I was very pleased with this book. Very happy that it was written so quickly to be able to read while these lockdowns and restrictions are going on.

I completely resonated with Jack, as I have an underlying illness and was told to stay inside at the beginning of these lockdowns. I didn’t go to grocery stores or leave my apartment. I live across from a hospital and I loved the Friday night clap because EMS and cops would come sirens blaring.

A lovely book about community coming together during the hard times that we are living in now. Thank you Chloe James for putting this out.

This COVID-19 pandemic has affected so many people! I think it’s amazing that authors like Chloe James took advantage of the situation and came up with a brilliant story of a community coming together to help one another. After all, people feel their best when they have a purpose.

Sophia lives in a flat and is a teacher who does her best with her six students she’s in charge of during COVID lockdown. These children’s parents work as first-responders and throughout this book, they seem to grow and mature. Sophia makes friends with her neighbor who lives upstairs, Jack. The two hit it off with sharing drinks and snacks with a basket that Jack sends down to Sophia while they chat.

Their entire neighborhood seems to become part of this relationship as they all support one another and grow closer as a community. From Thursday evening claps for their local hospital workers to having a lockdown choir from all their balconies and social distancing in the courtyard. They set up food deliveries and phone chats with people who are shut ins or just living on their own.

It’s amazing how being forced to stay home and limit your excursions teaches us to be more mindful of others. I remember complaining that there wasn’t enough time to do things and during lockdown we had all the time in the world, we just couldn’t really go anywhere. It’s been perfect for reflection and pondering what we’ll do when everything is “back to normal”.

A digital copy of Love in Lockdown by Chloe James was awarded to me through the Love in Lockdown competition from Harper Collins Publishers via NetGalley. There is no obligation to review this book, but I insist! I give Love in Lockdown by Chloe James 5 out of 5 tiaras because I laughed, I cried, I was surprised, I worried, and I mostly I felt like I lived in Sophia and Jack’s community! The worst part of finishing a book is realizing I don’t live there and I need to return to reality!

Interesting enough, this book takes place during the 2019 spring lockdown many of us experienced. I think this takes place in Australia, but it could also pass for the UK. Ironically, I’m reading it as the UK is on emergency lockdown, due to the claimed “new strain” of this coronavirus. It would be fun to see a second book where Sophia and Jack get married during this latest lockdown in the UK!

This had the potential to be an adorable storyline with the current state of the world. However it fell short for me. I understand the author was following all the rules of quarantine life and it was set in a place that was far worse than where I lived, but it just seemed too illogical. There were too many obstacles and reasons for them to be kept apart when they lived so close. I feel like the author just put too much into one story line for it to end up working out.

This book was a light hearted and charming romantic comedy. I liked that the book brought up important issues during the pandemic like mental health etc.

Love in Lockdown is a fun story that shows that love and happiness can be found in the most unlikely situations. Jack and Sophia, two people who have never met, offering comfort and support during stressful, unusual, and uncertain times. They meet while in lockdown, as Sophia lives in the apartment below Jack. They chat on their balconies, and though they can’t see each other, they develop a friendship, which slowly turns into something more. The story follows their budding romance while in lockdown and highlights the stories of their neighbors and friends as well.

The story alternates between Jack and Sophia’s points of view. I like this dual perspective. You really get to understand how each character feels about the pandemic, their situations, and their feelings for each other. Being stuck in quarantine affects people differently, and I thought the author showed that well.

The story includes strong messages about the strength of community and highlights all the different ways people support each other and connect during the pandemic. I love this aspect of the story. It’s so relevant and realistic and shows that there are ways to connect even when we can’t be physically with each other. The story also includes other realities of the pandemic – the toilet paper shortage, Zoom meetings, and Face time – that became part of our daily life.

I really enjoyed the romance between Jack and Sophia. Two people who might never have met if the pandemic hadn’t hit, Sophia and Jack care for each other, both physically and mentally, even though they can’t physically be together. Jack makes this box pulley so that they can share food and drinks, they talk and share their feelings, and they work together to help others. Their relationship is sweet and charming, and I liked that they became friends before it developed into more.

This is a story that captures the feelings of that first Covid lockdown. It’s timely and relatable and offers optimistic and hopeful messages that make you feel optimistic and inspired. Plus, it has a lovely romance and a great cast of side characters! I’m so thankful to have won this in the Love in Lockdown Giveaway hosted by Avon and Harper Collins Publishers!

I had to DNF this book. I read up until 40 percent and I tried reading more of it but I just could not finish it. It just does not make any sense to me, its boring, theres nothing interesting that makes me want to keep reading it. both character are pretty boring and uninteresting. I found it hard to connect with both other than being quarantined. I just felt that the story would have been a lot more interesting if there was something different and more fun.

This is a very sweet story but, when you are reading a book about lockdown whilst still in lockdown then, well, it’s just a little too realistic for my liking.

Lockdown is so provocative. Everyone has their own stories to tell, ranging from positive and celebratory, to the negative and traumatic. Therefore, I applaud James’s bravery for approaching a topic so head-on, creating a novel that feels like I was watching aspects of my own life earlier in the year. However, whilst James vividly portrays the limitations experienced in lockdown, she definitely celebrates the community spirit that grew from everyone having to stay at home.

Sophia and Jack are lovely characters. James has chosen two types of people for this story: a key worker having to travel to school each day and be a teacher to a very reduced class size; on the other hand, Jack is having to shield for medical reasons. He very quickly realises that he needs to rely on others for support, especially when it becomes clear that even getting a shopping delivery slot is a challenge.

Undoubtedly, James goes into vast detail about so many defining elements of lockdown. There’s reference to Joe Wicks’ PE lessons, our acceptance of video calling, and, most importantly, the weekly clapping for our NHS. It’s surreal to read this in a book that is fiction, because James captures our experiences of lockdown so expertly. Indeed, the writer’s description of how going outside is compared to vulnerable animals was really thought-provoking, especially as I still recognise these behaviours around me. This is why I found the story a little too realistic for my liking.

In terms of a romantic read, this book had everything you need. The growing friendship between Sophia and Jack is lovely. There is, unsurprisingly, a rather lot of dialogue in this story because, not being able to interact much, this was our only way of communicating. I could not help but question why Sophia and Jack did not simply FaceTime each other after swapping numbers to establish a community What’s App group but, of course, this would ruin the magic of the story.

Whilst I did enjoy the blossoming connection between Jack and Sophia, personally, I did not like to be reminded of the living nightmare that has defined this year. I understand what James was trying to achieve but, I crave escapism in books and this definitely did not provide that for me.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A nice novel about two people living above each other in appartements with balconys. They've never met, but duw to the first lockdown, they get to learn eacht other bether. He is Jack and can't go out, she;s Sophia and is a teacher. She is full of ideas and is helping the neighbourhood.

The people are great person, and there are a lot during the book. And it's al lot of dialog. The first part of the book is slow to read, after half of it, it's getting more speed. Not very much is happening in the beginning, but in the end many things happenend en loose ends will be closed.

It's nice to read, but not more than that. The settting is original (first lockdown), but al little depressing now where again in lockdown. Better to read this when its all over..

Super fun! The author does such a beautiful job of being sensitive to this insanely sad pandemic we're in and making the plot relatable. I've often wondered what it must be like for individuals who aren't coupled up to navigate the 'white space' of open weekends where there used to be so much activity. Chloe James really makes you root for each character individually and as a collective group.
I would whole-heartedly read more of her books!

What an adorable story. It’s lighthearted and sweet which I think some of us are in desperate need of. It made me wish I had a cute neighbor to keep me company.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A cute rom-com with an interesting background, entertaining and complelling.
I liked how it dealt with the issues related to the lockdown and it delivers an enjoyable story at the same time.
Good character and plot development, an interesting setting and a good romance.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I enjoyed the first lockdown novel mostly, while sometimes feeling it's a bit close to home and a bit near in time to feel entirely relaxed and comfortable. The afterword makes it clear that quite a lot of the detail is based on people's lives close to her and that makes it more of a book based on lived experience and less of an exercise in exploring each category of people and the effect of the pandemic on them. It's a good and engaging book and I'm glad I read it; it's well done and the the plot and characters are handled deftly. Reviewing on my blog later.

This is what I would call a semi-hard hitting romance. I say this because our novel is set during the height of lockdown in London during COVID-19. Sophia and Jack are our main characters and as we read we learn that Sophia suffers from epilepsy and Jack has kidney disease. This novel was about the everyday struggles that we all faced during lockdown such as; staying inside for our own safety as well as our friends and family, only going out for exercise once a day, being alone with our thoughts and emotions and the danger for those who are at high risk. The writer did a fantastic job capturing the small acts of kindness that helped to get us all through the spring and summer.

I will say this is not your average romance. This was because of the setting, because people had to stay six feet apart or as our British counterparts say 3 meters. However the author solved the issue of our characters meeting and falling in love by placing them in the same apartment building with Jack living in the apartment above Sophia’s. Because Jack lived upstairs he heard Sophia crying one evening after the weekly applause for the health care workers and being a nice guy asked what was wrong. From that point on they had many conversations each on their separate balconies and even came up with some ways to help their friends and neighbors. I would say that this could even be qualified as a Christian romance as it was filled with sweet conversations between our two main characters and they did their best to improve life in lockdown for their friends and families. Yet it did feel a bit like Romeo and Juliet except that they were being kept apart not by disapproving families but by a virus we are very familiar with. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, perhaps because it was so relatable because my hometown and state were in lockdown from spring until summer and life still isn’t quite the same. I thought this was a really cute book about everyday life and a romance that actually seems like it could happen in the real world. I will say that the end was kind of all over the place, the writer added in some things that had to be wrapped up pretty quickly and while they were very sweet I’m not sure they were integral to the story. Otherwise I really liked the book and gave it four stars.

So, I thought this book was really cute! I quite liked both Sophia and Jack, and really the entire cast of neighbors and puppies.

I think with this one though, I shouldn’t have read it while still in the middle of the pandemic...it’s odd reading about a topic we are still in the middle of? That’s more “user error” than anything though. But it is part of why it took me longer to read than it should have.

Sophia and Jack have lived near each other for a while, but 'meet' in lockdown when Jack is shielding because of his health issues. Thye seem to be getting closer until he drops a bombshell. Will he be able to convice her to give him a chance and will they ever meet in real life?

Love in Lockdown sounded pretty fun and light despite the lockdown and pandemic context present in the story, but I found it didn't capture my interest at all and I couldn't even finish this book. Although it had some seriously adorable moments and likable main characters, I didn't really think there was anything special about them to make me care. It was boring. Overall, I didn't care much for this book.

I can see this book as a movie! Jack and Sophia, neighbours, have never met but have struck up a rapport during lockdown. Jack sends cocktails to Sophia from his balcony down to hers, he has health issues and can't go out.. Sophia is a teacher and offers to help Jack during difficult times and this is how their story begins.

It is a real feel good book - the lockdown is captured so well, maybe a little "idealistic" but nonetheless, community, love and togetherness trumps all!

The author manages to make the COVID-19 pandemic sound even more depressing than it has been. Dreadful story, awful characterisation.

I know that a lot of people have said that they don't want to read about the pandemic since we're all living it, but I was looking forward to reading this book and I'm glad I did! It may have been a bit sappy, but I loved the characters and the premise of the book. This is a heartwarming book about the positive side of the lockdown and how it brings people together. Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Again, it took me a while to get through this mostly because of the formatting on the ecopy. The paragraphs didn’t have the proper spacing so every chapter just felt like one huge chunk but besides that, I enjoyed reading this story! It was definitely that kind of romance we hope to experience during the lockdown but reading about it is just as good. Definitely a timely read during our current situation. Reading about the UK perspective of the lockdown was very refreshing and interesting. I also had fun reading about the little quarantine-related issues that we are all bound to relate to. I was also suprised when they showed the clapping for NHS bit bc I saw that happened in one of my fave UK youtuber’s vlogs!! Despite the reality of the events relating to the pandemic, I enjoyed the romance between Sophia and Jack. It was so cute and heartwarming and it was nice being able to see the sense of community between them and the people around them. Highly recommend to those who love a good romance with a bit of reality mixed into it!

This came out last on Nov. 23rd!