Category: Sunday Meme

Short Story Sunday: Trouble by Janelle Brown

Trouble
Series: We Could Be Heroes
Author: Janelle Brown

Narrator: January LaVoy
Published: February 7, 2023
Audiobook: 1 hour 7 minutes

Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Listened To: March 1, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars

Short Story Description:

What does it take to be a good mother? A good neighbor? Straight answers are hard to find in this keenly observed short story by New York Times bestselling author Janelle Brown.

Polly’s fourth-grade daughter has been spending a lot of time with her classmate Sylvie—maybe too much. Sylvie’s clothes are a little…flashy…and her phone (a ten-year-old with a phone!) doesn’t seem to have any parental controls. It seems that Sylvie’s mother, with her vape pens and her too-high heels, may not be making good choices. As Polly tries to exert a positive influence, she discovers just how little anyone can tell about a family from the outside.

Janelle Brown’s Trouble is part of We Could Be Heroes, a darkly inquisitive collection of short stories that examines heroic intentions versus their real-life consequences. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.

Jessica’s Review:

Oh wow! I really enjoyed this short story.  I was not sure where it was going to go, who to believe, and is this child to blame or a victim herself.  I can’t say much more than that, and you don’t know the who, what, why, or how, until the very last line!

Trouble was my introduction to Brown, and since I enjoyed it I will be on the lookout for more by her!

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

Short Story Sunday: Dalma Does Not Die at the End

Dalma Does Not Die at the End
Author: Adam Silvera

Published: October 4, 2022
40 pages

Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Read:  January 22, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 4.5 stars

Jessica’s Review:

Dalma Does Not Die at the End is a short story taking place directly after The First to Die at the End. If you have read They Both Die then you know that Dalma created The Last Friend app where Rufus and Mateo met. Dalma is a main character in First and we see the up and down journey that she goes on to create The Last Friend app over a several years’ time period. 

This short story just did not have as much magic as the two full length novels, I think maybe because no one was going to die? But I enjoyed it to see the app come to creation knowing what she wants to become and actually seeing it in full bloom in First.

This short story comes in the Barnes and Noble exclusive edition of The First to Die at the End.  I wanted this version for the short story, and I just love the cover! Anything Silvera writes in this world I plan on reading!

Purchase Link:
Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edition

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Short Story Sunday: The Father Does Not Die at the End by Adam Silvera

The Father Does Not Die at the End
Series:
Death-Cast

Author: Adam Silvera
Published: November 1, 2022
42 Pages

Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Read: January 2, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars

Jessica’s Review:

The Father Does Not Die at the End is the short story fans of They Both Die have been waiting for! It was recently published with the special Collector’s Edition of They Both Die at the End and continues the story with Mateo’s father coming out of his coma and finding out what happened to his son.

I was conflicted with reading it as I have been anticipating this short story, but knew it would become emotional as it deals with a father finding out his son has passed away (and how)  while being in a coma. And it was emotional. Silvera masterfully captured Maeto “Teo” Torrez’s emotions and feelings while continuing the story. Though sad, the ending was still optimistic. I had read that Silvera wants to continue in the world of Death-Cast and he has this reader (among many others) that will definitely be reading those!

Purchase Links for the Collector’s Edition:
Amazon US
Barnes and Noble

 

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