First, thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

This was a sweet, fun story. It was interesting to read a romance set during lockdown.

This story starts off with our two main characters, both so absorbed in their lives (as we all were prior to the pandemic) that they didn't really notice others around them. As the lockdown begins, that all changes.

Jack has to stay in and shield due to kidney disease. This resonated with me so much because I also had to shield at the beginning of the pandemic. It is lonely and shocking to realize how much we rely on basic human interaction even when we feel we aren't a "people person".

Sophia is a school teacher who is having to deal with the new normal in education.

They are drawn together when Jack overhears Sophia crying on the balcony below his. A beautiful friendship develops through honest conversation and the need to help their community and find purpose in trying times.

This story really touched on the reality that was 2020 for so many. It showed how wonderful community is and that we can find love in the most unexpected places. It was such a sweet story and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a feel good story.

A very quick read. I finished it in a couple of days. Everything about this book is very real, from the unavailability of antibacterial wipes to the weekly clapping for the NHS staff. Not forgetting the Zoom calls. I feel like a lot of people will relate to this book. I loved the budding relationship between Jack and Sophie. This is definitely one I'd recommend if you enjoyed The Flat Share.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect about a book exploring the lockdown, especially since many of us are still experiencing the same thing. I'm happy to say that I found this book to be sweet and charming, and I like how relatable Jack and Sophia's emotions during the lockdown are. I would have loved more depth in our main characters, but all in all, this was a pleasant read.

I had seen this book a lot on "bookstagram" and Twitter and was so intrigued by it, especially since I love a love story! Set at the beginning of the pandemic this book is written as diary entries from our two main characters who take a chapter each. Sophia is a primary school teacher who is working in the key worker hub (she doesn't seem to provide any online learning for her other kids which is interesting.... we had to do both but not every school is the same I assume....) so is "lucky" in that she is able to go out each day to work and have some kind of normality and routine to her days. However, like everyone she is still struggling to get her head around this new normal.Jack on the other hand is shielding due to his medical condition, something he has lived with his whole life but never let it stop him before. Stuck inside his little flat Jack is beginning to go mad, calling and facetiming just isn't the same and he hasn't had an opportunity to meet his neighbours before. One evening though, during the clap for carers this changes as he hears a woman crying and feels he has to check that she is okay. On the surface this is a really lovely book which captures the essence of community spirit and 'coming together in adversity' that the news loves reporting! I really liked the characters in themselves and the substance to them. However some bits just didn't fit for me, it was all too lovely dovey, easy... Also I found some of the storyline around Jack confusing and couldn't quite work out the timeline for his previous life events. in all though it is a cute, love story read, my cynic side could be due to the on going lockdowns and restrictions!

This is a romance with a pandemic/quarantine plot twist. I think I need a few years in between the real pandemic before I’m ready to look back with a lighter heart.

Fast paced book and I really enjoyed it. Good story line and I think people are gonna love it. I would definitely read again and recommend

This was a fun and timely romance! As a married person, I can only imagine how tough it must be to find love right now. This story was heartwarming and really captured the challenges of the time.

This story is very much feelgood. It lacked dramatic tension. The result is: it was more boring than actual lockdown.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting read. Given that we are all in the midst of more lockdowns, I was curious how a book set during the Covid-19 pandemic would feel. I think for me personally, it was too soon to read this (and it was my fault.) It felt like a Covid checklist- toilet paper/loo roll missing, potential food shortages, clapping for the NHS, rainbows, etc- it felt very forced at the beginning, like every single "trend" that happened had to be there. I think that if I had read this a few years after this had happened, I would probably have enjoyed it more!

Love In Lockdown by Chloe James is a contemporary romance novel which is set in the pandemic situation with our main character being Sophia and Jack. The story is a very cute and smooth love story in lockdown times. The story does not give anything new so I consider this as a one time read.

Sophia Trent and Jack Stanton live in the same building, but have never met till date. Jack is on a higher risk for getting affected by the COVID virus, so Sophia helps him with the groceries and the basic necessities. Jack has always been isolated and is recently divorced. But due to the pandemic, the things are on hold.

I liked how the author has explained all the aspects of quarantine and lockdown in this book. I would have liked it more if we could have had a clear idea of surroundings and town, etc. I wanted more clear perspective from Jack's end which was missing.

I liked how this book brings out some solid points of a pandemic like mental health, Sophia's epilepsy, being helpful, isolation, loneliness, etc. Being it a lockdown most of their conversations were on WhatsApp, which kind off became boring and repetitive for me as a reader.

More than this being a love in lockdown story, I thought this was just a 'Lockdown Story'. The romance department was specifically lacking a lot. I did not see the chemistry in both the characters in particular. But the pandemic and lives during a lockdown was explained very well.
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Thank You to NetGalley and Avon UK for the eARC in exchange for a honest opinion.

Two neighboursSophia and Jack, living so close to one another but never actually met until one day when they begin to chat and that becomes a kind of ritual. This sparks a begining of a romance during Covid-19 Lockdown. This is such a cute romantic story. Perfect for 'the Flatshare' fans.

The premise of this book is very unique and not for everyone. It is very realistic and takes place in the time of Coronavirus. If you are looking for a book to get away from real life, this is not the book for you. I especially like how it took place in Europe, and had a different way of handling the pandemic than I am living through in America. I loved how the characters all came together and took care of each other. I think this would be an insightful book many years later. I highly enjoyed it and will miss the characters!

Such a feel good love story...and during a pandemic! This is pretty crazy to read a book set in our current time and I have to say I really enjoyed it. The author did a fantastic job capturing how the communities have come together to help each other while practicing social distancing and falling in love. Great book and I highly recommend.

This felt like it was a cathartic book for the author to write (and for me to read). It was cute and I loved how it described lockdown (seemed much more serious in UK than US, which explains current situation).

I'm going to say this a little louder for the people in the back - it is extremely hypocritical to throw a hissy fit about someone withholding something not so positive about themselves from you when you are doing the exact same thing to them. Furthermore, what Sophia withheld carried more impact than what Jack was withholding, hands down.

Additionally, Sophia was insufferable in her man-hating commentary. Jack confesses something and immediately realises he needs to explain himself; he does so...within a day! and Sophia's all like, poor me, men are all the same, I can never trust a man who immediately explains himself ever again.

Also, Jess reminds me of every person who ever refuses to trust a victim and sides with the perpertrator. Now, this isn't some sort of "me too" situation, but Sophia has an issue with how someone has treated her in the past and Jess, a supposedly wonderful and supportive sister, is like oh this person is great, you're making a big deal out of nothing! I absolutely cannot tolerate people diminishing someone's feelings and instincts like that.

But I still gave this 3 stars! You might ask how that's possible with all that griping above? Fair enough. I absolutely adored the premise. I know you can get to know someone really emotionally intimately without seeing them as that's the beginnings of mine and my husband's relationship. Lockdown is another fascinating sub-genre for romance. I am excited to see what else comes out of this pandemic in writing. I did enjoy Sophia's passion for her career choice and seeing Jack come alive again and seeing their relationship blossom. I just realllllllly could have done without the bits above. They didn't add anything positive to the story. I think there was enough drama without adding that unnecessary drivel. Too cliche and overdone in this trope and after suffering through a lockdown filled with intense monotony, we need more originality, not more of the same old stuff.

In all honesty, I feel like it was written too quickly trying to get on the bandwagon of love stories in the Covid era. Of course, we didn't know the "Covid era" was going to last this bloody long, so that may be a contributing factor. It just felt like it was written in a rush but it is such a beautiful and realistic base idea that with a little more time and care could have been written to tell a spectacular love story.

I was hesitant to pick up this book at first, because I thought the last thing I wanted to read about was a story having to do with the current situation we're all facing. However, I'm so glad I read this book! It brought such a light and heartfelt twist the idea of being in lockdown. I like that it was not too frilly, with the exploration of mental health and self-reflection, while still incorporating the romantic moments.

Interesting, Unique and a book I will be collecting for my forever shelf I have found this one hard to put down and have been completely captivated.
I adore the writing style, plot and characters. A great book!

*3.5 Stars*
This is a story about love in a pandemic. More importantly, it is the story of how a community comes together and supports one another. Love in Lockdown is a character-driven novel that follows the point of views of Jack, a bartender with a chronic illness, who is stuck in his apartment due to being at risk, and Sophia, a school teacher with epilepsy living in the flat below him.

Jack reaches out to Sophia after hearing her cry one night, on her balcony below, when applauding the NHS frontline workers. They start to speak to each other more frequently and soon can't see their lives without the other. As they start to get to know each other, Sophie and Jack come up with a plan on how to help others who may be feeling lonely or struggling with the pandemic in their area. Through their eyes, we meet their family members and close friends as well as their neighbors, which create a strong sense of community. We come to understand the hopes and struggles of each character during the initial lockdown, each relatable in their own ways.

If you were looking for a rom-com focused on the two main characters, this is not it. Love in Lockdown focuses on the community impact and response to the pandemic in an optimistic way with a dash of romance on the side. Although it is set during the first lockdown back in March, it is a feel good, funny and optimistic take on the experience that will make you feel at home.

Overall, it was a bit cheesy considering how far we've come since March, but well written nonetheless. I would have liked to have more moments between Jack and Sophia on their balconies, showing how they grew their bond, but I do appreciate the goal of the novel to show how people come together in the harshest of times. I definitely recommend to those looking for a cute read about community support and love, less so for those only looking for a romance as its was a bit of a let down for me at parts.

Full review on Goodreads.

This book wasn’t my favorite, I think I am learning more and more that I just don’t enjoy Romance novels unless it is on audio.

Having been suffering from a reading slump again, I didn't expect to fly through this book as I did. This book has definitely gotten me out of my reading slump.
As cliché and actually unrealistic as this story was at times, it was so heartwarming most of the times and although it is about the lockdown situation and COVID-19, I could really dream away with it. It contains such a positive message and warmed my heart. The praise to essential workers is really heartwarming and it's lovely that it is highlighted so much in this story. Aswell as the attention to people helping people.

Jack and Sophia are such loveable characters, aswell as all the side characters. They all have their quirks and it is all worked out so well into the story.

I'm sad the ending was quite abrupt, as I would've loved hearing more about Jack and Sophia after the lockdown situation.

Overall, Chloe James did an amazing job creating such a beautiful story out of such a bizarre situation.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to review this book.