After the measures taken around the world to fight Covid-19, this book adds a unique twist in that the characters must endure lockdown with strangers. When someone indicates they may have the the viral condition, they must shelter in place with whomever they are with, wherever they are. Characters in each of the short stories find new paths to life, work out differences with their 'co-quarantinees' and come out of the experience different people.

Stewart uses humor and comedy to get her characters through their life altering quarantines and, for the most part, her characters come out of it better persons. Recommended for those seeking some comic relief to help cope with today's world.

When the COVID-19 struck us and we were all left dumbfounded, not knowing how to move forward, some people became rich making masks, sanitisers, gloves and ear guards. Some others, like Elizabeth Stewart, let her imagination run wild and turned the crisis into a humorous context for her new book. Talk about making hay while the sun shines!

The book is a light read, with five different stories of people forced to be quarantined with unexpected clients/ family members. The situations are rather funny and most of these people come out of quarantine with more awareness of what they want for themselves. They also change the lives of their quarantine mates.

However, I felt like the whole while, the author was standing beside me and breathing down my neck with her commentary on the story. Yes, I get it- the intimate connections in times of chaos made these people realise their creativity- but I would have figured out that for myself just as well. Except for that, which other readers may not mind at all, I found the book satisfactory.

Thank you Frandricka House Press for the e-ARC.

This was such a fun and interesting read. I enjoyed reading the stories. My favorite story is the one that takes place in a dive bar. I think that story could have been a bit longer, but it was still a great short story.

I think this was an interesting take on the pandemic. In these stories, the characters are given bracelets that monitor them during the pandemic. Of their bracelet flashes red, they have to immediately quarantine wherever they are at. Whoever is in the same room with the person whose bracelet is flashing red must also shelter in place.

Overall, I recommend this book if you’re interested in a quick read.

Amusing slash scary concept. This definitely puts our current situation into perspective; staying at home is not that bad, since you are by yourself or with people that you are guaranteed to like (for the most part). If we had to quarantine at a random location with random people for 42 days, that would be WAY worse. That being said, I found some moments very entertaining, while other parts were slightly cringeworthy; however, I'm sure some people actually think like that. Overall, I enjoyed the book and it definitely brought some joy in this difficult time.

This book was a good help in breaking the boredom of 2020 COVID 19. I was amused by most of the book apart from one small section towards the end, talking about playing Bridge, that I had to skip.
It seems quite slow to start but be patient, it builds as you progress.
Best bit? The parrot........ NO SPOILER!

Definitely a book for our times - And tough times, they are...that being said, the author captures the ups and downs that everyone is feeling in a very honest way - a good read - maybe one to come back to time and again

A fantasy set in 2020 during a pandemic. Five different groups of total strangers are locked up together because one person in each group was deemed to be contagious. The five different locations were a bar, a beauty salon, car dealership, dentist surgery and a lawyer’s office. Each group of people were locked in as they were, for 42 days the only comfort was a delivery of daily meals. This was a fantasy of what ifs and how different people cope under difficult conditions

This book is terrifyingly hilarious. A picture perfect version of what our future absolutely could be with covid 19. I found myself not able to put down this book at all. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In My Darlin' Quarantine, Elizabeth Stewart has used the current pandemic to create an unusual fantasy. Her concept is fresh, new and very intriguing.

During our current pandemic, in most areas, we have been advised to shelter in place. We were given several days notice, and were allowed to leave our homes to purchase necessities, to exercise, and for other essential reasons.

Elizabeth Stewart has created an alternative scenario written as fantasy that could easily become reality. In her version, each citizen has been issued a monitoring bracelet by the State. People wearing these bracelets can be identified as super spreaders. If your bracelet activates, you, along with anyone occupying the same premises, are locked down for 42 days. The premises are sealed, with no one allowed in or out. Meals and other necessities, along with clean clothing and bedding, are delivered by the state.

It's an interesting concept - how would you react in such a situation? I would recommend this title to anyone looking for something different to read.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review from Net Galley.

#MyDarlin'Quarantine#NetGalley

I would like to thank Netgalley and Flandricka House Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

My Darlin’ Quarantine by Elizabeth Stewart is collection of five short stories about five different groups of people who get stuck in quarantine during a second wave of the pandemic. I liked a few aspects of the plot, however I did not like the narration of the stories and the male characters.

The stories have an ongoing theme where the characters in the five different stories connect by working of different projects. I liked how these people get past their differences or their petty concerns. They choose to be constructive and work on projects, which emphasizes the importance of team work and allows these people to bond. Additionally, these projects change the characters’ perspectives as well and motivate them to pursue their new found dreams. Therefore, these quarantine stories emphasize how quarantine creates a space for people to create meaningful and life-changing connections.

Besides this overall theme of the stories, I did not like the narration of the stories. The third person omniscient narrative is too technical and descriptive, which was not able to retain my concentration and muted the emotional connections that the characters made in the stories. In regards to characterization, this type of narration did not humanise the characters for me; they felt robotic because these characters were obsessed with the technicality of certain things for example measurements and numbers for their projects. For these reasons, I did not like the narration of this story.

In the first short story, the male characters were good, but in the third and fifth short stories the Dr. Edwards and Reedley were annoying. In the third story, Dr. Edwards eventually disappears from the plot while in the fifth story Reedley changes for the better. However, when they are introduced in the beginning of the story, these men are perverted, they do not appreciate the minds of the women they are attracted to, and most importantly they consider cheating their spouses. For these reasons, I did not like the characterization of the males in these stories.

My Darlin’ Quarantine by Elizabeth Stewart has a good plot which emphasizes the importance of creating meaningful connections in hard times. However, the narration for these short stories left the stories void of the emotional connections that they emphasize. Also, I did not like the male characters because they could have been characterized in a more positive way, especially for stories about quarantine. Therefore, I would not recommend this story even though it is about quarantine.

This is a short collection of stories about quarantine.

The stories are a little zany, a little science fiction feeling.

While I understand what the author was going for, this book wasn't for me. I think if this book had taken more time to be thought through and was released more at the end of the pandemic, but given current events and experiences I found it hard to relate to or be entertained by this book.