Title: Almost Midnight
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Year of Publication: 2017
Genre: Contemporary/Short Stories/Young Adult
Number of Pages: 127
Summary: (From Goodreads): “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.”
Review: I picked up this book because I was looking for something short and festive to read before the end of the year and these two short stories were exactly what I was looking for.
The first story, Midnights, is about a pair of friends, Noel and Mags, who attend the same New Year’s Eve party every year and slowly develop feelings for each other. Even though I found this story to be incredibly predictable, I thought it was super cute and it made my fangirl heart squeal with joy. Noel and Mags remind me of Levi and Cath from Rowell’s Fangirl, and this made me love the story even more. I recommend it to anyone who needs a short little pick me up to put a smile on their face.
The second story, Kindred Spirits, is about Elena who decides to camp in line for the premiere of the new Star Wars movie. Her experience being part of the line isn’t what she expected, but she still manages to make the best of it, while finding friendship along the way. I didn’t like this story as much as I liked Midnights, but I still enjoyed it because it was about being a fan and being passionate about the things you love. I liked the characters in this story, and I especially loved how enthusiastic Troy was about lining up and telling stories about past lines. This story reminded me of Geekerella by Ashley Poston and Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner, so if you’re a fan of either of those books, I recommend that you read this story.
Overall, I enjoyed Almost Midnight. It was cute, it was quick, and it filled my heart with joy.
Favourite Quote: “’If you like someone, you should have to make an effort. You should have to get to know the person—you should have to work for that first kiss.’”
Rating: 4.5/5 stars!
I like your review of these two short stories. They really do sound cute, like it took Noel and Mags years to actually develop feelings after going to the same party for years😂 😂.