What do you think?
Rate this book
Blackout
Six critically acclaimed, bestselling, and award-winning authors bring the glowing warmth and electricity of Black teen love to this interlinked novel of charming, hilarious, and heartwarming stories that shine a bright light through the dark.
A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks…
A first meeting.
Long-time friends.
Bitter exes.
And maybe the beginning of something new.
When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight.
Beloved authors—Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon—celebrate the beauty of six couples and the unforgettable magic that can be found on a sweltering starry night in the city.
A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks…
A first meeting.
Long-time friends.
Bitter exes.
And maybe the beginning of something new.
When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight.
Beloved authors—Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon—celebrate the beauty of six couples and the unforgettable magic that can be found on a sweltering starry night in the city.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 22, 2021
About the author
Dhonielle Clayton
31 books2,508 followersDhonielle Clayton is a New York Times bestselling author of The Marvellers series, The Belles series, Shattered Midnight, co-author of Blackout, Whiteout, The Rumor Game, and of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, a Netflix original series. She hails from the Washington, D.C. suburbs on the Maryland side. She taught secondary school for several years, and is a former elementary and middle school librarian. She is COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books. She is the President and founder of Cake Creative and Electric Postcard Entertainment, IP story companies creating diverse books for all ages. She’s an avid traveller, and always on the hunt for magic and mischief. Find her on Instagram: @brownbookworm.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,141 reviews
August 11, 2021
I just want everyone to understand that I completely get what the authors were attempting to do with this book; however, I think that this book needed a little more work in terms of execution. Black love representation is important, but I also believe that having that representation doesn't automatically make it a 5 star book. I always find it hard to rate anthologies especially the way that this one was told, but I'll discuss each story individually and then how I think it came together as a full body of work.
The Long Walk by Tiffany D. Jackson
This specific story focused on ex's Tammie and Kareem as they run into each other at a summer internship opportunity. It's the jumping off point for the entire novel because it's at the beginning of this story that New York City goes dark. Jackson's story is woven throughout the course of the book and I'm not exactly sure why that method was chosen, but it does work to introduce and get glimpses of the other couples as their stories begin and end. This is a second chance romance that has a heavy miscommunication trope. Honestly, I adored Kareem. He's extremely supportive, caring, and helps navigate the conversation so the two could work out their feelings. While I didn't enjoy Tammie as much as a character, it was great to see her acknowledge some errors she made in their relationship. The writing was good.
Mask Off by Nic Stone
Nic Stone follows Tiffany D. Jackson with a queer male/male love story about Tremaine and JJ. What I loved about this story is that it explores bisexuality amongst Black teenage boys and that is EXTREMELY important; however, there were moments where I felt as though Nic tried too hard. There is a way to seamlessly incorporate certain social themes/important discussions into stories; however, it stands out like a sore thumb when an author tries too hard. For example, it's great that Nic wanted JJ to be socially conscious of a woman's right to breastfeed in public, but the way it was written was extremely awkward. I also wanted more insight to the potential romance between Tremain and JJ. They had this childhood friends to lovers romance going on and it wasn't explored enough for me.
Made to Fit by Ashley Woodfolk
Ashley Woodfolk came through with the cute sapphic romance between Joss and Nella. This one had a nice little twist to it and a few elements of forced proximity. And while I saw the twist coming, I still enjoyed reading the character reactions. Unlike the other stories, there were side characters in this story that made it more interesting. It takes place at Althea House which is a senior living facility. Nella's grandfather stays there while Joss typically visits to help with programming. I was invested in this story and wanted more by the time that I finished because I loved the chemistry that Nella and Joss had. There was paralleling that was constructed between Nella and Joss meeting for the first time and Nella's grandparents meeting for the first time and it made the story even more endearing. I enjoyed Woodfolk’s writing in this story as per usual. I would love to see her do a story like this outside of the anthology.
All the Great Love Stoires....and Dust by Dhonielle Clayton
This was an interesting story for a few different reasons. It's a childhood friends to lovers romance. It takes place in the NYPL and the entire plot of the book takes place over a bet that the main characters Lana and Tristan make. It's clear from Lana's internal dialogue that she's in love with Tristan and she's used this bet to tell him that she loves him as more than a friend. One thing that I struggled with when reading this story is the believability of Tristan's feelings for Lana. He talks about other girls in front of her in a way that makes it hard to believe that he would turn around and have feelings for her. This could have been solved with a dual perspective, but readers are left trying to navigate his outward actions versus his internal dialogue. It was a solid read, but it wouldn't have stood out to me if it didn't take place in the library.
No Sleep Till Brooklyn by Angie Thomas
This, for me, was the worst story out of the group. It's supposed to be a love triangle between Kayla, Rashad, and Micah that doesn't really end up being a love triangle. The main character has an epiphany of self-discovery after talking to the bus driver that was almost too good to be true. Kayla and Rashad had been dating for a long time when she meets Micah and realizes he gives her butterflies and goosebumps. Technically, there is some emotional cheating that happens. Although it's not on page, it is described as her making excuses to go to study hall to see him, trying to spend time with him, interviewing the track team just so she can talk to him, etc. I understand that this was supposed to be a different take on Black love (this is clearly about Black self-love); however, I just don't think it was executed well.
Seymour and Grace by Nicola Yoon
This was the final story in the book which focused on Seymour and Grace. Seymour is a ride share driver who's picked up Grace to go to block party that everyone in the previous stories has talked about. Their romance was interesting because while I loved Seymour, I'm not sure how Grace came to such a quick conclusion about her ex. I honestly wish that this wasn't the last story, but it was a solid read.
Overall, I saw, understood, and acknowledge what the writers were attempting to do with the story; however, execution was key and all of the stories didn't have that. In fact, I will go as far to say that everyone who is part of this anthology isn't a great romance writer. And that's perfectly fine! There is nothing wrong with that; however, it does change the dynamics of the story. Yoon had the perfect opportunity to both go out with a bang as well as neatly tie the entire book together. Readers have no knowledge of what's happened to these characters outside of the 2-3 sentence Yoon wrote in a paragraph. There should have been just a tad bit more exploration. Overall, I think that this was a solid read; however, it's not on my favorites list for 2021.
The Long Walk by Tiffany D. Jackson
This specific story focused on ex's Tammie and Kareem as they run into each other at a summer internship opportunity. It's the jumping off point for the entire novel because it's at the beginning of this story that New York City goes dark. Jackson's story is woven throughout the course of the book and I'm not exactly sure why that method was chosen, but it does work to introduce and get glimpses of the other couples as their stories begin and end. This is a second chance romance that has a heavy miscommunication trope. Honestly, I adored Kareem. He's extremely supportive, caring, and helps navigate the conversation so the two could work out their feelings. While I didn't enjoy Tammie as much as a character, it was great to see her acknowledge some errors she made in their relationship. The writing was good.
Mask Off by Nic Stone
Nic Stone follows Tiffany D. Jackson with a queer male/male love story about Tremaine and JJ. What I loved about this story is that it explores bisexuality amongst Black teenage boys and that is EXTREMELY important; however, there were moments where I felt as though Nic tried too hard. There is a way to seamlessly incorporate certain social themes/important discussions into stories; however, it stands out like a sore thumb when an author tries too hard. For example, it's great that Nic wanted JJ to be socially conscious of a woman's right to breastfeed in public, but the way it was written was extremely awkward. I also wanted more insight to the potential romance between Tremain and JJ. They had this childhood friends to lovers romance going on and it wasn't explored enough for me.
Made to Fit by Ashley Woodfolk
Ashley Woodfolk came through with the cute sapphic romance between Joss and Nella. This one had a nice little twist to it and a few elements of forced proximity. And while I saw the twist coming, I still enjoyed reading the character reactions. Unlike the other stories, there were side characters in this story that made it more interesting. It takes place at Althea House which is a senior living facility. Nella's grandfather stays there while Joss typically visits to help with programming. I was invested in this story and wanted more by the time that I finished because I loved the chemistry that Nella and Joss had. There was paralleling that was constructed between Nella and Joss meeting for the first time and Nella's grandparents meeting for the first time and it made the story even more endearing. I enjoyed Woodfolk’s writing in this story as per usual. I would love to see her do a story like this outside of the anthology.
All the Great Love Stoires....and Dust by Dhonielle Clayton
This was an interesting story for a few different reasons. It's a childhood friends to lovers romance. It takes place in the NYPL and the entire plot of the book takes place over a bet that the main characters Lana and Tristan make. It's clear from Lana's internal dialogue that she's in love with Tristan and she's used this bet to tell him that she loves him as more than a friend. One thing that I struggled with when reading this story is the believability of Tristan's feelings for Lana. He talks about other girls in front of her in a way that makes it hard to believe that he would turn around and have feelings for her. This could have been solved with a dual perspective, but readers are left trying to navigate his outward actions versus his internal dialogue. It was a solid read, but it wouldn't have stood out to me if it didn't take place in the library.
No Sleep Till Brooklyn by Angie Thomas
This, for me, was the worst story out of the group. It's supposed to be a love triangle between Kayla, Rashad, and Micah that doesn't really end up being a love triangle. The main character has an epiphany of self-discovery after talking to the bus driver that was almost too good to be true. Kayla and Rashad had been dating for a long time when she meets Micah and realizes he gives her butterflies and goosebumps. Technically, there is some emotional cheating that happens. Although it's not on page, it is described as her making excuses to go to study hall to see him, trying to spend time with him, interviewing the track team just so she can talk to him, etc. I understand that this was supposed to be a different take on Black love (this is clearly about Black self-love); however, I just don't think it was executed well.
Seymour and Grace by Nicola Yoon
This was the final story in the book which focused on Seymour and Grace. Seymour is a ride share driver who's picked up Grace to go to block party that everyone in the previous stories has talked about. Their romance was interesting because while I loved Seymour, I'm not sure how Grace came to such a quick conclusion about her ex. I honestly wish that this wasn't the last story, but it was a solid read.
Overall, I saw, understood, and acknowledge what the writers were attempting to do with the story; however, execution was key and all of the stories didn't have that. In fact, I will go as far to say that everyone who is part of this anthology isn't a great romance writer. And that's perfectly fine! There is nothing wrong with that; however, it does change the dynamics of the story. Yoon had the perfect opportunity to both go out with a bang as well as neatly tie the entire book together. Readers have no knowledge of what's happened to these characters outside of the 2-3 sentence Yoon wrote in a paragraph. There should have been just a tad bit more exploration. Overall, I think that this was a solid read; however, it's not on my favorites list for 2021.
June 23, 2021
3.5 stars
I think this book successfully achieves what it had set out to do - to feature stories of Black kids in love.
Blackout is essentially a collection of 6 short stories, all set over one summer evening in NYC, when the city goes dark for a few hours. All characters are a part of a big, vibrant, multigenerational group of people connected to each other in various ways. You'll read about first meetings and heartbreaks and rekindling of old feelings. The book makes a point to highlight all kinds of love and all kinds of sexualities. And what I liked the most - the authors of this anthology are absolutely disinterested in the white gaze, focusing on Black teens, and their joys, heartbreaks and hopes.
The unifying theme is pretty neat, but I felt it was limiting in a way too. All of the stories are very similar - they all are a celebration on NYC and diversity, they all are similarly plotted and very similar in tone and message. What makes each of the Black authors unique kind of all melts together, presenting a too uniform narrative that at some point becomes repetitive. If the names of the authors weren't attached to the stories, I don't think I could have been able to match the stories to authors on my own. There were no strong standouts, and none of the authors struck me as natural short story writers. Although as a whole, reading this anthology was a positive experience.
And here are the stories in the order on my enjoyment:
"No Sleep 'til Brooklyn" by Angie Thomas - the best in the bunch, unsurprisingly. An emerging love triangle, characters that are memorable, and some sharp Karen jokes.
"Seymour and Grace" by Nicola Yoon - two strangers meeting on an Uber-type ride. Second mention of The Ship of Theseus over the last month (first - on WandaVision).
"The Long Walk" by Tiffany D. Jackson - exes confronting their breakup. I felt the ending didn't fit the rest of the story.
"Mask Off" by Nic Stone - two former friends explore their possible connection while stuck inside a dark train. This one packed the most messages - from consent to homosexuality in sports to breastfeeding in public.
"Made to Fit" by Ashley Woodfolk - two girls possibly fall in love while visiting a senior living facility. I liked the setting and residents of the retirement home a lot, but the instalove didn't quite work for me.
"All the Great Love Stories... and Dust" by Dhonielle Clayton - two childhood friends decide if they want to take their relationship somewhere new. Here, the writing just didn't work for me. I had a hard time staying with it and felt like the flow of the story stumbled at the end of each sentence.
Pick this up if you are looking for some short stories that are cute and joyful. Perfect for summer.
I think this book successfully achieves what it had set out to do - to feature stories of Black kids in love.
Blackout is essentially a collection of 6 short stories, all set over one summer evening in NYC, when the city goes dark for a few hours. All characters are a part of a big, vibrant, multigenerational group of people connected to each other in various ways. You'll read about first meetings and heartbreaks and rekindling of old feelings. The book makes a point to highlight all kinds of love and all kinds of sexualities. And what I liked the most - the authors of this anthology are absolutely disinterested in the white gaze, focusing on Black teens, and their joys, heartbreaks and hopes.
The unifying theme is pretty neat, but I felt it was limiting in a way too. All of the stories are very similar - they all are a celebration on NYC and diversity, they all are similarly plotted and very similar in tone and message. What makes each of the Black authors unique kind of all melts together, presenting a too uniform narrative that at some point becomes repetitive. If the names of the authors weren't attached to the stories, I don't think I could have been able to match the stories to authors on my own. There were no strong standouts, and none of the authors struck me as natural short story writers. Although as a whole, reading this anthology was a positive experience.
And here are the stories in the order on my enjoyment:
"No Sleep 'til Brooklyn" by Angie Thomas - the best in the bunch, unsurprisingly. An emerging love triangle, characters that are memorable, and some sharp Karen jokes.
"Seymour and Grace" by Nicola Yoon - two strangers meeting on an Uber-type ride. Second mention of The Ship of Theseus over the last month (first - on WandaVision).
"The Long Walk" by Tiffany D. Jackson - exes confronting their breakup. I felt the ending didn't fit the rest of the story.
"Mask Off" by Nic Stone - two former friends explore their possible connection while stuck inside a dark train. This one packed the most messages - from consent to homosexuality in sports to breastfeeding in public.
"Made to Fit" by Ashley Woodfolk - two girls possibly fall in love while visiting a senior living facility. I liked the setting and residents of the retirement home a lot, but the instalove didn't quite work for me.
"All the Great Love Stories... and Dust" by Dhonielle Clayton - two childhood friends decide if they want to take their relationship somewhere new. Here, the writing just didn't work for me. I had a hard time staying with it and felt like the flow of the story stumbled at the end of each sentence.
Pick this up if you are looking for some short stories that are cute and joyful. Perfect for summer.
September 28, 2022
I LOVE SHORT STORIES THEY ARE THE BEST THING EVER.
New York is going through a power outage and during those hours, six separate romance stories take place that all have very different plot lines, characters and personalities.
The long walk: 5/5
I absolutely loved this little second chance story. This story is about Kareem Tammi who broke up a while ago but during the black out they are thrust together and have to hash out their past, problems and fears.
Mask off: 4/5
this was the shortest story and about the acceptance of your own sexuality.
Made to fit: 4/5
a story about a girl who is stuck together with a girl she secretly likes and during the time, she talks about her past experiences with unrequited love and her entire love journey.
All the great love stories and dust: 5/5
A cute story about best friends that are in the library while competing to find the best book while at the same time we tackle the fears of acceptance and what would happen if you just said how you really feel.
No sleep till Brooklyn: 3/5
A story about a girl who is in a relationship but harbouring a crush for another guy. There is a big focus on decision making and taking risks in this book.
Seymour and Grace: 3/5
An opposites attract romance story about a girl that is getting over her boyfriend and getting reading to attend a party.
New York is going through a power outage and during those hours, six separate romance stories take place that all have very different plot lines, characters and personalities.
The long walk: 5/5
I absolutely loved this little second chance story. This story is about Kareem Tammi who broke up a while ago but during the black out they are thrust together and have to hash out their past, problems and fears.
Mask off: 4/5
this was the shortest story and about the acceptance of your own sexuality.
Made to fit: 4/5
a story about a girl who is stuck together with a girl she secretly likes and during the time, she talks about her past experiences with unrequited love and her entire love journey.
All the great love stories and dust: 5/5
A cute story about best friends that are in the library while competing to find the best book while at the same time we tackle the fears of acceptance and what would happen if you just said how you really feel.
No sleep till Brooklyn: 3/5
A story about a girl who is in a relationship but harbouring a crush for another guy. There is a big focus on decision making and taking risks in this book.
Seymour and Grace: 3/5
An opposites attract romance story about a girl that is getting over her boyfriend and getting reading to attend a party.
June 26, 2021
This was so CHARMING and perfect for a late night summer read.
I loved the layout of this book, like little novellas that subtly intertwine together as we see how a blackout in NYC affects different groups of people on their way to a party. Each chapter stood out on its own, and I was rooting for all of the characters. Cute and fluffy romances, I wish this was longer.
I loved the layout of this book, like little novellas that subtly intertwine together as we see how a blackout in NYC affects different groups of people on their way to a party. Each chapter stood out on its own, and I was rooting for all of the characters. Cute and fluffy romances, I wish this was longer.
August 18, 2021
i can’t WAIT for this to be adapted into a movie. i can see it so clearly in my head. this is definitely worth the read if you’re a romance lover❤️ +lots of LGBT rep in here!
November 13, 2021
*3.5, rounded up
Blackout is a romance short story anthology that focuses on black love stories and it’s written by several amazing black authors. The stories are interconnected and they all revolve around a power outage that occurs in New York. There’s lots of LGBTQ+ representation in these romance stories, which was a pleasant surprise for me.
The Long Walk: 3 stars - This story was really creative. It was a longer story that was split up in little sections between the other short stories. I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance in this story though. It was all a big miscommunication trope and bordering on toxic at first.
Mask Off: 3 stars - This story started off a little rocky, but it got better. I loved the romance in this story, but it felt like it should’ve been longer in order to fully capture the beauty of their romance. Nic Stone wrote this one and while I think she writes really important stories, I’ve never particularly enjoyed her writing style.
Made to Fit: 5 stars - A sweet story that I wish were a full length novel. The setting reminded me of my first job that I had at a retirement living center, so it was bringing up lots of fun memories for me. The romance was to die for. It had so much chemistry. This story was brimming with wholesomeness. My only complaint is that there was a lot of characters to keep track of for such a short story, but I got so caught up in the romance that I eventually stopped trying to separate all of the side characters from each other.
All the Great Love Stories… and Dust: 4 stars - The setting of this story was beautiful. A giant library in the middle of a blackout. It’s the perfect setting for a cute romance and the romance was cute, but this story felt like the scene in Crimes of Grindelwald where you’re waiting for Newt to spit out that he loves Tina. Sweet to some extent, but this was about 30 pages of just waiting for the characters to confess and it annoyed me a little that they didn’t confess sooner. I also despise how the guy cheated on his girlfriend. I get it, not everyone is meant to be, but break up with your current girlfriend before kissing your “true love.” Ugh.
No Sleep Till Brooklyn: 2 stars - That was messy. I’m fine with love triangles, but ones where two are in a relationship together and one of those two has feelings for another is a hard no for me. It feels like cheating but they can get away with it because ‘it’s a love triangle.’ The writing style of this story was really good despite this whole story being just dialogue, but I can’t forgive this type of love triangle.
Seymour and Grace: 4 stars - I had too high hopes for this story. It was super cute and really enjoyable, but it was slightly underwhelming. It was a great way to finish this anthology though.
Blackout is a romance short story anthology that focuses on black love stories and it’s written by several amazing black authors. The stories are interconnected and they all revolve around a power outage that occurs in New York. There’s lots of LGBTQ+ representation in these romance stories, which was a pleasant surprise for me.
The Long Walk: 3 stars - This story was really creative. It was a longer story that was split up in little sections between the other short stories. I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance in this story though. It was all a big miscommunication trope and bordering on toxic at first.
Mask Off: 3 stars - This story started off a little rocky, but it got better. I loved the romance in this story, but it felt like it should’ve been longer in order to fully capture the beauty of their romance. Nic Stone wrote this one and while I think she writes really important stories, I’ve never particularly enjoyed her writing style.
Made to Fit: 5 stars - A sweet story that I wish were a full length novel. The setting reminded me of my first job that I had at a retirement living center, so it was bringing up lots of fun memories for me. The romance was to die for. It had so much chemistry. This story was brimming with wholesomeness. My only complaint is that there was a lot of characters to keep track of for such a short story, but I got so caught up in the romance that I eventually stopped trying to separate all of the side characters from each other.
All the Great Love Stories… and Dust: 4 stars - The setting of this story was beautiful. A giant library in the middle of a blackout. It’s the perfect setting for a cute romance and the romance was cute, but this story felt like the scene in Crimes of Grindelwald where you’re waiting for Newt to spit out that he loves Tina. Sweet to some extent, but this was about 30 pages of just waiting for the characters to confess and it annoyed me a little that they didn’t confess sooner. I also despise how the guy cheated on his girlfriend. I get it, not everyone is meant to be, but break up with your current girlfriend before kissing your “true love.” Ugh.
No Sleep Till Brooklyn: 2 stars - That was messy. I’m fine with love triangles, but ones where two are in a relationship together and one of those two has feelings for another is a hard no for me. It feels like cheating but they can get away with it because ‘it’s a love triangle.’ The writing style of this story was really good despite this whole story being just dialogue, but I can’t forgive this type of love triangle.
Seymour and Grace: 4 stars - I had too high hopes for this story. It was super cute and really enjoyable, but it was slightly underwhelming. It was a great way to finish this anthology though.
December 29, 2022
This is the story of six couples who, no matter what, are gonna open their eyes and finally see what they have in front of them… during a blackout.
Because there's nothing more romantic than walking through New York in the full summer heat with no light, you know?
Six of the best black authors got together during the pandemic and decided to write this story. Every one of them has its own funny and cute writing style, but not one of them is unbalanced in comparison to the others.
I came here for Nicola Yoon, but now I want to read books from the others too!
Every story has the same subject (love, what else?) in different forms (friends-to-lovers, strangers-to-something, friends-to-strangers-to-almost-lovers, exes-to-almost-strangers-to-lovers) and a place in common: they are desperately trying to go to a party in Brooklyn. It's kind of disappointing that we know just one couple actually got there, but you know what they say: it's not the destination, it's the journey.
During it, they'll find out new things about themselves and others they already knew. And they’ll do it while doing something it's not always possible to do in big cities: looking up at the sky and seeing the stars.
With time Nicola Yoon made me realise love can be found anywhere. She likes meet-cutes in the streets or creepy looks behind a window, but meeting your soulmate with no light in a big not-so-safe city must be at the top of her list.
↠ 3.5 stars
Because there's nothing more romantic than walking through New York in the full summer heat with no light, you know?
Six of the best black authors got together during the pandemic and decided to write this story. Every one of them has its own funny and cute writing style, but not one of them is unbalanced in comparison to the others.
I came here for Nicola Yoon, but now I want to read books from the others too!
Every story has the same subject (love, what else?) in different forms (friends-to-lovers, strangers-to-something, friends-to-strangers-to-almost-lovers, exes-to-almost-strangers-to-lovers) and a place in common: they are desperately trying to go to a party in Brooklyn. It's kind of disappointing that we know just one couple actually got there, but you know what they say: it's not the destination, it's the journey.
During it, they'll find out new things about themselves and others they already knew. And they’ll do it while doing something it's not always possible to do in big cities: looking up at the sky and seeing the stars.
With time Nicola Yoon made me realise love can be found anywhere. She likes meet-cutes in the streets or creepy looks behind a window, but meeting your soulmate with no light in a big not-so-safe city must be at the top of her list.
↠ 3.5 stars
October 16, 2022
I’m on BookTube now! =)
What can I say about this collection of short stories? Well, I might just start with the basics and take it from there. ;-) For me this was a really nice collection and I enjoyed reading a different story each night. I loved that there were stories with LGBTQIA+ reps as well and that all of the stories were pretty diverse and varied. They all played during a blackout in NYC that was caused by an extreme heatwave and it was very interesting to follow the characters around while they all tried to make their way to a party in Brooklyn. I suppose NYC truly never sleeps, even when it’s dark. *lol*Anyway, considering the format I decided to talk a little bit about every story so without further ado let’s just jump into them:
“The Long Walk” by Tiffany D. Jackson
”That’s the thing about finding the right person to love. When someone loves you, all their hang-ups don’t really mean much. Because loving that person is a choice you have to make every day, even when that day isn’t what you expect.”
This was a nice tale about Kareem and Tammi who are exes and meet rather unexpectedly before the Blackout begins and throws everything into darkness. Throughout the entire book they try to make their way to the party in Brooklyn and their story kinda functions as the glue between all the other stories. ;-)
“Mask Off” by Nic Stone
Tremaine and JJ meet again on the subway train that is stuck in the tunnels during the blackout. They haven’t spoken with each other for years but they went to the same school and JJ knows about Tremaine’s problems. Should he help him or keep his distance?
A really sweet love story about two boys that find each other in the dark. ;-)
“Made to Fit” by Ashley Woodfolk
Nella is visiting her grandfather in Althea House, a senior living facility, when the Blackout starts. But she isn’t the only teen. Soon after the Blackout begins Joss and her dog Ziggy arrive in Althea House as well and Nella is forced to spend some time with a girl that is too gorgeous to be true and might be able to steal her heart if only given the chance.
“All the Great Love Stories ... And Dust” by Dhonielle Clayton
”The truth: Everything we do together is a memory I never want to forget. Each joke, each touch, each experience. My notebooks spill over. Too big to hold all that is him ... all that is me ... all that is us together.”
Lana and Tristán have been best friends for ages always teasing each other and trying to win a bet. This time however their bet might turn out to be more than they bargained for. Skimming through the bookshelves of the NY public library during a blackout while looking for the best love story ever written turns out to be quite the challenge, especially with long harboured feelings getting in the way...
“No Sleep Till Brooklyn” by Angie Thomas
”Your heart will never lead you wrong, but it can be hard to hear it. You have to give it space to speak. That’s a form of love, too.”
How do you know you want to spend the rest of your life with someone? Kayla and Tre’Shawn have been long-term sweethearts for ages and are happy together, but Kayla can’t help but feel an attraction towards Micah, another boy in her class. Feeling conflicted by her own heart Kayla has one hell of a bus ride ahead of her.
“Seymour and Grace” by Nicola Yoon
What do you do if you’re on your way to a party and your taxi driver turns out to be a handsome philosopher? Grace has no idea especially because she actually wanted to get to Brooklyn in order to make her ex jealous. To spend some time with her attractive Ryde driver Seymour definitely wasn’t part of the plan, but it might actually turn out to be exactly what she needed. ;-)
Conclusion:
This said: I really enjoyed all of those six love stories and they all had their own voice. The ones I liked the most were definitely “Mask Off”, “All the Great Love Stories ... And Dust” and “Seymour and Grace”. The writing style in “All the Great Love Stories... and Dust” was so beautiful and the other two stories were super cute! =) Also I usually love Angie Thomas’s books but this time around her short story just didn’t work for me. All told I liked reading this short stories collection and had a very good time! Happy reading! =)
_________________________________
This was a really nice short stories collection and I enjoyed reading a different story each night!
Also there were an f/f and an m/m story as well! =)
Loved the diversity and that all the stories were connected somehow.
Full RTC soon! Stay tuned! ;-)
__________________________________
I decided to read short books in September and this is exactly what I’ll do now!
“Blackout” sounds super interesting because it’s full of short stories of many amazing authors including LGBTQIA+ reps as well! I can’t wait to dive into this! =)
It sounds great!
Find me on:
My Blog
Instagram
What can I say about this collection of short stories? Well, I might just start with the basics and take it from there. ;-) For me this was a really nice collection and I enjoyed reading a different story each night. I loved that there were stories with LGBTQIA+ reps as well and that all of the stories were pretty diverse and varied. They all played during a blackout in NYC that was caused by an extreme heatwave and it was very interesting to follow the characters around while they all tried to make their way to a party in Brooklyn. I suppose NYC truly never sleeps, even when it’s dark. *lol*Anyway, considering the format I decided to talk a little bit about every story so without further ado let’s just jump into them:
“The Long Walk” by Tiffany D. Jackson
”That’s the thing about finding the right person to love. When someone loves you, all their hang-ups don’t really mean much. Because loving that person is a choice you have to make every day, even when that day isn’t what you expect.”
This was a nice tale about Kareem and Tammi who are exes and meet rather unexpectedly before the Blackout begins and throws everything into darkness. Throughout the entire book they try to make their way to the party in Brooklyn and their story kinda functions as the glue between all the other stories. ;-)
“Mask Off” by Nic Stone
Tremaine and JJ meet again on the subway train that is stuck in the tunnels during the blackout. They haven’t spoken with each other for years but they went to the same school and JJ knows about Tremaine’s problems. Should he help him or keep his distance?
A really sweet love story about two boys that find each other in the dark. ;-)
“Made to Fit” by Ashley Woodfolk
Nella is visiting her grandfather in Althea House, a senior living facility, when the Blackout starts. But she isn’t the only teen. Soon after the Blackout begins Joss and her dog Ziggy arrive in Althea House as well and Nella is forced to spend some time with a girl that is too gorgeous to be true and might be able to steal her heart if only given the chance.
“All the Great Love Stories ... And Dust” by Dhonielle Clayton
”The truth: Everything we do together is a memory I never want to forget. Each joke, each touch, each experience. My notebooks spill over. Too big to hold all that is him ... all that is me ... all that is us together.”
Lana and Tristán have been best friends for ages always teasing each other and trying to win a bet. This time however their bet might turn out to be more than they bargained for. Skimming through the bookshelves of the NY public library during a blackout while looking for the best love story ever written turns out to be quite the challenge, especially with long harboured feelings getting in the way...
“No Sleep Till Brooklyn” by Angie Thomas
”Your heart will never lead you wrong, but it can be hard to hear it. You have to give it space to speak. That’s a form of love, too.”
How do you know you want to spend the rest of your life with someone? Kayla and Tre’Shawn have been long-term sweethearts for ages and are happy together, but Kayla can’t help but feel an attraction towards Micah, another boy in her class. Feeling conflicted by her own heart Kayla has one hell of a bus ride ahead of her.
“Seymour and Grace” by Nicola Yoon
What do you do if you’re on your way to a party and your taxi driver turns out to be a handsome philosopher? Grace has no idea especially because she actually wanted to get to Brooklyn in order to make her ex jealous. To spend some time with her attractive Ryde driver Seymour definitely wasn’t part of the plan, but it might actually turn out to be exactly what she needed. ;-)
Conclusion:
This said: I really enjoyed all of those six love stories and they all had their own voice. The ones I liked the most were definitely “Mask Off”, “All the Great Love Stories ... And Dust” and “Seymour and Grace”. The writing style in “All the Great Love Stories... and Dust” was so beautiful and the other two stories were super cute! =) Also I usually love Angie Thomas’s books but this time around her short story just didn’t work for me. All told I liked reading this short stories collection and had a very good time! Happy reading! =)
_________________________________
This was a really nice short stories collection and I enjoyed reading a different story each night!
Also there were an f/f and an m/m story as well! =)
Loved the diversity and that all the stories were connected somehow.
Full RTC soon! Stay tuned! ;-)
__________________________________
I decided to read short books in September and this is exactly what I’ll do now!
“Blackout” sounds super interesting because it’s full of short stories of many amazing authors including LGBTQIA+ reps as well! I can’t wait to dive into this! =)
It sounds great!
Find me on:
My Blog
August 28, 2021
The purpose of the book is met.
Beautiful stories, about black teens.
Loved them, but I have definitely read better books in the same format and genre.
The book has beautiful cover though.
I enjoyed only Angie Thomas's story and none others. :(
Beautiful stories, about black teens.
Loved them, but I have definitely read better books in the same format and genre.
The book has beautiful cover though.
I enjoyed only Angie Thomas's story and none others. :(
July 1, 2021
I wasn't sure what to expect when going into this one. I'm not usually a fan of short stories. I always feel like I need more.
This book of short stories pleasantly surprised me. The stories were so beautifully interconnected. We start with two EXES who are competing for a job. We follow their story across New York.
While we walk with them we meet Jacorey. Jacorey is a gay athlete who has yet to come out. I almost screamed in delight when I heard Dion Graham's voice. (SERIOUSLY. THAT MAN CAN READ A BOOK).
We met Nella who deserves more than she thinks she does. Lana, who is pretty sure she knows what she wants and is lost in a library. Kayla, who is in a relationship BUT, may possibly want something else. Then Seymour and Grace who are sharing a ride through the city.
What an amazing collection of love stories for Black teens everywhere.
This book of short stories pleasantly surprised me. The stories were so beautifully interconnected. We start with two EXES who are competing for a job. We follow their story across New York.
While we walk with them we meet Jacorey. Jacorey is a gay athlete who has yet to come out. I almost screamed in delight when I heard Dion Graham's voice. (SERIOUSLY. THAT MAN CAN READ A BOOK).
We met Nella who deserves more than she thinks she does. Lana, who is pretty sure she knows what she wants and is lost in a library. Kayla, who is in a relationship BUT, may possibly want something else. Then Seymour and Grace who are sharing a ride through the city.
What an amazing collection of love stories for Black teens everywhere.
March 22, 2021
Pleeeease let someone turn this into a movie.
June 26, 2021
Anthologies are harder to get into for me. This one has less writers and stories than the usual ones I come across which allowed for longer more fleshed out stories. They all follow the central theme of taking place during a blackout in NYC and there are even characters that connected each story as nods to each other.
I listened to this via audio courtesy of Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review. Listening to the audiobook was an experience especially with the different narrators. A good narrator can make or break the story and bring the characters to life. And with the different authors you experience their different writing styles.
I'm all for including pop culture in a story but there's a good way to do it that doesn't leave the story feeling dated. And sometimes it came off a little try hard when incorporating phrases and trying to tackle certain social justice issues. I wish Black kids could be free of having to always have activism all up and down their stories. And I say this as someone who loves to use my platform to speak out. A lot of teens are not trying to be activists. They just aren't! And they shouldn't have to. I didn't start becoming more active until college.
Nic Stone's story in particular was jampacked full of messages it was trying to convey in a short amount of space. There was a scene where the boy's inner dialogue was commenting on breastfeeding in public that felt so forced.
Tiffany D. Jackson's story was broken down into parts throughout the anthology and I enjoyed it. I thought it was perfectly balanced. Tammi and Kareem had a fun dynamic and the narration was perfect for those sections. It was easily the most memorable story of this collection for me.
Ashley Woodfolk's story was a cute Sapphic story. The chemistry between the girls sold their connection for me. And the family dynamic included at the senior living facility added some heart.
I can't even remember Dhonielle Clayton's story beyond two childhood friends being at a library.
The narration for Angie Thomas' story was so bad I can't even really share my thoughts on that one because it was a struggle to follow along. It follows Southern kids visiting NYC for the first time on a trip and the accents were dreadful! The main character's Southern accent was bad and then there was an equally horrible attempt at a Jamaican accent. Whew! I can't tell you if the story was good or bad because the accents were distracting.
Nicola Yoon's had a Jamaican lead who I believe was related to the Jamaican character from Angie's story and this was another case of bad accent. There was no Jamaican voice actress available? This story was cute enough and I liked how heavy the cultural aspects were and how Grace was adjusting to her life in America.
While this anthology boasted big names in the industry I don't feel like romance is everyone's lane here. And I don't think all the authors were suited for the short story format. Anthologies are very hit and miss and I usually go in expecting to like about half of them. I think romance anthologies are even harder because you have a short amount of space to sell a love story. The chemistry just wasn't there with most of the couples for me to connect. The stories weren't very memorable either. Mostly this collection thrives off being from big name authors. There were no stories in this to really keep you running back for more.
I listened to this via audio courtesy of Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review. Listening to the audiobook was an experience especially with the different narrators. A good narrator can make or break the story and bring the characters to life. And with the different authors you experience their different writing styles.
I'm all for including pop culture in a story but there's a good way to do it that doesn't leave the story feeling dated. And sometimes it came off a little try hard when incorporating phrases and trying to tackle certain social justice issues. I wish Black kids could be free of having to always have activism all up and down their stories. And I say this as someone who loves to use my platform to speak out. A lot of teens are not trying to be activists. They just aren't! And they shouldn't have to. I didn't start becoming more active until college.
Nic Stone's story in particular was jampacked full of messages it was trying to convey in a short amount of space. There was a scene where the boy's inner dialogue was commenting on breastfeeding in public that felt so forced.
Tiffany D. Jackson's story was broken down into parts throughout the anthology and I enjoyed it. I thought it was perfectly balanced. Tammi and Kareem had a fun dynamic and the narration was perfect for those sections. It was easily the most memorable story of this collection for me.
Ashley Woodfolk's story was a cute Sapphic story. The chemistry between the girls sold their connection for me. And the family dynamic included at the senior living facility added some heart.
I can't even remember Dhonielle Clayton's story beyond two childhood friends being at a library.
The narration for Angie Thomas' story was so bad I can't even really share my thoughts on that one because it was a struggle to follow along. It follows Southern kids visiting NYC for the first time on a trip and the accents were dreadful! The main character's Southern accent was bad and then there was an equally horrible attempt at a Jamaican accent. Whew! I can't tell you if the story was good or bad because the accents were distracting.
Nicola Yoon's had a Jamaican lead who I believe was related to the Jamaican character from Angie's story and this was another case of bad accent. There was no Jamaican voice actress available? This story was cute enough and I liked how heavy the cultural aspects were and how Grace was adjusting to her life in America.
While this anthology boasted big names in the industry I don't feel like romance is everyone's lane here. And I don't think all the authors were suited for the short story format. Anthologies are very hit and miss and I usually go in expecting to like about half of them. I think romance anthologies are even harder because you have a short amount of space to sell a love story. The chemistry just wasn't there with most of the couples for me to connect. The stories weren't very memorable either. Mostly this collection thrives off being from big name authors. There were no stories in this to really keep you running back for more.
August 25, 2021
4.5 stars
In Blackout , even love stories can glow when the lights go out.
I love this concept! Six best-selling Black YA authors—Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon—got together and wrote a collection of interconnected stories that all take place when a blackout hits NYC during a heatwave.
Each story focuses on a relationship—a reunion of exes, meeting and being intrigued by someone new, revealing a longtime crush on your best friend, even showing your true self to someone for the first time. Characters in one story are connected to those in another, sometimes significantly and sometimes in passing.
For many authors who usually write heavy, emotional stories, this is an opportunity to share stories of Black joy and Black teen love, and the results are fun, sweet, moving, and hopeful. Jackson’s story, “The Long Walk,” is divided into five parts, and is scattered throughout the book.
I enjoyed all of the stories but my favorites were “Mask Off” by Nic Stone, in which a young man encounters a classmate on a subway train during the blackout and it forces him to come to terms with who he really is; “Made to Fit” by Ashley Woodfolk, about a young woman brooding over an unrequited crush on her best friend when she meets someone new at her grandfather’s senior home; and Nicola Yoon’s “Seymour and Grace,” which recounts the discovery a young woman makes after an intriguing ride share.
You know I love short stories, YA books, and rom-coms, so Blackout was a fun read. Having experienced the NYC blackout of 2003, this brought back some memories!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
In Blackout , even love stories can glow when the lights go out.
I love this concept! Six best-selling Black YA authors—Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon—got together and wrote a collection of interconnected stories that all take place when a blackout hits NYC during a heatwave.
Each story focuses on a relationship—a reunion of exes, meeting and being intrigued by someone new, revealing a longtime crush on your best friend, even showing your true self to someone for the first time. Characters in one story are connected to those in another, sometimes significantly and sometimes in passing.
For many authors who usually write heavy, emotional stories, this is an opportunity to share stories of Black joy and Black teen love, and the results are fun, sweet, moving, and hopeful. Jackson’s story, “The Long Walk,” is divided into five parts, and is scattered throughout the book.
I enjoyed all of the stories but my favorites were “Mask Off” by Nic Stone, in which a young man encounters a classmate on a subway train during the blackout and it forces him to come to terms with who he really is; “Made to Fit” by Ashley Woodfolk, about a young woman brooding over an unrequited crush on her best friend when she meets someone new at her grandfather’s senior home; and Nicola Yoon’s “Seymour and Grace,” which recounts the discovery a young woman makes after an intriguing ride share.
You know I love short stories, YA books, and rom-coms, so Blackout was a fun read. Having experienced the NYC blackout of 2003, this brought back some memories!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
August 28, 2021
This was such a fun anthology! I do love that all of the short stories were connected by taking place during the same blackout in New York City. We also got snippets of one story all throughout the book between the other short stories, which I also thought was a fun way to thread everything together. I did enjoy some stories more than others, which is why I'm giving this four stars. Ashley Woodfolk's story was one of my favorites! I'd definitely recommend picking this up!
February 6, 2022
amei! ♡ ♡ ♡
Read
May 31, 2021Six love stories featuring Black teens -- what more do you want?! I'm so glad this book exists. My favorite stories were the ones by Tiffany D. Jackson and Nicola Yoon, but every author has something sweet and romantic to offer!
July 27, 2021
Book 191 of 2021
3.5 ✨
Blackout is an anthology of interconnected short stories, set in NYC during a Blackout. The six contributors to this book are YA powerhouses, some of whom I love so much.
I really enjoyed the short stories in this collection. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by a full cast of narrators. The narrators were great and they brought the stories to life.
The first story by Tiffany D Jackson spanned 5 acts. The structure of the book is one act of TDJ's story, followed by another author's story. It followed two high school seniors who are exes, reconnecting during the blackout. It was a fun story, and I enjoyed following them through the city and them dealing with their issues.
The second story by Ashley Woodfolk focused on two sapphic girls, who met in a retirement home where they volunteer. This one was heavy on the insta love and the writing was so soft and cute.
The third story by Nic Stone was an MLM romance about two high school boys who had the hots for each other and some history between them. They're stuck in a train car during the blackout and they get a chance to reconnect and light the spark between them.
The fourth story by Dhonielle Clayton was about two lifelong friends having more than friendship feelings towards each other.
The last one by Nicola Yoon had protagonists that were older than the other protagonists in the book and didn't really come off as YA to me. The story was fun and it was a romance beween a ride share driver and his passenger.
Overall, the stories were good but not great/mind-blowing. They showed off black love, black joy, and celebration of life as opposed to traumatic black stories. I also love the interconnectedness of the stories.
I have not read a book by Nicola Yoon and Ashley Woodfolk yet, I plan to change that soon. I have read the Tiny Pretty Things duology by Dhonielle. I have also read tons of books by Nic, Angie, and Tiffany, and they are some of my faves.
I would definitely recommend this collection.
3.5 ✨
Blackout is an anthology of interconnected short stories, set in NYC during a Blackout. The six contributors to this book are YA powerhouses, some of whom I love so much.
I really enjoyed the short stories in this collection. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by a full cast of narrators. The narrators were great and they brought the stories to life.
The first story by Tiffany D Jackson spanned 5 acts. The structure of the book is one act of TDJ's story, followed by another author's story. It followed two high school seniors who are exes, reconnecting during the blackout. It was a fun story, and I enjoyed following them through the city and them dealing with their issues.
The second story by Ashley Woodfolk focused on two sapphic girls, who met in a retirement home where they volunteer. This one was heavy on the insta love and the writing was so soft and cute.
The third story by Nic Stone was an MLM romance about two high school boys who had the hots for each other and some history between them. They're stuck in a train car during the blackout and they get a chance to reconnect and light the spark between them.
The fourth story by Dhonielle Clayton was about two lifelong friends having more than friendship feelings towards each other.
The last one by Nicola Yoon had protagonists that were older than the other protagonists in the book and didn't really come off as YA to me. The story was fun and it was a romance beween a ride share driver and his passenger.
Overall, the stories were good but not great/mind-blowing. They showed off black love, black joy, and celebration of life as opposed to traumatic black stories. I also love the interconnectedness of the stories.
I have not read a book by Nicola Yoon and Ashley Woodfolk yet, I plan to change that soon. I have read the Tiny Pretty Things duology by Dhonielle. I have also read tons of books by Nic, Angie, and Tiffany, and they are some of my faves.
I would definitely recommend this collection.
April 9, 2023
Even love stories can glow when the lights go.
Let me tell you, I am back on my bullshit. There might only be one month left for reading, but I am ready.
This book was adorable in every way! In Blackout, six authors take turns crafting their stories, but the transitions are so smooth it’s not even funny. More than that, the stories are all related somehow, and the characters unexpectedly come together at the end! These are feel good adventures taking place during dark times. The authors include LGBTQIA+ representation as well. I recommend this for fans of the anthology Together, Apart.
Let me tell you, I am back on my bullshit. There might only be one month left for reading, but I am ready.
This book was adorable in every way! In Blackout, six authors take turns crafting their stories, but the transitions are so smooth it’s not even funny. More than that, the stories are all related somehow, and the characters unexpectedly come together at the end! These are feel good adventures taking place during dark times. The authors include LGBTQIA+ representation as well. I recommend this for fans of the anthology Together, Apart.
April 20, 2022
What a great collection. I loved the idea of authors getting together to have characters set in the same place/time/date with them all spinning their individual stories. This was honestly lovely and I had no problem with any of the storylines. To have a young adult romance book starring mostly Black characters was wonderful to read. I started wishing for this to get turned into a miniseries. I miss really good romantic movies/tv shows. It feels like they have gotten out of vogue the past few years.
"Blackout" takes place on a hot summer day in New York City. Most of the characters go to the same school (Stacey Abrams Preparatory) and all of them seem to be at a crossroads. Besides the blackout centering all of the stories, most of the stories deal with the characters trying to get to a block party which cracked me up. I recall when I was a kid and our neighborhood lost power during the summer. Everyone ended up just BBQing and were playing music on big boom boxes. Kids were running up and down the street. Drinks were stored in containers or coolers and every dad on the block it seemed went and got ice.
I honestly don't know whose story I loved the most out of this book, but will make sure I give a brief rundown of all of the stories per usual.
The Long Walk: Act 1 by Tiffany D. Jackson (all acts together are 5 stars)-FYI, this story flows throughout the book and Jackson is the author on all the different acts. I loved that it takes a while to follow and complete the story of Tam and Kareem. Two longtime best friends who turned into boyfriend and girlfriend who break up. They haven't spoken in a while at the start of this story, but both end up arriving at the same place for an internship. The blackout hits and they are forced to walk back home together.
Mask Off by Nic Stone (5 stars)-We follow the story of local basketball star Jacorey "JJ" Harding Jr. in this one. Jacorey's story starts off slow, we find him stuck on a subway before the blackout hits. He sees his classmate Tremaine Wright and flashbacks to when they were younger and how Tremaine is claustrophobic. I thought this was a lovely story of Jacorey's realization or him facing up to the fact that he's not attracted to girls. The entire story I thought was lovely and I loved how it loops back to how Jacorey can't seem to get Tremaine out of his mind.
The Long Walk: Act 2-The acts were cut up in a good way. This one has Tam upset that Kareem seems to be rushing to get back to his now girlfriend. She tells herself that it's good she's leaving New York and getting away from him.
Made to Fit by Ashley Woodfolk (4.5 stars)-I loved this story. We follow Nella, who goes to Althea House to visit her grandfather that lives there now. The blackout has hit and Nella is stuck meeting a young woman her grandfather has wanted to introduce her to for a while, Joss. I felt for Nella in this story. She's come out to her family who sound great. But she's left reeling from the fact that she thought she was dating someone who just saw her as a friend. As an aside, I don't hold hands with my friends and kiss them on the mouth! The other girl in this story was shady as heck LOL. The only reason why I gave it 4.5 stars is that the central story between Nella and Joss felt a wee bit rushed. The other stories thus far had people already in pre-existing relationships or they have known each other.
The Long Walk: Act 3-Tam and Kareem are now reminiscing about stories their parents told them about the blackout in New York in the 1970s. They are getting a bit softer with each other. We get a lovely scene of them in Time's Square together with no lights on anywhere. And they can see the sky. They end this act wondering what happened with them.
All the Great Love Stories...and Dust by Dhonielle Clayton- (5 stars)-Lana and her best friend Tristan sneak into a library during the blackout. They are playing a longstanding game with this one being about selecting the best book ever written. During their exploration and hiding from the security guard you find out that Lana has fallen in love with Tristan and is worried about telling him that. It's a lovely story.
The Long Walk: Act 4-We have Tam dealing with a panic attack that Kareem helps her with. You definitely see how he has supported her, but she didn't always factor him into her dreams though she thinks she has.
No Sleep Till Brooklyn by Angie Thomas (5 stars)-A group of teens from Jackson, Mississippi, visiting New York for the first time come to some realizations about their relationships. This is told via a young woman named Kayla's point of view with her realizing her long term relationship with her boyfriend Tre'Shawn may be changing. I loved how this ended. There is no big scene, just an understanding that sometimes things change, and that change can be great.
The Long Walk: Act 5-And the final act that shows Tam how much Kareem loves her and she loves him.
Seymour and Grace by Nicola Yoon (5 stars)-Linked back to "All the Great Love Stories. A side character, Grace was mentioned in that one, and now we follow her as she tries to get to the party with her Ryde driver Seymour.
"Blackout" takes place on a hot summer day in New York City. Most of the characters go to the same school (Stacey Abrams Preparatory) and all of them seem to be at a crossroads. Besides the blackout centering all of the stories, most of the stories deal with the characters trying to get to a block party which cracked me up. I recall when I was a kid and our neighborhood lost power during the summer. Everyone ended up just BBQing and were playing music on big boom boxes. Kids were running up and down the street. Drinks were stored in containers or coolers and every dad on the block it seemed went and got ice.
I honestly don't know whose story I loved the most out of this book, but will make sure I give a brief rundown of all of the stories per usual.
The Long Walk: Act 1 by Tiffany D. Jackson (all acts together are 5 stars)-FYI, this story flows throughout the book and Jackson is the author on all the different acts. I loved that it takes a while to follow and complete the story of Tam and Kareem. Two longtime best friends who turned into boyfriend and girlfriend who break up. They haven't spoken in a while at the start of this story, but both end up arriving at the same place for an internship. The blackout hits and they are forced to walk back home together.
Mask Off by Nic Stone (5 stars)-We follow the story of local basketball star Jacorey "JJ" Harding Jr. in this one. Jacorey's story starts off slow, we find him stuck on a subway before the blackout hits. He sees his classmate Tremaine Wright and flashbacks to when they were younger and how Tremaine is claustrophobic. I thought this was a lovely story of Jacorey's realization or him facing up to the fact that he's not attracted to girls. The entire story I thought was lovely and I loved how it loops back to how Jacorey can't seem to get Tremaine out of his mind.
The Long Walk: Act 2-The acts were cut up in a good way. This one has Tam upset that Kareem seems to be rushing to get back to his now girlfriend. She tells herself that it's good she's leaving New York and getting away from him.
Made to Fit by Ashley Woodfolk (4.5 stars)-I loved this story. We follow Nella, who goes to Althea House to visit her grandfather that lives there now. The blackout has hit and Nella is stuck meeting a young woman her grandfather has wanted to introduce her to for a while, Joss. I felt for Nella in this story. She's come out to her family who sound great. But she's left reeling from the fact that she thought she was dating someone who just saw her as a friend. As an aside, I don't hold hands with my friends and kiss them on the mouth! The other girl in this story was shady as heck LOL. The only reason why I gave it 4.5 stars is that the central story between Nella and Joss felt a wee bit rushed. The other stories thus far had people already in pre-existing relationships or they have known each other.
The Long Walk: Act 3-Tam and Kareem are now reminiscing about stories their parents told them about the blackout in New York in the 1970s. They are getting a bit softer with each other. We get a lovely scene of them in Time's Square together with no lights on anywhere. And they can see the sky. They end this act wondering what happened with them.
All the Great Love Stories...and Dust by Dhonielle Clayton- (5 stars)-Lana and her best friend Tristan sneak into a library during the blackout. They are playing a longstanding game with this one being about selecting the best book ever written. During their exploration and hiding from the security guard you find out that Lana has fallen in love with Tristan and is worried about telling him that. It's a lovely story.
The Long Walk: Act 4-We have Tam dealing with a panic attack that Kareem helps her with. You definitely see how he has supported her, but she didn't always factor him into her dreams though she thinks she has.
No Sleep Till Brooklyn by Angie Thomas (5 stars)-A group of teens from Jackson, Mississippi, visiting New York for the first time come to some realizations about their relationships. This is told via a young woman named Kayla's point of view with her realizing her long term relationship with her boyfriend Tre'Shawn may be changing. I loved how this ended. There is no big scene, just an understanding that sometimes things change, and that change can be great.
The Long Walk: Act 5-And the final act that shows Tam how much Kareem loves her and she loves him.
Seymour and Grace by Nicola Yoon (5 stars)-Linked back to "All the Great Love Stories. A side character, Grace was mentioned in that one, and now we follow her as she tries to get to the party with her Ryde driver Seymour.
December 25, 2023
3.5 stars
June 21, 2021
4,5⭐️! Die Art und Weise, wie die einzelnen Kurzgeschichten in „Blackout“ zu einem großen Ganzen verwoben sind, hat mich gefesselt. Die Charaktere sind alle nahbar, ihre Gedanken haben teilweise starkes Identifikationspotenzial und in vielen Momenten war ich von der Geschichten berührt. Ab und an hätte ich mir vielleicht ein wenig mehr Unvorhersehbarkeit/ kleinere Twists gewünscht, hauptsächlich bin ich jedoch begeistert - besonders von der Diversität!
July 29, 2022
jaka to była przyjemna lektura!
ciekawi i całkowicie różni od siebie bohaterowie, wątki miłosne, queerowość, Nowy Jork i gigantyczna awaria prądu - połączenie warte uwagi🤪
A TERAZ POTRZEBUJĘ KOLEJNEGO TOMUUUU
ciekawi i całkowicie różni od siebie bohaterowie, wątki miłosne, queerowość, Nowy Jork i gigantyczna awaria prądu - połączenie warte uwagi🤪
A TERAZ POTRZEBUJĘ KOLEJNEGO TOMUUUU
May 23, 2021
The six incredible authors of this book have crafted something truly special within its pages. Not only are the individual stories gorgeous, they’re also formatted and flawlessly weaved together in a way that acts as further proof of the sheer talent these authors hold. I devoured this book in one sitting, which is something I’ve not done in many years and honestly? I’d happily read it again tomorrow. Blackout was a story filled with love and joy in all its forms and is without a doubt one of my favourite reads of 2021 so far.
(Side-note: I also don’t think I’ve ever read a book with such obvious potential for a movie/tv adaptation? Because holy crap this needs to be adapted asap!)
(Side-note: I also don’t think I’ve ever read a book with such obvious potential for a movie/tv adaptation? Because holy crap this needs to be adapted asap!)
August 8, 2021
I am absolutely in love with this collection of interconnected love stories during a NYC blackout.
There was Achillean romance. There was sapphic romance. There were straight romances. There were meet cutes and friends-to-lovers and second chance romances.
This book has everything and has no business being that good while being so short!!
My favorite story had to be 'All the Great Love Stories...and Dust' by Dhonielle Clayton but this was such an amazing group of authors.
The the stories jump to various writing styles kept the book, as a whole, fresh.
I'm obsessed.
CW: on-page panic attacks & references to homophobia
There was Achillean romance. There was sapphic romance. There were straight romances. There were meet cutes and friends-to-lovers and second chance romances.
This book has everything and has no business being that good while being so short!!
My favorite story had to be 'All the Great Love Stories...and Dust' by Dhonielle Clayton but this was such an amazing group of authors.
The the stories jump to various writing styles kept the book, as a whole, fresh.
I'm obsessed.
CW: on-page panic attacks & references to homophobia
Shelved as 'zzzz'
January 1, 2024➸ Trigger warnings for .
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
February 10, 2022
I WANT MORE?!
Read
September 10, 2021I'm leaving this unrated and instead rating the stories separately with mini reviews. But if you do the math, overall, this is probably a three.
Tiffany D Jackson's story, THE LONG WALK, is the main driving force of these interconnected stories of Black kids during a city-wide blackout, with four parts that break up the anthology. This story focuses on a couple who have since broken up and both happen to arrive an internship there's only one spot for. Before it can be resolved, the blackout hits. With nothing else to do, they agree to walk home together and, along the way, hash out their issues. This definitely got a bit overwrought at times, I'm mostly thinking of Act Three, and maybe I'm just used to Jackson's more mature stories but this felt very.. young, on the childish end of YA, despite the fact that the characters were eighteen. And it's such a bummer as I've loved so many stories from this author. But this one just didn't do it. Two stars.
MASK OFF by Nic Stone : a coming out/coming of age short between two boys who weren't ever quite friends but were in each other's orbit throughout the years. Until a queer masquerade party brings them together.. in a way. But it isn't until they are stuck on the train together when the blackout hits that the masks (not literally!) come off. Honestly, this one was just.. fine. Nothing really remarkable. Two stars.
MADE TO FIT by Ashley Woodfolk : this short was set in an senior's living facility, where two girls, one the granddaughter of a resident and the other, who visits the seniors with her therapy dog, meet. When a photo goes missing, the two girls search the home and, as they spend time together, sparks fly. This was a little too insta for me but it tied in with the theme of all the epic love stories being told around them. It was also a tiny bit repetitive RE the granddaughter's sorta ex but it was cute. Three stars.
ALL THE GREAT LOVE STORIES.. AND DUST by Dhonielle Clayton : hmm, sorta mixed feelings about this one. I love the idea of these two best friends with their history of bets combing through a library to find the greatest book of all time. She's working up the courage to tell him how she feels and we get pieces of their history together; he's got a revolving door of girlfriends, she never bothers. Does he feel for her what she feels for him? Again, love the concept, but some of this, despite being a novella, dragged out a bit. The pacing was a little off. But, still, it was cute. Three stars.
NO SLEEP TIL BROOKLYN by Angie Thomas : this short features a girl on a tour bus, on a school trip from Mississippi, struggling with feelings for her crush.. when she already has a boyfriend. I'm not going to say much more about this and risk spoiling it, because it didn't end the way I expected, but the tie-in is that the driver is another character's father and he may have accidentally gone off-route to drive them towards the block party happening in Brooklyn, where all the other characters we've met so far are also planning to attend. Four stars. And, in hindsight, though I loved Yoon's writing best, this was my favourite story.
SEYMOUR & GRACE by Nicola Yoon : easily the best written of the bunch! And I enjoyed the story, too, even if it felt extra short. A girl is trying to find her way to the block party all the characters have made it to where she plans to confront her ex who dumped her because she'd "changed". She ends up in a Ryde with someone listening to a philosophy podcast and they strike up a conversation; but it's a rocky meeting. Things go wrong on the way to their destination but, eventually, they get there. And then.. well. Spoilers. I would've loved an extra chapter of this, instead of the extended Jackson story, and I'm sad it was so short. It's a softer story but felt very Yoon-like. Which is a good thing. Four stars.
But while the little throw away tie-ins in Yoon's story to bring everyone into the story, into the party, was nice, it still boggles my mind we didn't get a concluding chapter that made it feel, after all this build up, that we were actually at this party?.That's still confusing. It just kind of ends. Even though the Jackson wasn't my favourite story, it held the anthology together, working as the glue. So couldn't we have had a proper ending?
Overall, this wasn't bad, but I expected to love a lot more from this bind-up than I did. So that's a bit of a bummer. But I've not read anything by Woodfolk or Clayton before, though I've definitely had the latter on my radar, and I will definitely be picking up their solo offerings in the future.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
Tiffany D Jackson's story, THE LONG WALK, is the main driving force of these interconnected stories of Black kids during a city-wide blackout, with four parts that break up the anthology. This story focuses on a couple who have since broken up and both happen to arrive an internship there's only one spot for. Before it can be resolved, the blackout hits. With nothing else to do, they agree to walk home together and, along the way, hash out their issues. This definitely got a bit overwrought at times, I'm mostly thinking of Act Three, and maybe I'm just used to Jackson's more mature stories but this felt very.. young, on the childish end of YA, despite the fact that the characters were eighteen. And it's such a bummer as I've loved so many stories from this author. But this one just didn't do it. Two stars.
MASK OFF by Nic Stone : a coming out/coming of age short between two boys who weren't ever quite friends but were in each other's orbit throughout the years. Until a queer masquerade party brings them together.. in a way. But it isn't until they are stuck on the train together when the blackout hits that the masks (not literally!) come off. Honestly, this one was just.. fine. Nothing really remarkable. Two stars.
MADE TO FIT by Ashley Woodfolk : this short was set in an senior's living facility, where two girls, one the granddaughter of a resident and the other, who visits the seniors with her therapy dog, meet. When a photo goes missing, the two girls search the home and, as they spend time together, sparks fly. This was a little too insta for me but it tied in with the theme of all the epic love stories being told around them. It was also a tiny bit repetitive RE the granddaughter's sorta ex but it was cute. Three stars.
ALL THE GREAT LOVE STORIES.. AND DUST by Dhonielle Clayton : hmm, sorta mixed feelings about this one. I love the idea of these two best friends with their history of bets combing through a library to find the greatest book of all time. She's working up the courage to tell him how she feels and we get pieces of their history together; he's got a revolving door of girlfriends, she never bothers. Does he feel for her what she feels for him? Again, love the concept, but some of this, despite being a novella, dragged out a bit. The pacing was a little off. But, still, it was cute. Three stars.
NO SLEEP TIL BROOKLYN by Angie Thomas : this short features a girl on a tour bus, on a school trip from Mississippi, struggling with feelings for her crush.. when she already has a boyfriend. I'm not going to say much more about this and risk spoiling it, because it didn't end the way I expected, but the tie-in is that the driver is another character's father and he may have accidentally gone off-route to drive them towards the block party happening in Brooklyn, where all the other characters we've met so far are also planning to attend. Four stars. And, in hindsight, though I loved Yoon's writing best, this was my favourite story.
SEYMOUR & GRACE by Nicola Yoon : easily the best written of the bunch! And I enjoyed the story, too, even if it felt extra short. A girl is trying to find her way to the block party all the characters have made it to where she plans to confront her ex who dumped her because she'd "changed". She ends up in a Ryde with someone listening to a philosophy podcast and they strike up a conversation; but it's a rocky meeting. Things go wrong on the way to their destination but, eventually, they get there. And then.. well. Spoilers. I would've loved an extra chapter of this, instead of the extended Jackson story, and I'm sad it was so short. It's a softer story but felt very Yoon-like. Which is a good thing. Four stars.
But while the little throw away tie-ins in Yoon's story to bring everyone into the story, into the party, was nice, it still boggles my mind we didn't get a concluding chapter that made it feel, after all this build up, that we were actually at this party?.That's still confusing. It just kind of ends. Even though the Jackson wasn't my favourite story, it held the anthology together, working as the glue. So couldn't we have had a proper ending?
Overall, this wasn't bad, but I expected to love a lot more from this bind-up than I did. So that's a bit of a bummer. But I've not read anything by Woodfolk or Clayton before, though I've definitely had the latter on my radar, and I will definitely be picking up their solo offerings in the future.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
February 13, 2022
3.5 STARS
I haven't read any anthologies before, so I wasn't sure what to expect when diving into Blackout. I definitely really enjoyed it, and it made me excited to check out some books by authors I haven't read yet. My favorite story was probably The Long Walk by Tiffany D. Jackson, and her writing only affirmed by expectations for her work (I'm sooo excited to read Grown. The book lacked the cohesiveness that was promised in "interconnecting stories," but nevertheless I really enjoyed the stories—both individually and as a whole.
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: A book that takes place during your favorite season.
Content Warnings: bullying, panic attacks, confinement, death of a parent, homophobia, racism
I haven't read any anthologies before, so I wasn't sure what to expect when diving into Blackout. I definitely really enjoyed it, and it made me excited to check out some books by authors I haven't read yet. My favorite story was probably The Long Walk by Tiffany D. Jackson, and her writing only affirmed by expectations for her work (I'm sooo excited to read Grown. The book lacked the cohesiveness that was promised in "interconnecting stories," but nevertheless I really enjoyed the stories—both individually and as a whole.
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: A book that takes place during your favorite season.
Content Warnings: bullying, panic attacks, confinement, death of a parent, homophobia, racism
June 30, 2021
I loved all of the stories, I couldn't pick a favorite!
July 1, 2021
this is terrific and I **really** liked the way the anthology was set up, with the story The Long Walk interspersed into the other stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,141 reviews