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midge_x's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Love, Locked Down centres around five households flung together during the lockdown of their apartment block. Reading like a book version of the hit film Love Actually, the book shares the stories of each apartment building multiple connections between each character whilst they're stuck with no way out. Please see trigger warnings at the end of this review.
Beth Reekles perfectly captures multiple POVs from characters in different places of life. Ethan, a gaming streamer, is left out of sorts after his girlfriend Charlotte is locked out of the block, leaving him to realise how much he truly loves her. In the increasingly awkward Apartment 17, Serena questions everything she knows about her seemingly stable four-year relationship with Zach over a Hawaiian Pizza. Meanwhile, her neighbour Isla is suddenly trapped with her new dreamboat boyfriend Danny where routines and schedules clash and tensions grow, leaving Isla worried about the future of their relationship.
When Imogen tries to sneak out from a one night stand with Nate (or is it Neil?), she ends up in everyone's worse nightmare when she is unable to leave. The poorly timed hook-up leaves wild child Imogen wondering what she really wants from life. Finally, Imogen's best friend Lucy is trapped at her Bridezilla sister-in-law's Hen Weekend hosted by Liv. Bride Kim and Maid of Honour Liv have been best friends forever, so hosting a Hen Weekend should be breezy, right? Wrong - with the rising tensions of the four girls the weekend turns into something fresh out of hell mixed with flirting, tears and screaming. At the end of the book, one characters embarrassment threads all of the stories together creating a last minute 'aw' moment.
Overall, the book is a fun read based on a cutesy premise that could realistically have happened to anyone in the height of the pandemic. The diverse and interesting characters makes the reader invested in the state of their relationships and Reekles somehow makes it easy follow. Although an amazing book, it's not quite five stars as I think some of the stories only touched the surface and there was room for a lot more exploration. Also I definitely think that the book could have benefitted with a diagram of the apartment block to serve as a who's who.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Emotional abuse, Outing of a LGBT+ character, Alcohol, Arguments, References to Lockdown and Covid-19.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Outing, and Alcohol
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