I absolutely adored this one!! it was witty, quick, and had the air of a traditional detective whodunnit story. plus having the background of the pandemic was an alarming, yet familiar twist that I wasn’t unhappy to see.

my only other pandemic novel so far has been jodi picoult’s, and that was heavy af so I’m so happy that I was introduced to a lighter one :’)

I thought it was so so creative how each of the residents were split up into their own stories about their past, present and future and how the lockdown shaped their existence. I loved learning about the characters in an easy way, and it was refreshing to feel the story unfold methodically, even if untraditional at times.

thank you to netgalley and watt pad books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. definitely get your copy!!

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: english sparkling wine

A cute read that follows the lives of different apartments coping with the changes brought by the pandemic. Definitely brought back some memories of when it all started and how we all felt pretty unsure of how things were going to play out. Each apartment had it’s own storyline and it was nice to see how they all somewhat connected with each other. It had its cute tender moments as well as a bit of tension but seeing how they worked through the problems and how they came out on the other side was cute. The ending for each person was cute, some I expected and others not so much, but it was a cute read overall.

I enjoyed reading this. I still can't believe that I wanted to read a book about lockdown during this pandemic even though we are still in the pandemic. It was an interesting read. I loved that there was such a wide cast of characters and that we got to see how each one of them handled lockdown. I also really liked seeing how it affected them. This book was about the dynamic between characters stuck in apartments together. They had so much to work through and some gained meaningful relationships while others had to question their relationships. The relationship aspect of it felt extremely realistic. It was a bit slow moving at the start for me, but towards the middle it really picked up. I give this book 3.75 out of 5 stars.

This is a delightful and funny book about residents of an apartment complex in lockdown. Each flat’s residents weather the one week quarantine in different ways. Learning about themselves and those they spend quarantine with. From a one night stand, a bridesmaids party, a newly dating couple and someone spending it away from their partner. Lockdown in London Lane will have you giggling and commiserating with interesting characters that are regular people.

It’s the beginning of the pandemic, before everything has really hit the fan and anyone understands it.

An apartment building is suddenly placed on lockdown when a resident tests positive.

This throw a wrench into the lives of the residents of London Lane.

First, Imogen had planned for a one night stand with Nate (whose name she didn’t even remember) and now finds herself facing a full week with a man she barely knows but seems to be her total opposite.

Ethan is deeply missing his girlfriend Charlotte who was away visiting family and isn’t allowed back in.

Isla is scared to have a weekend visit with her new boyfriend Danny turn into a full week of together. How can she maintain her facade of perfection?

Serena and Zach have been constantly snapping at each other and the forced togetherness does NOT help.

Olivia was relieved to arrive at the end of a wedding prep weekend for her bff’s wedding with the other two bridesmaids. Which, of course, now has been extended.

Truths are revealed, big decisions are made and lives intertwine.

Not everyone can end up with a happy ending.

When I saw the description of this novel, I knew I would want to read it. I have not been interested in pandemic books so close to actually still living in one, but what drew me in was the lightheartedness of the plot. I know how I felt when we shut down and I liked the idea of following the residents of an apartment building, in all different situations, dealing with a 2 week shut down.

There are a lot of characters and it does take a couple of chapters of each story to get them all situated but once I was familiar with the characters, it was a lighthearted, fun read that was still serious. There were a couple of couples I was way more interested in than others (Serena and Zach, Ethan and Charlotte, and Imogen and Nate) but the others' stories were entertaining as well. As the story progressed it got better and better and I was very pleased with the ending.

I am so happy to have been given an opportunity to read this one.

A quirky, rom-com\quarantine story. A quick read and cute storyline. I really enjoyed the set up and how the chapters are the apartment residents.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Jan 25, 2022 is the pub date.

This was an okay read which is about a bunch of people having to be quarantined in their apartments with some not even living in the complex. I know we all think it's too soon to read books about people quartatining or there being a deadly pandemic in the world but I wanted to see what the famous Beth Reckles has in store for us. I have to say that the storyline wasn't so bad for me as there was also comedy in the book and kind of made me feel less alone with going through the pandemic. Though I do have to say that there was so much povs that it was hard to see where the story was going. It felt more like fanfiction of people's lives than just a binded novel if you know what I mean. The pacing was great as the story flowed perfectly and I enjoyed the setting of it taking place in an apartment.

So there are many main characters in this book. There is Serena and Zach who have been together for years but Zach ordered something she didn't expect and thinks she doesn't know him so well. Then there is Isla who has been dating Danny for a month but realizes that him staying with her will make him realize she isn't perfect. Imogen has a one night stand where she decides to sneak out but can't leave the building and is stuck with the guy she can't remember the name of. Ethan and his girlfriend are separated by the walls and Ethan thinks he won't be able to survive without her. Lastly is Liv who decides to have a party at her place only to be stuck with 3 women. I won't go into much detail but I will say that these characters showed how hard it can be to be stuck with someone 24/7 and that there are so many things to learn about the person that you know before. There are some side characters in this book and also some bits of romance.

The ending was a happily ever after for all characters. As I said before that this book felt more like a fanfiction which is why this book got rated 3/5 stars. It wasn't a bad read at all except it will be if some readers don't want to read anything about the pandemic. There was a good bit of comedy in this book but I enjoyed how realistic this was. I do recommend reading this book if you want a light read.

The last book I read that had the pandemic as the setting was unsettling for this reader, reading it in the middle of this same time in history. This story however, was a refreshing look at what happens to a number of people living or visiting in the same apartment building that is put on lockdown due to someone testing positive for the virus in the building. For 7 days, everyone is sequestered to their apartments, with permission to leave only to collect food deliveries. The characters in this story are likeable and real and the book is an easy and pleasant read despite the backdrop. In the book you will meet Imogen, who is at Nate's apartment for a one night stand, that turns into 7 unexpected nights. You will meet Ethan who lives with Charlotte who is visiting family when the building is locked down and is unable to enter as a result, leaving Ethan alone to consider their relationship. In another apartment you have Danny and Isla, who generally only spend an overnight together or the weekend, and now are thrown together for a much larger period of time that they may not be ready for. Finally there is Liv, who is throwing a bridesmaids party for her best friend Kim - a weekend was going to be a challenge for her but she was willing to do it for her friend but a whole week turns into an affair she would have liked to avoid. Chapter by chapter the reader sees what is happening behind closed doors and you have to keep reading to discover how things unfold and some of the ways that stories intersect, as well. This is a light, fun read, that I would definitely recommend if you need a break from your own pandemic reality.
Thank you to Netgalley and Wattpad books for the ARC for this book in exchange for my honest review. So glad I got a chance to enjoy this book!

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗢𝗡 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗡 𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗘

⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @wattpadbooks for the #arc in exchange for my honest review

I had really high hopes for this one. I loved the Kissing Booth and I loved the cover of this book, and I liked the premise, but the stories were confusing to keep track of. Too many storylines that didn’t flow and it made it hard to remember what happened previously to certain characters. It got slow during the middle, and while it wasn’t dangerously close to a DNF, it was kinda “meh” and made me fall asleep a few times while reading.

This book followed the lives of 6 people during the start of lockdown in 2020. A virus case in the building forced everyone to be shut in- no one in, no one out. What proceeded was a telling of their lives during temporary quarantine- how it affected their health, relationships and overall state of being.

I thought I would have been able to relate a little more to the stories having lived through it, but they barely scratched the surface to the impact quarantine had on people’s mental health. Maybe that was the authors intent, but I felt it didn’t demonstrate the true impact that this time had in our lives. With that being said, the end of the book was really good- I would say the last 15-20% I thoroughly enjoyed, and really saved me from writing it off completely to now being something I would recommend with a caveat that they may not be a fan of the rest.

You never know what life is going to throw at you, and in Lockdown on London Lane, Reekles shows you how the residents of 5 different flats survive the 7 day quarantine. Full of witty humor, strikingly familiar COVID-19 circumstances, and all the feels, it's truly a must-read for 2022.

I was truly invested in each person and their specific circumstance and even though I was hesitant at first to read a book about the pandemic while we're still IN it, I am so thankful I did!

I will absolutely be reading more of Beth Reekles adult novels.

Lockdown On London Lane by Beth Reekles

For the residents of LondonLane, a simple slip of paper, underneath each of their doors, is about to change their lives in many ways.

I didn’t really enjoy this book. It was about what we are going through now. I found it made me anxious.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

Pandemic stories are controversial right now because we are still in the midst. No one wants to read more about what’s going on out there because it’s usually depressing. However, Lockdown in London lane defies that theory. What a fun story told from multiple perspectives in different apartments. One long term couple is separated during lockdown, another is a one-night stand stuck with each other, then you have Danny & Isla who have only been dating a month and another couple who has too much time to question everything about their relationship. But the bachelorette party that lasts a week too long was the funniest. Definitely not your typical COVID story, Lockdown on London Lane could be the new romcom of our time.

I received an early copy of this book from netgalley. Doesn't influence my review.

I was hooked on this rom-com from the beginning. I have not read anything as current to the times as this. It's about an apartment complex that goes under lockdown during the pandemic. It explores how the quarantining can affect different people and their relationships. The book bounces between several apartments and the drama behind each wall. One was the story of a woman who was trapped with a stanger after a one night stand. Another involved a wedding party crammed into a small apartment with bridezilla.

I was surprised how the author incorporated social media and the digital world into her stories. Mentions of tiktok, YouTube, zoom, Uber eats, bumble, Instagram, twitch, and several others.

It was addicting would love to see this turned into a movie.

It was the first book I've read by Beth Reekles definitely plan on reading more.

This was a perfect dose of being funny, heartfelt and entertaining. I know it can be quite difficult for some people to read a book about the pandemic, as we ourselves are amidst of it. But I love how quite close and relatable one could find themselves to the characters and their respective problems.

I really enjoyed this sweet story! In the beginning I would say it was difficult to keep up with the multiple storylines. I enjoyed each of their individual stories and would absolutely love a follow up to this. I did not want this story to end! Great heartwarming read!

Do you like books about the lockdown or do you prefer to pretend it didnt exist in your books?

This is a unique book that tells the story of one building... its multiple apartments, their occupants and what happens when the building is shut down for 7 days for quarantine... when no ones allowed in and no ones allowed out.

In one apartment, a one night stand is now turned into a 7 day stay. In another Ethans girlfriend was visiting her parents and now cant get back in. Serena and Zach have been together 4 years and are bickering alot lately. Isla and Danny have only been together a month and shes still not totally herself around him but now shes going to be with him 24/7 for 7 days. In the last apartment is Olivia who just had a girls weekend with her friend and all her bridesmaids... and yeh.. theyre now all stuck in her apartment ALL. WEEK. LONG.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It had some interesting plot lines. Some characters I was indifferent to and others I reallt liked... one story in particular is very very sweet. I lost a bit of interest in the middle but then it did pick back up. Overall it was a cute read.

Read if you like:

Multiple POV and storylines
Stories about the quarantine
A HEA for some
Intertwining storylines

⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this book. All opinions remain my own as always

Received this from a giveaway.

I hope to get to it soon! Thank you to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

From the the preview I got to read, I love it so far. I feel a five star read in my future.

This book has an interesting and timely premise. It took me back to March 2020 when the pandemic starting feeling very real and scary.

The idea to follow several different groups living in (or stuck in) different apartments during a time when the building was on lockdown was a good one. However, I had trouble keeping track of a couple of the story lines because they were similar.

In the end my predictions for each group came true so there wasn't really any suspense and the "com" part of this rom-com didn't seem to show up.

One thing that took away from my enjoyment was the whole idea that an apartment management group could lock down a building and prevent people from leaving. It was distracting and I had a difficult time believing there was such a huge difference between British and American laws. I kept wondering of there is an English version of the ACLU that would have done something.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad books for giving me an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lockdown on London Lane is reminiscent of the movies Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve with the stories of various characters beginning due to an event, in this case COVID, and interweaving as you make way through the pages. I really wanted to like this novel, I was excited to see how Reekles would incorporate COVID into the plot. I feel Reekles excelled in that area, I could relate to the experiences of characters during lockdown. Also, I enjoyed how characters were presented in various life stages. Where this novel fell flat for me was in the writing and presentation. I felt like the writing could have been improved in complexity. The various stories became confusing and I kept having to reference to previous chapters to figure out the plot with each character.