Blogger’s 4 Star Review of “Six Feet Apart: Love in Quarantine” novel by Elena Greyrock

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Will love flourish under Quarantine?”

Blogger’s 4 Star Review of “Six Feet Apart: Love in Quarantine” by Elena Greyrock 
Blogger’s 4 Star Review of “Six Feet Apart: Love in Quarantine” by Elena Greyrock

This book review originally appeared on the “A Quintillion Words” blog.

“This book is as charming as it is relevant to the current situation we’re all living in! Six Feet Apart: Love In Quarantine explores how two people find love in a strange and uncertain time.It’s not just a book about love in a COVID world, however, but it’s also about two characters developing and growing in their own way and becoming better people.I’m so happy to be sharing my review of this book — something surprisingly uplifting!

The beginning
I know what you’re thinking — “I don’t want to read fictional books in a COVID world,reality is bad enough!” That was exactly my mindset until I read A Very COVID Christmas at the end of last year and strangely enjoyed it! I was instantly intrigued to see how a different author approached this topic and with this book, things take a very different turn. It’s set five years after the pandemic began, but the world is far from what we once knew. Deserted cities and people developing a ‘fear of going out’ sets quite a dark scene, something I certainly did not expect for a romance. This instantly intrigued me and I was quite glad this author had taken a different turn to make her story as unique as possible! I really appreciated the author’s attention to detail in the book, and I felt like I could easily understand how the main character, Luna, feels. Without this character even speaking at this point, we can feel just how fed up and lonely she feels living in this new “COVID-25” world. A nice opening to the story which really made me curious!

Just as soon as we’re introduced to Luna, we’re also introduced to another character, Stryker, who we can instantly tell is going to play a big part in the story. This guy seems to be your typical flirt, a guy who knows he can get what he wants and who he wants. It took me a while to warm to this character (as people like him seem to really get on my nerves in the real world!) but I gave him a chance. Luna is completely taken a back by this guy, shocked by how much he’s already had an affect on her, and I was interested to see how their relationship would develop (or even if it could at all) while they were in quarantine. Luna is such a strong-willed character that she tries to deny all these feelings, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before she’d give in. Even though I could feel a lot of what Luna feels, I really wanted to be fully invested in these characters, but so far, I felt like I needed more from them, like I needed to spend more time getting to know them before the story developed. I hoped the author would give us more to work with as time went on.

“She knows most people have just accepted the sad situation in this pandemic world while others still takethe world’s state of panic to the extreme and take every precaution to protect themselves.”

The book is written in the present tense and even though I found this to be different and a bold move by the author, I did find it a little difficult to read in parts — this could have been because the pacing of it all was a little fast for my liking or just because I wasn’t used to reading in this tense. Either way, I tried not to let this affect my views too much. I wanted to focus on the story, and it was definitely heating up by this point. Luna finds herself in Stryker’s apartment after only a brief meeting previously — maaan, their feelings escalate quickly! Even though the pair don’t get intimate (we can’t forget about social distancing, can we?!) we can feel the chemistry between the two which was really written well. At this part of the book, we can see the author really shine — it’s clear writing about feelings, thoughts and emotions is her strong point! I also really liked the subtle humour in the book, especially as Stryker makes Luna a drink called a ‘Quarantini’. Just fantastic, and really did give me a smile!

As well as her obsession with Stryker, Luna has a day job to go to. She’s a social media influencer and has a stressful assignment — creating an impressive social media campaign to wow her boss. I liked how her feelings for Stryker didn’t completely take over the book, and the author has created a nice balance been Luna’s love life and her job. I soon found myself getting angry at Luna’s boss who seems to belittle her and pull her up on things that aren’t her fault. How dare she! I wondered if working for these people is what she truly wants or whether her calling is somewhere else. I know I’d hate to be treated that way in a job. I could only hope thoughts of Stryker would take her mind away from this and wondered if they’d ever truly be a couple. As a COVID-25 outbreak is announced nearby, I felt that familiar pang of worry we’ve all felt at some point over the last year. I just hoped Luna and Stryker were safe!

The middle
I found the futuristic elements in the book such as the self driving cars and the antimicrobial chemical mist which took away the need to wear a mask for 24 hours to be fascinating! Even though I wasn’t sure how realistic it was and if we’d ever get to this point in 2025, I still loved the idea of it. Seeing how people in the future have adapted to a new way of living and new ways of protecting one another was such a brilliant addition from the author, something very unique. However, many of these things eliminated the need for social distancing, which is the point where we finally see some pretty steamy scenes involving Luna and Stryker, with some description enough to make anyone blush! The passion these two have for one another is so clear and I was left wondering whether the two would be able to work with one another on a professional level. Had things gone too far? Would they continue their relationship or forget things ever happened? The author approached these scenes well, with description that didn’t make you cringe like some other books I’ve read!

We soon learn of a whole new side to Stryker — is he really who he says he is? I liked this little twist, but would it change how Luna felt about him? She’d have a lot of thinking to do, but in all honesty, I didn’t think she’d be able to keep herself away from him for too long! However, the arguments between the two get heated, and after the time and effort it took to get their relationship to a good place, it all comes crumbling down in the space of a few minutes. Now what?! Up to this point, we see Stryker as this over confident guy who always gets the girl, so it was quite a shock to see him vulnerable and alone after Luna’s rejection and her outburst. The author has perfected his emotions and written them in a way that seriously made me change my mind about him as a person! I began to feel sorry for him, and it wasn’t long before I was really hoping they’d make amends. I was intrigued to see the efforts he would go to to win her back over!

“Luna honestly believed she’d finally found the right guy thatshe never knew even existed. Now everything issuddenly being pulled out from beneath her.”

Just as Luna begins to calm herself down slightly, Stryker appears in the news after supposedly sleeping with another woman — I felt so sorry for Luna, and now Stryker had really got a name for himself, he was being watched much more closely by the media. The author has really made us readers feel sorry for both of these characters in their own way, but also a little frustrated at them both for not being on the same page! If only they could see into each other’s minds, things might be much different. Time passes by months into the future with the pair never making amends in this time. I quite liked this big jump in time knowing these characters would have either moved on from one another, or still feeling like they wished they’d given things another try. I wondered whether they’d both find someone new after spending so much time apart or whether they’d make a huge effort to be reunited. I wasn’t sure where the book would go from here, but I knew the author would make things right one way or another!

Luna’s career catapults in Stryker’s absence, making her richer than she could ever imagine. It was strange reading this — it kind of motivated me to become just as determined and as confident as she is! One client, Simon Caswell, is prepared to pay her a huge sum of money for her time, something which could change her life forever. I really didn’t like this guy — the author has done such a great job of making him sound one of the worst people to work with, plus it’s obvious he wants Luna for himself. She still thinks about Stryker, almost hoping that she’ll bump into him at one of her many events, but it never happens. I only hoped they’d meet again and he’d save her from this awful guy! I thought the author’s writing and the development of the plot did get better and better the further we get into the story — there was much more depth to the book at this point and after being a little unsure about the characters at the start, I felt much more attached to them here. I was looking forward to seeing how the story ended!

The end
I found I was eagerly awaiting a moment of happiness for the two characters we’ve grown to know throughout this book, and I only hoped they’d find it together. By this point, I was finding it easier to share different experiences with Luna and Stryker and I felt more invested in their stories the more they found they needed each other (more than I had previously in the book). I was beyond thrilled as Luna managed to terminate her work contract with Simon after hearing a disgusting conversation between him and his assistant, and the way Luna stands up for herself was so admirable. We can really see just how much Luna’s confidence has grown since she became more well known, using it to her advantage without abusing her power and making her an irritable person. I hope she’d continue to use this courage to go after what she really wants in her love life too! I began feeling tense as Luna and Stryker unknowingly get closer in proximity to each other as they both have to work at Coachella 2025. Stryker gets called to cover for a band who has dropped out, so knowing the pair will probably bump into each other after so long was pretty nail biting stuff! The more I read this section of the book, the more I knew fate was bringing them together, and I just knew when the pair took one look at each other, they’d want to give things another go. Even though Luna seems tough on the surface,I knew she’d let her guard down as soon as she set eyes on the guy. The author has really helped us feel what Luna is feeling here, forcing readers into her shoes and in her mind. With the end of the book getting closer, time was running out for the two, and I was desperate to know the outcome.

“‘Yes I am,’ Luna says to her reflection. ‘I am beautiful.’”

Luna and Stryker finally bump into each other, each as shocked as the other to do so. Not only because they hadn’t laid eyes on one another for a long time, but also because they’d forgotten just how much they’d meant to each other back when they were happy. The author has written their reunion scene well, filling it with emotion as well as filling us readers with hope that they would soon realise just how much they needed one another. It was really rather heart-warming! Would the pair give it another go after the festival had ended or would they agree that it was better to go their own separate ways? I couldn’t bear to read! I knew the author would end the book in the right way and delight readers with her finale.

The ending of the book leaves so much room for Luna and Stryker’s story to be continued in a second book, and I really liked how the author doesn’t round things up perfectly. I felt as though these two characters had a lot to catch up on! Would they be a couple again? I found the book to end on a pleasant note, and we also see additional content from the author in the form of original song lyrics and a recipe which was a really nice touch! All these things combined made me want to read the second book, and it has been an absolute pleasure getting to know some great characters and the author’s way with words. I’d thoroughly recommend this book for lovers of romance and potentially rom com, as well as those who want to see a little bit of positivity from the current pandemic. An enjoyable first book in this series!

Overall thoughts
The more I read this book, the more the author seemed to just bloom before our very eyes! Characters slowly grew on me and the plot was an entertaining and refreshing one to say the book is set in a COVID world. We follow two characters who meet by chance, both very set in their ways, and we see them fall in love in such a way that nothing and no one can tear them apart. Not even that damn virus! The author

places a lot of focus on character’s feelings and emotions which were consistently written well, and I enjoyed following these characters on their rocky journey. I found myself constantly rooting for them! I appreciate all the author has done to create this story, and overall, has created an enjoyable shorter read that is perfect for romance lovers!”

~ Emily Quinn