A heartfelt collection that explores the ups and downs of long-distance relationships. This was a quick read that I enjoyed but overall, I have mixed feelings.

On one hand, the authors do effectively convey the complexities and nuances of a long-distance relationship. You can also truly feel their yearning and raw emotion. But on the other hand, some of the poems are very basic and did nothing for me.

I definitely prefer Courtney Peppernell's work, which seems to have more depth, meaning and emotion. A couple of Zack Grey's are good but he also has really cringey ones like, what even?

A story told in 5 parts by two authors of what long distance love is like. And wow did they hit the nail on the head with all these raw emotions. Each part focuses on a different aspect of said long distance relationship: the beginning, the waiting, the missing, the agony, and the reuniting. Having never been in a true long distance relationship, the first section was my favorite; it reminds you of that feeling of new love and the anticipation of seeing them again and hoping it's soon but being disappointed when time drags on without them. But having been in relationships where a little distance existed, the rest of the parts resound- the feels are beautifully expressed and even in my semi-pseudo long distance relationships, I felt these feelings. I can easily see how others having actually been in these distances would feel for each other and feel these ways. It was heart breaking reading the parts where the distance was starting to get to our writers and it was becoming too much. This collection was full of feelings that I loved indulging in.

I absolutely love Courtney Peppernall's writing and this was no exception. It was a quick and easy read but so relatable. I finished it in one setting

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this poetry collection. Unfortunately, it seems I can't find it downloaded on my kindle and therefore am unable to review it at this time.

I can't explain how amazed I am after seeing Courtney Peppernell and Zack Grey authored a poetry book. I can tell you, this is the best! their words are beyond amazing, the feels, emotions, and the portrayal of each author's feelings. Thankfully, I received a copy of this and almost scream when I finished reading it. Heck, I almost bookmarked all the pages.

Thanks to #Netgalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for making this book available to me.

I really enjoyed reading this collection. The fact that there was a usual seamless connection between the poems and prose was just fantastic. Courtney was fantastic with writing harsh longing and drawing a mental picture of distance. While some of the poems demonstrate the endurance of physically long-distance relationships, it was more about the growing apart and loss of emotional contact rather than physical contact.

Some really good poems of love and relationships/connections - long-distance and coming together. Being apart and together. Nice vibes.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Long distance relationships are hard. This collection of poems by one of my favourite poets, Courtney Peppernell (joined this time by Zack Grey)is a series of anecdotes and insights into the difficulties and beauty of them. This isn’t the best work of Courtney’s in my opinion but there is some bittersweet gems to be found within.
The collaboration of two poet’s work was new for me, it didn’t work to begin with but as the book went on you see a duality form between the two. Poetry is a reasonably new format for me, but after being recommended Milk & Honey by Rupi Kaur I fell in love with it. Courtney Peppernell brings you into her intimate world, and you fall in love with her words and the world it paints with them.

I received an advance reader copy of this title as I love this authors other work. I was a little disappointed by this book. I didn’t relate to it like her other work but I suppose not everyone can relate to a whole poetry book about long distance relationships. On top of that I felt like I was re reading the same poem over and over again and found it boring to read because they were all the same.

I am a Peppernell fan, so requesting this one was a no-brainer. Between her longer prose and Grey’s beautiful free verse poetry, this is a lovely poetry anthology. There were so many moments when I felt the words in my heart and could relate to what was being said, even though I’ve never experienced a long-distance relationship. Such a beautiful book!

The yearning and the self-doubting that come with long-distance relationships are obvious in these poems, but most of them fell flat for me. There were one or two that hit home for me personally, but I will have forgotten even those by the time I fall asleep tonight. This collection was extremely repetitive and ultimately boring.

I did like the artwork in the book. It was very cute.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the arc!

This poetry collection really hit home for me. I have been in a long distance relationship for 4 years. I am happy to say we are finally together and married. This collection took me back to all the hard times. All the longing and depressing days. I cried a few times remembering how it felt. The reason my rating is three stars is because it was a bit repetitive. The writing was also “tumblrish”, but like I said, it still brought memories back to me. Unless you have experienced the hardship of a long distance relationship, I feel it would be hard to invest in this.

Loved this book the art style the layout it just works so well together

honestly courtney has such a way with words i can't wait to buy this !!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for the ARC.

The theme of this book is centered around loving someone long distance and the words are perfectly woven together to convey the aching you feel inside your soul to be near the one you love. It perfectly explains how the aching and sense of longing turns love into something greater than just love.

It describes the lonely nights, time differences, staying up just to hear their voice, waiting to meet, meeting, and the cycle of missing them again and again wondering and hoping that the distance will no longer be between you in the future.

The book is laid out where it goes back and forth between Courtney’s pieces and Zack’s. It perfectly captures the feelings from both sides.

My favorite line:
“I see you”
she says
but her eyes are
closed.

I found myself reminiscing back to the time I was in a long distance relationship. This book captures every single feeling that comes with a long distance relationship & every person who has ever gone through one can relate. Honestly, people who are not in one can relate to a lot of them too. Highly recommend!

**ARC copy received from NetGalley for honest review**

This was one of my first forays into poetry in a long time, and I found it to be very sweet. Though most of the content wasn't relatable to me, I enjoyed the dual perspectives and collaboration of both posts to create this specific and unique work.

The Space Between Us is a collaboration work of poetry and prose that navigates long distance relationships, the ups and downs of it.
It was a nice collection, almost reads like a story being told by two different voices about their experiences with long distance relationships, intertwining through one another. I didn’t personally connect with this collection but enjoyed it nonetheless.
Courtney Peppernell is a personal favorite of mine and I always enjoy seeing what she comes out with and this collaboration with Zach Grey was interesting and fun.
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have always really connected with this poet's work, though I know she is not for everyone. She has a very modern, less structured style, and those who are fans of traditional poetry do not necessarily vibe with her and that's OK. As someone who has never really "gotten" poetry, I have found her to be relatable in so many ways and have thoroughly enjoyed her words. I will certainly continue to read this poet and look forward to her writing.

I gave this poetry collection a three out of five stars. I really enjoyed a decent amount of them. Some of them made me feel and think. I love when that happens. I connected with some of them as well.

When I picked up this book, I was expecting a short read, and I have to admit, when I saw that the book had over 200 pages, I was a tad intimidated by the length. I tried to hide the memory of this ARC for that reason, but as the sixth of October approached, I had no choice but to start reading. Funnily enough, I finished it in less than two hours, and it will be a book I won't easily forget.

The collection features five different poems( At First Glance, Living for Tomorrow, Lonely Nights, Grow Together/ Grow Apart and When I See You), and each of them explores a phase into a long-distance relationship. The poem I liked the most was At First Glance. I feel like it portrayed the beginning of every relationship truthfully and comprehensively. The first stage of the relationship, both or the people are madly in love. This part made me a little nostalgic about an old relationship too; on one had it made me realise that the feeling those two were experiencing won't happen to me any time soon, but it also made me happy because I've been through that feeling. The moment when you're not able to think about anyone else but your significant other, missing them even if it's been only one hour since you last spoke, and so on. It reopened a part of me I thought was buried, and I loved that

I also feel like this book expressed the hardships of a long-distance relationship without living out the ugly. It dealt with the good parts and also with the bad parts. One of my friends is now struggling with a long-distance relationship, and I know how challenging it can be, but I never imagined in what way. I can safely say that this book opened my eyes when it comes to this subject.

Lastly, the illustrations in this book were beautiful! They looked aesthetically pleasing, but they also had something to do with the story itself.

Overall, despite the length, this book is easily readable and worth the time. It works great as a light read, and I couldn't recommend it more.

"Maybe our love is too powerful
to be so close together
As though we are two magnets
connecting with such intensity
that if we touched
there'd be an explosion
Electric
Fiery
More than the universe
could withstand - Zack Grey"

&

"i long for the day
when i
touch you in atoms
more than I
see you in pixels. - Courtney Peppernell"

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for providing me with a temporary e-arc.

'The Space Between Us' is an illustrated collaborative poetry collection between Courtney Peppernell and Zack Grey exploring the complexities of long-distance relationships with their own unique perspective based on the universal narrative of such love.

Divided into five 'Destinations': At First Glance, Living For Tomorrow, Lonely Nights, Grow Together/Grow Apart and When I See You, 'The Space Between Us' by Courtney Peppernell and Zack Grey promises to hit the reader in all the right spots with verses crafted on the best and worst of long-distance relationships with heart and soul. The collection navigates through the topic in the form of a generally narrated story so that the readers can relate to its essence. Consisting of poems and proses exploring the complexities of love, the two souls and their loving entwinement- the theme has been just too beautifully portrayed that you gasp. Each chapter begins with a splendid introductory piece and those stole a permanent place in my heart!

Courtney and Zack complemented each other's writing style and in pleasantly portraying their perspectives without breaking the emotional transitions. I preferred Zack's writings more than Courtney's writings, which are too modern for my taste. There were moments when some poems broke the flow or felt repetitive and that was off-putting. But apart from that, it was a pretty emotional read. I haven't read Zack's writings before, but after this, I have every intention to do so!

This might not be the best collection I have read or a collection I connected entirely with, but it is a pretty amazing collection. Without question, if you're someone in a long-distance relationship or living away from your one because of COVID-19, you'll connect with this and might like this collection. And even if you aren't, you might like this one. I will just let you decide. :)