Rating: 5 / 10
From the blurb: What do guys and girls really think? Twelve of the most dynamic and engaging young American authors writing today team up for this one-of-a-kind collection of he said/she said stories where he tells it from the guy's point of view, she tells it from the girl's. Stories of love and heartbreak, like the good-looking guy who falls for a dangerous girl and the flipside of the girl who never learns to be loved; a basketball star and the artistic (and shorter) boy she never knew she wanted; and a gay boy looking for love online and the girl who could help make it happen, teach us that relationships become complicated because there are two sides to every story.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this book. It was sweet. That's the best word for it. Sweet, but forgettable. I particularly enjoyed "Want to Meet" by James Howe/ "Meeting for Real" by Ellen Whittlinger, the tale of a young man struggling with his homosexuality and Alex, who he meets online in a chat room. This was the only story with any real character development, and it's just generally a very tender tale. "Launchpad to Neptune" also stood out for me, ith its twist towards the end and choppy pacing. I'd love to read more of these two stories, maybe see them developed into full length novels.
The rest of the stories fell a little flat, however. They were all about romance overcoming a boundary of some sort - race or class or religion, even height - and while this is a great message, it was a little clear cut. Other than the one definitive obstacle there was no real conflict to be found in this book at all. Maybe I'm biased against short stories, but I found myself with a serious lack of emotional investment in the characters and their stories' outcomes.
Overall though, it was a nice enough read. It's a pleasant book to sit in the sun with if you've two or three hours to spare.
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