I have a love-hate relationship with Young Adult novels. I never read them when I was younger; I was more into comic books and memoirs rather than epic love stories and teen romances. I was always tired of reading the same old cliches: girl-meets-boy, they fall in love against all odds, and they live happily ever after. So, when I saw this book in a bookstore one wintery day, it caught my attention, but I was certain I would never read it. After all, I’m a college student, so what would I do with a YA novel? I already had a million textbooks I should’ve been reading. What I quickly realized was that there’s nothing quite like a good YA novel to take you out of a world full of cold temperatures, final exams, and an endless news cycle. Image Courtesy of Pexels
Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined To Meet is a book that reinvigorated my belief that love exists in everyone, and fate works in the most unexpected ways. The book is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of “Meet Cutes”—the often adorable (mostly cheesy) ways that characters meet and fall in love, written by a group of the most talented YA authors of today. Image Courtesy of Goodreads
The book includes 14 short, easy to read stories and is a diverse take on the “Meet Cute” trope that we see so often in movies and books. Not only are there stories with the traditional boy-meets-girl scenario, but there also are girl-meets-girl, boy-meets-boy, transgirl-meets-girl, and more. It really feels like all of the authors were writing stories with inclusivity in mind, which is refreshing. The collection is a very much needed departure from the cis-gendered, heterosexual romance stories that we have been overexposed to, and provides a charming set of love stories that anyone can relate to.
Another reason why I love this anthology is that although this book is intended for young adult audiences, the stories are complex and compelling. All of the characters face obstacles in their lives, with some of the issues addressed being socioeconomic challenges, discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. There’s depth to each story that does justice to the difficulties that young people face every day, and the inclusion of those stories helps to teach young people that their own struggles are valid and human, and that even through adversity you’ll find someone who will appreciate you all the more for it. And don’t think that this book is only for the youths—when I was reading this book in my college dorm room, I felt validated in my own quirks, flaws, and baggage. Overall, whether or not you believe in fate, luck, or love at first sight, Meet Cute is a really fun anthology that will warm your heart during these next cold months.