Review: Girl Meets Boy: Because There Are Two Sides to Every Story edited by Kelly Milner Halls

Title: Girl Meets Boy: Because There Are Two Sides to Every Story
Author: Edited by Kelly Milner Halls
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Contemporary, Anthology
Release date: December 28th, 2011
Pages: 204 (ARC)
Rating: 3 out of 5
Source: Won
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What do guys and girls really think? Twelve of the most dynamic and engaging YA authors writing today team up for this one-of-a-kind collection of "he said/she said" stories-he tells it from the guy's point of view, she tells it from the girl's. These are stories of love and heartbreak. There's the good-looking jock who falls for a dangerous girl, and the flipside, the toxic girl who never learned to be loved; the basketball star and the artistic (and shorter) boy she never knew she wanted; the gay boy looking for love online and the girl who could help make it happen. Each story in this unforgettable collection teaches us that relationships are complicated-because there are two sides to every story.

Girl Meets Boy is a short anthology which revolves around relationships of many kinds. Each short story is told from both male and female perspectives, which is what made this book unique.  Stories about love, respect, admiration, equality and even loss will keep you interested to find out what will come next.  Some will shock you and some will leave you with a small ache in your chest, but all six of these fictional experiences will leave you feeling a little more whole, because there's something for everyone between these pages.

I don't usually prefer short stories, so I very rarely find myself reading anthologies, but this one sounded like something I'd end up loving.  While it was different and enjoyable, I was a little disappointed in the book altogether.  Some stories gripped me, especially the one about the gay boy and the girl he met online, but most stories didn't leave me wanting more.  My only real complaint is that the cover chosen for this book is way too cutesy, which is misleading.  There are no stories within that are even relative to the vibe the cover gives.  Most readers will be expecting pages full of adorable romance, but that's just not what they'll find.

Overall, this book shows readers what it's like for many different couples in different situations, because no two relationships are exactly the same.  The stories are emotional, difficult and honest, but most of all, they're worth a read.