All That’s Fair marks my second adventure into S.H. Cooper’s fictional world,  with my first being her debut novel. The Festering Ones. After reading both books penned by her, it’s safe to say that Cooper is officially, and will always remain, on my radar. 

All That’s Fair contains twenty-two tales that focus on women who absolutely kick-ass. The number of stories may sound quite hefty for a short story collection, however, with such short lengths it’s easy to keep flipping those pages. Personally, my biggest struggle with All That’s Fair was putting the book down. 

One of the things that made All That’s Fair golden to me is Cooper’s dabbling with urban legends. Urban legends will, forever, be one of my favorite things, and I absolutely loved seeing the amount of stories that danced with the subject. Some titles that center around urban legends are “The Limping Woman” and “The Shy Lady.” To be honest, if Cooper wrote an entire novel based on “The Limping Woman,” I would 100%, without a doubt, be here for it. 

There’s even a short, “So Much Filler” that felt very much like an episode of Black Mirror. You hear that, Netflix? Hire S.H. Cooper to write an episode. What I loved so much about “So Much Filler” is that although it’s very gloom and doom, it concludes with a light at the end of the tunnel. We love optimism in this house. 

And I can’t leave this review without addressing my all-time favorite in the collection, “No Love Lost.” I even sent a tweet Cooper’s way to let her know that I had fallen absolutely in love with this story. She also reminded me to not give any spoilers, so you’ll just have to trust me on this one. 

Even though each story sat around, at average, 5 pages – all characters and plots were very well-developed, and not one story felt like another. Each one ended with their own unique and quick twist. I definitely recommend picking up this collection, and to look into any other works by S.H. Cooper. 

Purchase Link – Amazon

Rating: 4-Stars

Reviewer details – 

Review by Bex Futrell

http://astoldbybex.wordpress.com

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I received an e-ARC copy for review consideration.