SUMMER DAYS AND SUMMER NIGHTS Twelve Love Stories

Six narrators deliver these 12 stories for older teens centered around summer love. The scenarios are diverse, as are the characters and the objects of their romantic interests. Narrator Michael Bakkensen is the standout. He brings out the humor and heartache in Tim Federle's "Souvenirs," and he's pitch-perfect with Lev Grossman's "Map of Tiny Perfect Things," the final story and one of the best in the anthology. Brandy Colbert's "Good Luck and Farewell," read by Cherise Boothe, and Jennifer E. Smith's "A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong," read by Jessica Almasy, are both a pleasure to hear. Spooky entries from Libba Bray and Cassandra Clare bring some welcome summer chills. Not every story and performance here is a winner, but there are enough good ones to make this collection worth a listen. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2017]