Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet by multiple authors

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Armentrout, Jennifer. 2018. Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9781328759870

PLOT SUMMARY

Fourteen short stories that highlight the moment when a couple meets for the first time. Each story captivates the reader into someone else’s first-time meeting scenario. Each story is focused on the romance of a first encounter; however, some are not so romantic until later.

Authors: Jennifer Armentrout, Dhonielle Clayton, Katie Cotugno, Jocelyn Davies, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Nina LaCour, Emery Lord, Katharine McGee, Kass Morgan, Julie Murphy, Meredith Russo, Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon, and Ibi Zoboi

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I was sucked in right away with Hailey and Wolf’s encounter in the first story titled “Siege Etiquette.” I wanted to keep reading! Then it just ended and while I was disappointed because I wanted to see where their recent encounter would take them in their relationship, I was sucked into the next short story. 

The second story switches gears a little with the romance and brings in a lesbian love story; however, just as with the first one, you just get a taste of how they meet and now how it ends up.

I really enjoyed that the authors were each unique with each of their characters. There were no two stories that were based on similar characters at all. A great variety of characters from different social classes, ethnic groups, sexual orientations, and even location differences.

I loved how each story was different yet similar because, in each story, they met someone. When you think about the concept behind the anthology, we all meet someone somehow; yet, we all do so differently.

REVIEW EXCERPTS / AWARDS


Booklist (September 15, 2017)

What’s a romance without that first meeting? In this anthology, 14 popular YA authors play with the first steps of a love story. Most of the stories are grounded in realism, although some dabble with potential near-future technologies (Katharine McGee’s “Click,” Nicola Yoon’s “The Department of Dead Love,” and Kass Morgan’s “259 Million Miles”). Meanwhile, Dhonielle Clayton’s “The Way We Love Here” is a fantasy filled with boundless possibilities. Many of the stories feature LGBT couples (Nina LaCour’s “Print Shop,” Meredith Russo’s “Somewhere That’s Green,” Emery Lord’s “Oomph,” and Julie Murphy’s “Something Real“). Other standouts include Ibi Zoboi’s “Hourglass,” in which a plus-sized African American girl longs to escape her small, mostly white town, and Jocelyn Davies’ “The Unlikelihood of Falling in Love,” about a statistics whiz who tries to quantify love. The stories work best when the titular meet cute is a side effect, not the main focus, but most succeed. Ultimately a well-rounded, charming collection of love stories that any reader will be happy to meet.

Kirkus Reviews (October 15, 2017)

Fourteen short stories from prominent authors for teens explore the moments when two people first meet.The collection’s title suggests that these stories will showcase first encounters that wrap up with happily-ever-after endings. Many of the stories do deliver; several even end with first kisses. But occasionally the stories offer endings that are tinged with sadness, preventing the collection from becoming saccharine. Characters who share a genuine connection are separated by circumstances, whether it’s traveling in vastly different high school social circles or being sent on a one-way mission to Mars. Topics beyond romance add complexity, as characters grapple with grief, financial hardships, and body-image issues. The collection is a welcome departure from strictly heterosexual romance, including cisgirl-meets-girl and transgirl-meets-girl connections in addition to girl-meets-boy scenarios. There are nods to modern dating with computerized matching services, reality TV, and introductions via social media. There’s futuristic science fiction and a story that 1980s movie fans will recognize as a nod to Say Anything. The stories include great banter, the determination to find a boy from a crowded subway train, and the message that the rewards of love outweigh the potential pain of loss. A collection that adds much-needed diversity to the existing teen-romance genre. 

Publishers Weekly (October 16, 2017)

"This might be a love story, so I want to tell it the right way," begins Nina LaCour's entry in an anthology celebrating serendipitous run-ins that feel bigger than coincidence, in this case a customer-service-related flirtation between two teenage girls. Contributions from Huntley Fitzpatrick, Meredith Russo, Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi, and others add to an enjoyable and diverse collection that never feels repetitive, despite the stories' shared thematic underpinnings. Dhonielle Clayton offers a enticing fantasy in which a girl attempts to see the love that the gods have destined for her when a boy appears at her feet. Jennifer L. Armentrout's playful "The Dictionary of You and Me" involves an overdue library book, and Jocelyn Davies charms with a tale about New York City junior Samara, who tries to quantify fate for a statistics project after a missed connection on the subway. The stories vary in genre, and although many involve love at first sight, others are about seeing someone in a new light. All 14 leave just enough magic and mystery to inspire readers to trust in a little bit of fate.

CONNECTIONS

Other romance anthologies:

  • Montgomery, Cam. ALL SIGNS POINT TO YES. ISBN 9781335418623

  • Allen, Nancy. HORSES, HOUNDS, AND HAPPILY EVER AFTER. ISBN 9781954615113

In the classroom:

  • ELAR - Since these stories do not really show the ending, this would be great to use as an activity. First read-aloud the short story, then have students complete the writing…what will the next chapter be, how will it end, or even what was the previous chapter?

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