And Then He Kissed Me

Launch takes place in Eason’s in Dundrum, 6.30pm Thursday July 4th – featuring Cathy Kelly, Sinead Moriarty, Monica McInerney & Sarah Webb

Many thanks to the ever-fabulous Walker Books for sending on a review copy of this summery short-story collection for teens. The Irish launch is next Thursday, and sounds like it’s going to be a great event – Facebook page is here for more info.

There are ten stories in the collection, with contributions from both authors known for their teen fiction and others (Cathy Kelly and Sinead Moriarty among them) dipping into it for the first time. My absolute favourite of the bunch is Joanna Nadin’s ‘The Movie Kiss’ – a very funny, reference-filled tale about the lead-up to a perfect movie kiss.

These are all romantic stories, ranging from the angsting of the male best friend who wants to be seen as more than just a shoulder to cry on (Dyan Sheldon’s excellent ‘Just A Friend’) to the fascination of a quiet loner with the school Romeo (Abby McDonald’s delightful ‘Extracurriculars’). There are some tear-jerking moments (Katie Dale’s ‘Star-Crossed’ is a little predictable in this regard, while Madhvi Ramani’s ‘Dog Days’ does a great job at blending serious issues with romance), but mostly the stories are sweet and feel-good, as befits a summer collection. It’s also great to see stories like Sarah Webb’s ‘My First Kiss’, which deal with characters who are a bit different without ever becoming obsessed with the issue.

I would have really loved to have seen at least one LGBTQ story in this collection though – can’t we have lovely cute stories about girls falling for their female best friends or the snarky girl in school alongside these boy-meets-girl ones, instead of in separate collections? – but hopefully in future years and collections…