When everyone else goes to bed, the ones who stay up feel like they’re the only people in the world. As the hours tick by deeper into the night, the familiar drops away and the unfamiliar beckons. Adults are asleep, and a hush falls over the hum of daily life. Anything is possible.
It’s a time for romance and adventure. For prom night and ghost hunts. It’s a time for breaking up, for falling in love—for finding yourself.
Stay up all night with these thirteen short stories from bestselling and award-winning YA authors like Karen McManus, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nina LaCour, and Brandy Colbert, as they take readers deep into these rarely seen, magical hours.
Full contributor list: Brandy Colbert, Kathleen Glasgow, Maurene Goo, Tiffany D. Jackson, Amanda Joy, Nina LaCour, Karen M. McManus, Anna Meriano, Marieke Nijkamp, Laura Silverman, Kayla Whaley, Julian Winters, Francesca Zappia.
- Title: Up All Night
- Authors Include: Brandy Colbert, Kathleen Glasgow, Maurene Goo, Tiffany D. Jackson, Amanda Joy, Nina LaCour, Karen M. McManus, Anna Meriano, Marieke Nijkamp, Laura Silverman, Kayla Whaley, Julian Winters, Francesca Zappia
- Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
- Genre: YA
- Age Range: Young Adult
- Trigger warnings: Mentions of cancer, lost friendships, infidelity, child sexual abuse, domestic abuse, car accident, death
- Rating: ★★★☆☆
Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with this ARC!
As someone who is a bit of an insomniac, I was incredibly intrigued by the premise of Up All Night. After all, 13 stories that took place between sunset and sunrise? Up All Night was a true delight to read, one that I actually read in the late hours of the evening. Up All Night covers a wide range of stories, including ones that take place post-graduation, at prom, ones about falling in love, finding yourself, losing friendships and mending them, among others.
I loved some stories more than others, particularly Maurene Goo’s, Kayla Whaley’s, Amanda Joy’s, Nina LaCour’s, and Anna Meriano’s were some that stood out to me. I really enjoyed When You Bring a Dog To Prom by Anna Meriano, which took place at prom, and had a wonderful character with an emotional support dog. Like Before by Maurene Goo was a heart-wrenching story that follows a girl who sets up a scavenger hunt to try to get her two best friends to be friends again. Kiss the Boy by Amanda Joy was a fun take on a high school bet. Kayla Whaley’s, Old Rifts and Snowdrifts was a delightful second-chance story with disabled representation. Another story that I loved was Nina LaCour’s A Place to Start, which takes place after Claude’s mother remarries Jaime — I just found it so heartwarming to read about two step-siblings bonding.
On the other hand, there were a few short stories that were hard for me to get into. I think if they had been longer, with more chances for more plot and character development, I would’ve enjoyed them more. Or maybe they just simply weren’t for me!
With anthologies, there’s definitely something for everyone — Up All Night has contemporary, romance, sci-fi, mystery-thriller, and paranormal stories. Most of the short stories in this anthology left me wanting more, and I’m excited to look into the authors I’m not as familiar with as well! It’s definitely a wonderful summer night read,
Links for Up All Night: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
