase that ellery, danny and camp go through.
when the book first started i thought this was going to be a 'random girl meets rich/popular/tight knit friend group and gets absorbed into toxic friendship' but i was wrong. to me i felt like the story was more than just self discovery but also codependency. ellery putting her art aside, not making any friends other than camp and danny solidified that for me. i love that she found herself in the end either ways and did that card deck (love the cover!!) and won the harpswell award.
the relationship drama was a little more complicated. honestly in the end i'm still not 100% sure where the three stand in the end. at least for danny and camp. are they together now like ellery first thought? or did they all get it out of their system?? normally i am not very up for a surprise throuple, especially when two of them (camp and ellery) are already an established couple, but to me this made sense. there is a bond tying the three of them together.
i guess my main problem is that this book should have been way longer. maybe 500 pages if we really fleshed everyone out. i feel like in these 40 ish pages we only saw some of ellery, the family drama with camp and pretty much nothing at all for danny.
still i am intrigued, might read the author's other works.
back to you ★★★★★
i love everything that ann liang writes!! yes this is short but i feel like it reached into my soul, turned it over and turned everything i wished for into a short story.
to make it clear, i don't hate my job. i don't love it 100% but i like it. a lot. this book is a love letter to life and an angry email complaint to the slog of corporate life, the kind that drains your soul into nothing. honestly just the thought of dying in the most mundane way in your office working overtime for an overbearing manager brings me chills.
but that's not the point. it's a story of possibility, and it's beautiful to see how fully one can live their life knowing the worst that can happen, mundanity, loneliness and never being happy.
"i hated being alone, yet i was desperate to be alone [...] maybe i thought it would hurt less if my loneliness felt like a choice."
as a loner with friends, i felt that. the way i hated loneliness, ending up alone forever being my worst fear, yet this inexplicable urge, unexplainable, to pull away, to assume the worst consumes me every time. i never thought i would see this weird contradiction out into words and ann liang has done it.
"maybe it's worse to not do it at all, to never even try, for fear of looking stupid."
oh ms ann liang you have done it. i love that this book isn't a second chance at a romance that never happened, but rather a relook at life and taking every chance you've been too scared too take — to change your major to something you love, to go out with the boy you liked but never spoke to, to go to bars and eat burgers. it's not an allison and luke story (though they are cute in the way they mirror each other, but one just about life.
there is no other way to put it, i loved every word of this and wished it would never end. the epilogue of allison and luke on their way out on their spontaneous trip is the perfect way to end it; to show how far allison's life has veered from her misery before she died, to something she is happy with.
ann liang please never stop writing.
loved this series actually!!
i loved this series!! it's basically a collection of short stories that i find so rooted in the human condition that truly they have put words to these ambiguous feelings i have sometimes that that is truly a feat.
safe habor ★★★★☆
3.5/5☆
this is essentially is the breakfast club has therapy. that's all. it has a very early 2000s feel to it that i appreciate. while i also think these heavy topics of divorce and family were heavily skimmed due to it being a short story, i found myself still quite invested in the little found family of isabel, gray, lilliam, preethi and joey. and ms waters.
ms waters has gotta be the most unprofessional therapist ever but i liked the bond she had with the teens. talking about the different fallouts of divorce did hit me even if it never went deeper than surface level.
isabel and gray are pretty cute, though i wish we got more development. the small enemies to maybe lovers was nice. dancing to bob marley at ms waters wedding is a fitting ending considering isabel's arc.
julia at the drive-in ★★★★☆
rainbow rowell has done it again!! i only hoped that this would somedau be expanded into the full length novel because i simply loved rowell's eleanor and park, and fangirl. at it's heart, julia at the drive-in is a coming of age story, that stays so rooted in reality, putting to words about the feelings of someone who's there but not quite.
despite it being a short story, i found that i really related to julia, and her conversation with wyatt really stuck with me. there's a thing about being in school and having friends (with a lower case f) that i got. "maybe we're not really friends. maybe we're just passing time with each other in the same space" is such a thing.
but more than that i feel like i really got julia. being there, being friendly enough to be friends (but really more acquaintances) with people who could talk to you or hang out with you, but never being interesting enough to be more than just there. got i felt that in my soul.
and honestly i love that someone as self assured as wyatt can be facing the same problem, because truly we never know what someone is going through. the whole thing about his friends not asking him about him spending time in michigan, but caring just enough to pass is depressing af. i also liked the romance, and the fact that wyatt knew who julia was all along.
all in all a sweet story!!
winter breakage ★★★★★
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!!
this was so good?? i don't even have the words because it feels like david levithan looked into my soul and pulled them out from the very strings of me. this reads like one of those (sorry) pretentious litfics where college students talk in a way humans don't normally talk. and usually i hate this but in this small dose, i absolutely fell in love with it.
someone play iris by the goo goo dolls because that is the perfect soundtrack for this shory story.
i always say i relate to a character, but i can say now, eric is me and i am eric. this book explores the dynamics of being in a friend group but only ever in the periphery, and the way it describes what friends are like after high school, i related to it so much. in secondary school, friendships feel earned, going through a lot together. maybe it's just me, but in tertiary, i've never felt many of my friendships hit the same depth as then. maybe it's because i am like eric, keeping myself out of it despite desperately wanting to be in it.
"i'm positive that they would be just as happy if i wasn't here. and these are my friends."
"i'm scared that nobody wants me here. i'm scared that you, specifically, don't want me here, that you're nice to me because you're a genuinely nice person who's nice to everyone, not because i'm at all interesting."
oh break my heart anymore will you???
i loved the ending, the hopeful but still ambiguous ending.
' "where are we?" i ask.
sending my real question, he answers, "we'll get there. i promise." '
i might be hallucinating but i sniffed out queer undertones here too between eric and noah. eric says he doesn't want to date him, and that is all right. it just feels like their relationship is to be further explored.
oh boy i would like to read this author's other books too.
the price of admission ★★★★☆
well this was fun. i've been a fan of dustin thao since you've reached sam and when haru was here. to read that this is a story about classism in school i was more than excited to dive in.
to be clear this is NOT a romance. the romance is not the point and it pissed me off so much i wanted to smack dalton and cornelia over the head with a brick because they are the personficiation of the awfulness of classism, the top whatever percentage. this book, told through evan's pov, is not subtle at all and the way it shows these rich, elite people holding their own achievements above those of 'lower class' because they did not deserve it is truly awful.
yes the romance between dalton and evan was sweet at first (the napkin swan was so cute honestly), but the person dalton is just as terrible. the moment evan steps over him (not even on purpose, he just got into princeton), that's it for them.
that being said, i loved evan as a character. his headstrong personality, trying it fit in with dalton and his gang with expensive shoes is natural. while we might scream at the book for him not to, isn't it so natural for us to want to fit in anyway? in the end when he realises that his mum is right that he needs to stand up for himself (love his mum's attitutde!!) because nothing they do can ever measure up to them, that was probably the perfect clap back. yes the nose job comment was low but i do not care!!
three of hearts ★★★☆☆
uhhh.... this might have flew over my head a little bit. i see a lot of reviews talking about that awkward phase of finding out who you are, and i agree. this is very much that phase that ellery, danny and camp go through.
when the book first started i thought this was going to be a 'random girl meets rich/popular/tight knit friend group and gets absorbed into toxic friendship' but i was wrong. to me i felt like the story was more than just self discovery but also codependency. ellery putting her art aside, not making any friends other than camp and danny solidified that for me. i love that she found herself in the end either ways and did that card deck (love the cover!!) and won the harpswell award.
the relationship drama was a little more complicated. honestly in the end i'm still not 100% sure where the three stand in the end. at least for danny and camp. are they together now like ellery first thought? or did they all get it out of their system?? normally i am not very up for a surprise throuple, especially when two of them (camp and ellery) are already an established couple, but to me this made sense. there is a bond tying the three of them together.
i guess my main problem is that this book should have been way longer. maybe 500 pages if we really fleshed everyone out. i feel like in these 40 ish pages we only saw some of ellery, the family drama with camp and pretty much nothing at all for danny.
still i am intrigued, might read the author's other works.
back to you ★★★★★
i love everything that ann liang writes!! yes this is short but i feel like it reached into my soul, turned it over and turned everything i wished for into a short story.
to make it clear, i don't hate my job. i don't love it 100% but i like it. a lot. this book is a love letter to life and an angry email complaint to the slog of corporate life, the kind that drains your soul into nothing. honestly just the thought of dying in the most mundane way in your office working overtime for an overbearing manager brings me chills.
but that's not the point. it's a story of possibility, and it's beautiful to see how fully one can live their life knowing the worst that can happen, mundanity, loneliness and never being happy.
"i hated being alone, yet i was desperate to be alone [...] maybe i thought it would hurt less if my loneliness felt like a choice."
as a loner with friends, i felt that. the way i hated loneliness, ending up alone forever being my worst fear, yet this inexplicable urge, unexplainable, to pull away, to assume the worst consumes me every time. i never thought i would see this weird contradiction out into words and ann liang has done it.
"maybe it's worse to not do it at all, to never even try, for fear of looking stupid."
oh ms ann liang you have done it. i love that this book isn't a second chance at a romance that never happened, but rather a relook at life and taking every chance you've been too scared too take — to change your major to something you love, to go out with the boy you liked but never spoke to, to go to bars and eat burgers. it's not an allison and luke story (though they are cute in the way they mirror each other, but one just about life.
there is no other way to put it, i loved every word of this and wished it would never end. the epilogue of allison and luke on their way out on their spontaneous trip is the perfect way to end it; to show how far allison's life has veered from her misery before she died, to something she is happy with.
ann liang please never stop writing.
loved this series actually!!
August 25, 2026
Thank you Netgalley, Amazon Original Stories and the authors for my ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Short story collection with stories from David Levithan (one of my top favourite authors of all times), Rainbow Rowell (I’ve read nearly everything she’s written) and Nicola Yoon? Sign me up! I had to get my hands on this as soon as I spotted it. And I'm so glad I did because I truly loved every short story of this collection and it's put other authors I had never read before on my radar, I really need to catch up with their backlist.
After finishing every story I thought 'Ok this is my favorite in the collection' and every new story I started gave me the same feeling, that's how good these are!
I definitely think teenagers and young adults could benefit from reading this collection, but it's perfect for adults as well, they made me think a lot about life choices and what we make of them, especially these two quotes from the last story "Back to you" by Ann Liang:
'Maybe I thought it hurt less if my aloneness felt like a choice.' and 'I know I’m dancing badly, but maybe being bad at something isn’t as big of a deal as I thought. Maybe it’s worse to not do it at all, to never even try, for fear of looking stupid.'
Short story collection with stories from David Levithan (one of my top favourite authors of all times), Rainbow Rowell (I’ve read nearly everything she’s written) and Nicola Yoon? Sign me up! I had to get my hands on this as soon as I spotted it. And I'm so glad I did because I truly loved every short story of this collection and it's put other authors I had never read before on my radar, I really need to catch up with their backlist.
After finishing every story I thought 'Ok this is my favorite in the collection' and every new story I started gave me the same feeling, that's how good these are!
I definitely think teenagers and young adults could benefit from reading this collection, but it's perfect for adults as well, they made me think a lot about life choices and what we make of them, especially these two quotes from the last story "Back to you" by Ann Liang:
'Maybe I thought it hurt less if my aloneness felt like a choice.' and 'I know I’m dancing badly, but maybe being bad at something isn’t as big of a deal as I thought. Maybe it’s worse to not do it at all, to never even try, for fear of looking stupid.'
June 30, 2026
Ok this is an interesting series. It’s all young adult coming of age situations but I’m not sure they all have a message. The first two books (Safe Harbor and Julia at the Drive in) were great and the best. They had a clear point and message. Quick cute reads. The next three books (Winter Breakage, The Price of Admissions, Three of Hearts) were ok. Not a strong message, stories that needed more or just didn’t work as a short story. “Back to You”, the 6th and final book of the series hit in the middle. Interesting story about second chances but a bit repetitive for a short story.
Safe Harbor 3.5⭐️
Julia at the Drive in 3.75⭐️
Winter Breakage 2.5⭐️
The Price of Admission 2.75⭐️
Three of Hearts 2.5⭐️
Back to You 3⭐️
Safe Harbor 3.5⭐️
Julia at the Drive in 3.75⭐️
Winter Breakage 2.5⭐️
The Price of Admission 2.75⭐️
Three of Hearts 2.5⭐️
Back to You 3⭐️
August 10, 2026
The Edge of Everything is a cute collection of coming-of-age short stories by some of my favorite YA authors. It’s like a quick refresher, a palate cleanser when you’re between books.
Obviously, not all the stories were my favorite, as it was tough to fall in love with all the characters and their worlds with the limited time we had. I believe that out of all, Rowell and Levithan had the most relatable stories with the most promising premises. These stories perfectly captured the anxieties of growing up, forming friendships and relationships; it was like I was briefly transported back in time.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Obviously, not all the stories were my favorite, as it was tough to fall in love with all the characters and their worlds with the limited time we had. I believe that out of all, Rowell and Levithan had the most relatable stories with the most promising premises. These stories perfectly captured the anxieties of growing up, forming friendships and relationships; it was like I was briefly transported back in time.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
August 25, 2026
The Edge of Everything
by Various Authors
254 pages
8/24 - 8/24
Kindle/ Audio Immersive
4/5 ⭐️
0/5 🌶️
3/5 😊
This is a sweet YA set of 6 books that's free on Kindle Unlimited with Audio..... and my favorite way to read is immersive. :) Each of the short stories is about a young couple- mostly college age- and their "relationship". I enjoyed them all, but the first two were definitely my favorite. I like the last one a lot, too. If you have KU- read them! Otherwise..:.. it's up to you. They're sweet but I probably won't remember a lot about them.
by Various Authors
254 pages
8/24 - 8/24
Kindle/ Audio Immersive
4/5 ⭐️
0/5 🌶️
3/5 😊
This is a sweet YA set of 6 books that's free on Kindle Unlimited with Audio..... and my favorite way to read is immersive. :) Each of the short stories is about a young couple- mostly college age- and their "relationship". I enjoyed them all, but the first two were definitely my favorite. I like the last one a lot, too. If you have KU- read them! Otherwise..:.. it's up to you. They're sweet but I probably won't remember a lot about them.
August 15, 2026
I enjoy anthologies because it can introduce you to new authors. These stories were great introudcution for these authors and I will definetly be checking more books out by these authors. I like the theme for these books. The one book that stand out to me was Safe Harbor by Nicola Yoon and David Yoon. I enjoyed all the books but there was something about Safe Harbor.
Thank you to Negalley and Amazon Original Stories for a copy of the ebook.
Thank you to Negalley and Amazon Original Stories for a copy of the ebook.
August 7, 2026
I loved this book. All the bite sized stories. All the lessons and emotion felt. It was there right front and centre. It tugs your heartstrings and makes you reflect on life and how everyday there are endless different experiences in this world. I loved all the authors in this book. I have read some of their work so seeing a book where they collaborate is such a treat!
July 29, 2026
Safe Harbor - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Julia at the Drive-in - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Winter Breakage - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Price of Admission - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Three of Hearts - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Back to You - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Delightful, nostalgic. And lots of awkward characters to relate to.
Julia at the Drive-in - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Winter Breakage - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Price of Admission - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Three of Hearts - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Back to You - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Delightful, nostalgic. And lots of awkward characters to relate to.
August 25, 2026
i finished reading this a week or so back and at the time had fun, and was a rather quick read, and i had favorites at the time (safe harbour was good!), but now i couldn't tell you what any of the stories were about.
August 14, 2026
I read each of these as a stand alone, so more detailed reviews can be found against each novella or short story by the respective authors. All in all, this was a strong enough collection. The stories were, for me, solid although a few that were harder to plow through than others. I really liked the Nicola and David Yoon, Rainbow Rowell, and Katie Cotugno stories best, which is consistent with the fact that I like those authors generally quite well. The Dvid Levithan and Ann Liang stories were ok. Nothing that blew me away and a few things that annoyed me. And the Dustin Thao was perhaps the hardest for me to read and enjoy. There was just something about the characters and story that felt less mature than the others. And I have to admit that tracked, given that You've Reached Sam was just slightly higher in my ratings.
The stories each focus on people figuring out who they are. While some have romance at the heart, others focus on friendship and the way to be a good friend,
A collection that works as a whole. And overall a worthwhile read.
The stories each focus on people figuring out who they are. While some have romance at the heart, others focus on friendship and the way to be a good friend,
A collection that works as a whole. And overall a worthwhile read.
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