I’m probably going to be in the minority here – but this is NOT the time for a book like this, especially when some locations are going pack to early pandemic (2020) precautions – social distancing and masks, especially after the heart-breaking setbacks since the vaccines were released. Some people were happy to have some normalcy restored only to have it ripped away in a moment.
I’m not an anti-mask person, I’m just not comfortable wearing them – and, I’ve tried a few types. I’m opting to stay home, again, unless I HAVE to go out. I’m opting for delivery groceries (Amazon Fresh), drive-thru, and curbside.
But, this isn’t about me, it’s about the cover. And, as I love to see faces, it’s kind of heart-breaking that we can’t see smiles or emotions. So, the cover is definitely not appealing at all – it is, in its own way, even more heartbreaking.
The idea of falling in love in a pandemic is sweet as well as challenging, even more so for younger adults. But, the other side of that?
** Families were falling apart due to views on the precautions or the reality of the virus
** Families kept apart because of lockdowns
** Seniors in care centers were not able to connect with their children or grandchildren; sometimes due to housing rules in care centers spouses, were separated for “protection”
** Hospital COVID-19 precautions left some people dying without their families at their side. How sad that a parent couldn’t hold a child during their last moments, a spouse who can’t be there to comfort the other.
** Some families couldn’t hold a funeral or memorial service due to local restrictions
** Weddings had to be pushed back
** Weddings had to be canceled altogether
** Some weddings had to add masks to attire if they wanted to proceed at all
Now there are arguments over the vaccines, again, tearing families apart due to their own beliefs, even if they’re outlandish.
I don’t know if this is the publisher’s fault or the authors’, but this is definitely NOT the time for this book
I honest respect what the authors were trying to do, but as one person said – this is TOO soon, especially since the pandemic isn’t over. Perhaps it should’ve stayed in a concept form until down the road when we were past this. The pandemic could’ve worked as a flashback to the beginning while telling a story of “how they got here from there” and “what it was like at the beginning”.
I’m not naïve to think there aren’t going to be books that won’t cover this, but I find fiction books an escape. Kind of hard to escape when the reality is on the pages too. In addition, given the current situation, pandemic fiction isn’t going to have a happy ever after.