This is the perfect lockdown love story.. it’s brilliantly written with colourful characters and comical storylines.

At the beginning of the Covid pandemic an apartment block is locked down after one of the residents contracts Covid. Love, Locked Down follows the stories of five different couples over a period of seven days, the highs and lows they encounter and the test it puts upon their relationships. There is a group of women in the midst of a wedding planning party, a couple who have only been seeing each other for a month, a one-night stand, a video blogger finds himself separated from his girlfriend and a couple who have been in a tumultuous four year relationship, all of whom wake up on a Sunday to discover they are in lockdown. At the start I did find it confusing with the number of different character introduced, however once you become familiar with who is who you quickly become engrossed in their life and will soon find a favourite couple to root for. The viral video moment was really lovely and so endearing. Another one of the character’s has a particularly sweet and unexpected ending and a couple with a more tenuous and emotional ending. The apartment building is a great setting, with the strict apartment manager hilariously referred to as ‘Walter White’.

I’m sure we’ve all experienced one or two of scenarios depicted during the first total lockdown. We see the different emotions everyone is going through and the difficulties faced spending forced time together with a loved one, 24 hours a day. The writing is good, it is an engaging plot and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC for review. My review will be published across my social media platforms and Amazon when published.

It's time to spend a week with five couples who are quarantined (locked in) in their apartment block due to a fellow resident testing positive for Coronavirus. As per the building management rules, nobody is allowed in or out for seven days. Leaving Mr Harris the building caretaker as the gatekeeper - a job that nobody would envy.

Due to the number of characters included in the story, it was difficult to fully get behind each of their storyline within the length of the book. Still packing in the funny, witty lines you'd expect from Beth Reekles I just feel that it is too busy and would have worked better as a possible series of books about the building over the course of the pandemic.

Well written, with some great storylines, this was a surprise for me in terms of how much I enjoyed it, as I feel an awful lot of authors have jumped on the 'lockdown' bandwagon recently, and not always well...

There were some real touching moments within the book, and it was a very easy read. Character development wasn't as strong as it could have been, meaning that especially at first I was getting confused between them all, but this was still an excellent read.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I've enjoyed romantic fiction set during the pandemic, so was interested to read this. Whilst it was an enjoyable, easy read, I didn't feel invested in the characters until the last quarter of the book. While they were mostly likeable enough, I think the number of leads meant there wasn't enough time for them to be developed, so I think fewer concurrent storylines would have worked better. That said, it was a gentle read and I would like to see more from the author.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book because the pandemic / lockdown can be a touchy subject. But i honestly loved this book. There were so many characters included, and I loved that each chapter was told from the perspective of a different apartment / resident. It took me a while to work out who was who, but once I got it, i couldn't put it down. Although this book was set within the first few weeks of the pandemic, it was really lovely to be able to focus on the people in the building, and to be able to be a part of their stories as they moved through the highs and lows of lock down life. I really, truly loved the characters we got to meet and their individual stories. Because of the way the book ended, and the fact we're still in a pandemic, i would love to read another installation of this book, possibly set a year or two after this book, to see where everyone is now and what's happened in the meantime.

Love how this book starts with a walk of shame. Some very witty writing and likeable characters. Very current plot line with us being in a pandemic. Might be too soon for people but not me. It is lighthearted reading other than being set in covid times. The story charts a set of flats and each flats individual story during a week in lockdown. I’d love to know what happened to Serena. An enjoyable read.

I loved the premise of this, but perhaps it's too soon for me to read about the pandemic in this way. Almost immediately I found myself questioning the reality of the situations, like "why would the caretaker insist Charlotte take an unnecessary journey back to her parents' house, in preference to letting her inside, if he's such a stickler for the rules?". Things like that drew me out of the story and it's a real shame because the characters and premise were great. But like I said, I think this will be a reall enjoyable book when lockdown is a distant memory and we've forgotten the rules we lived by.

Okay so I've come to the conclusion that I'm not ready to read about the pandemic, especially in a romance/contemporary book!

The plot sounds amazing but it honestly just started giving me anxiety from the very mention of the pandemic.

I'll try and pick this one up once I'm ready!

Sorry!!!

Fans of ensemble cast romcoms like Valentine's Day or New Year's Eve will probably enjoy this one. It follows the residents of five apartments in a building which has been locked down in quarantine for a week thanks to a contagious new virus spreading throughout the world. Among the residents is a guy trapped with a one night stand who can't remember his name, a couple still in the exciting honeymoon phase of dating now forced to cohabit for a week, and a single woman who had been hosting her best friend's wedding-planning party who is now stuck putting on a brave face as near-strangers take over her space. There's the steady long-term couple who begin to question everything, and the couple kept separated for the week who just can't live without each other. The premise had a lot of promise. It could have been funny, or poignant or tense but it wasn't really any of those things. I felt like it was a bit predictable and surface-level. Because there were so many characters, I had a hard time keeping track of them at first. They all kind of blurred into one another and seemed quite young and I never felt a connection to any of them. It was an easy enough read though if you're not looking for anything too deep.

A nice and easy read but sadly not a standout one for me. I liked the characters and the scenarios they found themselves in were fun, but I’m not sure i’m ready to read a covid related book yet haha!
The setup with the building management locking down was hard to get on board with as this would never have been allowed and I struggled to let that go.
Cute book, just too soon for me with the covid storyline.

Love, Locked Down, by Beth Reekles was a fun, easy and fast paced read. It’s a quarantine romance, focusing on five couples, across one week towards the start of the pandemic.

There is Imogen who was trying to escape after her one night stand with Nate but gets locked in the building. Ethan who is stuck on his own, whilst his girlfriend Charlotte isn’t allowed back in the building. Isla and Danny, who have only been dating a month. Serena and Zach, who four years into their relationship are beginning to feel the strain. Finally there is Olivia who is trapped doing Maid of Honour duty with her friends.

In this fictionalised lock down it is the building itself that’s been quarantined by it’s management, allowing no one in or out.

Reekles alternates between each of the apartments across the book, as we follow each couple throughout the week. Though each apartment tells its own distinct story, they do link to each other and crossover in places. There is an absolutely brilliant crossover between them all towards the end, but I won’t reveal why so as not to spoil the story.

In each story the lead characters voice is really distinct and so although each chapter tells you who you’re focusing on, you can still tell straight away who it is. I was particularly fond of Imogen and Nate’s story and the realisations and growth she had within the week. I was less armoured with Serena’s story. Although it raised important points about making sure you’re on the same page going forward and what you want for your future together, there was a bit too much on the issue being born out of the pineapple on pizza debate.

I did really like that this wasn’t just a series of love stories, but that it also explored female friendships, the importance of allowing yourself to be yourself and the difficulties of asking hard and overlooked questions. There was also decent LBGTQ and anxiety representation.

Overall this was an easy and light hearted read. Though set in the pandemic there is a lot of humour, warmth and heart.

It still feels a little close for comfort to be reading books that are set in/explore the pandemic…but this uses the lockdown as the backdrop to explore relationships.
In our fictional setting we’re asked to imagine the building being locked down as someone has tested positive. Nobody is allowed to enter or leave the building for a week…so we get to watch the inhabitants go about their business and explore the impact on them.
We have a mix of stories. The relatively new couple; the established couple who realise they don’t really know each other; the one-night stand that can’t leave; the hen party with bridezilla and the established couple who are kept apart. Some are more entertaining than others, and there’s a definite feel-good factor to every story that felt a bit much at times.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in advance of publication.

I was wary about reading a lockdown love story, worried it was too soon, but was completely won over by Love, Locked Down. Reekles is great at observing the moods, habits and quirks of lockdown, and of romantic concerns facing twentysomethings. It was funny, touching and oh so relatable.

I couldn't appreciate this book. It's my fault, I don't know how I didn't realise this book was based around the pandemic but I guess I'm just not ready for books that are set in the pandemic, like I just need contemporary books set pre-pandemic 😭😂

So frigging funny.

That's all you need to know.

A book that is filled to the brim with humour.

The dialogue between the quite frankly amazing cast of characters is hilarious. I literally spat my drink out at one point.

Beth has written something that is highly believable and immensely relatable.

I would happily re-read this book again if I was in need of a pick me up.

I can see this being many people's lockdown experience, perhaps minus the bridezilla.

A laugh a minute book that is guaranteed to entertain.

I loved this!

Very truthful, frustrating and relatable account of life in lockdown!
Following the occupants of a block of apartments put on lockdown, no one in or out for 10 days.
One resident without his partner, another had a wedding planning weekend with 4 people in a one bed flat, which went on much longer than anticipated much like someone’s one night stand, turned into a 10 nighter and a couple, all coping with loneliness, overcrowding, awkwardness and cabin fever.
Everyone can sympathise with all the emotions being explored as it is not too long ago we experienced them too!
Well written and thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you for allowing me access to a free eARC of this.

This is a young adult romance comedy which covers over being in lockdown which is very prominent and relates to very present issues and how everyone has dealt with differently and how you can still find romance within critical situations

“URGENT!!!!!!!!
DO NOT IGNORE THIS MESSAGE
NOTICE TO ALL RESIDENTS OF LONDON LANE APARTMENT BUILDING C……”

The message begins on the note that is pushed under the residents apartment doors. The note telling them all that they are all being locked down for seven days, nobody in and nobody out. One of the residents has the virus and for the next week whoever’s in stays in and whoever’s not will need to stay elsewhere.

Meet Imogen, Ethan, Serena, Isla and Olivia as they take on lockdown in unexpected circumstances. Some with house guests, others missing the one they love and a week long one night stand.

This is the first book I’ve read of this author although I’ve seen films based on her books which I loved so when I saw this I couldn’t wait to jump in.

I’ve loved reading this. At first I was slightly concerned with the amount of characters points of view as sometimes with too many characters I get lost and confused. At the beginning it took me a while to get into the swing of it but when I got to know the different characters I was fine. All the characters are so different but all really likeable. Each person is really different as are their stories but I thought they were all really good and cleverly thought out. I mean imagine trying to sneak out after a one night stand only to find you can’t leave. It was fun and cute and Lighthearted set during a time that was anything but. Really enjoyable read.

Absolutely loved this book. It completely brought back those confusing up and down emotions from the initial days of the pandemic when you had no idea what was going to happen. Loved the Walter white character who took his role as caretaker to the extreme. The story was told though the occupants of each flat from a couple who’s relationship takes a turn for the worst over pineapple on pizza, to the one night stand that lasts a week. The characters were unique and believable and great interactions.