I received a signed print copy of this book from the author through the internet and the following is my opinion.
It takes a skilled author, like Laura McHale Holland, to be able to write stories with the brevity she has succeeded to doing for the 21 Flash Fiction [micro] contained in this book. I should know because I’ve already written a book where the vast majority of the 100 stories are only five sentences long.

There’s nothing missing in any of these stories, they’ve got a beginning, a middle and an ending; they’re also fraught with a myriad of developed characters as well as emotions. The content of each of the stories are not one-dimensional as they all are fully developed, containing allegorical implications and familiarity, nor are they limited to a particular genre of writing directed at a particular kind of audience.

The physical book, with its small size, 4” x 6” and less than a ¼” thick, can quite easily be carried in a handbag, large purse or even in a pocket of a jacket.

For wanting to give her readers a sense of being part of the story, like being in the shoes of a protagonist, or witnessing the story taking place right in front of them, as an aficionado of Flash Fiction, I’ve given the author, Ms. Holland, the rating of 5 STARS which she has garnered. ( )

Holland's Just in Case is a collection of flash fiction stories. For those who are unfamiliar with this writing style, flash fiction is snapshot writing. Most of the time, these stories are mere paragraphs long, often way shorter than major news stories, some shorter than minor news stories even! The stories in this collection run the gamut from creepy to quaint.

Really, there's a definite talent to writing flash fiction, and writing it well. I've tried my hand at it. I suck. I'll stick to my poetry, thanks! Holland definitely does it well. 'Cold Case' was a favourite, a play on the folktale of 'Hansel & Gretel' that startled an amused laugh out of me. 'Drifting' was another favourite. It was poetic; a tribute to nostalgia and growing old. Other faves include 'Believe Me', about unimaginable loss, 'Butterflies', about a surreal disappearance, and 'When She Wakes Up', about the nature of what is real and what is not.

As with poetry, flash fiction often offers the reader the chance to find meaning significant to them, or to really consider certain aspects of society, or psychology. A few of these stories I wish were just a chad bit longer. Most were perfect in length given the genre. What I do wish was that there were more that twenty-one of them! As was, I flew through this in about 45 mins.

*****Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for XPresso Tours. ( )