Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Love in Lockdown is the first “pandemic romance” I’ve read, and I did like the sense of community, support, and resiliency. This concept has so much potential but unfortunately loses some momentum over the considerable length of the novel. Sophia and Jack’s story, while cute and heart-warming, isn’t enough to propel the plot forward for the entire novel alone. The secondary characters and side stories were compelling though, which made me think this book would have been better if it had been structured as a series of vignettes told from different perspectives, like Love Actually, so readers could connect with the characters firsthand instead of through disembodied conversations and phone calls.

Overall, a timely and uplifting read. 2.5 stars.

This book was such an interesting development since it is set in the lockdown and for me it was new but in a good way. However, the transition and writing was kind of slow which surely will be edited before publishing.
The way Jack and Soph met was so cute and loved the way they begin to know each other but as I already said it was so slow sometimes or some parts seemed off for me.

I gave three stars bc the story was charming and I was glad that some find love even in weird moments as a lockdown!!


Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

This was a light, happy romance read that aims to bring a brightness to this trying, difficult time. Here, Jack and Sophia are neighbors who've never met, however they get a lot closer during lockdown through balcony conversations without even having seen each other face to face. Based in the UK, he's a bartender and student and she's a teacher as they are both under lockdown early on in the pandemic. Through the back and forth points of view, we see all sorts of relatable situations, which brings levity to this difficult time These two characters are vulnerable, authentic, and have a tremendous amount of heart that's so captivating to read. It's super cute and it's exactly what I need to cope with what's going on right now. It's about love, obviously, but also about the camaraderie of the pandemic and lockdown to help each other rout and show a little kindness, and that, the world could use more of than ever.

I’d been waiting for romance authors to tackle love in the time of social distancing and fears about the virus. This novel is the first one I’ve seen and the author really does a nice job capturing what rings true about a community of people going through lockdown in England during the screen. Jack has some sort of a kidney problem that forces him to stay in total lockdown so he won’t risk an infection. He strikes up a friendship with Sophia who lives in the apartment below him when they both are on their balconies clapping for the NHS.

Sophia is a teacher for a few really cute youngsters whose parents are working at the hospital. She has her own illness problems so she and Jack have empathy for what the other is going through. But Sophia is also a kind-hearted woman who looks out for ways to help her neighbors get through this time. She spends a lot of time running errands or visiting others. Jack spends his time phoning and talking to some of the elderly, lonely people in the neighborhood.

That was what was so lovely about this story - how the author captured the way that this disparate group of people were coming together during the shutdown to comfort and entertain each other, for example to hold weekly concerts out on their balconies. And Sophia’s students were endearingly cute as they talk about their arts anc craft projects and their fears. Sophia’s sister has to plan a virtual wedding celebration in the middle of the lockdown, but it all turns out so sweetly.

The story was lovely, but it did bring me down going through those early, scary, and lonely first months.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Cute book with a relevant story line. It was funny and engaging from the first chapter on to the end.

I really enjoyed this debut book from Chloe.

The story is very current and based around Sophia and Jack at the start of lockdown in their flats. Each chapter within the book is told from their own points of view which I loved about the story as we got to know both Sophia and Jack well this way. Sophia and Jack live in the same block of flats, and they meet on the balcony of their flats during the clap for the key workers. They then strike up a friendship and get to know each other more.

I feel that the essence of feeling during lockdown was very well captured in the book and I loved the community feel with other characters such as Bertie and Mavis etc. I loved the part where Sophia took a dog for a walk and the descriptions of how people behaved was spot on. The story has a good pace and there is plenty to keep you reading and I loved the ending and thought it was perfect, even though I would like more of Sophia and Jack story post lockdown.

Overall a great enjoyable romance read that I really enjoyed.

Thank you to the publishers Avon Books and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely the first quarantine-set romance I’ve read or even heard of. Boy and girl “meet”. They haven’t seen each other, but his balcony is directly on top of hers, and so they start to talking in March 2020.

This is an imperfect book. I don’t know if it’s the formatting or what, but there are huge swaths of dialogue and it becomes confusing who’s saying what to whom. I’m not sure that this is a HEA versus a HFN. And yet I couldn’t help but be charmed and amazed at how well the book captured early quarantine. The book is pointedly politics-free, but it definitely depicts well the different stages of quarantine and the unsettled feeling of it all. It’s also a book of fundamentally good people trying to make their way through an unprecedented time. I don’t regret the read and found myself cozied up in a blanket enjoying reading about spring 2020, which I never thought I’d do.

I was provided with a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy. The formatting made it hard to follow at times. I love the idea. We are all
In this lockdown etc right now so it’s nice to see a book about it. Cute love story but parts were slow. Cute book. Average writing.

Thanks NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

This was a nice, heartwarming and very relevant book to read with lockdown being the subject. I loved hearing the stories of Jack, Sophia and all of their neighbours as they got through the start of lockdown together.

I received this free book in exchange for an honest review.
I have mixed feelings about this book. In theory I guess the premise is cute but it might be a bit too early for a lock down romance when a lot of people are still in lockdowns. Looking back the situation may feel more romantic and give the book its time to shine, but for right now I'm just not convinced.
I also felt like in the attempt to be uplifting the seriousness was glossed over. Of course it's not meant to be depressing but the current situation IS depressing. To truly find something positive about it you first have to actually show the depressive side.
The "plottwist" also didn't really do it for me. Jack's "revelation" should not have upset Sophia this much. He wasn't actively keeping information from her and she overreacted by being so angry and disappointed especially because she herself held back information. Her reasoning for withholding this information was because she didn't want their friendship to change, but that's exactly why Jack didn't tell her either until he does.
It also took me a bit of time to get into the book because the conversations felt a bit stilted. Nobody actually talks that formally Especially not children under the age of eight.
On a bit of a side note the formating is also totally off which disturbs the reading flow somewhat but I think that will be fixed for the published book.

I really wanted to like this and was interested in the synopsis but sadly couldn’t get into it
Waffled a bit too much for me.
Sorry netgallery

Thanks to NetGalley, Chloe James and Avon Books for and Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

There is one scene early on in this book which sets the mood for the entire remainder. It involves a saxophone, some singing and a whole lot of emotion. If there is one word to describe this beautiful little gem, it is emotion.

Sophia is out on her balcony for the weekly Clap for NHS. They have been on lockdown for two weeks and she is feeling the weight of it. She begins sobbing after the clap, feeling the pressure of grief and sadness all at once. Her neighbor, Jack, whom she has never met hears her sobbing and calls out to her, offering his support. Both Jack and Sophia have serious health issues in play. Jacki is in complete isolation due to a weakened immune system. They "meet" without laying eyes on each other and so being a beautiful friendship. Together, they find ways to help and unite their neighbors while falling in love with each other.

This is one of the happiest little novels I have read in a long time. The characters are engaging and quirky and despite the somewhat heavy background of the Covid Pandemic, it is kept light. I enjoyed this escape from our current reality very much and loved being a part of this cool "neighborhood"!

What a lovely story, a great feel good love story to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Lockdown is a huge part of all our lives at the moment, but this book made you aware of all the beauty that comes from it, of the togetherness, the caring nature it brought out of everyone, the community spirit, it was lovely written.

A lovely read about the current circumstances, although much more positive and filled with plenty of love and joy! I really enjoyed the blossoming romance between Sophia and Jack, it was heart-warming & had me smiling over a situation that hasn't brought much joy to the real world. I was slightly jealous of the community the two had around them, they really made the most of hard times & not only did they work on themselves, they supported the people around them and made use of a trying time. I read this book in the space of a day, it was just that spirit lifting book that I needed in my life!

I figured this would be a cute rom-com (which it totally is), but it's also so much more. This is a story about resilience, community, and hope in the crazy times we call the present.

If you're anything like me, you're seeing the influx of quarantine-related stories and wondering if people are just jumping on the bandwagon to capitalize on what is possibly the weirdest fictional trend since YA paranormal romance: pandemic romance. I was worried this might be a bit gimmicky, but it feels like Chole James genuinely wants to explore the effects of lockdown in a meaningful way. "Together, Apart" feels less like a slogan and more like a defiant battle cry in the midst of isolation and loneliness.

The premise of this book intrigued me and excites me to read this book at first. However, I don't think this is the right book with this premise for me. I did not connect well with the characters and I just got bored while reading. I skimmed almost the entire book and that's how bored I am with this.

Mixed feelings on this book - a hooky romance (which seems to be a big trend at the moment) with neighbours who haven't met falling for each other. The community feel was well executed and I loved some of the minor characters who lived in the same building complex as Jack and Sophia, but the numerous references to the cliches of lockdown (lack of toilet roll etc) felt a bit like overkill. The sections in Jack's voice were more engaging than those in Sophia's and he was the more likeable character of the two - things seemed to always go right for Sophia which made her less relatable as a heroine. Easy to read romcom. 3.5*

Unfortunately, this wasn't the right book for me. I loved the idea of a rom-com during Lockdown, especially since one of the Characters is at higher risk because I thought it would appeal to me personally.

Yet, I was sadly unable to connect to any of the characters in any way and I think the main reason is that I think about this pandemic differently and experience it differently than Jack and Sophia - and that is fine.

The writing itself was nice and I know that a lot of people will be able to relate but I kept dreading to have to pick it up again to read on so I, personally, cannot give it more than two stars.

I really wanted to like this but but it just wasn't my thing. The side characters were more interesting than the main ones in my opinion. The story felt slow moving and I found myself skimming through.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love in Lockdown by Chloe James is set in today's world with the pandemic and lockdown and how characters cope with their new normal. Jack hears Sophia crying on her balcony, and so this sets up the friendship (and maybe possible romance) for these characters. The story started strong and then lagged slightly in the middle, with scenes and interactions that felt a bit weighted to move the story forward.

Kudos to the author for writing this book and the realistic nature of how some people are coping and getting to know their neighbors.

I do hope, as others have mentioned, that the formatting is fixed on publication. The spacing and lack of clear chapter headings made it distracting and hard to read at times.