The Space Between Us: Poetry and Prose by Courtney Peppernell

The Space Between Us: Poetry and Prose Reviews

• 
  Natalie all_books_great_and_small

  I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
  
  The Space Between Us is a lovely book of poetry written by two authors - Courtney Peppernell and Zack Grey and describes the love and relationship between a long distance relationship couple.
  Each poem makes you feel the love hope, anguish, despair, heartache and longing between the lovers living so long apart and away from each other.
  
  This was a delightful read.
• 
  Emma

  The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
  This poetry collection was so nice! It's all about long distance relationships and it explores all the emotions and feelings that go into them. It isn't an easy situation because it obviously means that the person you want the most is miles away from you, but in the end it's all worth it because of love. These poems are infused with all the strong and meaningful emotions that this kind of relationships entails and I believe a lot of people could see themselves in this. I totally recommend this book!
• 
  Lauren

  The Space Between Us is a poetry collection which conveys love across a long-distance relationship. I adored the pure delight which was created from the lines of longing and yearning with promises of love and hope whilst also reveling in the despair of not knowing when or if such a distance will ever end. This collection details late night calls under the sheets and checking of the time zone added into a phone. It creates this dichotomy of love and loneliness and feeling joy and heartbreak and their simultaneous co- existence. I loved the lyrical detailing of how distance can bring you to learn more intricately about a person then you would have every thought. I loved these poems and the balance of melancholy, desire, and hope which they all held simultaneously.
  Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Sara Jovanovic

  4.5
  
  This was an extremely pleasant suprise. I'm a fan of Courtney's writing, but this is the first time I'm reading something by Zack Grey, and he did not disappoint. Everything about this collection worked perfectly for me, from the topic, to the emotion incorporated in pieces, writing style, everything was flawless and I think this might be my favourite Courtney's work to date.
  
  The overall theme woven through collection is long distance relationship. It describes every aching moment from lonely nights, waiting to meet the person, and the beautiful ones that come in a short periods of time but are impactful nevertheless. I loved it, and I deeply felt every single word. Maybe it's something about the topic, but I feel like this was perfect for me.
  
  Poems were constantly switching from Courtney's to Zack's and it perfectly captured feelings coming from both sides. It was bittersweet, but I never wanted it to end. And I appreciate the honesty, because this was everything I could've wanted from a single collection.
  
  "i see you"
  she says
  but her eyes are
  closed.
  
  Thanks to the Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Alisa

  I have mixed feelings on this poetry collection. On one hand, I absolutely adored the poems written by Courtney Peppernell, and I knew that would because she is one of my favorite poets. But on the other hand, the poems by Zack Grey did not quite work for me. Maybe if I read his work on its own I would have liked it more, but because his poems were switching with Courtney's I would find myself loving one poem and then being so-so on the next poem.
  But,overall, it is a solid poetry collection about long distance relationships and all the feelings that come with it.
  Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Phoenix Olivia

  God this book made me cry so much. It's so relatable. It was such a wonderful book.
• 
  BreAnna (Bre'sBooks)

  **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.
• 
  Chamali Raigama

  My boyfriend gifted me this book as an anniversary gift — it’s the perfect poetry book to reflect and appreciate the little things about long distance relationships and love. This came to me at the 2-year mark of my relationship while we had been separated for 10 months due to COVID-19. It was truly special to read such reflective and relatable poetry written by both authors — it’s a definite heavy feeler read but well worth the time.
  
  It’s also a great gift idea to a significant other! My boyfriend annotated within the book with reminders of moments the authors talk about that he felt were reflective of our relationship — so that’s a cute idea if anyone would find that helpful for gifting :) Enjoy!!
• 
  Leonie

  As a romance reader I appreciate all of the yearning in these poems, but overall this book was just too repetitive for me to enjoy. The writing style was also too “tumblr poetry-ish” for my liking. 1.75 stars.
  
  
  [I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]
• 
  Andrea Pole

  The Space Between Us by Courtney Peppernell and Zack Grey tells the heartfelt story of a long distance love that moves between the heady euphoria of attraction to the logistical complexities of two longing hearts separated by what often feels insurmountable. Told from the highly personalized perspective of each partner through a lush blend of poetry and prose, the experience of maintaining a long distance relationship is laid bare, and is raw in its honesty and profundity. This was a beautiful and very relatable read.
  
  Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.
• 
  Anuja

  3.5 stars
• 
  laraib ✨

  This was such a beautiful and unique collection of poetry that perfectly encapsulates the experience of a long-distance relationship.
  
  Each word of this collection was so personalized and relatable, it felt as if somebody had been monitoring every emotion that I’ve felt in the last six months and had recorded it down to the last detail just to put it in this book. I loved the way that both authors split their works into five sections, with each representing a phase of a long-distance relationship. The writing from both Courtney Peppernell and Zack Grey was incredibly vivid in the best way possible as I could literally feel the love, yearning, and heartbreak seeping out of each page as I read it. They managed to nail every detail down. The little illustrations accompanying the poems were lovely too.
  
  Definitely a must read for anybody currently in a long-distance relationship.
• 
  Aiyana

  Zack Grey’s poems carried this book. I got so excited when I saw this was a collaboration with Courtney, but sadly Courtney’s poems kind of sucked.
• 
  Rene

  Not for me but I can’t judge too hard because it did say that this book is for long distance relationships and friendships (didnt see much of the friendship aspect though). i feel like the poems were very surface level and i did gravitate more towards courtney’s writings. Zack’s poetry really isnt for me i feel like they are very very simple (which not saying poetry cant be that) but they dont say much besides what’s written there. and what’s written reads like a tumblr post.
  not saying poetry should be hard to understand and inaccessible but we really dont hold the same standard for poetry as we do for novels because this really did not seem like a final draft. Zack’s poems that were longer were much better than the three word ones in my opinion, if he were to give himself more time and space to build on the simple ideas I think he would have a better contribution to this collection. peace and love though
• 
  iz✨

  3.5 stars, rounded down
  
  I really liked this! As someone whose best friend lives on the other side of the world, this hit a bit too close to home and I cried,,, multiple times. In more surface-level terms, I'm in love with the cover (it's leathery with shiny gold bits and is just generally Very Cool) and parts of it were very gay which was a nice surprise. However, a lot of the poetry felt a bit lazy and it began getting a bit repetitive by the end. Some of it was really good but we had a classic 'you get me/so you get/me' which made me want to die a little bit. The structure also felt a bit strange, I get what it was trying to do, but it did take away from the impact of the end. So, while I enjoyed it, it gets a lower rating because of the lapses in quality.
• 
  cossette

  I've always loved how Courtney Peppernell writes, and was incredibly excited that she was releasing a new collection with Zack Grey - While I haven't read much of his stuff, I've enjoyed what I've seen of it. This collection was filled with yearning and longing, and I think was especially relatable during this time of COVID19. I could feel the heartbreak and the loneliness and the joy and the pure love radiating off of the page.
• 
  Ava Orofino

  Literally think I am in love with everything Peppernell writes. Rereading this almost everyday I think.
• 
  Michelle M

  Beautiful and moving, I couldn’t stop crying. A must read for anyone experiencing long distance between loved ones.
• 
  Serene Edwards

  Despite it taking me ages to read (thanks reading slump lol), coming from a past relationship where it was long distance I could really resonate with the emotions that comes with the difficulty from it but how it’s all worth it when you’re with them.
• 
  Coralie Michon

  this book made me cry so hard. i put post-its at almost every page. i really do feel like i can relate to every single words in this book. the authors made me feel like im not alone in this situation, they had the words i couldnt find to express myself and this is probably one of my favourite contemporary poetry collection.
• 
  vassa willow

  ew no.
• 
  Sherri

  A new collection from a poet that I will always look forward to reading. The Space Between Us for me looks into the way today we can be connected all around the world by a few strokes of a keyboard and a screen. Courtney Peppernell explores the trials of love and what it's like to live a life separated by distance from the person you care most about.
  The Space Between Us is divided into five sections with small graphics to visualize the journey of once being or experiencing a long-distance relationship. I enjoyed the entire collection with a few speaking more to me and I narrowed it down to one that spoke the loudest. Hopefully it will make others want to read one of her poetry collections by reading my favorite poem written by her, down below.
  
  She asked me once what would I do if she lost her memory.
  How would I remind her of my touch, my scent,
  the way we kiss, from all these miles away.
  
  And so I told her, "You can still feel the sunlight from
  thousands of light-years away, you can still see the beauty
  in the stars burning miles before yesterday, you
  can still hear the call of your love's voice even after the
  dream ends, you can still understand the magic of a letter
  long after words have been penned."
  
  I told her that memory is more than being present. It is
  in the way I feel every time I see a flower in her favorite
  color; it is in the playlist we made each other this past
  summer. It is in the stories we share about our day; it is in
  the pictures we have that will last forever.
  
  I told my love, "The space between is not measured
  by how many lonely nights we spend apart but rather
  all the beautiful moments always connecting my heart to
  your heart."
  
  Kindly provided by NetGalley
• 
  Katy

  After reading one of Courtney's other entries I Hope You Stay (and still being relatively new to her style), I was open to giving this a go and see if her work was more expansive. Unfortunately, I found this to be more frustrating. These prose center on Courtney and fellow poet/collaborator Zack Grey sharing ruminations about long-distanced relationships starting with how far apart they are to reuniting towards the end. But it didn't feel like the authors were on any sort of overarching journey of connectedness with the people they were writing about. Their poems certainly hit the mark with the title because most of the poetry is just about longingness. Even if that's the aim of the book's theme, the poetry and prose felt irritatingly repetitive in the choice of words/phrases such continually using a pillow to act like the other person's absence in bed and ending multiple poems with "you are mine" to rhyme with "time."...A lot of popular poetry on social media and pinterest isn't for me (which is what Courtney's work reminds me of), and I know that going in....I'm always willing to be open-minded, but then is left frustrated that these compilations count as popular poetry/prose.
• 
  BAM

  
  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!
• 
  Emily

  *An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Receiving said copy in no way influenced my opinion of this title*
  
  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.
• 
  Neriah

  "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. :)
• 
  Julia Black

  Thank you Andrew's Mcmeel Publishing and Netgalley for my copy.
  
  I was really excited about this book when I seen it on Andrew's Mcmeels website a couple of months ago because I love Courtney Peppernells poetry and I enjoyed one of Zack Greys collections but this one tremendously fell flat for me. I hate saying this about a book but this one was so boring to me. All the poems are so repetitive. I didn't really find them very memorable and I constantly felt my attention drifting from the book when I would read. You can tell the differences between the two authors writing but that's about it. I love their writing but this book just wasn't for me sadly. As always with Courtney Peppernells books the artwork and stuff is always super cute.
• 
  Elyssa

  I want to thank Andrews McMeel for providing me with an advanced copy of this collection.
  
  I was in a long distance relationship for about two years until my fiancé moved from Seattle to Cleveland, so having had that experience made me really excited for this collection when I saw it as an upcoming title. I connected with much of the content and many pieces and lines really hit home. Unfortunately the poems in this collection quickly became redundant and boring, even with my investment in the theme, which alone was not enough to carry the collection for as long as it went on. I felt as though I was reading the same poem over and over again. I wanted to really love this one because of my own experience and connection to the sentiments but it just wasn't enough for me.
• 
  Krys

  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.