I stumbled on Together Apart by Erin. A. Craig on theheartofabookblogger’s blog and immediately wanted to read it. I was intrigued by the fact that these stories are set in 2020 when the pandemic started and we were all just trying to navigate life with these new rules. Together apart is a collection of 9 cute short stories by different authors. I knew I had to share my review of this book immediately I read it.
Love delivered by Erin. A. Craig (4⭐️)
I enjoyed this. A teenage girl moves with her family to a new town because her parents who are health care professionals got new jobs. She has to adjust to this new life with no opportunity to make friends as school is now virtual. She’s stuck at home in an unfamiliar neighbourhood and one day is forced to order pizza. The pizza delivery boy arrives and you can imagine how the story progresses.
The socially distant dog-walking brigade by Bill Konigsberg (3.5⭐️)
A socially awkward teenager with a friendly dog meets a bunch of dog walkers on his walk with his dog. He hopes to avoid them in future when the pandemic is over because he’s really not one for conversations with strangers. He tries to fight it but eventually lets his guard down.
One day by Sajini Patel (4⭐️)
This was so cute! Two teenagers/neighbours meet while in quarantine through their balcony. Weirdly, this is something I’ve always imagined meeting a cute neighbour while on my balcony. (I have a wild imagination). I really loved the Indian representation.
The rules of comedy by Auriane Desombre (4.5⭐️)
This was really cute. Lol Harp had to use tiktok to get the attention of her crush which worked. Lol It made me very aware of how old I am. I could not relate but it was definitely funny and cute to read. I adored the tiktok reference! Very apt considering we have been jumping from one challenge to the other.
The new boy next door by Natasha Preston (5⭐️)
This is your typical girl meets boy next door but that didn’t stop it from being so damn cute. Quinn saw her new neighbour who is so mysterious and made it a mission to get to know him. It was nice to see her take the lead with conversations and also wonderful to see how the neighbours all supported themselves in pandemic. The chalkboard thing where they left nice and hopeful messages in their front yard was super cute. I would definitely love to live on a street like that especially now.
Love with a side of fortune by Jennifer Ye. (4.5⭐️)
I really liked how this was written. Michelle has been working in her parents Chinese restaurant since the pandemic started now that She’s only attending classes online. She meets a boy at her parent’s restaurant who is apparently the Chinese Michael Phelps of her school. Of course, they start getting to know each other and you can guess the rest. I wanted a novel out of this. I love the Asian representation on this one. Oh and the food!
The green thumb war by Brittney Morris (3.5 ⭐️)
Two teenagers/ neighbors were advised by their therapists to get plants as a way of dealing with their anxiety. They bonded over plants and food.
Stuck with her by Rachel Lippincott (3.5⭐️)
I enjoyed this. I wanted it to continue. It’s basically the story of two roommates falling for each other as they quarantine together. It didn’t make sense but I did not mind! Haha
Masked by Erin Hahn (5⭐️)
This melted my heart. It was so adorable! I have fantasized about a story like this as a teenager lmao! Imagine you meet a guy online and start liking him only to realize he’s a superstar and you had no idea and now you’re dating a superstar who you thought was just an ordinary guy. Very Disney channel worthy. Haha
My thoughts
This was the perfect light-hearted read I needed. Life as we know it has changed but this was a breath of fresh air considering all that’s happening. I like that the focus wasn’t on everything that could possible go wrong but on teenagers and people in general finding love in the most ridiculously cute way!
I also really liked how diverse the stories were- from the queer representation to BIPOC and ownvoices. While some stories stood out to me, other were basic but that didn’t make the book less enjoyable.
If you’re looking for a light read/ romcom, then this is for you. For more book reviews, click here.
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