I enjoyed the stream of consciousness writing style. This novel is perfect for anyone wanting current day vibes with some laughter and romance thrown in. I will definitely read or check out anything from this author in the future.

It was cute, I liked the comedic parts of the story. It's an odd feeling when you're reading a book and they're going through something that you are also going through, still to this point. So it stayed pretty true to this new reality but also was interesting to see how these characters made light of it.

my rating: [3.5/5]
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finished this last night and it's a really fun and cute read set during the pandemic! i giggled quite a few times, at some parts it's just an utter comedy lol. also, i've never read a romance book where main characters are stuck in quarantine during the pandemic, so it's even more unique!
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on the other hand, i was kind of thinking that Angela was bit of a brat towards the end with Colin, which pissed me right off. and the cover... yikes 😖 i didn't really connect with the DJ friends of Colin's but i was definitely here for Angela and Colin. and also she is obsessed with romance books and writing her own book aswell. i mean ??? yes pls.
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an easy, light read which i recommend to those who want something easier, something dramatic and also interested in roommates/strangers to lovers/enemies to lovers tropes xx

I enjoyed this book. It is very relevant for the pandemic. Colin is a radio DJ. Angela is out of work due to the pandemic. Colin sees Angela crying outside of their apartment building. She is being evicted. Colin on his radio show talks about doing good deeds, so he says she can move in his extra room. Angela and Colin start off rocky because Angela is very sarcastic. Eventually they start to understand each other. This is a cute rom-com about living single during a pandemic. Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

This is the "lockdown book" you didn't know you wanted to read. At least I didn't know I wanted to read a book set during lockdown, but this is a romantic comedy (so it's not depressing) and, you know, enemies to lovers with a side of forced proximity between a radio DJ and an avid reader of romance novels who might find out she's also good at writing them? It just appealed to me. Then I started reading and, in addition to enjoying the tropes and liking the characters, I found out that a book that didn't ignore what we've all been through for months was actually a nice change (for once, no envying characters who are able to go out without risking to catch a deadly virus). And, because this is a romance, we all know that the heroes will both still be alive and well (with "happily in love" as a bonus) at the end, so we can relax and enjoy their story just like Colin's listeners enjoy the serial Angela scripts for him. I loved it.

This is a millennial enemies to lovers romance for millennials, by a millennial.

Angela has an awesome boyfriend, an awesome job, and an even awesomer flat. That all changes when the pandemic hits. Suddenly, she looses her job and flat. Like every other millennial, she has to move back home. Until Colin Cooper, her attractive and annoying neighbor that she hates, offers for her to live in the spare room in his flat. Many tropes ensue, sometimes the narrator is a little self aware that they’re living in a romance novel, but that’s only because they eventually have to write a love story for Colin’s new narrative segment on his radio show.

I have to say that the author does a great job of setting up the main antagonist. In the very first interaction, I felt like I was assaulted by the story. I am not kidding. I wish I could put up the entire paragraph, but I don’t want to get in trouble with the publisher. Here’s a brief rundown: the main character, Angela, has not seen her boyfriend, Ben, in a while, when they finally meet, he runs up to her and rips her damp homemade sock mask off to literally suck her face. The author specifically uses the word ripped, and I honestly think that my fight or flight instincts were triggered.

From there, I’d like to move into the enemies to lovers. In the beginning, I thought, Surely not, they hate each other way too much. It feels like a deep visceral kind of hate too. Colin seemingly gets the ‘kid in middle school the hisses at everyone’ vibe from Angela because he doesn’t realize how annoying he is to have as an upstairs neighbor. And Angela simply has a hard time getting past his annoyingness, even though she eventually does, because he’s hot asf.

The story itself had a really rocky start, but I thought it was very cute and I felt deeply for all the characters.

This book follows Angela, who moves in with her upstairs neighbor, Colin, after she loses her job during the pandemic. Colin is a radio DJ and wrangles Angela into helping him create a bit for his show around their fake roommate dating relationship (which of course leads to more).

The good: This features a few of my favorite tropes: faking dating and forced proximity. Angela and Colin were funny characters and they had some fun banter throughout the book. I also loved the idea of them writing the serial together for his show.

The not so good: I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between Angela and Colin and it felt to me that they only got together because they were in lockdown together. I just wish there'd been more tension between them so we could understand WHY they were together.

Overall this was a sweet romance and I'd recommend it to people who want a sweet romance and to laugh at a few "the toilet paper's all gone" early pandemic jokes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was fine. It definitely had an interesting and timely premise, but I had a hard time connecting to the book. I couldn’t feel any chemistry between the characters or depth to the story.

*ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love and Lockdown was the lovely little rom- com that I needed!

The story is essentially an enemies to lovers/ forced proximity trope, but with the main theme involving COVID and the lockdowns, it made this story wonderfully relevant and hilariously relatable.

The writing was stunning and very cute-sy. There were several moments that made me laugh out loud, and some killer sarcastic quotes that I’ll definitely be adding to my repertoire!

I’m not often a romance or contemporary reader, but if there’s a book in either of those classification that you NEED to read this year, it HAS to be this one!

This book is recommended for the older YA/ New Adult age group due to suggested adult themes. There is not adult scenes in this book.

Love and Lockdown will be available for purchase as of the 4th of March 2021

Thank you to Alyce Caswell for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest review.

A great read!

Colin hosts a radio show and needs some material to talk about. When he spots neighbour Angela in trouble he offers her a place to stay, knowing he will use this in his show. Soon they are becoming friends, and maybe more, but is it the forced proximity of lockdown or something real?

I liked how it is told from both of their points of view, and the friends and neighbours around them.

Forget the story being set during the pandemic, this book is such a refreshing story!
If you are to read any book on romance and the lockdown, let it be this one! Angela and Colin have what starts out as “not my type" vibe that slowly morphs into, “you're not so bad, I misjudged you" and coupled with radio and music, this made their banter very engaging and exciting. I loved it!

Ok this book was amazing!
So adorable and it wasn't just about the physical romance, it included a more meaningful connection.
Also I've been waiting for a pandemic book for agess.
The only problem is I think Angela is wayyy too obsessive sometimes and it kinda kills the mood because she is so sarcastic and badass and confident but then it contrasts weirdly with her obsession with lockdown rules and her anxiety.
Otherwise, such a good romance!