This collection of short stories addresses common scenarios ordinary people might face. A woman finds a notebook and a lottery ticket on a train, a librarian rescues a baby, and an employee faces discrimination on multiple fronts. As I read, I felt various emotions, which is a sign of a good book, in my opinion. While the book summary totes the book as a prompt to help readers think, I didn't get that vibe. The collection is mostly well-written, and I'd read more stories by this author.
Winners - 2 stars, disjointed and felt unfinished
Transfusion - 2 stars, didn't connect emotionally with the story or characters
The Ambassador - 3 stars, sweet
The Debt - 3 stars, surprising twist
Diner - 4 stars, tear-jerker
Full Circle - 4 stars, heart-breaking and touching
Lies - 4 stars, intricate story
11:11-Message From the Flip Side - 3.5 stars, thoughtful, a little disjointed, hopeful
Ripple - 3 stars, coming of age for middle-aged Margaret, preachy about climate change

Despite the title, most of the nine stories in this collection are better if you don’t over-think them. They are modern morality tales which consider some of the more challenging aspects of 21st century life in the light of long-established ethical principles. The majority are short and sweet and fairly straightforward; few contained any great surprises. Not sure why the cover art features an android. Spoiler alert: low robot content!

The author frequently leans on paranormal possibilities to illustrate her point, and the pendulum swings between the light and the dark. Social isolation, victimisation, corruption and criminality are countered by friendship, compassion, generosity and open-minded acceptance.

Entire lifespans are compressed into a few pages to illuminate the all-too finite boundaries of mortal existence, pausing at pivotal moments when everything depends on a crucial choice. We see the paths which might’ve been taken – and how critical decisions have consequences that can echo down the generations.

This is tricky territory for even the most accomplished authors. It's easy to be swamped by slushy sentimentality or to trot out a series of stale cliches. Ms Flood avoids most of the pitfalls, mostly...

The majority of these tales deliver an upbeat, positive message – even if the author ventures deep into the murky side of the human psyche to explore bigotry, bullying and betrayal. So in Transfusion the theme is of overcoming hostility, being the better human, and treating others not as they actually behave towards you but as we would all want to be treated. In The Debt a determined young woman digs deep to defy a savage gangster and becomes the conduit of justice – avenging a personal debt in the process.

Several of these stories take a supernatural turn, where the protagonist is given a second chance at life under the watchful eye of a spiritual entity. Love and dedication reduce the emotional impact of the inevitable end. These are all intimate portraits of personal crisis, but some are set against the vast backdrop of societal turmoil and world history. Inevitably the pandemic plays its role in a couple of pieces, as does climate change, while Full Circle looks back to holocaust and examines how its horrors reverberate today.

The shorter stories are the more successful, I feel; the extended tales tend towards being over-written and a bit long-winded. Their message gets diluted by their length, not enhanced. Speaking of which, this is a longer review than I expected to write while I was reading this collection, which may mean it was more successful in provoking cogitation than I originally understood…

7/10

Good stuff. I like this author's writing style and imagination. This is a nice showcase for the author's talent and did invoke post-reading thinking.

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!

Not what I thought it would be but very interesting thought provoking stories. Almost reminded me of stories from childhood books which used to have moral at the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Short stories need to define characters quickly and have a sharp focus on the theme or plot. These stories were all well done, introducing characters that are pleasant and personable, and the plots are established from the beginning. Each story centers around a topical social issue, such as morality, bullying, LGBTQ issues, racism, COVID-19 and climate change.

Per the author: “In an imbalanced and flawed world, it is often the choices we make that define us.” The characters are faced with challenges and wrestle with issues, but the endings were so cut-and-dried, I didn’t find the tales thought-provoking. Interesting and well-written, yes, but I was disappointed they didn’t leave me with questions to ponder.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review.
Average 4.11
-Took one star off: Title reads "For Thinkers" but for most of those stories there was no thinking to do. Doing the right thing about finding a winning lottery ticket but what about being a closeted gay man being bullied to the point of a failed su*cide? The other reason is that there is no difference from one chapter to the other and you'd think it's the same day but for most, it's two years or two months later - you get a good whiplash. Some sort of deco between those to signal a length of time passed would be a good idea.
-Good mix of genre: LGBT, racism, COVID-19 (twice I think), some utterly violent, SPN, some really sad, some satisfying more than the others, suicide, a whole sermon on climate change.
-My one and only LOL was when Margaret bends over and her hips protest. She's 50 not 80! LOL.
-Good job on the editing.

"In an imbalanced and flawed world, it is often the choices we make that define us." Hope Verdad Presents: Short Stories for Thinkers is a collection of nine thought-provoking short stories that cover a wide range of topics from lottery tickets, to organized crime, to the supernatural. Each story is expertly crafted and leaves the reader with a lingering sense of introspection and contemplation. These tales will make you think about life's intricacies and complexities and the impact of free will and choice in our imperfect world.

A captivating collection of tales that will leave you pondering long after you've finished reading. The author's ability to craft rich, complex characters in just a few short pages is truly impressive, and each story is masterfully constructed to reveal a deeper message about the human condition. Whether exploring themes of morality, justice, or the nature of reality itself, the stories in this collection are sure to challenge your assumptions and leave you with a newfound appreciation for the power of storytelling.