Send Nudes: By the winner of the BBC National Short Story Award 2022

This writer makes waiting at a bus stop interesting- Send Nudes- and two girls wondering round a festival is so vivid its like your own memory- The Mothers and the Girls- Not sure which is my favourite story and i will re-read in a month or so. Her prose style is deceptively simple yet after a few sentences you are deep into the story and all the complications, nuance, questions and wanting to know what happens that make reading fun.

I really enjoyed reading Saba Sam's collection of short stories. The stories exist in their own worlds and each one pulls you in, and though the stories touch on difficult subjects and are explored quite graphically the book was a pleasure to read and is one I would recommend.

Not an easy short story collection to read. Deals with difficult themes and is very bold/graphic in how it deals with them (tw: sexual content, abortion, abuse, adult/minor, infidelity, mental health, sexual assault). Some of it felt, for lack of a better term, messed up. But then again, life is messed up.The quality of writing is very good. It has a candid and sparse quality about it that made it very readable - albeit, the subject matter and content was much harder to read. There were some excellent descriptions of people or actions that came across very vividly.As with every short story collection, some were better than others. Tinderloin, Here Alone and Overnight illustrated toxic/harmful ways men treat women. I preferred the "developmental" stories such as Blue 4 eva and Today's Square as it looked at familial relationships rather than romantic/destructive ones.

I had no idea what to expect from Send Nudes, the second book I read in December, but what I got was an interesting and illuminating set of short – but not always sweet – stories.It might not be the longest book but Sams covers a lot in it, from family, friendships, social pressure and so much more (there’s even the joys – and perils – of loving a dog in there!). I’m used to longer, more in depth stuff so – at times – I did finish a story and think what now?! (even though it was fairly obvious there wouldn’t be a follow up) but this doesn’t make it a lacking read.Even though my university days are over and done with, this book reminded me of some of the stories I read (and enjoyed) at Uni – with not much going on but plenty to think about.Everyone will take something different from this set of stories but, for me, Send Nudes brilliantly illustrated how being a woman – and all it entails – is interesting, exciting, romantic, annoying and confusing.

Thanks SO much to Bloomsbury for letting me read Send Nudes: this is honestly one of my highlights of the year. Initially, I thought I would really dislike this collection because I was not a fan of the first story – I found it gruesome and unpalatable and weird. But by the second story, a quiet and thoughtful tale in which a young woman remembers someone she used to know, I felt moved. And by the third story, 'Snakebite', I felt genuinely compelled.Saba Sams is a real talent, and I already want to reread this. This is a collection filled with women and girls, exploring power dynamics, selfhood, relationships. Her writing is sparse and to-the-point, but it is so incredibly rich with allusion and nuance that every single sentence seems to yield much more than it says. The suspense, when it's there, is excellent, and the pace and plotting is fantastic too. Honestly, just a real masterclass in how to write short stories! The details were excellently observed; I especially loved this in the short story set at a festival – didn't write down the name! – which possesses the most vivid setting. I didn't love every story, but I did think most stories were very well-done.4.5 stars. Should have been five, but I really didn't like that first story.

I enjoyed the writing style of this one and definitely got invested more in the characters and storylines compared to other short story collections I have read previously.My only piece of feedback would be that for me, some of the stories I struggled to see how they fit within the collection, particularly the last one which focused on the relationship between mother and daughter.Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend to others to pick it up.

Send Nudes is a collection of short stories centering around womanhood, including love, lust, identity, and sexuality.I have only read a few short stories collections before this so was apprehensive if this would be to my liking. I loved most of these small tales but was left feeling a little deflated when some of these came to an abrupt ending. I wanted to get to know some of the characters deeper and for longer, and there are a few that would make great full novels.Due to various different stories, this will appeal to many readers. This would also work well for book club reads as there is a lot that can be discussed.Overall, I will be looking out for more by this author in the future but I am still undecided if short story collections are for me.

Saba Sams is a formidable writing talent.