#Review #NetGalley #LoveLockedDown

Release Date: 1st February 2022 / Publisher: Little Brown Book Group UK; Sphere

Five couples. One week. A love story like no other . . .

When an apartment block is put on lockdown, its residents are in for a whirlwind week. Wild and reckless Imogen is stuck living with a one-night-stand in Flat 14 whose name she can't remember (and who she tried to steal a t-shirt from while sneaking out), and is forced face the reality that maybe it's time she grew up.

Upstairs, Isla and Danny are still in their honeymoon period, but a warts-and-all week together so early in the relationship could make or break their romance (hello, secretly applying concealer in the bathroom at 6am). Meanwhile, Zach and Serena's steady relationship is on tenterhooks, and pineapple on pizza might actually be the last straw.

At Flat 22, Olivia's Maid of Honour duties are pushing her to the edge as a wedding-planning weekend has turned into an entire (nightmarish) week... And speaking of weddings, this whole thing has made Ethan realise he wants to spend the rest of his life with Charlotte, if only he can surprise her with the perfect proposal - and find a way to sneak her into the building . . .

From make-ups to break-ups, one-night stands and proposals, Love, Locked Down is the ultimate love story. Perfect for fans of THE FLATSHARE, OUR STOP and LOVE ACTUALLY

Buy It Here!

My Review

The idea of this book sounded interesting, the first book I've read set solely around the lockdown.  Based right at the beginning of Lockdown 1, we meet five groups of people who are all in the same apartment block when a positive Covid case shuts the building down for one week – no one can come in and, more importantly, no one can leave!  Imogen finds herself stuck with her one-night stand in his flat; Zach and Serena's long-term relationship finds itself on rocky grounds; Olivia, who is hosting the wedding planning weekend for her friend's wedding, now has the whole bridesmaid group stuck in her flat; Isla and Danny are still in the very early stages of their relationship and Ethan finds himself all alone when his girlfriends Charlotte isn't allowed back into their flat.

This story is told through each of the five apartment groups.  The chapters switch between each one, with each chapter clearly headed as to which character we are with.  However, even with only five groups of characters, it did become a little confusing switching between them all.  I connected more with some characters than I did with others.  I liked Imogen's story and couldn't begin to imagine how awkward it must have been to knock back on her one-night stand's door and ask to stay.  I struggled to get on with Ethan's character though and wanted him to realise that many men would find it great to have a week to themselves at home, and certainly wouldn't be moping over their missing partner as much as Ethan was!

I did though like how well the feelings, emotions and impacts of the lockdown were shown.  We've never experienced anything like this and we certainly had no idea how we would react to being quarantined!  The characters did portray their feelings well and were able to show how much they developed through that one week.  This was not just a light hearted look at people during a difficult time, but an interesting look into people's behaviours.  Overall, I did enjoy the book, although I did think some parts were slower than others. It's filled with lots of characters, so you should be able to find one or two that you can connect with and enjoy their stories.

The Author

Beth Reekles is the bestselling author of the sensational YA series THE KISSING BOOTH, now a major Netflix hit and one of the streaming services' most watched series. In 2014 Beth was listed in The Times at No. 6 on their 'Top 20 under 25' list. You can follow her on Twitter @Reekles

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