What a crazy world we live in during this pandemic.

Have you felt alone? Inspired? Unsure what to do next? Struggling with the reality of the unknown, while also trying to create a new normal for yourself, your family, your loved ones?

Missing the personal connection, even as we sit on zoom chats and have more time than ever to talk to one another?

Than this collection of words is for you. Read it, pass it along to others who may feel the same as you & treasure all the feelings.

Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for allowing me to read this title in exchange for my honest review. I cannot wait to buy a copy, and continue to support the indie bookstores we all love so much.

Very nice to already read books about the pandemic that is still affecting us at the moment.
We got a lot of different people‘s insights which I enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying I was not in the right headspace to read this. I wasn’t ready for it. That being said, the essays about living in the age of COVID and quarantine were all well done and beautiful. Lots of talent within these pages. However, it left me feeling rather down and depressed. But that says more about where I’m at than the book itself. 3.5 stars.

Alone Together is about our time in COVID-19. How this uncertain time has changed our life. The things which we used to consider normal is not normal anymore. Our life is changed. The book is about how we fee
Is has a wonderful collection of poetry, stories, interviews written by different talented authors describing their experiences during this uncertain time. There is something for everyone to relate to. When I read it I was able to relate to most of it. It has themes such as loss, despair, anxiety, grief, and isolation. When I was reading it it made it clear to me that I was not that only one feeling or experiencing this we all are alone but facing things together.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this lovely collection.
4.5⭐/5⭐

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC copy of this collection. Just like how the title suggests, we may be physically "isolated" because of the pandemic but emotionally and spiritually we are connected and we've been all through some of the emotions and reactions displayed in the book. Alone Together is a collection of essays, short stories, and poems dealing with crucial themes in a very crucial timing. Themes such as loss, despair, anxiety, grief, and alienation are front and center but in a really engrossing way!!
I'm so glad this actually drew my attention and my request was accepted to have an early copy of it.

This was astonishingly good. Exactly what I needed during this strange year. I was so excited to get my wish granted and I cannot say enough positive things about this book. Wonderful.

When I heard about this collection, I was elated… and scared. Even though I wasn’t in self quarantine long, it took a tole on my mental and emotional well being. I wasn’t taught how to just be still for days on end. I don’t think many of us here in America are good at it honestly. More than that, though, I went from being someone made to feel like a monkey could do my job to being essential- over night! And then everyone started talking about reopening strategies and masks… suddenly the essential employee is a sheep, worthless… a Nazi even if they never say a word- simply because their company- that essential of all businesses- has politely asked you to wear a mask while in the store. It was hurtful, degrading… and demoralizing. I had so many feelings, all of which were being magnified by the fact that I didn’t see my family- the largest part of my support system- as often as I wanted; and I didn’t always know when and if I would be seeing the coworkers and customers that I loved. Several of my work friends have had to quarantine, and two still are. I know I am lucky, the cases that have come to those that I care about have been minor. Everyone has survived it with little more than cabin fever. I am so grateful. I digress, though… let’s get back to the book.

What made this especially tempting for me right now is that I have felt alone- cut off. I am sure many of us have. In here is not only proof that we are not alone, even when we feel it down to the bone, but that we can work through it together- that others have. While I didn’t agree with every entry, each one was a piece of their soul- their pain, fear, vulnerability or triumph. Out in the open, unapologetic and glorious. I had started highlighting and noting the pieces I thought would be especially important to me, until I realized I had done this to nearly every piece in the book. The collection also introduced me to several authors that I hadn’t known about before. I have either bought or borrowed several books that are now in my TBR and I will be getting through them. While so many stories were painful, there was hope and solidarity too. We are not alone, even when we have to shelter alone…. we can be Alone Together. For me, this is a five star book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
On the adult content scale there’s a lot of language, and sexual content- much in the form of sexts or innuendos. There is some heavy stuff about past traumas and the like, but nothing that I think a teenager couldn’t handle. I would give it a five.


I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Central Avenue publishing in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!

The book comes out the beginning of September! Be ready!

This book should be called "Chicken Soup for the Quarentined Soul." There are stories of inspiration, hope, loss, devastation, grief, peace and so much more! This pandemic has taken a lot away from us and there is still so much that is uncertain at this time. This collection remids us that we are NOT alone and that we are all doing our own little parts to survive this and make it through. Truly a heartwarming book for the soul during these monumentous and historically trying times.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alone together stands up to it's name...the feeling that everyone is going through now with the pandemic. How can we all feel so along, yet so together all at the same time? Reading these collective works gives the reader an answer to that understanding, that even though we all may be apart, no one is going through these feelings and emotions alone. This work allows that light to shine to us all.

This was a really good book. It was very interesting to read how COVID19 is affecting others and things they are experiencing. It was even more interesting due to whom authored the essays. Others work they have done is listed so if you want to take a look at some of their other writings, you have a starting point This is a book that I will gift and tell others about. Thanks to Netgalley,,the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Jennifer Haupt and Central Avenue publishing for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

A selection of essays, short stories and poems, this anthology explores various writers' experiences, thoughts and feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Haupt's introduction, she notes that this book "holds our collective pain and our dreams, and I hope she offers you what she has given me: a renewed sense of possibilities". Well, this anthology certainly achieves this hope.

What I particularly enjoyed about this collection is that it did not gloss over the negatives of the pandemic. So many people suffered financially, mentally and physically and I can really see this book being read years in the future for the next generation to understand what it was like living through the major global pandemic. It highlights how the Black Lives Matter movement and George Floyd's death, as well as the collective sense of helplessness, has brought so many individuals from across globe together. I loved the individuals voices and the vast differences in experiences between each chapter or story.

I will definitely be purchasing a finished copy, and will recommend this read for anyone who is looking for something like this!

This book is comprised of short stories or poems from about 90 different contributors divided into five sections. I wasn't familiar with any of the people who contributed to the book, but I still enjoyed it. I found myself taking breaks while reading this as anything relating to COVID can at times seem too overwhelming to deal with for prolonged periods of time. One thing that struck me while reading the book is the sense of humanity that everyone is experiencing during this time, no matter who they are, where they live, what their job is... everyone is being impacted and affected in some way. And it was amazing to see how those experiences manifested into a short story or a piece of poetry.

What a beautiful book which will make you laugh and cry in equal measure. This is a book about love, loss and everything In between with stories, poems and interviews revolving real life and events and thoughts during the Covid 19 crisis especially. It’s a lovely read to remember what we were going through during 2020.

Alone Together is a heartbreaking and hopeful look at the times we are currently living in, full of quarantine and isolation. I think that what makes even the hardest days of COVID-19 life and quarantine bearable is the understanding that we are all in this together and we are all facing hardships of some type.

This was a wonderful collection of poems, essays, and interviews detailing what life in "Corona Times" is like--from mask wearing to zoom weddings, dealing with the loss of loved ones from long distances, and the general disruption of plans and wishes that have been forced on hold. Some of the stories were humorous, some devastating, some completely absurd in how relatable such a different way of life has become.

I truly think that this collection has a story for everyone, and will be perfect to pick up for inspiration in the current moment. It also serves as an important document of the heaviness of this time and the true sacrifices made by many to keep others safe and supported during the pandemic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the e-ARC of this book. I also want to note and give thanks to the contributing authors for donating shares from this book to benefit The Book Industry Charitable Foundation.

"Alone Together" was a book unlike any I have ever read before. Sometimes it's still hard for me to believe that our country is experiencing this, but this book made it seem like I wasn't alone. Other people are uncertain, other people are anxious, other people are sad. Every single emotion that we are feeling right now is real, and chances are, there's someone else out there in this world that is feeling the same exact way that you do in this very moment. I think this will be a great book to read a few years down the road to think about how far we've come and to capture what we went through.

This book is a collection of essays, poems and interviews from over 90 authors and poets about how COVID 19 has affected them and their lives. The essays are a powerful testament to the unprecedented times that the world is going through collectively. Some of essays made me laugh and some made me cry, just like life right now. It was wonderful to read these pieces of literature to remind me that I'm not alone in my feelings of loss - loss of freedom, loss of friends and family and a loss of the life we were living before the pandemic struck.

ALONE TOGETHER is divided into five sections: What Now?, Grieve, Comfort, Connect, And Don't Stop. The main theme is how this age of isolation and uncertainty is changing us as individuals and a society. It's a connection for those of us who are depressed about what is going on and fearful of the changes that may occur in our futures. I was crushed by the essays that spoke of family members and friends who had died from COVID19 and the essays about people who lived by themselves and were truly alone. I was uplifted by the people who were helping their neighbors by buying groceries or baking for them. I was happy to see all of the ways that people were using to connect with other people. But most of all, I was relieved to know that others were feeling the same sense of loss and confusion, the same worries about the future and their loved ones as I am. The book left me with a feeling of connection to others as we al struggle on a daily basis and hope and pray for a better future for the world.

This is the book to read right now. Living in my bubble, I know that the pandemic has affected people so differently all over the country, but this book has been eye-opening in a way I wasn't quite expecting. We are all living the same story in different ways. These authors so beautifully tell their stories and remind us of the all that is happening in our country. This is a lovely and important book that I am recommending to everyone I see.

The last 6 months have been an emotional roller coaster. We have experience corporate loss, grief, isolation, but also connectedness, care, and love. This book, filled with poetry, conversations, and essays shows the experiences of just a few, but the emotions can connect many.

It may be weird to recommend a book about a pandemic that is still very much going on and there may be many that won't be able to pick up this book for many years, if not ever, but this book does what the title says, it shows that we are "Alone Together."

Through the messages of grief, connectedness, loneliness, and care those early weeks and months are shared in poignant words. Not only that, but this book is raising money for independent book stores, a industry that like many, has been hit extremely hard in the past few months.

Like all anthologies there were sections that I enjoyed more than others, but overall this book made me feel connected to a world that is going through this together.

Thank you so much for this eARC; I was so excited to read this and was astounded that something came together so quickly - considering we are still in the time of COVID 19.

I definitely enjoyed this book; there was a nice mix between short stories and essays, and poetry. My only pause was some of the writings were a bit too literary for me, and I almost felt it was a stretch for me to connect it to our currently climate and the pandemic. However, many of the stories I really enjoyed - and I appreciated that there were works that included reference to the current political climate, police brutality, and BLM protests.

(A highlight will be posted on my Instagram in the coming weeks.)

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy.
#NetGalley #AloneTogether #JenniferHaupt

"All I desire anymore are simple things: to be out in the world without a mask, to pet a stranger's dog, to sit close enough to the people I love to hear them breathe."

This collection of essays, poems and interviews is not just about the people that have been directly affected by COVID-19, this is about how we all handle this situation no one chose to be in, and it is relatable in so many ways. We see how people handle grief and distance, often through situations that didn't even occur to me, but are equally impacted by the change in our lifestyle. Not every piece will appeal to everyone, but this is, all-in-all, a good collection created for a good cause.

I'll conclude with a quote that states why I'm certain you'll find some relief and comfort in this book: "Poetry in wartime is a luxury. Poetry in wartime is a necessity."