Leta’s Book Review: Serendipity edited by Marissa Meyer

This Valentine’s Day, I’ve got a real treat for all of you dear readers. Marissa Meyer, one of my favourite authors, came out with a collection of romance stories earlier this year. I recognized a couple of the authors who contributed to it as well, so I knew that it was going to be a well put together collection.

Serendipity by Marissa Meyer ties its stories together through tropes. Each story is based on a classic romance trope such as One Bed, The Best Friend Love Epiphany, and Trapped in a Confined Space. But each one has a twist and none of them are quite what you might expect.

One of the possible downsides to a collection of short stories about romance is that the reader doesn’t get to see the romance develop. I admit, some of the stories didn’t overcome this obstacle, but most of them did a good job of summarizing the histories and previous interactions between characters so that the present story made sense.

My favourite story is the second one in the collection, containing the Stranded Together trope. Entitled “Anyone Else but You”, author Leah Johnson tells us the story of Perry and Jada who become trapped in a dollar store together overnight. Through various shenanigans, Perry and Jada become closer in a way you can only be by being trapped alone together. I loved the way these two characters reacted to their situation—the joy and freedom that can be found in those kinds of situations is contagious.

Each story read quickly but lingered in my mind as touching and heart-warming. It’s the perfect collection to read on Valentine’s Day (or any day you need some unapologetic happiness). There’s nothing to dissuade younger readers, either. All of the stories are PG and written at an easily understandable level. Some older readers might find it reads a bit young but remember that the characters themselves are young! And young love is a beautiful and delicate thing to read about, often unsure of itself yet determined. The use of “serendipity” as the title is extremely fitting for these types of stories. The word means “the occurrence or development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way” (Google) and that’s exactly what you can expect from Serendipity. One way or another, all of these stories are happy.

If you’re looking for something to read this Valentine’s Day, or any day, I highly suggest picking up a copy of Serendipity at your local bookstore or online in eBook format. Chances are that at least one of these stories will jump out at you and stick.

Happy Valentine’s Day!