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Jilly Bean and Jessa Jean

Unsurprisingly, this is my favorite story in the bunch. I have read 2/3 of Angeline Boulley's novels and the last one is on my TBR for this year. Her writing is so well done. This story is about cousins who have a changing friendship dynamic. Boulley also finds a way to make even this short story informative.

Love Buzz

Another romantic one. Another one that has interactions between other author's characters. This one is about a band and the characters don't feel fully fleshed out.

Hearts Aflutter

Cute. A lot of these stories are about romantic relationships, which is making it feel a little repetitive. The fan was a nice touch. This one also brought back characters from someone else's chapter, so it feels more cohesive than some of the others.

"You are the bearer of a body more fragile than any other in this country"

Annnnnnd we've swung back around. Statistically, that distinction belongs to Black Trans women and Native American women. There's a distinct lack of intersectionality here and I know this is a letter to his son, but we are all in the same boat. Black men and Black women and Queer people and other BIPOC people.

Language Lesson

I love that this has a tie-in to the author's existing book and she used characters and settings from that to up the interest. I have Those Pink Mountain Nights on my TBR, so that will be getting bumped up.

The Rest Will Come

About two brothers. I wish this had a little more detail than "the brother ran away and got mixed up in some things", but it was fairly enjoyable. I'd check out Cobell's other books, even if I think the short story she wrote was a little lacking in details.

Y'all...I think I might have spoken too soon because he does understand that some of the stuff from the beginning of the chapter isn't accurate and adjusts his understanding over the course, but I'm also just bored. Coates' writing is a little verbose. I'm not a huge fan of memoirs, either, so I'm already at a disadvantage and I'm cringing thinking about how this will go at book club.

Daisy is a bad friend, period. You're now LYING about being sick to see your boyfriend.

To be fair, Agnes isn't perfect and she's being unfair to her mom. But this is egregious.

Honestly, you're telling this boy you're sad your bestie is moving at the end of the summer and you have just spent ALL of your remaining time with her with him also OR moving things around so you can spend time with him instead. I fully get why Agnes is annoyed. Moving plans like that constantly is the worst. Plans change occasionally, but this is ridiculous.

I'm really tired of all books with two female leads being about the one getting a S.O. and being a shitty friend. Can we get some new material, please? The artwork is so cute, but this has been done to death.

I Love You, Grandson

A heartwarming story about a boy who's recently lost his maternal grandmother getting love from the community. The grief stories in this one are very poignant and well done. I'm really enjoying this anthology for the most part. There are very few stories I didn't like so far.

Momentum

I like that this story is, so far, the one that's incorporated the most of anyone else's story. This reminded me of You Are Here, which is the unofficial measuring stick I hold other anthologies against because it was just so well done. This one (about a trapeze artist who has moved and thus has no trapeze) would easily fit in a book like that. I love it.

Heart Berry

Cute story about friendship, but also dealing with themes of cultural loss by the Native diaspora that's been relegated to cities.

You Had One Job

Another one that I would happily check out the author's other work. This story was funny and full of heart. It also had great information on how to set up mutual aid and help your community vote!

Braving the Storm

Long, but worth it at the end. A touching story about grief and the power of food. I would check out more of this author.

Side note to the previous story: The argument they have starts over #LandBack and I wish we had gotten more into that instead of someone walking in high heels like that was a resolution.

Patent Red

The love interest in this feels superfluous. There also doesn't really feel like a resolution to this one. This one is my least favorite so far.

Look Away

"It's poetic, really, the cruelty of the universe."

The ending of this made me feel warm and fuzzy. This is arguably the story that is the least tied to the setting so-far. It honestly could've been set anywhere. Didn't need to be the LFDI. But it was sweet.

Game Night

This was a cute story about some online D&D friends after one of them gets hit by a car. Honestly, the car crash part seemed like it wasn't integral to the story, but the friendship and the ending were sweet.

Mvskoke Joy

"Whether our history becomes a legacy we uphold or one we untangle depends on who we want to be and the world we want to live in."

First story I highlighted because it had such good quotes and I didn't want to forget. Interesting analysis of Native Joy and Black Native peoples.

House of Stray Cats

I liked this one, although I think a little less than I liked Maybe It Starts. Not much seemed to happen in this one, although I thought the writing was nice.