Amazon's The Edge of Everything series

I had the opportunity to read several of the novellas in Amazon's new Edge of Everything series.  —Lynnie

short story collection, fiction, young adult 

Safe Harbor by Nicola Yoon and David Yoon

My favorite of Amazon's The Edge of Everything short story collection by far, Nicola Yoon's and David Yoon's Safe Harbor follows Isabel, an angry artist sent to the Safe Harbor therapy program for teenagers who aren't coping well with their parents' divorce. Finding herself on a college campus with four other teenagers and a therapist, spending the day forced to talk about uncomfortable feelings and family drama, the teens must learn to break down walls if they want to graduate from the program.

I've read a few YA books by Nicola Yoon, most of which I've really enjoyed, but I've read nothing by David Yoon so I can't begin to guess how the writing was divided in this short story. I can say though, that this story broke my heart and put it back together in the best possible way. I was immediately taken in by these characters, their circumstances and their stories and oh, how I wanted them to find their path through.

I really enjoyed the way the teens interacted with one another, particularly the way Isabel's art evolved to show how her opinions of everyone changed as she got to know them. There is a lot packed into such a short story, but I loved every carefully constructed word. If you only read one story in this series, let it be this one.
 

Julia at the Drive-in by Rainbow Rowell  

A long-time fan of Rainbow Rowell's, I was excited to see Julia at the Drive-in as part of Amazon's latest short story collection, The Edge of Everything.

Julia has spent years feeling completely average in her small Nebraska town. She doesn't stand out, isn't popular and doesn't believe she's interesting; Julia just is. Then Chloe, who has lived all over the world, moves to town and chooses Julia as a friend and quickly transforms her life. Chloe helps Julia with her hair, teaches her about makeup and lends her clothes until Julia barely recognizes herself. At the local drive-in before their senior year begins, Julia runs into her crush, Wyatt, and he notices her for the first time... well, ever. While they talk and get to know one another, Julia wonders if he realizes that it's her, or if he thinks he's talking to someone he's never met?

This was a cute story that took me back to some of the older Rainbow Rowell YA stories I remember. I could feel Julia's discomfort at whether or not Wyatt's attention was really meant for her, and how much she wanted it to be. I think everyone can relate to wanting someone to like you for yourself, but also just wanting them to like you. Rowell has such a gift for writing about people who want to be seen, and Julia just gripped my heart in a few short pages. I was only sad when this story ended. I wanted to read more about Chloe and Julia and Wyatt and the other kids in this town, but I'm glad we got a little glimpse into their life.

Winter Breakage by David Levithan

Winter Breakage took me back to the first few David Levithan books I read in the early 2000s, and I couldn't be happier about that. I enjoy Levithan's YA work much more than his books for adults and I'm glad he went back to that genre here, particularly focusing on life before cell phones, with this story taking place in 1991.

In Winter Breakage, five college dormmates, who live in or around NYC, gather for a day together in the city. Andie, Pam, Margaret, Noah and the narrator Eric are friendly at college, if not friends. They exist in that bubble during freshman year where your friendships are based on proximity; you spend time with the people the college has placed in your space. It's not until second semester or sophomore year when you start to choose your major or your roommates that you start to choose your friends so, initially, you spend time with the people who are in your bubble. As they gather, in the glorious pre-cell phone days of 1991, without a plan for the day, they navigate the anxiety and insecurity of trying to find your place in the social order and whether or not you even have a place in the social order.

It's awkward and sweet to see the kernels of what might be real friendship start to sprout between the people in this story. Are they seeing each other for who they truly are? With fewer than 30 pages, we never really find out. But Levithan will take you back to your own experiences of trying to find your place and your people and the connection we all crave. 

The Price of Admission by Dustin Thao 

 

 

The blurb for the Price of Admission is pretty clear about what you're getting into with this novella: two teens who grow up in the same orbit, but divided by class and circumstances. Evan is the son of a hotel maid and Dalton is the son of the hotel's owner. When they find themselves at the same high school, they must figure out how who they are to each other and whether or not they can fit in each other's lives. 

The Price of Admission is the first story I've ever read by Dustin Thao and it covers a lot of ground in a very short time. Evan and Dalton are 9 years old when the story begins and have graduated college by the final page. Watching Evan try to fit into a world of wealthy kids he will never understand, and wondering if Dalton can ever truly accept him is painful for anyone who has ever felt on the outside looking in. 

In some ways, this felt like the one of the most realistic stories in this series, but it also made it the least interesting to me; the beats were entirely predictable as Dalton treated Evan like a cat treats a new toy. Still, I wanted to see how it would play out and whether or not these teens could overcome the stereotypes.  

 

All of these novellas will be published on June 23, 2026 as part of Amazon's The Edge of Everything collection. Thank you to Amazon Original Stories, NetGalley, Nicola Yoon, David Yoon, Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan and Dustin Thao for the advance reader copies.