At the start of the pandemic I swore I would not read a book or watch a TV series that so much as even mentioned “COVID 19”/ “Pandemic” / “Deadly Virus” / “Lockdown”. Why would I possibly want to read or hear about something for ‘escapism’, that I have had to work and live through for the best part of the last two years of my life?
I was a little hesitant at requesting this ARC from NetGalley however having thoroughly enjoyed The Kissing Booth series also written by Beth Reekles, my intrigue about her debut adult novel won over my scepticism over how much the pandemic/deadly virus would feature.
Love Locked Down/Lockdown on London Lane features the lives of the occupants of five flats when their building becomes locked down after a resident tests positive for a “deadly virus”, they’re not allowed to enter or leave with the front door heavily patrolled by Mr Harris in his hazmat suit. We follow each flat through a day to day of their 7 day lockdown period and I feel the narrative between each flat transitioned seamlessly through the book. This allows the reader a small snippet and glimpse into the lives of each flat which although made the story interesting also meant that I felt I didn’t engage or really get to know each individual character. It was certainly ambitious to cover so many peoples lives in 368 pages, I think I would have preferred fewer flats/characters to be able to empathise and understand them better however equally trying to demonstrate the greater impact of a lockdown on multiple people at different stages of their lives and relationships is a good concept.
Despite the potential of a heavy topic with the lockdown/deadly virus, Love Locked Down is a light and easy rom-com read. The content did not feel particularly “adult specific” and the writing style did not differ greatly from The Kissing Booth, as such I feel it would be suitable for teen/YA and adult readers alike.
ARC provided by NetGalley
Comments