LoveReading Says
The Lock-In is the debut novel from Phoebe Luckhurst (also a journalist, Features Editor for the Evening Standard) which has been listed for the Comedy Women in Print Prize. I’ve seen its playful pastel cover everywhere this year from its brilliant publicity campaign from Michael Joseph (Penguin) publishers, who have been positioning it next to the comforting and relatable love stories of Mhairi Macfarlane and Dolly Alderton.
I first heard about it when it was sold during lock-down, when being trapped in a room with your flatmates and a hook-up felt perhaps more thrillingly likely.
It’s there in the title, really! The first chapters of the novel feel a bit like a one-act play – seeing how the different characters respond to the grounded situation of being locked in an attic while water rises in the basement. It prompts a fun thought experiment for the reader about what you would actually do in this situation, like when the characters debate what to write on an SOS sign – they want it to seem real, but still seem funny enough that people would bother to interrupt their day to rescue them: ‘Jack agreed that, on the basis of this sign, he’d definitely try to rescue the people stuck in the attic.’
The highlights are when they start going more Lord of the Flies up there: when we realise that they all have different motives for wanting to escape, or indeed, stay in the attic for longer, and lying to each other.
I was worried that the ‘twist’ of someone being an old flame might be somewhat lost on the fact that it’s on the cover (!) but rest assured there are further twists on this thread. Those who remember MSN romances will enjoy the stomach dropping retellings of changing your status updates to ‘poignant lyrics’, and a first crush saying over that blank cursor ‘ok admission time / i have feelings for you’.
Lily Lindon
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Phoebe Luckhurst Press Reviews
'Entertaining, endearing, and truly unique. Found myself wincing and laughing with familiarity' Emma Gannon, bestselling author of Olive
'The year's most original romcom' ELLE
'Hilarious' Evening Standard, 'Best New Books in 2021'
'David Nicholls for millennials. The Lock In is a dream read: an immaculately plotted romcom which vividly captures both late teenagehood and twentysomething houseshares' i
'A high-concept romcom that's stuffed full of belly laughs and nostalgia' Red
'Such a fun, clever, original and massively entertaining read. I love it, you'll love it' Lindsey Kelk
'I LOVED this book. I highly recommend The Lock In if you fancy a fun summer time read' Carrie Hope Fletcher
'Beautifully written, warm and fun with a dose of early noughties nostalgia, The Lock In is a perfect summer read' Laura Kay, author of The Split
'I loved this book. Brilliantly written and so perceptive on the trials and tribulations of Generation Rent, it's also screamingly funny, deliciously nostalgic and really just a very fun time. I almost wish they'd stayed locked in for longer' Lauren Bravo
'An immensely readable, witty and well-crafted debut, a very millennial tale of love, loneliness and friendship' i
'This will have you both cringing and crying with laughter' Woman's Weekly
'On one hand a feel-good, laugh out loud funny escapist read, and on another a blistering critique of twentysomethings' experience of renting in the capital' Evening Standard
'This hilarious debut will give you all the lols you need this summer. A highly relatable comedy about flatmates, hangovers and terrible landlords' Evening Standard
'Funny and compelling from page one and so well written. Such a brilliant premise and really well executed. Officially a huge fan of Phoebe Luckhurst!' Lucy Vine, bestselling author of Hot Mess
'A funny, joyful hug of a book! A nostalgic, pitch perfect ode to the awkwardness and hilarity of yearning teenage years and house sharing in your twenties' Cressida McLaughlin
'Loved the concept and characters, it's very funny' Sarra Manning
'Proper laugh-out-loud stuff' Fabulous Magazine
'Best new good book to read' Cosmopolitan
'Irresistible premise. Addictive' i
'One to watch' The Bookseller
'Hilarious' Woman
'Joyful' Stylist
About Phoebe Luckhurst
Phoebe Luckhurst was born in London and brought up in Glasgow. She is a Senior Commissioning Editor at The Sunday Times Magazine, and has written features and interviews for the Guardian, Sunday Times Style, Elle, ES Magazine, Grazia, the Telegraph and Vogue. Phoebe has had the theme tune to The OC stuck in her head since 2003 and once almost spent her student loan on a micro-pig. She no longer shops online when drunk. The Lock In was her debut novel, and her second, The Back Up Man, will be published in 2023.
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