The Lock In

This was a fun read, you could definitely imagine this being real life. I would definitely describe it as a laugh out loud page Turner. Highly recommended

I had such a fun time with this read. It was quick, well paced and incredibly addictive. I didn't want to put it down. There were a few extra threads to the novel besides the main mystery between Ellen and Ben, mainly Jack tweeting to thousands about a box of pee.. yep a box of pee. These extra aspects to the novel were a great way to keep the story fun and keep us coming back to the attic between flashbacks and reminscing.


The characters were really likeable and a little ecentric. I got to know their personalities very well and their flaws made them feel like real people and not characters from a book. Considering their 'set' was little more than a small room, a pee box and a dead rat, I'm really impressed at how the characters kept the story feeling alive. I would love to see these four doing absolutely anything as they were a lot of fun and the dynamic between them was fabulous. Jack was especially my favourite, we didn't get to see as much of him or his perspective as we did the other three but I would have loved to. He was very sweet and watching him battle his internal moral dillemma was incredibly amusing. Despite not seeing so much of him, I could easily envision him having a cheeky side and I really want to see how his friendships with the group would grow post novel. Our other character, Ben, has some moments where he made me a little mad and I didn't like the things he would say or do, but I enjoyed having non perfect characters as it helped to develop them and make the story feel real.


Throughout the story we witness some flashbacks to Ellen's teenage life 10 years ago with the craze that was MSN and Starbuck's frappuccino's. It was a fun blast to the past and reminded me of my own teenagehood. Alongside Ellen, I related to an obsession of MSN. This was something I hadn't yet experienced in a book and at first it was a little jarring as I kept having to stop reading to cringe at the things I was remembering myself doing 10 years ago. Soon I had experienced all the embarrassment I possibly could and finally started enjoying my time. I definitely could have gone a lifetime without remembering half of that however. Such a fun addition to the story and it really helped us escape the locked room, even if just in thought.

I read this along while listening to it. Definitely a feel good summer read but not to be taken seriously. It did take me a while to get to know the characters and i felt i wouldn't like them to start with, but it soon became the opposite. I am glad i carried on with it and soon become hooked and struggled to put book down. I liked the chapter per character style. I definitely laughed out loud throughout.

A group of housemates get stuck in the attic of their rented house. The door had been blown shut and the doorknob had dropped off. There is also the small matter of a water leak in the kitchen. With no signal on one phone and another phone with a dead battery. How can they escape?

I loved the narrator. This book is for the younger adults or young at heart. It tells of drunken antics, dating and general silliness which would most definitely appeal to a lot of people.

I really enjoyed this book! It was highly entertaining and so fun. It made for very easy listening (audiobook format for me) and the hours just whiled away whilst I was immersed in the reading.

It was narrated really well and brought all the characters to life, and I found I was soon very addicted to listening to it! It was light and funny and just what I needed as a cheer up, pick me up sort of read. The idea of the story really appealed to me and intrigued me and once I’d started, it was a sure fire hit.

I loved all the characters and it had such a nice vibe to it. I don’t think you can go much wrong with a book like this and I found I warmed to it immediately. It’s a definite read if you’re fancying a nice, easy entertaining read!

Thank you to @MichaelJBooks and @phoebeluckhurst for this advanced audio copy of The Lock In in return for an honest review. The Lock in was published on 27th May 2021 and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

Housemates Ellen, Alexa and Jack are facing a crisis when the kitchen in their rented house is flooding. In an attempt to try and turn the water off, all three of them end up in the attic. Ben (Alexa’s date from the night before) comes to see if he can help them but accidentally ends up locking the four of them up in the attic.

Three of them are nursing hangovers whilst the other is trying to get everyone involved in a game of Risk. They’re in for the worst morning ever.

General Thoughts 🤔

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I was hoping to be in stitches laughing, but other than the odd smirk here and there, I failed to see the comedy. There’s not really an awful lot that happens other than the group being stuck in the attic, trying to get out and then once they are out everything is just a bit bland. In all honesty, this plot could have been wrapped up in a short story with a few punchy comedic lines and it would have been great.

Characters 👫👭👬

The only thing I could relate to with the characters was MSN (yes, I was part of that generation). Other than that, there really wasn’t much there between us. I thought that they lacked depth and therefore I couldn’t empathise, sympathise or find them funny.

Writing Style ✍️

There was opportunity in this story to make it so much more but it kind of felt like the author just skimmed the surface instead of developing the story into something far more interesting. This may be what some people enjoy in a book, but it unfortunately left me feeling bored and somewhat disappointed.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖️

It’s not often that a book and I really don’t get along so I’m sad to say that this book and I really did not get along. I thought that it had the potential to be good but then it let me down. Hopefully there are other people that love this book and give it some love, but I’m sorry to say that I am not one of them.

One Saturday morning, while nursing The Hangover from Hell, a flooded kitchen leads best mates Ellen and Alexa, and hapless housemate Jack, into their attic to turn off the water supply.

But when Ben - Alexa's date from the night before - walks in, the door slams, the handle breaks and all four of them are trapped.


Cue The Worst morning-after-the-night before.

As the hours tick by, Ellen nurses her sore head and watches as her best friend falls for this handsome stranger.

Only for a horrifying realisation to hit. She is sure she knows Ben from somewhere.

Frantically searching her memories, Ellen tries to piece together exactly how they've met before.

When a distant memory finally comes to her, she desperately wonders: could Ben really be who she thinks he is . . .

And more importantly, what on earth is she going to do about it . . .

Welcome to The Lock In.

This is a hilarious story of housemates and hangovers and friendship and dating as four twenty-somethings discover what The Worst morning-after-the-night-before really looks like . . .
This had some laugh out loud moments and definitely recommend for some light hearted fun.