Although the story is relatable, I'm not the biggest fan of COVID related storylines. Overall, this was a meh for me.

Strangers, lovers, ex's, bridesmaids, what do they all have in common? They're all stuck together when an apartment building goes on lockdown due to the novel Corona virus. As the week of lockdown passes, hilarity, heart break, and falling in love ensues.

This was a lovely story reminiscent of Love, Actually, Valentines Day, and all those movies that bring together several plots. The characters are all unique from each other, but are reminders of many people we may encounter in our every day routine. As we look back on the beginnings of lockdown, this book helps us remember what is important and reflect on where we want our lives to go.

This was a really enjoyable read considering it was about a covid lockdown! Loved how there were trivial things included throughout that became “huge” things during lockdown - like arguments over pineapple on pizza etc

This is a unique story that may be too soon for some people to read. It is a glimpse into the lockdown lifestyle m any of us were faced with during the initial COVID-19 shutdown. Many people still have PTSD from this experience so beware that it does stir up many feelings of uncertainty and fear. Otherwise it Is a great read!

Such a unique read- read from the perspective of 5 flats in London during the pandemic lockdown. I loved the different POV’s as it helped the story move along quickly. I never felt bored and was excited to see where each character went!

Better late than never right? Most of us remember how scary the beginning of Covid was back in 2020, so it’s not hard to imagine how the people in this book are feeling. The characters are forced to quarantine in their apartment building because someone has contracted this virus.

In apartment 15, Isla and Danny have been blissfully dating for one month when a sleep over turns into forced proximity with the unexpected lockdown. In apartment 22, Olivia is being forced to host the bride to be and fellow bridesmaids for a hen party. Poor Liv is living an introverts nightmare. Serena and Zach are in apartment 17 living through an awkward situation because they are having some relationship issues which leads to lots of tension. Poor Imogen doesn’t even live in this building, but her ill timed one night stand with Nate in apartment 14 has her living with someone that was supposed to be a casual hookup. Lastly, we have Ethan who lives with Charlotte in apartment 6. Poor Ethan is forced to live alone for the week because Charlotte got stuck outside the building when the lockdown happened.

It was interesting to see how each person and group handled the forced time together. My favorite story line was probably Imogen and Nate.

Lockdown on London Lane wasn’t bad, but it had to deal with COVID and I am sick of it. I get it, COVID ended up being huge and sad, but I don’t want to read about it in a book. This one was also slow in my opinion.

This was an interesting read. Not quite a romance imo. I enjoyed it and read it in on sitting. Not quite 4 stars but you know kind of. It was very real and raw. I loved the way everything tied together and the characters stories meshed together. Some really sweet moments. Very relatable moments.
The only “pandemic” book I’ve read and it was well done.

I really enjoyed seeing the dynamic between the different groups and how they evolve. I have to say, at the beginning it felt as if I would not be able to form a connection with any of the characters given how often the point of view changed; however, as the story progressed I really was waiting to see how it all would turn out and if certain couples would finally see that they're meant to be together for more than a temporary period of time. Overall, it was a lighthearted, fast read which, despite awakening flashbacks from the early stages of the pandemic, manages to turn this into a story of friendships and romance that acknowledges that not everything might be perfect all the time and that is okay.

This book was the pandemic book I was looking for. I've read so many books in the last year that feature the pandemic in a way that was annoying or unnecessary, but this book took the circumstances of having to lockdown in an apartment and took that opportunity to examine the human element to it - and how it impacted several different relationships. The emotions and dialogue were real and touching, and I loved the truth that came through in the writing. I couldn't have asked for more and was drawn into each story. It reminded me of Love, Actually, and truly, don't we all need a little more of that in our lives? I know I do.

I really enjoyed this multi-perspective week long story through the lives of these people as they are in lockdown in their apartments. This is the first book I've read the references the actual pandemic and things we went through and I think it did it well.

Setting:
There wasn't much to the setting being that everyone was stuck in their own apartments. However, I do think the descriptions and details aided that "stuck" or "cramped in" feeling and I was feeling just as anxious as the characters thinking about having to share my space with other people for that long.

Characters:
I really enjoyed each of these characters. None of them were unlikeable to me and they all felt very real. I feel like I've had half the thoughts/arguments that they have in my own life and learning to live with others or share my routine with my boyfriend.

Plots:
I love the way that each of these stories were separate but they all had little details that brought them together to intertwine everyone's story. Nothing big, but just little things like borrowing a pair of clothes or watching the video of a vlogger in the other apartment.

Overall, this was a super fun story and I really really enjoyed it!

this was a perfect read for what’s happening today, there’s a lockdown and everyone finds themselves stuck in one place making life changing decisions, you follow five different apartments where the residents are all making life changing decisions in 7 days, and though it was only 7 days in the book i felt this really highlighted what lockdown was like for a lot of us. We were all stuck in one spot having to contemplate if the things we just brushed off or accepted easily any other day was really what we wanted.

You wouldn’t think that reading about people being locked down during the pandemic would be entertaining as we’ve all been living it for two years now but I really enjoyed this book. The random circumstances that led to these different people being locked down together and the way they all handled the situation was very interesting and entertaining. Spending forced and very unexpected time together with someone will really fast forward getting to know them…for better or for worse! I enjoyed meeting the characters and getting to know them and their quirks and just enjoyed their interactions. Imogen and Nate were my favorite though and I’d love to get a follow up on how they relationship turned out! I’m definitely cheering for them!

This was a fun read! Each of the characters brought an exciting new story and I loved it all! We all went through a crazy time with Covid and being able to laugh about some of the situations we were all put in made this a very relatable journey.

#bookreview Lockdown on London Lane by Beth Reekles

☺️ the good ☺️
- The stories were somewhat cute.
- Most of the characters were likable.

🤨 the bad 😒
- The shifting perspectives was confusing. Maybe cause I was just reading a chapter here and there, but I couldn’t even remember what story was which couple 🤷🏼‍♀️ I really think it would’ve been better as a collection of short stories.
- None of the stories had anything happening for 75% of the book. It was just a lot of being stuck inside and nothing was happening.
- Predictable. Very predictable.

😍 the beautiful 😍
🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

rating: ⭐️⭐️

#bookstagram

I can’t believe it took me so long to read this fun, heartwarming book. It follows the inhabitants (residents and visitors) of five apartments early in the pandemic, when they are all unexpectedly quarantined for a week after another resident falls ill. Their situations are all slightly different, but none of them are fully prepared to spend so much uninterrupted time in the company of those they’re forced to. Some relationships falter, while others blossom. The best is a longtime couple who fight bitterly over pineapple on pizza.

The pandemic is still a little fresh to me, so it was weird to read about characters who think they’re only going to be affected by a one-week quarantine. I already feel wise. I think adding a character who is truly alone would have added an interesting dimension. #LockdownonLondonLane #NetGalley

In Lockdown on London Lane, Beth Reekles creates a well written, reflective romantic comedy that explores the impact of a week long lockdown on tenants of the London Lane apartment building. This book was an easy relatable, and humorous read. It was easy to see how each tenant, actual or visiting, after allowing their brains to be shut off from the noise of the outside world, became reflective on the Lockdowns impact on their future and its ability to lead to crucial and sometimes life-changing decisions. Lockdown on London Lane is a fabulous read! I received an advance review copy for free and I am posting this review voluntarily.

We've all heard stories of couples who had to speed up their timelines because of "the" pandemic. Couples who just started dating end up having to quarantine together, or even to move in together. This book follows 5 apartments amidst a seven day quarantine. It felt incredibly relatable, and bizarre to think this is only two years ago. I'm not sure anyone might want to read a pandemic story once we're out of that, but luckily this didn't get too heavy.

I did enjoy most of this book but I did skim over some parts. Some characters were kinda boring or annoyed me but I did like how they all intertwined. It did get confusing for me when I was trying to figure out how this person knows this person. But I would recommend this book for some fun and entertainment.

The people within the reading community who said we should avoid pandemic-related plots might have been on to something with Lockdown on London Lane by Beth Reekles.

A shame, really, as romance is a coping mechanism many readers turn to in times of turmoil. It’s why I read so many books about teenagers in high school while in high school. Something about having your most miserable experiences projected back at you in the form of romantic fantasies can be so healing. Lockdown on London Lane is in no way a harmful take on the global pandemic, but it doesn’t add anything meaningful to the conversation.

The plot could have taken place during any lockdown — a biohazard leak, a royal visit, or even a fictional virus — and the plot would not change. This rom-com believes it’s doing us a favor with this candy-coated take on the Covid-19 virus. Unfortunately, the opposite proves true, with embellishments fictionalizing the very pandemic and its protocols the book wants to embrace. It intends to use the pandemic as a plot device but doesn’t want to commit to much else beyond a reason to keep an apartment complex sequestered.

So if the preference is to fictionalize the events of the pandemic, why not offer readers true escapism in the form of a more creative lockdown scenario? Perhaps it is the lack of interesting romantic pairings that makes digesting this setting so difficult.

The book boldly uses multiple narrations; bouncing around the apartment building to check in on different couples. It is a stimulation overload, and readers will struggle to differentiate who is who. All the female protagonists speak in sentences that end with multiple exclamation marks and keeping storylines straight leaves little room to debate how swoon-worthy the men are. The apartment dwellers’ features are laid out early in an assault of descriptions, making it a feat to remember each person’s distinguishable qualities.

So the few BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters included in this bloated ensemble are lost in the mix.

Lockdown on London Lane bites off more than it can chew with this revolving door of couples. But, on the other hand, narrowing its sites to two or three couples may have proven for a more substantial character study in captivity, one with more romance. So while apartment hopping is a fun notion, it makes connecting with a larger group quite tricky.

The bridal shower, the one-night stand, and the isolated Twitch streamer prove interesting enough vessels for this story when given the time to shine. This novel works best when it finds a way to showcase the underlining good of humanity beyond wanting to kill each other for chewing too loudly. There’s a beauty in embracing one’s flaws when forced to face them for a week in close confinement. The adorable cover and promise of light romance in a time of suffocating grief will undoubtedly appeal to curious readers for this reason.

If you are willing to overlook its shortcomings and enjoy this book for the fluffy surface-level fun it is, you may just be able to make it out of the lockdown with a better outlook on the residents of London Lane. But for this reader, there is not enough romance or depth to these characters to justify spending a week with them.

Finding comfort in covid times is appealing, but Lockdown on London Lane’s execution is far too good at dredging up the uglier feelings associated with lockdowns. If we as storytellers are going to romanticize the pandemic, we need to do better than this.