As the global pandemic strikes, the country is put into lockdown. Jack is self isolating in his flat alone and one evening he hears crying from the balcony below his. Sophie had her world turned upside down and is trying to put the pieces back together when lockdown strikes. Soon they are regularly chatting on the balcony and a firm feature in each other’s lives. But will all that change when lockdown ends? Can you really fall in love with someone you have never seen?

“Love in lockdown” seemed the perfect book to pick up as the second lockdown started. It’s a light and easy read. The concept of falling in love with someone you never met but who lives above you was fun. I enjoyed the book but the pace of the plot really slowed in the middle of the book and I got impatient to reach the end of Jack and Sophie’s story. The “will they/won’t they” tension was absent for me. The characters in the community around Jack and Sophie were my favourite parts and the were some heartwarming moments that definitely raised a smile.

So I might just be in love with this.

When you see a book involving pandemic, especially given that we’re still living through it, parts of you might not want to read it because...yeah it’s difficult. Even through a book, it’s difficult to keep living the same horror we see on the news, especially if reading is your escape from it all.

But this book, to me, symbolizes hope.

This is the first lockdown book I’ve read, because I’ve studiously been avoiding reading any pandemic fiction, but Sophia and Jack intrigued me and I absolutely had to pick this one up.

Sophia and Jack are neighbors on different floors. They meet by chance, when Sophia’s having an emotional moment on her balcony and Jack hears her from the balcony above. And thus, as simple as that, strikes up a wonderful friendship between the two of them.

Slowly but surely, the other people in their building get drawn into a large group of hope and coping, each of them contributing something to stop each other from going out of their minds during the whole lockdown. Even Jack, who can’t leave the house at all, finds a way with Sophia’s assistance to provide what I call a tele-friend service!

Sophia is so bright and bubbly, full of hope and she’s a character that just goes with the flow and I loved that about her. As problems pop up, she weaves around them in her own optimistic way, and given that it’s become so difficult to see a beacon of light, it was refreshing to read that!

Jack is stuck at home, but he’s fun, easy-going, and even stir-crazy, he’s trying to make his neighbours’ lives a little better. There’s the basket he exchanges with Sophia, and the conversations he has with Greg, Bertie and the rest of them. Then he’s also become an uncle for the first time, and that was wonderful to see too!

Sophia and Jack, through these conversations, began to fall in love with one another and even through the obstacles, they still manage to find time and space for one another. I loved reading this because the book wasn’t completely about the romance, and it sure as hell wasn’t romanticizing the pandemic. They don't even see each other's faces until the absolute end!

I absolutely loved the way the author weaved in all the other neighbours’ experiences from Sophia and Jack’s alternative POVs, and Bertie’s story made me cry a little. All in all, this was a great read for anyone looking for a little hope and simple romance in the time of a pandemic!

[Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for providing this book to me in exchange for an honest review!]

This book was super cute. I thought it might be too soon to read about a lockdown, but I was wrong. This was surprisingly upbeat about how the neighbors in the building take care of each other in time of need. It all starts when Jack hears Sophia crying on her balcony. They strike up a friendship, share their experiences with illness, families, and their futures and they start to fall for each other. When Jack needs something to take up his time after being furloughed and unable to leave the house, Sophia get's an idea to start a community check in. It starts with simple phone calls and grocery visits to helping each other out further. Overall this is a great light read about how uplifting lockdown could be.

The lockdown of 2020 brought so many changes and uncertainties and this fictional story captures them perfectly.
Jack and Sophia are neighbours in an apartment block but they're unaware of each other until lockdown. During the Thursday night clap for the NHS Jack hears Sophia crying on the balcony below. This is the beginning of a relationship conducted entirely at a distance due to both lockdown restrictions and Jack's medical need to shield. Throughout the story I was reminded of so many aspects I had forgotten about - the toilet roll shortage, the fears, the frustrations along with the new found reliance on zoom! The most importance aspect though is shown through their friendship. That, along with their relationships with family and community are at the heart of the book.
A lovely heartwarming story that is also a perfect time capsule showing our living history.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

Chloe James tackles the Covid-19 pandemic with gusto in this novel. We are introduced to the main characters, Sophia and James, in alternating chapters pre-lockdown. There's a prescient shadow over these early moments, as we get to know the characters and settle in for the inevitable and titular lockdown. It's effectively setting up where the story will be going, but things don't fully launch here until they get to meet in their neighboring apartments. It's ironic, given the title and the early chapters, that when the pandemic of it all does start to fade into the background and the focus becomes their relationship that the story sparks.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this eARC.
This book is about Sophia and Jack. They live in the same apartment building during COVID lockdown and they talk from the decks of their houses. They form a relationship without ever meeting and this book follows their romance as well as the friend/neighbor group.
Let's start with the positives. I really liked the chronic illness rep. Both of our main characters have different chronic illnesses (her- epilepsy, him- a kidney disease) and they have varying levels of impact on their day to day lives, but both have significantly changed their lives. I liked the main conflict. I felt like both characters acted responsibly, though this book does have a lack of communication both in the main conflict and the secondary conflict. I liked the side characters and truthfully thought they were more dynamic than our main characters.
I felt like the main characters and the romance was just dull. I can't think of a better word for it. It lacked anything to really draw me in and there wasn't much of a spark in the relationship. When the aforementioned conflicts happened, I didn't really care if they resolved it or not. I was way more interested in what was going on with Sophia as a teacher and her community helping. I also really didn't like the epilogue. Maybe its because we're still in it, but for life to just resume and be completely normal shortly after quarantine felt unrealistic and cheapened the health issues that our main characters (mainly Jack) suffered from.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
The main conflict is that Jack is still married. He tells her once he starts having real feelings for her (good job) and she cuts ties for awhile (good job). Then later he overhears her talking to her ex and it sounds like she wants to get back together, but its a miscommunication issue. In the end, they live happily ever after and COVID is a memory, though not too distant.

What an adorable book! This is such a weird time in our world and I love that James took the effort to make something adorable about this oddity.

I love the concept that two individuals are falling in love merely through conversations through their balconies.

There were a few moments where I teared up. Clapping daily for those who work in the medical fields was such a heartwarming addition to this novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the advanced copy. I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

For me this book was light, easy reading. It felt very similar to the flat share in terms of the unique development of a romance but unfortunately it just wasn't as good. I felt the author did a lot of 'telling not showing'. It was lovely to see the community coming together because of lockdown but this seemed very fairytale to me. I do however think it would make a good movie.

I rolled my eyes when I realized that I'd downloaded the first romance (I know of) where the pandemic is key but you know what- this is a charmer. Sophie retrained as a teacher after leaving the law. She's also lost her ex, her mom is on the front lines, and she's got epilepsy. It all gets a bit much one day and she finds herself crying on the balcony where she is heard by Jack. Jack's got kidney disease and an ex in Greece. The two of them find themselves bonding, sending treats and necessities up and down via a basket system Jack rigs. You know they're going to fall in love. I liked this more than I expected because, even with all the darkness there could have been, James kept it light. You will root for these two. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Utterly charming. This was just the book I needed to read. Warm, funny likeable characters who epitomised most of us and how we have felt this year during lockdown. Some parts were lighthearted, and some were painfully poignant. This book really showed how valuable family and friends are when there are restrictions and how communities can cone together to look after each other. I loved it!

I do kind of wish I hadn’t read this in lockdown. I think it made it feel a bit cliche/gimmicky maybe? I’m not sure, it just didn’t gel for me. I didn’t love the writing style which felt very tell and not show and I just never felt connected to the characters.

I think the obstacle/plot twist that came between Sam and Sophia to be trivial and I didn’t really see it as a big issue. I also cannot imagine how their balconies would be set up that they would not have been able to lean over and see each other.

It was a very optimistic and cheesy book, it wasn’t really for me. However it was readable and sweet and I’m sure that others would enjoy it.

There were lots of neighbours coming together to support each other and it gave a sense of community which is nice. It was sweet to have a romance come out of a negative situation, but it was very sugar sweet.

Here it is. First covid lockdown book. I believe one of many to come.

The story is about neighbors Sophia and Jack. They have never met in person. When pandemics start, they meet on the balcony and begin to chat. Sophia is a teacher who leaves the house every day to spend time with few students that, for one or another reason, cannot stay at home, while Jack is stuck at his apartment because of high health risks. They bond through conversations.

Characters are likable, very caring, and attentive, it was easy to root for them. Great story about healing, letting the past go to free space for new things to come. Sweet side characters. Some of them felt a little too intense and dramatic. Overall it was a delightful read.

However, I was missing some dynamics. It felt uneventful, boring, and a little too long. While this book addressed emotional and social challenges during this challenging time, it missed out on others, like, the financial or physical aspect.
But the biggest challenge I had with this was that I could not relate to this story because it felt too good to be true (in that cute fairy-tale type). After reading this, I am wondering - am I the only one who does not have a friendly relationship with my neighbors? We are in a semi lockdown for a while now, and I honestly have not been in any lockdown related contact with them. We pass each other with a short greeting and move with our own life. Maybe it is because we are mainly young people with smaller children, and we are trying to think more about how to navigate working from home with being a teacher, nanny, caterer, and parent. I just could not relate to this story. Possibly, because I live in the north. We tend to be more closed up.

Love in lockdown. You are thinking exactly right. It's a love story blossoming in a lockdown among restrictions. But it is that and more. Not just a mere lockdown love story, but it potrays all the struggles we went through in this lockdown from our mental health deteriorating from locked up to worrying about people who are front line warriors.
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Sophia and Jack, both are neighbours and get to almost meet each other in a NHS clapping session where Sophia had a mental breakdown. Unable to move out of his apartment due to a health condition, Jack seeks the help of his neighbour and from there their friendship blooms. 💜
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During this lockdown we may have attended atleast one online wedding, may have gotten frustrated of being isolated, may have felt lonely or kind towards others, may have found our niche, a hidden talent, may have feared for our near and dear ones and may have experienced a lot more. Each and every tiny little thing is wonderfully narrated. 💜
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I loved the plot and the way the story moves. And the flow of the story is coherent and lucid. The story is from both Sophia and Jacks' perspective, so we can connect with both the characters deeply. The thing I disliked most is that the story is too long and it is erroneous at some places. If that be rectified, this is a one good read.
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I was a bit surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting read. Sophia and Jack were neighbors unknown to each other until lockdown made them friends from afar. What I thought was interesting was the alternating POV and their individual story. I couldn’t help but wonder how they will find love without seeing the other person. Can someone find love without seeing their face? Such an interesting topic. Aside from Sophia and Jack we meet their neighbors and family members. The side characters were wonderful, humorous, and adorable. There was a lot of funny scenes that made me laugh out loud. Especially the children that Sophia taught. Ah, such cuteness! Overall, a very cute and sweet story.

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley for my honest review.

I wasn't sure how well I would be able to handle a book about love during the COVID-19 pandemic while we are still in the middle of said pandemic, but I thought the author handled it very well. In the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, Sophia "meets" her upstairs neighbor, Jack, when he hears her crying after the NHS clap. They begin chatting daily on their balconies, and though they've never seen each other, they start to fall in love. They both have complicated relationship histories and they share a connection of having chronic medical conditions, which they learn as they get closer and closer (while, of course, being socially distant). What I really liked about this is how well it captured some of the absolute surrealness of our current situation - Sophie's sister's big Zoom wedding is a hilarious and super weird affair that feels really authentic. I also really enjoyed the centering of community and mutual aid here - Sophie, her roommate, and Jack all organize a group chat to help people who can't get out to get groceries or other necessities. Finally, Sophie and Jack meet face to face in the last pages of the book, and it's a very satisfying reward.

Chloe James wrote such a sweet and cozy romance set in quarantine. This is definitely a 4 star read because it was so enjoyable and sweet. Love in Lockdown features Sophia and Jack, apartment neighbors who have not met but manage to strike up a friendship in quarantine.

I was wary about reading about people in quarantine during COVID while currently living in quarantine myself but it was handled so well. The fact that Sophia and Jack come to rely on each other and care for each other when they haven’t met face-to-face ensures that the romance feels very genuine and pure. Very very cute- definitely recommend!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was just okay for me. The pacing was fairly slow and it felt very shallowly written, like a publisher was rushing it through to hit the window of opportunity for Pandemic zeitgeist.

This book had potential but I personally did not enjoy it because I thought it was a bit unrealistic. Quite frankly I just couldn’t related to Sophia or Jack and the plot offers an attempt to romanticize the pandemic but it just didn’t sit well with me. I appreciate the opportunity to read it early.

I wanted to enjoy this one, with it's cute cover and great premise, but sadly I didn't. The writing style was kind of choppy making it a difficult read and overall I just got bored with the story. DNF for me sorry!