Jennifer L. Armentrout

A celebration of "meet-cute" moments, this YA short story collection features when-they-first-met-stories from beloved YA authors, including Nicola Yoon, Sara Shepard, Katie Cotugno, and more.

Some People Are Destined to Meet

Meet Cute

abbie j

siege etiquette - 2/5
print shop - 5/5
hourglass - 3/5
click - 4/5
the intern - 2/5
somewhere that's green - 5/5
the way we love here - 4/5
oomph - 5/5
the dictionary of you and me - 3/5
the unlikely likelihood of falling in love - 3/5
259 miles - 2/5
something real - 4/5
say everything - 2/5
the department of dead love - 2/5
⭐️overall, i really enjoyed this! 3.5/5⭐️

menna

there are some really good ones and very cute!

brianna

“People feel so much. Love is so big and it leaves behind a crater. Even when it's wrong.”
 

siege etiquette: 2.5
print shop: 4.5
hourglass: 4
click: 4.5
the intern: 3.75
somewhere that's green: 3
the way we love here: 3.75
oomph: 4.25
dictionary of you and me: 5
unlikely hood of falling in love: 4
259 million miles: 3
something real: 3.75
say everything: 3
department of dead love: 3.75

Jeannette Ordas

A very cute cover and several cute short stories inside.

Inês

Stories I liked: The Unlikely Likelihood Of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies, The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout and Oomph by Emert Lord.

I almost gave up on this book but then I read these and decided do give it another shot.

Katharine McGee

Julie Murphy

Meredith Russo

Sara Shepard

Kass Morgan

Nicola Yoon

Nina LaCour

Ibi Zoboi

Jocelyn Davies

Katie Cotugno

Huntley Fitzpatrick

Dhonielle Clayton

Emery Lord

Called "effervescent," "enjoyable," and "charming," this anthology is a celebration of when-they-first-met stories from fourteen beloved young adult authors, including Nicola Yoon, Nina LaCour, Dhonielle Clayton, Katie Cotugno, and more, now in paperback.

Claudia Ganea

** spoiler alert **
           I really don't have much to say about this book, except that it solidified the fact that I really, really prefer third person over first person narration, and that short stories may not be for me, at least not when they don't converge with each other in any way.

This isn't to say that it was horrible! I'm giving it 3 stars because it definitely had some stand-outs that I really enjoyed reading ("Oomph", "The DODL" and "259 Million Miles" were especially fun, and I wish we had more of them). Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to keep me from feeling like I was forcing myself to get through this book most of the time, which isn't the best feeling 😅

I am glad I stuck with it in the end, as I definitely enjoyed the later stories more than the first few ones! So yeah, not the best, not the worst, in my opinion!

Dee B. 

jess

I really enjoyed this anthology. I read it on a cruise and it was good poolside reading, and there were lots of wlw stories which was nice.

Lauren Tabor

I flew through this anthology! I really enjoyed a lot of the stories. The first couple I didn’t really like and it made me wary for the rest of it, but once I kept going I thoroughly enjoyed most of the rest! Of course, some of them I wanted to know more!! It was hard ending a story when it really was just beginning. But these were really cute, short little reads!

Amanda Jones

my favorite short stories were, The Way We Love Here, Oomph, The Dictionary of You and Me, Say Everything, and The Department of Dead Love

Flavia Louise

Siege Etiquette - Katie Catugno: 1.5 Stars
Print Shop - Nina LaCour: 2.5 stars
Hourglass - Ibi Zoboi: 2 stars
Click - Katherine McGee: 3.5 stars
The Intern - Sara Shepard: 3 stars
Somewhere that's green - Meredith Russo: 4.5 stard
The Way We Love Here - Dhonielle Clayton: 3.75 stars
Oomph - Emery Lord: 4.75 stars
The Dictionary of You and Me - Jennifer L. Armentrout: 2 stars
The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love - Jocelyn Davies: 4.5 stars 
259 Million Miles - Kass Morgan: 2.75 stars
Something Real - Julie Murphy: 2 stars
Say Everything - Huntley Fitzpatrick: 1.5 stars
The Department of Dead Love - Nicola Yoon: 4 stars 

Overall Rating: 42.25/14=3.02 stars

hannah vande Kraats

a cute, fluffy read. helped me get out of my book slump!

mia ¿

** spoiler alert **
           i've never read an anthology before so this review will be kinda fun... i get to rate them all and then take the average!! yay

siege etiquette - 2.5
first off, the second person narration was so odd and unnecessary. it would've been like .5 stars better if that wasn't there. second, the author seemed to be going for a mysterious vibe but the reason the main character felt so unpopular was because her parents died? like that explains some of the story but it doesn't explain why everyone at her school seemed to hate her? the actual meet cute was fine but i was so distracted by all the unnecessary allusions to some weird mystery that didn't actually exist that i could not get myself to care about the two. not off to a great start.

print shop - 4
i've actually read this author before and i like her writing so that helped a lot with my enjoyment here. the setup was really good and i liked the setting and the girl's job was cute, but wow there was absolutely no time spent on the girls' first meeting. they could've hung out in the parking lot but nope, it just ends right there. knocking a whole star off this one for the lack of (much of) a meet cute.

hourglass - 3.5
this had similar problems to print shop, but it had a even better setup with prom coming up? i was kinda invested in the prom storyline and then she doesn't even get to go? and she only meets the guy on the last page of the story, so again, not enough of the meet cute. this one i gave less stars cuz i felt there was a missed opportunity with the whole prom setting.

click - 4.5
now we finally got a real meet cute. the whole story centers around the first blind date between these two characters. we got both perspectives but that wasn't really necessary but still it didn't take anything away from the story. i liked how the twist acknowledged how dumb the new dating service was, and i liked how the girl was good with technology but then lost her microchip (or whatever) and had to run around the city to find it. it was cute idk!!! and then unlike the first story, this one had a plot related to grieving that actually felt well developed despite the short length. all in all pretty solid.

the intern - 4
this one was really simple and honestly nothing special but i liked it anyway? the date was the main part of the story which helped, and it was just a fun and cute setup. and we actually got a nice musician this time? (this will come up later) again, this had a grieving subplot but i think it worked. i just don't think this story was that unique so i only gave it 4 stars.

somewhere that's green - 5
i was just amazed at how much this story covered in its short length. it covered really serious topics but it managed to give them the right amount of development. also, i think this one really benefited from having two perspectives because both the characters felt real and developed. the setting at the end where there was a party at the farmhouse was also really cute.

the way we love here - 3
this one was interesting because it was the only fantasy-esque story in here. (i'm still not sure if it was fantasy tho?) the world building was just so weird. clearly, the people who lived on the island had some sort of magical traits but how? the rest of the world was realistic to life. this would be fine except the people on the island were convinced that there wasn't a world out past the ocean? like how do you have modern technology and high schools then? this story just left me with too many questions to really care for it. i did like the male main character though, but it was odd since the girl was the narrator and yet she felt less developed compared to him. also, the island was such a nice setting, i don't know why the author felt the need to ruin it with the weird alternate realities the characters visited that were in the more "modern" world. this one was a mix of wasted opportunities and just too much ambition, as seen in all the world building.

oomph - 4
first off, i just did not like the title of this one. (sorry) but that's subjective. my real review: i liked the setting of the airport, and again it was good that the girls were talking for essentially the whole story. it just didn't feel very original tho? i think that was mainly because the girl worrying about not being good enough for college and then just coming right around to feel fine about it felt kinda predictable and done before. overall it was good, just not very new or particularly interesting. now it sounds like i hated it, i didn't. the conflict was just not great.

the dictionary of you and me - 2
i hated this one SO MUCH. and i know that the anger i have towards this story is completely irrational, but i still hate it. the author probably thought this was such a creative idea, but it just felt so dumb!!!! like what weird guy would not turn in a dictionary to the library just to talk to a girl who works at the library on the phone? like, neither of them know how old the other is and it's just really creepy? also, the reveal of who this mystery guy was was done really poorly, since the guy is only introduced like a page or two before he shows up at the library. like, i get that needed to happen for plot reasons but the girl still could've talked to her friend about the guy at their high school before the day he magically all of a sudden decides to talk to her. also, both characters were way too unrealistically awkward when they met considering they were both practically best friends when they talked on the phone. this story was just cliche, creepy, and poorly executed. and just very, very odd. (also, why mention christmas if the ending doesn't happen on christmas? that was a wasted opportunity)

the unlikely likelihood of falling in love - 5
i didn't care for this one much when i was first reading it, but looking back i really enjoyed this one so i decided to give it five stars. this one had a unique format as if it was a scientific paper, which i think worked really well, and a good consistent plot that worked toward the meet cute the whole time while still being entertaining for other reasons. this one might be a little predictable but i don't care. the way they meet in the end because of train rescheduling was great and a really good conclusion to her study. subway trains are just an ideal setting for me apparently?

259 million miles - 3.5
this one was another major disappointment. it had a great plot and setup for the meet cute, even the meet cute was good. so what was the issue? the narrator kept alluding to some traumatic thing that happened to him in the past that is the whole reason he wants to leave earth, so for the whole first half of the story you're wondering what terrible thing happened to him? he's nervous and scared when people touch him, so it seems like something pretty bad happened. but nope. he was just the subject of some stupid viral video where he gets too scared to ask a girl out and throws up. like, sure maybe that could've gone viral within his school. but the whole world? i really don't think people, even teenagers, are that cruel. and even if they were, they would forget about the video in a few weeks. why couldn't the guy just have transferred schools? whatever. it's a fine setup for why the guy wants to be a part of this mars program, but also no it was NOT. his parents should have told him he was being too dramatic, and high school doesn't last forever blah blah blah. i hate to call him too dramatic, but he really was. i was so mad when i read about this "traumatic" thing that had happened to him because i thought something really serious had happened to him and i felt bad for him!!! it makes sense that the author didn't want to give the character some serious trauma because then it would be rude to tell him just to stay on earth and learn to get over it. but still, it felt cheap. i think i'm just mad because the rest of the story was good and the author had the chance to address something serious and instead they just chose to rant about viral videos? and then at the ending, the guy goes live on youtube (which good for him i guess) but the way it's written it seems like the video of him throwing up was posted on his own youtube channel? like just delete it then bro???

something real - 4
this one was really fun cuz it had a very unique setting. a reality tv show? i was down for it. i think both girls were developed well so that was good, but i think the kiss did not feel a little sudden. but i think that's just because this story was more focused on the plot, which i was fine with. my one issue with this story is that the musician sucked. and i know he was supposed to, but i think the story could have worked even if he wasn't a jerk. the girls still could've ended up together if the guy was well-meaning but just was too busy to actually spend time with the girls and get to know them. then he would only get mad at the very end when he threw up and thought the girls poisoned him, giving the girls the opportunity to run away. i just think it was kinda sad that this musician who clearly meant a lot to both of the girls was so rude to them.

say everything - 2
this was probably the second most stupid story in this book. it wanted to be way more meaningful and impactful than it was, and in doing so the meet cute just felt hella underdeveloped. also, the author was alluding to a mystery with the girl's house but really a guy just stole her family's money and house? not a very dramatic reveal, just very sad. and it was just so weird that the guy tried to use a date to trick the girl into going back to her old house? like that's just so creepy and kinda rude, so i was very confused when they kissed. the author must've been like oh no this is still supposed to be a date and meet cute, ahhhdghdgfe guess they have to kiss now???? also the ending made it seem like the author was going for a very specific message in the story, but i could not figure out what happened in the story that made the girl more willing to take risks? this one failed for trying to be way more than a little meet cute story could (or should) be.

the department of dead love - 3.5
this story was alright but a pretty boring note to end the book on. i liked the futuristic elements of the story, but they didn't really end up doing much and it just felt unrealistic. (why would the government care about love so much that they made a whole department dedicated to helping people with it?) the meet cute was fine but i think we were tol more than shown that the two got along well together. not terrible, but not amazing. i think the ending lines of the story were a fitting end to the book though, i suppose.


average rating - 3.6 (weirdly the exact rating this book has on here)

final rating - i'll round up to 4 cuz even the bad ones were short and kinda fun to complain about, and the good ones made it all worth it... a fun pre-valentine's day read <3

allie

3.5 stars.

overall the whole anthology was pretty okay. there were a couple standout stories, but most of them weren't my thing unfortunately. i've rated each of the short stories by themselves down below! 

Siege Etiquette by Katie Cotungo: 2.5 stars

Print Shop by Nina Lacour: 3 stars
i love Nina Lacour with my whole heart. 

Hourglass by Ibi Zoboi: 3 stars

Click by Katherine McGee: 4.5 stars

The Intern by Sara Shepard: 2 stars

Somewhere That's Green by Meredith Russo: 3 stars 

The Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton: 3 stars

Oomph by Emery Lord: 5 stars
i just gotta say that honestly this one might be the cutest thing i've ever read. meeting in an airport au? gay girls? it's everything i've ever wanted!

The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout: 5 stars
this one was also one of my favorites!! 

The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies: 3.5 stars

259 Million Miles by Kass Morgan: 2.5 stars

Something Real by Julie Murphy: 2.5 stars

Say Everything by Huntley Fitzpatrick: 2.5 stars

The Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon: 3.5 stars

Sofie

I haven't finished yet, but I can already tell I don't like this collection as much as  Summer Days and Summer Nights and  My True Love Gave to Me. Obviously the novel is a collection of short stories following the meet cutes of various couples, so there isn't much known or relevant to these tales other than that initial meeting, but they all felt so rushed. One second, these couples are talking for the first time, and the next, someone is kissing away tears and coming out and making out in front of a crowd. Even in a true meet cute, it usually doesn't mean couple get together right away. These short stories would all probably make great novels on their own, but the concept just doesn't work for me.

Edit: now that I’ve finished, I’ll say that I’d loved to see some of these shorts as full novels. I’d read them 100%. But this concept left too much wanting to be enjoyed as short stories.

Hannah Knowles

My favorite stories were Oomph by Emery Lord and The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout!

Jennifer Merchant

Favorite stories were "Oomph" by Emery Lord and "The Unliklely Likelihood of Falling in Love" by Jocelyn Davies.

Alice

I am a fussy reader. But just this once I won't be. I don't care that not all the stories were perfect. I love them all to bits.

I read this anthology sometime back in 2020 and I was left with a bubbly feeling of happiness hovering all around me. When my little sister asked for meet cute recs, I immediately thought of it.

Anthologies are such a great answer to reading slumps and/or reading exhaustion (it's a thing, I have the thing) and I will forever love this one.

Chelsea Hunter

Siege Etiquette by Katie Cotugno: ✮✮✮
Print Shop by Nina LaCour: ✮✮
Hourglass by Ibi Zoboi: ✮✮
Click by Katherine McGee: ✮✮✮
Intern by Sara Shepard: ✮✮
Somewhere That's Green by Meredith Russo: ✮✮
Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton: ✮✮
Oomph by Emery Lord: ✮✮
Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout: ✮✮✮✮
Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies: ✮✮
259 Million Miles by Kass Morgan: ✮✮✮
Something Real by Julie Murphy: ✮✮
Say Everything by Huntley Fitzpatrick: ✮✮
Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon: ✮✮

Marlena Lang

I really enjoyed these fun stories. It was great to see all of the representation! These are some of my favourite authors and I enjoyed all of the different writing styles.

Jessica Williamson

3.25 Stars

There were some of these that hit me deep in my soul, and others.... bleh. I could have rounded this up to a 3.5 and I might have if the last three stories weren't so dreadful. 

SIEGE ETIQUETTE by KATIE COTUGNO - 4 Stars

PRINT SHOP by NINA LACOUR - 3 Stars

HOURGLASS by IBI ZOBOI - 3 Stars

CLICK by KATHERINE MCGEE - 5 Stars

THE INTERN by SARA SHEPARD - 3 Stars

SOMEWHERE THAT'S GREEN by MEREDITH RUSSO - 3 stars

THE WAY WE LOVE HERE by DHONIELLE CLAYTON - 4 Stars

OOMPH by EMERY LORD - 5 stars

THE DICTIONARY OF YOU AND ME by JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT -5 Stars

THE UNLIKELY LIKELIHOOD OF FALLING IN LOVE by JOCELYN DAVIES - 4 stars

259 MILLION MILES by KASS MORGAN - 3 Stars

SOMETHING REAL by JULIE MURPHY - 2 stars

SAY EVERYTHING by HUNTLEY FITZPATRICK - 2 Stars

THE DEPARTMENT OF DEAD LOVE by NICOLA YOON - 1 Star

Amanda Wells

I don't read many short story collections, and I rarely read romance stories (unless their exclusively LGBT) - but when I saw this available at the library, I thought I'd give it a go as I'd seen it on some BookTubers lists for this year. 

Overall I really liked these stories, and I became invested so that when some of them ended I wanted to know what happened next!

I also really liked that there was some good representation in terms of sexuality, and gender identity (though there could always be more!) without that being the focus of the stories necessarily. The only area that stood out for me in terms of lack of diversity was age - but this seems to be a YA collection, so that makes sense!

So I was pleasantly surprised by this, and I would recommend it - even if it isn't usually your jam, if you're in the mood for some cute love stories.

laura

I really loved this short story collection a lot. It was so much fun to read and so many of the stories made me smile. I loved the presence of not only ethnic diversity but also LGBTQ diversity. I loved also the presence of various genres including contmpoary, fantasy and science fiction. I felt like there was a story for anyone in this collection. Some of the highlights for me where Siege Etiquette, Print Shop, The Intern, The dictionary of you and me, The unlikely likelihood of falling in love and The department of dead love! If you enjoyed any type of romance in your YA books, I think this is a book you would enjoy :)

Anna Wilson

Siege etiquette 2 stars 
The print shop 4 stars 
Hourglass 4 stars 
Click 5 stars 
The intern 3 stars 
Somewhere that’s green 5 stars 
The way we love here 2 stars 
Oomph 4 stars 
The dictionary of you and me 5 stars 
The unlikelihood of falling in love 5 stars
259 million miles 4 stars
Something real 4 stars 
Say everything 2 stars 
The department of dead love 4 stars

Meet Cute Some People Are Destined to Meet

Reviews