Together, Apart was a quick read full of contemporary romance stories set in quarantine. I think this is the sort of book that readers will either love or hate: some readers may find it very comforting & cathartic to read hopeful meet-cutes set in quarantine, but other readers may not be emotionally ready to read something like this and may find it upsetting or triggering. As a librarian, I'll recommend this to teen readers with caution--for example, I would likely not recommend it to a teen who has been personally impacted by a COVID-related death or who is experiencing anxiety or depression due to the pandemic.

That being said, this book had some cute, heart-warming stories that romance readers will enjoy! As with any anthology, there were some stories that stood out more than others. My favorite, by far, was Brittney Morris's story of two teens competing to grow the best balcony garden. This one was so cute and was definitely an example of enemies-to-lovers done right. I also enjoyed Rachael Lippincott's f/f story of two roommates falling for each other--though that one does lean towards New Adult rather than YA since the main character is a sophomore in college and living on her own.

I must admit one of the stories gives me great pause about recommending this anthology to teens. The third story, by Sajni Patel, utilized a trope I find deeply troubling: guy asks girl for her number, girl declines, guy proceeds to relentlessly ask again and again until he "wears her down" and she finally gives him her number. This trope makes me very uncomfortable as it romanticizes harassment--it tells boys that even if a girl rejects them they should keep pursuing her until she gives in, and it tells girls that this behavior is cute or romantic. Any time I read this trope, I am mildly horrified, but when it's in a story written for teens, I find it deeply troubling. This story had some cute elements aside from this part, but as a teen librarian, this content makes me hesitate before recommending this to a teen.

Full of heartwarming and diverse stories during a time of uncertainty, Together, Apart, tells nine stories of life as a teen during quarantine. The stories cover character from different sexual orientations and backgrounds. All of the stories accurately depict what it is like to be living in a time of a pandemic and quarantine. From the fear of family contracting Covid-19 and uncertainty of when things will go back to normal, to the sadness and anger about everything the teens are missing out on. The characters do not let that stop them though. They continue to find romance and hope whether it is with the cute pizza delivery boy, communication through windows, a viral TikTok, or other cute and unexpected ways (all while staying socially distanced of course). Every one of the authors created such brilliant characters that you cannot help but to root for them and their happiness. This will really resonate with todays teens that are struggling with the world that we are currently living in and hopefully give them something to look forward to. Whether that be a quarantine romance or things going back to normal, or a new normal at least. Each story, relevant and real, tells of the ingenuity and resilience of youths during an unprecedented time.

This book was exactly the fun, lovely, delightful thing we need after so many months in a pandemic and no end in sight. These stories flow together so well and make the perfect collection. I found myself grinning from ear to ear from start to finish. I love how the book bookends with the stories by the Erins, they are honestly the perfect stories to start and end this collection.

This book would make the perfect holiday, or anytime, gift for yourself or someone you love. Maybe even throw in a cute matching mask.

A beam of light in these uncertain times. Great collection of short stories drawn from real experiences of people during the pandemic. This book gave me a much needed boost and was so fun to read. I recommend this book to anyone that needs a pick me up, you're sure to find a relatable character or circumstance in the pages. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion

Mini Review: This was a great short story collection! I think there is a story for everyone in this book. My favorite was Masked by Erin Hahn (As a girl who has always preferred Danny Kaye to Bing Crosby, it was nice to read a story where the main character agreed! Also, the romance was super cute.) A close runner up was Jennifer Yen's story, Love With A Side Of Fortune! If you're looking for a good short story collection, I would definitely recommend this YA book!

This is a sweet, timely anthology of YA romance. It captured some of the craziness of 2020 with meet cutes and romances blossoming within the confines of quarantine. Each story is short, making it just right for our attention spans right now, and many of them brought a smile to my face.

I recommend this if you want to feel hopeful and happy about how we can find connection even in these times.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review

I loved how the book was composed of short stories that were all related to quarantine and COVID-19. Instead of focusing on the bad side of the pandemic, the authors turned toward the bright sides and came up with these lovely stories. I'm sure they gave comfort to many people who may have been stressed out about the pandemic.

There are nine stories total so I'm only going to review my favorite ones. All of these stories were good but my favs were "Love, Delivered" by Erin A. Craig, "Love with a Side of Fortune" by Jennifer Yen, and "Masked" by Erin Hahn.

Love, Delivered by Erin A. Craig
"Love, Delivered" is one of my favs because I liked how Millie found a friendship with the pizza delivery boy, Luka. Having her parents at the hospital all the time with no wifi at her new house makes her bored real quick, but not when Luka is at her house delivering pizza. Talking 6 feet apart with masks on isn't easy but Millie and Luka develop a new friendship from it.

Love with a Side of Fortune by Jennifer Yen
I loved this one because of the diversity in the characters and the family-friendly atmosphere in the restaurant. Michelle gets her fortune told to her on her birthday about a winter horse breaking her heart, but she doesn't think much about it. Her crush Evan, the star of her high school's swim team, shows up at her family's restaurant where Michelle works for dinner one night. After that, Evan is at the restaurant almost every night and Michelle's whole family gets along with him. Will her birthday fortune ruin their relationship before long?

Masked by Erin Hahn
COVID-19 stopped school and a lot of other things including prom. Gray's prom got cancelled so the dress she was going to wear wouldn't be used anymore. Because the fabric saved for her dress wasn't going to be used anymore, Gray thinks of a new way to use it. She ends up making many masks the uncle of a guy, Jude, she met online. Not only that, but Jude also happens to look a lot like a contestant on TV that she has been fangirling about...

I enjoyed reading all these short stories and I finished the book all in one sitting. The small stories brought a lighter and happier approach to the pandemic and I'm so glad that so many amazing authors came together to create this book.

Review will be posted on November 14, 2020 on my blog as well as Goodreads.

I want to start this by saying that I apparently didn’t fully read the synopsis when I signed up for the eARC and therefore didn’t realize that all of these short stories realistically take place during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was a little hesitant because, I’m sure like most people, talking/thinking about the pandemic causes me anxiety so I was a little nervous to read these. Despite my hesitance, it was refreshing to see that although these are all short YA romances, the stories don’t romanticize the pandemic, instead showing the very real struggles of teenagers and young adults learning to adjust their day-to-day lives and I really enjoyed the stories!

This is a beautiful collection of short stories that are so relevant and feel so real. Lockdown was a very difficult time for many of us and this helps bring light back into the world. The YA perspective of the pandemic is eye opening and very interesting. I am not a young adult anymore so this gave a little insight to th emotions that teens all across the world were feeling. The beautiful moments of romance brings hope into a dark moment of the world. These were all beautifully written stories that I will turn back to in times of need.

Together apart. What a great tittle. It describes the very essence of what everyone was going through during the global pandemic & this is what made it relatable.

I love a collection of short stories that give representation to every one & this book did just that . One of my favorite stories was “ The socially distant dog walking brigade”. Two young men who are sharing their love for their dogs and sharing stories about themselves.

I love all the romances that developed in this book as a true hooked romantic it shows that love can conquer all even a Pandemic

Together, Apart was everything I wanted and more! This collection of quarantine romance short stories was adorable, fluffy, and exactly what I needed. It was a fast read and brought me a lot of comfort to see these light hearted stories set during the pandemic. I think the authors were really creative and used the idea of "quarantine meet-cutes" to the fullest potential. These meet-cutes were downright swoony and really just SO CUTE.

I've never read a short story collection before, but there's something so nice and refreshing about reading this one! The stories left me smiling and hopeful. And honestly it left me wishing that some of these stories would be adapted into full length novels one day (what can I say? A girl can dream).

In total there were nine stories in here. I'm not sure how I would rate each story, but my top three favorites were "One Day" , "Love, Delivered", and "Stuck with Her". Out of all nine there was only one story that I disliked and I think it was because it was too insta-lovey for my taste. Other than that I enjoyed them all and quite a few stole my heart.

I think that after reading Together, Apart I have a desperate need for more stories like this. I loved watching so many characters in so many different situations finding love. The representation was incredible It has an assortment of diverse characters with unique voices which made me happy to see.

So, overall, this was very enjoyable! I didn't love all the stories the same amount, but I left this collection with a smile on my face. It was a very swoony, sweet, and enjoyable collection of pandemic romances that I'd highly recommend to anyone needing something light-hearted right now.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an E-Arc via Netgalley!

Together, Apart was a complete balm to my sad soul. This collection of stories was exactly what I needed. I've found myself in something of a reading funk the last month or so because of everything going on in the world but then I got approved for this. I grasped it like it was a life raft and dove directly into its wonderful depths. I cannot tell you how reassuring it was to know going into each story that I was getting a happy ending for each one. I needed that certainty and safety especially since I don't have a lot of either of those going on right now with anything else. I've read my fair share of anthologies at this point and what's funny is that normally there's always a weak link, always at least one or two of the pack that I don't feel truly capture the brief or didn't make good use of the short form or just didn't draw me in. I am happy to say that this delightful collection of short stories is the exception to that. I loved each one in different ways and found comfort as well as pieces of myself in each one. I'm very happy to have gotten the chance to read this anthology and I'm even happier that it exists. Especially since we don't know how long we're going to be fighting covid, it's nice to know that for as long as we'll be dealing with this that I will have these pockets of sunshine, with all of these lovely characters who are experiencing some of the same struggles I am, to turn to. It is so hard to pick favorites out of these nine but the ones that immediately come to mind are Masked, Dog Walker and One Day. Those were real standouts in a field of stars for me. Such a wonderful collection. I also loved the diversity present here! I loved that we had more than just straight white couples. I look at this anthology as like a coronavirus hallmark collection but with real diversity. It was so refreshing and wonderful. I definitely recommend it.

Together, Apart is a really cute collection of ten short stories about young love in the time of quarantine. Through food deliveries, social media apps, socially distanced walks and mask making endeavors these stories paint a picture of our new way to make human connections in an unprecedented time of pandemic. Timely, sweet and hopeful Even though the whole world is in this together it is easy to feel and alone and so it was really nice to read about people going through the same things as I am, and still managing to live and connect with others. I especially loved the idea of using neighborhood chalkboards to encourage and communicate with your neighbors. A fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

MY HEART CANNOT!!!!! This was the most adorable, relevant, and real anthology. Each story shows us that love in lockdown is a possibility. We sympathize with our characters staying six feet apart, wishing they didn't have to wear masks, worrying for high-risk family members and friends, and just wanting a damn haircut! We see some meet cutes and some enemies-to-lovers. There were even stories involving different cultures and LGBTQIA+ themes. There is something for everyone in Together, Apart.

It's hard to choose a favorite, but the stories I enjoyed most were Love, Delivered by Erin A. Craig, One Day by Sajni Patel, The Rules of Comedy by Auriane Desombre, Love with a Side of Fortune by Jennifer Yen, and Masked by Erin Hahn.

COVID-19 f*cking sucks, but this book makes us all feel a little less alone.

Finally writing a book review again! I read Together Apart over the weekend, and I really enjoyed it. It's the only mainstream pandemic centric YA book out there (that I know of), which was also super interesting. I'm someone who processes what I'm going through in the moment through other people's work and recounting of experiences and through reading. With the pandemic, there hasn't been that chance. While most people are on the side of reading as escapism and not wanting books to acknowledge the pandemic, I've been craving it, and I want to write it as well (probably never will because everyone is so against it). Books and writing are how I process things. Together, Apart gave me a chance to do that. At a certain point, I think I started reading less because some days it hurt to read about teens on some other timeline living the high school/college life that feels like it's passing me by. So, I will go out on the controversial limb and say that I really want more YA contemporary that takes a compassionate, realistic look at the emotional realities of living in 2020.

Getting into the anthology itself, I enjoyed the stories so much. They're all mini romances set at the very beginning of the pandemic when we were all sewing each other masks (I still can't believe we had to sew them and the government didn't just send them to us?) and adjusting to online learning. These stories aren't about the pandemic so much as navigating a world turned upside down as a teen when your life is always getting shaken like a snow globe. I also loved all of them because of that romantic focus. Each story represented hope, new beginnings, and possibilities in a time so deeply shrouded in isolation and fear and uncertainty. I think I needed the reminder that there is so much still out there in the world, even if we're all still sitting in our houses. Though the occasional half-joke of "Do you think we'll still be in here in October" was more than a little depressing. I applaud all of these authors for writing with such complexity and nuance about a situation that none of us understood much at all when these stories were drafted.

The highlights for me included "Love, Delivered" the opening story by Erin A. Craig where the main character falls for the pizza delivery guy in the town they have to move to for her parents' hospital jobs, "The Socially Distant Dog-Walking Brigade" by Bill Konigsberg where two boys fall in love because they happen to walk their dogs at the same time, "One Day" by Sajni Patel that got to the heart of how hard it can be to live with your family 24/7 (and also includes a hot guy who plays guitar), and "Masked" by Erin Hahn where the main character, Gray, sacrifices her prom dress for the mask making cause and ends up falling for her reality TV show crush in real life in the process. While these stories acknowledge the hardship, as with most YA, there is joy and hope at the heart of each of these stories.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Random House Children's and Delacorte press, for the chance to read this book.

Together, apart is a collection of short stories, set during life in quarantine, contemporary love stories, written by some of the most popular YA authors, like Erin Craig, Bill Konisberg, Erin Hahn and so on.

We have cute meeting (with the social distancing of course) between a new girl in town and a nice delivery boy, a girl trying to impress his crush on TikTok, two boys meeting and falling in love while walking their dogs, roommates-to-enemies-to something more, crushes and meet cute and so much more.

I loved this collection so much! It was full of uplifting moments, of finding love, while talking about this crazy moment we are all living, of our life during quaranting, of social distancing, anxiety, hope and more. It was amazing how realistic this collection was and there are many stories I loved!
My favourites are:
The socially distant dog-walking brigade by Bill Konisber, because the main character was totally me!
One day by Sajni Patel was incredibly cute and funny to read and it left me with a big smile and so much hope for one day this crazy time is over.
The rules of comedy by Auriane Desombre was absolutely amazing and full of queer love and sisterhood.

Sweet, cute and romantic stories, I totally recommend this book!

The short stories included are short, sweet, and about budding romance.

At the end of the first short story, “Love, Delivered”, I was so disappointed there wasn’t move. I had just gotten really invested in the relationship potential and it was over. I would have loved another chapter, but where it was ended does make sense. I guess this is my way of saying, I’d love a full novel with those characters (or at least a novella). It’s also bookish!

The second, “The Socially Distant Dog-Walking Brigade” is a sweet LGBTQ+ young love developing story. I enjoyed it and the realness behind family that is “accepting but not accepting” of LGBTQ+ family members. It also shows that even if you have been hurt by someone in the past, that doesn’t mean the next person will also hurt you. Plus DOGS!

There are SEVEN (7!) other short stories in this compilation! I do recommend this collection for some warm fuzzy moments in a time of strife.

Together, Apart by Erin A. Craig and co, 288 pages. Random House (Delacorte Press), 2020. $10. SHORT STORIES, LGBTQIA
Language: R (48 swears, 2 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Life as we knew it may have stopped with the pandemic of 2020, but love and our dreams live on. In nine short stories, these authors show readers that, while everything is different, we move forward and will make it out of this hard time together.
All nine of these stories were fun to read; I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite. I do wish there was more of a balance between male and female points of view, as there is only one story completely from a guy’s point of view and two stories that flip between a girl’s and a guy’s perspective, a lack of variety that led to a repetitive feel. My favorite aspect of these stories is that they all end with an unspoken “to be continued,” offering hope through this pandemic that life continues and will improve.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

A big-hearted collection of stories about teen life in COVID. The way these stories acknowledge the pain caused by this pandemic—heartbreaks large and small—will hopefully make kids feel seen, and maybe even give them a little bit of hope.

I received a digital advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'll admit I was a little skeptical to read about quarantine and lockdown while still being in lockdown months later, but this collection of short stories is very cute. It gave me faith that good things can still be happening in the world among all of the chaos.
I particularly enjoyed Erin A Craig's story and I am not usually a fan of insta-love. I found it to be super charming, relatable and funny.
Prior to this, I had only read a book from Sajni Patel and nothing from the other writers but it definitely piqued my interest and introduced me to some new writers whose other work I will definitely be checking out.
I will definitely be recommending this collection to friends who want to read something relevant and timely that is not depressing. Kudos to all of these authors!