Immediately I was drawn in to it being a book about a building lockdown during a pandemic, the C- word is not used and there's very little reference to what the virus is or its effects but with things like Zoom quizzes, Tiger King binges, working from home and furlough I think we ALL know what the deal is without it being mentioned.

This was so interesting, immediate"fly on the wall" stuff with different residents of an apartment building being immediately, without notice, put in to a 10 day lockdown where anyone in the building cannot leave and anyone out of the building that night can't return! I'm sure there were perhaps stories of a similar nature around the world but this extreme measure impacts our characters in a whole manner of ways which I found fascinating to consider. Couples kept apart, new couples forced to cohabit for the first time, virtual strangers living together, and a one-night stand that couldn't leave, it's as funny and as stressful as you can imagine.
What this book absolutely got right was how different many of us are behind closed doors compared to our work, friendships, family life etc and how we react under pressure. The anxiety and complete mayhem of things like having no change of clothes, missing our routines, having little things magnified beyond belief due to extreme circumstances etc are written in a very clever and relatable way.
A little bit through the middle my attention was waning but I absolutely loved the ending, it was everything I had hoped for!
Really entertaining and a story for our times!

A cute set of stories which were engaging and interesting highlighting the insane times in which we all currently living.

Slightly reluctant to read anything with Covid mentions...I want to escape from this reality with my books but actually the story doesn't dwell too much on the pandemic although that is the backdrop. Ultimately it could have been for any number of reasons why there was a locked down building. I liked that within one building there were all these lives happening and slightly intertwined like a block would be but I think slightly less wouldve been more on this occasion. Dipping in to so many different flats meant to me that you didn't really get to empathise too much with any particular characters and so I wasn't overly invested. However, I did find myself skim reading the ones that I found less interesting such as the man pining for his girlfriend (although got better at the end for their story) or the hen party flat (yawn). Overall the premise and the storyline were enjoyable but didn't quite live up to my expectations from this author.

Love, locked down is a laugh-out-loud book that readers can resonate with - even it's just being 'locked down.'
I loved how the stories intertwined with each other and each of the stories stood out on their own.

It's a perfect 'get lost for an afternoon, feel-good book.

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.

This was a good book but I feel the characters somewhat dragged there story out! To be trapped in a block of flats in quarantine with ransoms! A good read but I wouldn’t re read it.

Love Locked Down by Beth Reekles a fantastic five-star read that you would love to be locked down with. This took me a little while to get into, but I think that is just that there is a fair chunk of people to get to grips with, but the chapters and POV are clearly labelled so you don’t get lost for long. I was definitely rooting for some characters more than others, but I loved how they interacted and built so many relationships, including breaking some, but you need to read to find out who broke and who got fixed. This was such a compelling read, I started it when I was in a total slump and it kickstarted my love for reading once again. I started reading and ignored everything in my life, I wanted lockdown to come back, so I wasn’t disturbed while reading. I love a good drama, and this had it in spades, as well as romance and friendship and a reality that shone through. I loved how it shows you relationships are hard, not just romantic ones, but friendships and those we have with our nearest and dearest, be those family or neighbours. This is a great story and one you would be sorry to miss.

An enjoyable read that I would recommend to others. I’ve not read any by this author before but I would do again. Gladly. Well done!

The hype around this books was huge and I will say for a debut novel it was good but at the same time it left me feeling a little bored at times waiting for a bit of action. Nevertheless, it was a good perspective on female adulthood and the current times. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book with its outlook into everyone’s lives as they all hit the wall when lockdown happened. From the one night stand to the established couples and the wedding crew this was funny emotional and extremely well written.
Great ending and looking forward to more titles from this author

Highly recommended read

DNF @ 36%. This title really intrigued me - it sounded like a cosy and fun read set in/around the current time. Sadly, I didn't gel with it. I found the characters somewhat irritating and the very lengthy scene with the girl having a wobble about her relationship because her boyfriend ordered pineapple on pizza was just a massive eye roll tbh. Just wasn't for me.