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Release Date May 5, 2020

This subject matter is definitely current and brings a bit of romance and joy into this chaotic and isolating time. You have two people who have been too consumed with their careers to really give themselves to any kind of relationship. And suddenly they have found a stranger that becomes their port in the storm.

Evan is a pro football player known for partying and hooking up. But when he finds himself embroiled in a drug and sex scandal, he needs to hide out in his friend's vacant apartment...right as the entire country feels it necessary to hide out in quarantine.

Sadie is an author feverishly trying to find her lost muse. And her muse returns in the form of a hot, sexy athlete suddenly putting on shows on the balcony next door. Inspiration is struck. Sparky dialogue and mutual attraction commence. But these two manage to truly connect in ways without being within 6 feet of each other by actually getting to know each other. Sharing the experiences of life during covid-19 quarantine and finding ways to interact meaningfully takes their relationship to a level neither saw coming.

But they are living in an uncertain world. His whole career is on hold. She is writing but may be putting too much of herself into it. And they have not even kissed. Will their feelings translate the same once they can actually touch? And what happens when the world opens up again?

I enjoyed the fact that this is about a situation we are living through together regardless of what our lives were before. It chronicles some of the ways life has changed due to the pandemic and how much more important things have become. Priorities. Family. Friendships. And the cohesiveness of the country and world at large. Finding a rare and beautiful connection that is even more life-changing during this is inspiring and hopeful.

These authors' styles flow well. The characters are completely likable even with their quirks and flaws. Evan is not only finding love, but also his true self. He is actually nurturing, supportive, protective, and open. And Sadie is sassy, sweet, and both calms him down and riles him up. They have fun banter and rapport, and loads of sexual tension. Their situation has some complications and they are bound to make mistakes, but the angst is not overdone and does not drag on too long.

Overall, it is a sweet, witty, sexy, insta-love but also slow-burn romance(sounds like an odd combo, but it really is due to their circumstances). I would have liked an epilogue with a snapshot of their future a bit farther out, but I still left it with a satisfied smile. 

Evan Sparks is hiding at his best friend’s apartment, under the guise of cat sitting. However he is really waiting for the media storm over a scandal threatening his career to die down. He isn’t a fan of the cat, and just wants to clear his name. But in the middle of the storm, the city goes into Covid-19 quarantine and he finds himself sheltering next door to a curvy woman who has caught his eye like no one before.

Sadie Walsh is a writer battling her muse. When an incredibly attractive man starts showing up on the balcony next door, suddenly her muse begins to speak again. Meeting on their balconies for snacks, meals, and yoga, this pair of loners finds a connection while the entire world waits for a pandemic to pass.

Sadie’s writers’ block could lead to financial strain if it continues, especially with the cancelation of all her author events for the summer. Evan is staring at a career in tatters if he can’t clear his name of wrongdoing, but he doesn’t know where to begin to look. Through all their career bumps, the friendship that builds over the balcony wall and through meals delivered to doors grows into a spark that has them both counting down the days until they can see if the sparks are only in their imagination, or if the sparks will shoot higher without a distance between them.

I liked the lightness this book gave back to a very unsettling time. I wasn’t sure how into the story I was going to be able to fall, based on how current this story is, but I was pleasantly surprised to find myself falling in love with each of their quirks, watching them maneuver the world of socially distanced grocery shopping, phone check-ins with out of town family, and the fear of the what if of this disease.

The premise of socially distanced dating is one of those cute-to-think-about situations that everyone thought of as the world turned to quarantine. Scott and Carlan have turned it into a meet-cute with quirky characters navigating the now-normal. This was more than just a quarantine story though, with both characters working to continue their chosen paths.