I love a good romance trope. But I especially love when authors find clever ways to utilize these familiar devices or, even better, turn them upside-down altogether. And on a personal level, I love Marissa Meyer. I will read anything with her name on it because she has phenomenal story sensibilities and a talent for twisting familiar stories in unexpected ways. So I immediately bookmarked SERENDIPITY: TEN ROMANTIC TROPES, TRANSFORMED for Short Story September, no questions asked, I knew it was *meant to be* and it will be for you too.

Each story in the SERENDIPITY collection takes a common romantic trope (think: the fake relationship, stranded together, the grand romantic gesture) and turns it into something delightful and refreshing. I truly enjoyed them all but my favorite story, Shooting Stars, put the characters on a multi-day trip to flip the “one bed” trope in a fun way. The story starts on a train and of course, right out of the gate, there’s a situation where there are two people and only one twin bunk. But — without spoiling too much of the fun — that’s not where the trope is used and instead of reading for the moment where it was finally flipped, I found myself pulled into the story, eagerly following the characters on their romantic (mis)adventure.

Do you know the best part about a short story collection? The stories are short. And in this collection, they all average around 30 pages. So if like me, the start of the school year has thrown your schedule into chaos, you can still find time to enjoy these treasures without the pressure of a full-on novel. You’ll fall in love, it’s SERENDIPITY.

Buy it HERE.