[REVIEW] My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

I am worried about being in love, because it involves asking so much. —David Levithan, Your Temporary Santa

Title: My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

Author: Varies
Edited by: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Publishing Year: 2014

Number of Pages: 336

ISBN: 978-146-6863-89-7

I rate it 3.5/5 stars

One thing I love about short story written by various authors is that I can meet so many authors without having a long time reading their two-hundred-pages-or-so books. (Yes, I am that lazy, sorry~) x) But it is not really a reference point whether I would read their other books later. It is not fair, because who knows the authors were not in their writing-state whenever they wrote that story, right?

I have met several authors in this book, say Ally Carter with her Gallagher Girls series, Gayle Forman with her If I Stay series, Jenny Han with her To All the Boys I've Loved Before (which I love so much!), David Levithan with his Every Day, Stephanie Perkins with her Anna and the French Kiss, Rainbow Rowell with her Eleanor & Park, and Kiersten White with her The Chaos of Stars (this one I've just read last month and I loved it too!), though I didn't review all of them here. :p I love their previous books, and that's one of the reason I expected so much when they contributed in this short story.

But the thing about expect-something-too-much is often left us with disappointment. x) This happened to me when I read David Levithan's in this book with his Your Temporary Santa. I still love the way he wrote the stories here, but the problem is I didn't get the chemistry between the narrator and Connor. Probably because they were gay and I am honestly new in this genre. :"

[REVIEW] Where She Went

The boogeyman sleeps in your side of the bed
Whispers in my ear: "Better off dead."
Fills my dreams with sirens and lights of regret
Kisses me gently when I wake up in a sweat
BOO!
COLLATERAL DAMAGE, LAGU 3

Judul: Where She Went

Seri: If I Stay #2

Penulis: Gayle Forman

Penerjemah: Poppy D. Chusfani 

Penerbit: Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Tahun: 2011

Halaman: 240

ISBN: 978-979-22-7650-3

I rate it 4/5 stars

*beware spoiler!*

…bagaimana aku memberitahu mereka semua, bahwa musik, adrenalin, cinta, semua hal yang membuat segala kesulitan ini terasa ringan, sudah lenyap sama sekali? Yang tertinggal hanyalah pusaran. Dan aku persis di tepinya. –Adam (page 29)

Dasar masa remaja! Sekalinya patah hati, pasti ada saja misi ‘pelarian diri’. Adam Wilde juga termasuk di dalamnya. Merasa ditinggalkan dan patah hati, ia menyendiri. Pulang ke tempat orangtuanya. Meninggalkan band-nya, Shooting Star. Dan tanpa disadari, ia sudah menciptakan banyak lagu yang mengungkapkan betapa terlukanya ia karena ditinggal pergi.

[REVIEW] If I Stay

Ini tidak benar. Ini tidak mungkin terjadi. Kami hanya keluarga biasa, bepergian dengan mobil. Ini tidak nyata. Aku pasti tertidur di mobil. Tidak! Stop. Kumohon, berhenti. Kumohon, bangunlah! Seharusnya napasku berasap. Tapi tidak. Aku menatap pergelangan tanganku, yang tidak tampak terluka, tidak tersentuh darah, tidak robek, dan aku mencubitnya sekeras mungkin. 

Aku tidak merasakan apa-apa. –Mia (page 19)

Judul: If I Stay

Seri: If I Stay #1

Penulis: Gayle Forman

Penerjemah: Poppy D. Chusfani

Penerbit: Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Tahun: 2011 (first published 2009)

Halaman: 200

ISBN: 978-979-22-6660-3

I rate it 3/5 stars

Yang namanya manusia nggak akan bisa menebak hal apa yang akan terjadi pada dirinya atau orang di sekitar pada detik berikutnya. Manusia cuman bisa berharap segalanya akan baik-baik saja dan semua rencana berjalan sesuai apa yang diharapkan. Tidak terlintas akan hal buruk yang kemungkinan terjadi. Mungkin memang terlintas, sedikit, tapi kemudian membuang jauh-jauh pikiran tersebut.

Seperti Mia Hall dan keluarganya. Mereka hanya ingin berkunjung ke salah satu rumah kerabat. Menjalin erat hubungan persaudaraan. Tak pernah terbersit kejadian yang buruk menimpa mereka sekeluarga sekaligus, dalam hitungan detik.