Thank you netgalley for an arc.

It didn't quite hit the mark for me. While the premise seemed promising, the execution left much to be desired. I found the plot to be lacking in depth and originality. The characters felt somewhat one-dimensional, and their interactions failed to resonate with me. Despite my reservations, there were a few positive aspects to the book. The writing style is easy to follow, making it a comfortable read.

This story runs a little on the slower side, but it was still really enjoyable. The story centers around two people from opposite ends of life who still manage to find a common ground. It focuses on some heavy topics so not a light and easy read, but definitely worth it. A lot of the topics and conversations were relatable to real life, which made it enjoyable and easier to connect with. I also liked the ending. I'd really like to read more by Drew Davies.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide me review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

This was such a beautiful and poignant read and will stay with me for a long time.

This was an emotional read that brought a lot of sensitive issues to the forefront and also charted the friendship between the
Two main characters which demonstrates that friendship bonds can be made with people of any age.

As the story unfolded secrets were unlocked and the past was brought out into the open and this only added to the increasing friendship being made between the characters and their continued happiness.

This story really makes you think about how we spend half of our lives trying to please others and worrying about what others think of us and also that at the end of the day material possessions mean nothing and that it is the things that money can’t buy which are more important.

This is a compelling book focused on two characters- a teenager, anxious about money and his future, and an older woman whose past is shrouded with a dark mystery.

Their friendship is a beautiful part of this book, which reads like a heartwarming film- the two characters showing up for each other the only ways they knew how.

Thoroughly enjoyable and a nice change of pace from the type of books I’ve been reading recently.

This is the story of the unlucky friendship between 82 year old Esther and 18 year old Bruno. What starts as the younger teaching the older about the internet turns into a lovely friendship.

Oh this book was so lovely - I loved Esther’s character so much she reminded me of when my Nan was alive - no nonsense and knowing her own mind. Bruno was a lovely character too and I felt so sorry for him with what he went through. The author did such a good portrayal of the characters thoughts and feelings and I can’t believe that this practice is still a legal thing in the United Kingdom. This was a book that I didn’t want to put down I needed to know what was going to happen to both characters. This was also my first book by this author but I’d love to read more.

Drew Davies is adept at cozy reads that don't let you get too cozy. The Locked-Away Life is filled with lovable, relatable characters, with an underlying tension. This was a beautiful story, that has aspects most readers will be able to relate to and is communicated with lovely writing.

The Locked-Away Life by Drew Davies is a unique and heartwarming read featuring characters that will stay with you long after the final page is turned.

Esther is an eighty-two year old recluse who places an ad seeking help in learning how to work a computer so that she might solve a decades old mystery. Bruno, who answers the ad, is an eighteen year old who, on the cusp of adulthood, is trying to find his place in the world while struggling with a secret of his own. Will these two lost souls find the answers and acceptance they seek in each other?

This is a truly endearing and engaging story of friendship between generations, and the power of human connection.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

This was ultimately just Okay. I think there are significantly better books about elder adults trying to fix their lives on the market.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

This book was a sad yet heartwarming tale woven through relationships. The writing continues to gain steam as the novel continues. I enjoyed the book and shed some tears!

'"Did you ever do anything radical, Bruno?"'

The Locked-Away Life is a story about life. It is the story of two slightly lost souls meeting, connecting, and ultimately lifting each other up. One of them is 82-year old Esther, who has been living as a recluse for decades. She grapples with issues from her distant past, while also keeping her daughter at bay, ensuring that her house is not sold from under her, Jane being carted off to some home. The other is 18-year old Bruno. Just having finished his A-levels, Bruno is on a gap year trying to figure out his life (he doesn't want to end up working at the warehouses in his village), but also who he is (a Romani past, an attraction to another boy...) while attempting to be the man of the house as his father struggles with cancer. The two meet when Esther is ready to learn how to use the internet, and an unlikely bond grows

I am so so torn on this book. There were several moments where I was ready to stop reading, because the pace was to slow and I wasn't connecting with anything happening in the story. Then there were moments where I just couldn't get enough and needed to keep reading as quick as I could. The book was not what I expected at all. Some of that was good, some of it wasn't. When it comes down to it though, I fell in love not only with Esther and Bruno, but also with Jane, Filip, Mitch and Dominic and really the entire cast of side characters. They were delightfully real. And perhaps that is what this book is, a real story, about real people, with a real life.

I love books about grumpy old people and this sweet, funny and heartwarming novel was no exception. It covered some heavy topics including conversion therapy in a touching way, and despite a slow pace, kept me hooked throughout.

Thanks to Bookouture for the copy to review.

Unusually, there are two prologues. The first is heart rendering, with Bruno and the second, a terrifying moment with Esther and then it folds out into chapters with these two main characters, alternating with their colliding stories as it goes along as it explains all, how these 2 people meet. It goes right back to a chance encounter of 18 year old Bruno and an advertisement in the community library, one that is a book swap bit of a hair salon. Bruno answers the ad and this is when life changes for him and Esther, an older lady who requires some help. She’s funny in a way, in the beginning as in haha funny and quirky as well as in the tricky sort of manner of the word.

Esther needs help and Bruno needs money, so takes up the offer. She’s got quite a history and quite an attitude to growing ever older. She is also determined or stubborn and has decided she never wants to leave the Manor House she rattles around in. She would say determined, I’m sure, whereas Jane will reckon more stubborn and sees how Esther is no longer able to be as independent as she once was, which she recognises a little herself, as in a smidging.
It’s an interesting pairing, but a good one, showing young and old can come together in all sorts of circumstances and there be a maturity and a developing of that relationship of sorts, and with it’s these characters, it is engaging to see how they develop in their lives. It is intriguing to see the eaking out of secrets and how they both essentially needed each other, but prior to the chance encounter of an ad, they weren’t aware of each other’s existence.
There is also, throughout the relationship between Bruno and Dominic throughout, which brings some exploration of romance and queries around that and sexuality. It also then weaves into conversations with Esther.

Interestingly, it all ends in 2 epilogues. 1 for Esther and on for Bruno,

The manner the conversations come together are not only well observed, but make reading this book immersive and easy to lose yourself in the book’s, sometimes heart-rendering, sometimes heartwarming pages.

Esther has barricaded herself in her house, where she lived alone for so many years. Her only visitors are her daughter and her neighbour, a woman who seems to have taken her into pity. Filled with regrets, she spends her day wandering in her huge house like a ghost. One day, she decides to post a classified advert for an internet assistant. This decision will change her life.

What a heartwarming story ! I loved reading about Esther and Bruno. Bruno is a lovely boy, and I felt heartbroken for him and the issues he has to face.
This unlikely couple is easy to connect with, and the switch in narration is well done; we hear both sides of the story. Bruno and Esther are relatable characters, and the story is overall very compelling.
The book's cover is so beautifully designed, it made me want to discover the story behind it.
I will definitely recommend this book, and I hope it will be translated into French !

A sweet, though at times sad, novel told from the alternating perspectives of two characters. Esther is an old woman who has been living as a recluse in her mansion in a small town in England for many years, while Bruno has just graduated from high school in the same town and is trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life and come to terms with his own identity. When Bruno sees a flyer posted by a neighbor that says Esther is seeking internet lessons, he jumps at the chance for another way to make money - but does not expect the intergenerational friendship that will eventually come to change both their lives for the better.

Books about grumpy reclusive old people who form an unexpected friendship with someone much younger have become their own booming sub-genre and this is another good addition to the genre. Both Esther and Bruno are good characters and the book manages to combine sadness and humor and some heartwarming moments as well. Looking forward to checking out Drew Davies’ backlist.

The locked away life was a very emotional and heartbreaking while heartwarming story.
I liked the characters and the whole mix of them made the story interesting from the beginning to the end. I think I want to have some friends like that , but I’m such an introvert that it’s just a dream for now.
The writing was slow in the beginning but picked up and flows in a way that makes you forget about everything around you and be immersed in the story and settings.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

The author does such a great job in portraying the main characters of her story in a way that makes me feel like I truly know them. They are real and raw and I often found myself thinking about them as I would a person I actually knew. This is not a light read, but a beautiful one.

I went into this book expecting light and fluffy but, to my delight, that is not what I got. This novel deals with some serious issues in a sensitive and thought-provoking way. I'll definitely be looking out for more by this author.

When I read the description of this book I thought I'd cry buckets of tears reading it. But somehow, I did not get emotionally attached to the characters. I wish there was more of Esther and Bruno. I wish to have known Esther's life with Thackeray more. I wish to have gotten to know more about Bruno's personality, too.
I do think that this type of stories doesn't have to be a fast read because some people might be triggered with the topics discussed in this book. For me serious issues are tackled very lighthly and the ending was very unrealistic.

Locked Away Life

An unexpected friendship forms between two strangers (82 year old recluse Esther and 18 year old Bruno) who have nothing in common except that they have spent most of their lives in hiding. It’s the beginning of a journey – featuring a secret motorcycle ride, an escape plan, and a garden party with whisky, apple pie, and dancing the jig. Along the way, can a locked-away life finally start living?

I went in pretty much blind to this one and after reading the prologues I mistakenly thought this was going to be a thriller, but is actually a really heartwarming (and heartbreaking in places!) story with some very lovable characters.

If you enjoy books about multigenerational relationships, especially those with a feisty and endearing octogenarian would highly recommend you give this a go 😊