Title: Almost Midnight
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Date of Publication: November 2nd, 2017
Number of Pages: 144
Summary:
Midnights is the story of Noel and Mags, who meet at the same New Year's Eve party every year and fall a little more in love each time . . .
Kindred Spirits is about Elena, who decides to queue to see the new Star Wars movie and meets Gabe, a fellow fan.
Midnights was previously published as part of the My True Love Gave to Me anthology, edited by Stephanie Perkins and Kindred Spirits was previously published as a World Book Day title.
Kindred Spirits is about Elena, who decides to queue to see the new Star Wars movie and meets Gabe, a fellow fan.
Midnights was previously published as part of the My True Love Gave to Me anthology, edited by Stephanie Perkins and Kindred Spirits was previously published as a World Book Day title.
Review:
So, I've been thinking whether Almost Midnight would be a Review or a Weeckie. I decided on the first, since it features two short stories. Even though I had already read one of them some years ago, as it was featured in My True Love Gave Me collection.
As you'd expect from two holiday season short stories, these are really cute and heart-warming. Midnight is a story of two friends that are really in love with each other, while Kindred Spirits is about sharing a common passion with somebody else. In reality, I could easily imagine both of those stories as a full-length novel.
Midnight is just as the title suggests. Two teenagers meet at a New Year's Eve party and start hanging out. The story follows three consecutive years of those parties and how the feelings of the girl, Mags, change towards Noel. It's so hard not to skip a bit! This is seriously one of those cute stories that really make you feel good and dream of being in love again! Plus, the name Noel is as Christmas-y as it could get - I love it!
I could never guess the plot of the next story though, Kindred Spirits. It's about Elena, who really likes Stars Wars and decides to join the line outside of the local theatre, in order to attend the premier of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Ok, I won't lie! This story appealed to my inner nerd, and as a few days ago I went to the premier of The Last Jedi, I felt this story extremely close to me. Apart from that, the line consisted of just three people (with Elena), and one of them turned out to be a guy from our protagonist's school. I won't spoil it for you, but I really really would love to see what would happen next between those two!
While both of the stories were enormously enjoyable, there is generally one drawback with short stories in general. Character development is lacking. I knew that, and I was actually prepared for this. You get a glimpse of these characters, and by the time that you feel that you might be reaching to a better understanding of their way of thinking the story is over. This fits perfectly Elena and Gabe, as those two seem to have a great chemistry and a past that would make a more lengthy story interesting.
All in all, Almost Midnight is a quick yet enjoyable read. It's feel-good and heart-warming for a Christmas night with a cup of hot cocoa and some gingerbread cookies!
As you'd expect from two holiday season short stories, these are really cute and heart-warming. Midnight is a story of two friends that are really in love with each other, while Kindred Spirits is about sharing a common passion with somebody else. In reality, I could easily imagine both of those stories as a full-length novel.
Midnight is just as the title suggests. Two teenagers meet at a New Year's Eve party and start hanging out. The story follows three consecutive years of those parties and how the feelings of the girl, Mags, change towards Noel. It's so hard not to skip a bit! This is seriously one of those cute stories that really make you feel good and dream of being in love again! Plus, the name Noel is as Christmas-y as it could get - I love it!
I could never guess the plot of the next story though, Kindred Spirits. It's about Elena, who really likes Stars Wars and decides to join the line outside of the local theatre, in order to attend the premier of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Ok, I won't lie! This story appealed to my inner nerd, and as a few days ago I went to the premier of The Last Jedi, I felt this story extremely close to me. Apart from that, the line consisted of just three people (with Elena), and one of them turned out to be a guy from our protagonist's school. I won't spoil it for you, but I really really would love to see what would happen next between those two!
While both of the stories were enormously enjoyable, there is generally one drawback with short stories in general. Character development is lacking. I knew that, and I was actually prepared for this. You get a glimpse of these characters, and by the time that you feel that you might be reaching to a better understanding of their way of thinking the story is over. This fits perfectly Elena and Gabe, as those two seem to have a great chemistry and a past that would make a more lengthy story interesting.
All in all, Almost Midnight is a quick yet enjoyable read. It's feel-good and heart-warming for a Christmas night with a cup of hot cocoa and some gingerbread cookies!
Have a Merry Christmas, everyone!
