I loved the dynamic and light heartedness of this book! The comedy relief of the MMC was also great! Love the cover as well! Gives great visual

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!
This is a fun romcom! I loved that it took place in the covid pandemic - it really added to the coziness of the book. And I loved the use of this time to create forced proximity.
The characters were sweet, and I loved all the nerdy references.
Not the strongest romcom I've read, but good for a debut author! I hope to see more of Mason in the future.

I just finished Be in My Bubble by Maya Mason, and I’m seriously obsessed. This book hit me in all the right places—it's fun, heartfelt, and so easy to fall into. The story follows two people who are in very different places in their lives, yet somehow, they find this magnetic pull toward each other. I was hooked from the start!

What I loved the most was how real the characters felt. The chemistry between the main couple was off the charts, and you could feel the tension building with every chapter. But it wasn’t just about the romance—there’s a lot of depth to their connection. They help each other grow in such meaningful ways, and that made me root for them even harder.

Maya Mason's writing is a total vibe—relatable, witty, and sharp. She knows how to balance humor and emotion perfectly. There were moments when I couldn’t stop laughing, and then the next, I was holding my breath as things got more intense. It's the kind of book that gives you all the feels while making you smile like a goofball.

Honestly, I couldn’t put it down. I kept telling myself, "One more chapter" and before I knew it, I had read the whole thing in one sitting. If you're into stories with great characters, a dash of humor, and a whole lot of heart, Be in My Bubble is a must-read. It’s one of those books that stays with you long after you’ve finished.

This was a cute rom com that takes place during the Covid 19 outbreak and lockdowns. Emily and Robbie grew up together in London but have grown apart as adults. The London lockdown reconnects them when they're both at low points in their lives. I loved the chemistry between Robbie and Emily but the misunderstanding troupe was a little heavy and it was a big part of why I couldn't give a five star review. Once, I can believe but more than that. You're adults, just use your words and explain the situation. I felt the couple was super cute and I really wanted them to be together pretty quickly in the book.

I received a review copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.

I'm typically someone who will immediately DNF a book the second it seems too much like the real world. Mention Taylor Swift, Tiktok, or any real-life headline and I'm pulled out of the story. I was unsure going into this read if I would be able to stay interested in a story that was too reminiscent of such a crappy time in all of our lives.

I was pleasantly surprised that Maya Mason was able to keep the plot of this rom-com light and entertaining. If I hadn't lived through COVID-19 myself, I might have thought the timeline was a little rushed but those were "unprecedented times" and isolation made 1 year feel like 100.

A quick, entertaining read worth adding to your TBR.

This was a fun time capsule romance of a very specific time in modern history.

It was fun and funny and managed to not belittle the pandemic nor that other people had very different experiences.

The romance was cute.

This was a cute wholesome read! The story was well written and an enjoyable read! And the romance was so sweet.

A romance based on the pandemic, surprisingly not super unbelievable storyline with extreme things. Some of the timelines did seem a little quick but knowing how people did think and feel during the quarantine it still does make sense. The story did have a lot of focus on mental health and self conscious undercurrent that did make it a bit more believable. It was a quick read once you get going.

I received this ARC from publishers via Netgalley
#BeInMyBubble #NetGalley

3-3.5⭐️

This was a cute read, but I must admit I was looking for a bit more from Robbie and Emily’s story. Their journey from running into each other again to more than friends happened quickly, without much tension or buildup and before I really felt any of their chemistry or attraction. Nevertheless, it was a cute story on a unique time in our world. As someone in healthcare who worked through the whole pandemic, it was a different perspective.
—
😷Debut novel
❤️Re-release
😷COVID
❤️Forced proximity
😷Brother’s ex-best friend
💔Death of a pet
📍London, England
—
Thank you Maya Mason & NetGalley for this complimentary ARC - all thoughts are my own! 📚
Publishers release date 10/11/2023

2.7 ⭐️ maybe

it was ok like it wasn’t great or anything special. Interesting to have a romance set in the pandemic of course. felt that the mmc was just pretty childish, like I get that there’s a pandemic but him just having one argument and basically going back to Australia. I get he had been thinking about it but being that impulsive was just ugh.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Look, I don't have any proof, but the only reason I picked this was because it seemed a little like Bellarke fanfiction. It was a long shot, I know that now, and my entire theory was based mostly on the familiar-looking guy on the cover and the fact he's Australian. It could all just be a coincidence, but I went into this book like a detective, trying to find all possible clues to prove my theory.

However, not even this imaginary detective assignment I’ve given myself was enough to keep me invested in the story. Unfortunately, after a couple of chapters, I was already a little bored. But then we were introduced to a conflict and I thought we were headed into low stakes enemies to lovers territory but that didn’t happen. There wasn’t any flirty banter, any teasing, any chemistry to keep me interested. Instead, at around the 20% mark, they kissed. That was enough for me to call it quits.

If the story was written in a more interesting way, I probably would’ve kept reading. However, the dialogue was so cringe at times and the altering POVs sounded so similar I had to keep looking back to figure out whose part I was reading.

All in all, this didn’t turn out to be my cup of tea. However, if you don’t mind instant love and all the usual romcom cliches, this might just be the book for you!

I just couldn't get through this book. It was so cringey and partially illegible. The story could've been enjoyable had it been better written.

I wanted to love this book but it was cringey and felt like a 12 year old wrote it. I was very disappointed. I loved the 2020 pandemic concept and this book could have been great if the writing was not so cringey

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Be in My Bubble by Maya Mason is a sweet and heartwarming RomCom set in London during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The story follows Emily, who is stuck in her apartment alone during lockdown, as she navigates the challenges of isolation and loneliness.

One night, Emily meets Robbie, her brother's friend from school, at the rubbish chute. They decide to form a "bubble" together, and their friendship quickly blossoms into something more. As they spend more time together, they learn to navigate their differences and perspectives, and their bond is tested as they face the challenges of the pandemic and their personal lives. The extra theme of gratitude was so pertinent. Especially during a time when it was certainly hard to find anything to be grateful for.

Mason does a great job of capturing the unique atmosphere of London in 2020, and the characters are relatable and likeable. The story is full of humor and heart, and it's sure to give readers that warm and fuzzy feeling.

While the story is enjoyable, it's not particularly groundbreaking. The plot felt predictable at times, and the characters are somewhat stereotypical of a typical Rom-Com. Also, being set in London, there was a British Dialect that was worked into the story. The outside Dialect made it hard for me to understand the story at times (I needed to a cultural deep dive after chapter 4) However, I'd definitely recommend Be in My Bubble as it's still a fun and lighthearted read that's perfect for anyone looking for a feel-good romance.

It felt good to read something nice from the lockdown era. I always wondered if authors would one day broach it. Wpuld they centre a book in 2021 and instead make out it didn't occur. Or would they have to make it part of any storyline they trod into those years?
And how would they do it for something like a romcom. As there wasn't always badness from that time. But there were moments.
So this book handled it so well. And it actually bought relief to me of that period. I know people forced to be together who still are and completely happy. And friendships also started.
And this book has managed to weave it in but not let it take over.
I was a bit uncomfortable with some of the border line references here. Sexism? And the plus size thing didn't quite seem to be like it was doing so with quite honest intentions. Add to that the front cover woman!?

Be in my bubble is a COVID-19 romance. I was a bit scared of reading a lock down romance but was happily suprised. I enjoyed the characters and found the pacing nice and easy. The story and characters had depth. It was a nice close door romance. I was left frustrated with the representation, throughout the story Emily is desxribed as being plus-size but once again the cover show a thin woman. I also felt like some of the conversations around sexisms were overlooked. Maybe i would of enjoyed even more if there was more critical insight. I would recommmed to any romance lover.

This is a tough book for me to comment on because the file I downloaded was mostly gibberish. There were only a smattering of legible sentences throughout. That said, the concept for the book was interesting and fairly timely. I liked the parts that I could read well enough and thought the book as a whole showed promise. It struck me as a solid cute three star rom com read, so that's what I'm giving it.

I read a copy of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.