As much as I wanted to read this book when I was first granted access via NetGalley I never managed to get round to reading it. I have now gone back through and read the Synopsis and found that now this book is just not for me and will not be reviewing. I want to thank the publisher for allowing me to have access to the book but due to my tastes changing in reading this book no longer appeals to me.

Synopsis:

Sophia is afraid lockdown will put her life on pause just as she was putting herself out there to meet someone. Jack is used to living life to the fullest and is going stir crazy until he hears a woman crying from the balcony below. He strikes up a convo with her and puts a smile back on her face. Soon the balcony meetings are the highlight of their days but even as they grow closer together, they’re always kept apart.

Review:

This is such a sweet story - wouldn't it be lovely to fall in love like this during lockdown? Even the companionship would have been wonderful if you were living on your own. If only all the single ladies had a sweet Jack living an apartment away! The lockdowns were a hard time for many, this story was a lighthearted take on them. An enjoyable and lighthearted read that I quite enjoyed.

This was one of the first books I read that tackled lockdown and I looked forward to seeing it as a backdrop for romance. However, this was a bit sickly sweet and lacked a bit of grit to make it more engaging.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love in Lockdown by Chloe James

A bit of a slow but chute read about two people trying to find love during a pandemic no one expected putting a positive spin on a dreadful time for some .

A charming read with warm and engaging characters. This captures the emotions of lockdown perfectly.

I enjoyed this book. It did take me longer than I wanted to get through it because I didn’t realize how hard it would be to look at the pandemic through a fictional character. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

I tried with this book but really couldn't get into it, the concept was good but the spark just wasn't there for me

I admire how the author wrote about the difficult circumstance we were in. I enjoyed this new type of love, where you can't see, embrace, kiss, or even be close to the person you love. This is our new reality, and we're figuring out what to do now that we can't do what we used to.

It is a nice narrative with a sweet romance between two people who don't know each other and are trying to figure out what to do with this new sensation in this strange situation. It was a slow read for me, but the tale is incredibly wonderful and amusing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I enjoyed reading this book. The love was cute and the exploration of the affects of lockdown was well done. However, there were some few moments where I felt were dull. But this was a 3 star read for me.

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book.

While I struggled reading this book when I initially received it during the 2020 pandemic, I have gone back and I am so glad I revisited this title. The content may be slightly triggering to some, but I believe James handled the delicate topic with grace and humor. I know this is a late review, but Love in Lockdown is a positive spin on a horrible situation and an enjoyable romance book for all.

Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read. Such a fun read.

After some reflection, I think I liked the premise more than the book itself. I also think books that took place during quarantine/lockdown were more enjoyable at the time it occurred and have not aged well with me.

Love in Lockdown follows the story of Sophia and Jack, two neighbors who strike up a friendship (sight unseen!) from their balconies during the initial full lockdown in the UK.

This was a cute story! I think the author did an excellent job capturing the feelings of what the lockdown period felt like!

It was less about romance/love and more about the human connection and camaraderie during the darkest days of the pandemic. I would've enjoyed it more if it was positioned as so (instead of a romance) and if I had read it in 2020 when those quarantine days were fresher in my mind vs two years later.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

Not the right genre for me. Good writing and a nice storyline, and I think people will love this book if they like this genre. Unfortunately not for me, but still a good book.

I wanted to love this book-- two strangers meet on their balconies during covid lockdowns, and fall for each other. It sounds sweet, and like something that could really get readers through a tough time. I tried to read it in 2020 and couldn't get into it, and then recently tried again. I still couldn't get into it, which is disappointing.
The book seems to be mostly dialogue that I found was often hard to follow. 1/3 of the way into the book, I still couldn't really get a feel for either of the main characters, so I couldn't really root for them or for the relationship. It read to me like a rushed draft that could have used another round or two of revision.

I tried reading this but unfortunately I couldn't do it. I like to read books to get away from reality. So reading about people being on lock down I couldn't read it.

I liked the general premise of this book, but the entire story fell flat to me. There were countless stories at the beginning of lockdown of people connecting from their balconies, roofes, and fire escapes so the basic story of two people having a meet-cute seems like the perfect romcom. I overall like Jack and Sophia as characters, but they both seemed onenote to me, and I didn't feel invested.
One of the major things that really irritated me throughout the book was that Jack and Sophia never saw each other. I understand that they couldn't visit each other IRL, but why not facetime or zoom. Why not try to send pics to each other. It seems like an extreme version of Love is Blind that is completely unnecessary. When Jack goes to her sister's wedding with her, he is just listening from Upstairs, why isn't he also on the zoom call. There seemed to be a lot of really unnecessary reasons for them not to see each other and then magically everything is perfect once they do.
There was just a lot of loose ends that got haphazardly tied up at the end along with just too much going on in the book in general. While the idea was cute, the execution just didn't match up like it should.