A shy high school girl steps out of her comfort zone in this tender and wistful coming-of-age story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell.
On the eve of her senior year, Julia has a look so new she doesn’t even recognize herself in the mirror. It’s the only reason she feels bold enough to talk to Wyatt, the boy she’s been staring at for three years. Tonight, at the drive-in, Wyatt finally stares back. Does he see Julia? Or some new and perfect stranger?
Rainbow Rowell’s Julia at the Drive-In is part of The Edge of Everything, a collection of short coming-of-age stories of first love, messy choices, and self-discovery. Each story can be read or listened to in one sitting.
Title: Julia At The Drive-In (The Edge of Everything)
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Expected Publication Date: June 23, 2026
Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for supplying me with a copy of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
This was a cute, nostalgic story.
I enjoyed the FMC and the MMC and their connection. Julia's transformation and her worry she would not be recognized was relatable. So many kids change their style and look. I enjoyed Julia's connection with Chase. Things did seemed rushed but it's what happens with a short story. And, while the two didn't have a huge connection before, you can see he knew who she was prior and had definitely noticed her in the past. The story was sweet and fun.
Author:
Rainbow Rowell writes all kinds of stuff.
Sometimes she writes about adults (ATTACHMENTS, LANDLINE, SLOW DANCE).
Sometimes she writes about teenagers (ELEANOR & PARK, FANGIRL) .
Sometimes — actually, a lot of the time — she writes about lovesick vampires and guys with dragon wings. (THE SIMON SNOW TRILOGY).
Recently, she’s been writing comics, including her first graphic novel, PUMPKINHEADS, and the monthly SHE-HULK comic for Marvel.
She lives in Omaha, Nebraska.
More at rainbowrowell.com.
Title: Three of Hearts (The Edge of Everything)
Author: Katie Cotugno
Publisher: Amazon Original Storie
Expected Publication Date: June 23, 2026
Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for supplying me with a copy of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
This short story introduced the complicated dynamic we often see when male/female relationships are formed. I liked the push and pull between the characters and the exploration of feelings. The trio become close and there is some threesome play alluded to, so trigger there if you worry about that.
Overall it was a fun story that would have made for an interesting longer title.
Author:
Katie Cotugno is the New York Times bestselling author of seven messy, complicated feminist YA love stories, as well as the adult novel Birds of California (Harper Perennial, 2022). She is also the co-author, with Candace Bushnell, of Rules for Being a Girl. Her books have been honored by the Junior Library Guild, the Bank Street Children’s Book Committee, and the Kentucky Association of School Librarians, among others, and translated into more than fifteen languages. Katie is a Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Mississippi Review, and Argestes, as well as many other literary magazines. She studied Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College and received her MFA in Fiction at Lesley University. She lives in Boston with her family.
A winter-break gathering among college friends is a surprisingly revealing day in this heartfelt coming-of-age short story by New York Times bestselling author David Levithan.
Eric, a college freshman, joins his four dormmates for an afternoon in New York City—the first time he’s seen them outside their campus bubble. But feeling increasingly invisible among these new friends, Eric’s anxieties compound. As they roam the streets of New York, Eric begins to question if he’s even truly wanted there. Soon, though, the friends start to reveal pieces of themselves. Can Eric let go enough to show them who he really is?
David Levithan’s Winter Breakage is part of The Edge of Everything, a collection of short coming-of-age stories of first love, messy choices, and self-discovery. Each story can be read or listened to in one sitting.
Title: Winter Breakage
Author: David Levithan
Publisher: Amazon Original Storie
Expected Publication Date: June 23, 2026
Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for supplying me with a copy of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I honestly don't know what I read here. Is it a boy looking for his purpose in life bogged down by extreme anxiety? Is it someone looking to be gender neutral?
It's obvious Eric doesn't feel like he fits in anywhere, though he did have a group of friends in high school he alludes to during the story. And I felt myself constantly looking for what connection he was trying to make in this story. Did he want more from his relationship with Noah? Was Margaret interested in more than just friendship.
The story for me was overall weird. I truly struggled to connect with the MMC. Perhaps I just didn't get the idea of what it was going for. perhaps if the story were longer I would have understood it better. I usually enjoy this author's writing but this one just was not for me.
Author:
David Levithan (born 1972) is an American children's book editor and award-winning author. He published his first YA book, Boy Meets Boy, in 2003. Levithan is also the founding editor of PUSH, a Young Adult imprint of Scholastic Press.
An exhausted career woman on the verge of death has the opportunity to redo her life in this enchanting short story about miraculous second chances from New York Times bestselling author Ann Liang.
Burned out and working a postcollege job she hates, Allison Yang drops dead in her office—and wakes up three years in the past. Back at college. She has one chance for a redo at life: from switching majors and facing toxic friends to being fearless with her parents. And, perhaps, approaching the popular athlete she’d always loved from afar. Fingers crossed that this time will count.
Ann Liang’s Back to You is part of The Edge of Everything, a collection of short coming-of-age stories of first love, messy choices, and self-discovery. Each story can be read or listened to in one sitting.
Title: Back To You
Author: Ann Liang
Publisher: Amazon Original Storie
Expected Publication Date: June 23, 2026
Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for supplying me with a copy of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I love a little magical realism/speculative fiction and this story hit that spot. When Allison wakes up in the past and chooses to look at where her choices had ultimately lead her, she chooses happiness instead. It was great she got a second chance with that as well as with Lyle.
The title is fitting as Allison gets back to her true self when she's given a second chance at being who she felt she truly should become. While there is a romantic aspect, that is not at all what this story gives. It gives exploration of the self, being your true authentic self, and doing what makes you happy. This was easy to connect with overall and I enjoyed reading it.
Author:
Ann Liang is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the critically acclaimed YA novels This Time It’s Real, If You Could See the Sun, and I Hope This Doesn't Find You. Her books have sold into over twenty foreign territories. Born in Beijing, she grew up traveling back and forth between China and Australia, but somehow ended up with an American accent. She now lives in Melbourne, where she can be found making overambitious to do lists and having profound conversations with her pet labradoodle about who’s a good dog.
Two teens, divided by class, find each other in this heart-wrenching coming-of-age short story about belonging and second chances by #1 New York Times bestselling author Dustin Thao.
Evan never imagined anyone could notice him—let alone Dalton, the son of a wealthy hotel chain owner. While the two grew up together, they lived in different worlds. Evan, the son of a maid, did his homework in the supply room while Dalton lived a life of leisure. When their paths cross one fateful day, they find themselves drawn to each other as they navigate loss and inevitable change.
Dustin Thao’s The Price of Admission is part of The Edge of Everything, a collection of short coming-of-age stories of first love, messy choices, and self-discovery. Each story can be read or listened to in one sitting.
Title: The Price of Admission
Author: Dustin Thao
Publisher: Amazon Original Storie
Expected Publication Date: June 23, 2026
Review:
Thank you to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
This is my first time reading Dustin Thao. I've heard good things about his books. I was looking forward to seeing how this went. Unfortunately, I didn't love it.
The actual story is a reflection on class dynamics and even a bit of racism. This part of the story was definitely interesting to me to read about and watch.
There is some romance thrown in. I didn't really feel it, to be honest. It almost felt forced into the story for me.
The character development was a bit lacking. I didn't really get to know the characters as much as I would have liked. I know this is a short story but it's absolutely possible to flesh out characters in a short amount of pages and I just did not feel this happened.
Finally, the story is full of telling and barely any showing. I'm not sure what it was about the writing but it almost felt monotone and juvenile (yes, I know it's mostly YA but it seemed even younger than that).
Overall, this was just ok for me and probably my second least favorite story in this series. I would, however, give the author another chance to see if I could connect with his stories.
Author:
Dustin Thao is a Vietnamese American writer based in New York City. He graduated from Amherst College with a B.A. in Political Science, and is currently in a PhD program at Northwestern University. He writes contemporary fiction, and his debut novel You’ve Reached Sam is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.
In this charming coming-of-age short story from New York Times bestselling authors Nicola Yoon and David Yoon, a group of teens’ lives collide when they’re brought together under unconventional circumstances—forcing them to confront hidden truths and personal secrets.
For Isabel, the artist who no longer believes in love, Safe Harbor’s therapy program is just another checklist item to survive her parents’ divorce. But what begins as a tense session filled with mistrust and heartbreak blooms into something that neither Isabel nor the other teens in the program could have expected. Maybe it’s time to begin again?
Nicola Yoon and David Yoon’s Safe Harbor is part of The Edge of Everything, a collection of short coming-of-age stories of first love, messy choices, and self-discovery. Each story can be read or listened to in one sitting.
Title: Safe Harbor
Author: Nicola Yoon/David Yoon
Publisher: Amazon Original Storie
Expected Publication Date: June 23, 2026
Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me with a copy of this title to read and review. The opinions here are my own.
I've really liked all the YA I've read from Nicola Yoon so I was excited for this short story, and she did not disappoint. This one is done with her husband, David, whose works I have not read. Not sure what she wrote and what he wrote but overall it was just fun.
If you are an 80s girl like me, you'll enjoy this one for sure. It gives off major Breakfast Club vibes: 5 kids go to a college campus on a Saturday where they participate in a group therapy session for teens of divorce. You'll see how each character compares to those from this movie: the jock, the nerd, the recluse, the princess. This made it so easy for me to relate to the story. I really enjoyed how well the characters are developed despite the shortness of the story.
The story revolves around divorce and how it affects teens who go through this process. How it might make them angry or might make them feel used by their parents as pawns. Each character experiences it differently and we get to see their stories and how they handle it. How their different character traits shape how they react to what is happening in their family.
This was my favorite story of this series.
Authors:
Nicola Yoon is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star. She is a National Book Award finalist, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book recipient and a Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner. Both her novels have been made into major motion pictures. Nicola grew up in Jamaica and Brooklyn, and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, novelist David Yoon, and their family.
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