This is a fascinating book. Greenwood chronicles the experiences of couples who become romantically involved when on member of the couple is currently in prison. She pushes back against the stereotypes and assumptions that are made about the people who enter into a relationship with someone in prison, and shows the lives of those who pursue a relationship against a system that is not particularly conducive to maintaining relationships.

This was a detailed look at multiple relationships where at least one of the people in the relationship was incarcerated. One of the things I enjoyed most about Greenwood's book was the fact that the couples she chose to follow reflected the complexity of all relationships. It demonstrated that the "prison wife" does not fit one stereotype. Just like relationships on the outside, relationships with incarcerated individuals are complex and reflect the people involved, making each unique. It was highly interesting to also learn about the differences in inmate experiences based on which state their incarceration took place in. As someone who doesn't have a loved one in prison, it was very interesting to learn about these differences and to learn more about what loved ones need to navigate to keep in contact with their incarcerated loved one.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the style of writing and could not have have been more intrigued by the characters. Love Lockdown is out of my wheelhouse but I am so glad to have stumbled upon it.

This was super interesting. I think relationships in prison or with prisoners are so intriguing. I think with the rise on TikTok of having a relationship with people who are incarcerated that this book can shed some light on how difficult these relationships can be. Elizabeth Greenwood's commitment to learning about every facet of the justice system, even if that means exploring the relationships that begin or end within the system, is amazing.

Love Lockdown by Elizabeth Greenwood is compulsively readable narrative nonfiction that focuses on couples in romantic relationships where one partner is incarcerated. Greenwood writes with beautiful curiosity and empathy and really captures the excitement of love and depths of heartbreak in these unique relationships. Though she is a journalist, she is accepted by each person, becoming friend and confidante. This added such a lovely personal tone and really pulled me in.

What I found most fascinating is how romantic relationships are structured. They are built around communication, as it is sometimes all the couple has, but also require great sacrifice by the partner who is not incarcerated. Spouses and families pay great costs from emotional to financial to time spent visiting/communicating with their loved one. As well as difficulties raising children alone or sometimes affording basic necessities. Not to mention the isolation, judgment, and possible ostracism they may face from friends and family for pursuing a relationship with someone who is incarcerated. I loved learning about the built community of spouses ("prison wives") and found it really interesting to see how their relationship status can become associated with their identity and personal strength and resilience. And when their partner is released, how does the relationship change when they're living together and mundanities of life become the norm?

Greenwood peppers in statistics to further illustrate the discrimination and negative long-term effects faced by the millions who have been incarcerated or loved someone who is/has been. Love Lockdown really shines a light on the injustices of the incarcerated
constant punishment and exploitation of prisoners and their families. I learned so much from this compassionate book about the realities of those incarcerated and the people who love them.

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Making The Case For A More Systematic Examination Of Its Topic. This book does a *tremendous* job in looking at as many facets of love and relationships involving the United States' millions - literally -of prisoners via multi-year case studies of five particular couples. And therein also lies its chief weakness - while the original research for the case studies themselves was conducted directly by the author, the author states many facts beyond the people she is directly interviewing... and then the text doesn't provide any form of bibliography to back up these (sometimes alarming, shocking, or even dubious) claims. But even with this weakness noted, the text's strengths via its case studies are truly remarkable, and show the pressing need for a more systematic - and documented - examination of this particular topic. This is a book that will shock you. It will pull at your heart strings. It will make you cheer and cry and scream out at the people involved "WTF ARE YOU DOING!!!!!!". And in these regards, it truly is a phenomenal book. Very much recommended.

First thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love the way this author writes. Her style keeps you entirely engaged the entire way through. You will get to know and come to learn that all relationships have the same foundation. I found myself looking and analyzing my own relationships over the years. I "put a hole in the washtub" as my son often quotes when I took a chance and married a man I met on the internet 24 years ago and we have been happily married for 22 years. I could easily relate to the sacrifices, the whispering behind the back - all of that as we navigated our way through.

Three cheers for this book and high recommend.