URGENT!!! Due to the current situation, building management has decided to impose a seven-day quarantine on all apartment buildings on London Lane.
With nowhere else to go . . .
Ethan and Charlotte wonder whether absence really does make the heart grow fonder when they end up on either side of a locked door.
A fierce debate over pineapple on pizza ignites a series of revelations about Zach and Serena’s four-year relationship.
Liv realizes rolling with the punches is sometimes much harder than it looks after her bridesmaids’ party goes off the rails, leaving the group at each other’s throats.
Isla and Danny’s new romance is put to the test as they jump ten steps ahead on the relationship timeline.
And Imogen and Nate’s one-night stand is about to get six do-overs they never really asked for—not awkward at all.
Through make ups, breakups, love-ins, and blowouts, friendships are tested as everyone scrambles to make it through the week unscathed. Amidst all the drama, one thing remains constant: life is full of surprises.
After a confirmation of a positive test for covid in an apartment complex in London Lane, several people must quarantine for seven days and that means some are now stuck in a situation that is embarrassing or frustrating or both, and when one can't leave the house, is there any room for keeping up appearances? The five apartments the story focuses on present people involved in different relationship dynamics, but deep down it all comes down to the same issue, is forced cohabitation as dire and stress inducing as that or people truly adapt?
I thought the author would be doing a very interesting study work here, in a fictional environment. Everyone nowadays is aware of the effects of the pandemic and all the rules people had to deal with as investigators and doctors learned them too and it had to be a quick lesson to all. No matter where people are in relation to it, the truth is that the virus did accelerate the problems of many people's medical issues and people did die. I was curious to see how the author would use some of the things we had to learn in her novel.
However, I must say I was a little disappointed that the story focused on the relationships alone of the several main characters and the pandemic wasn't stressed that much - perhaps this was a choice, so the book wouldn't be too heavy - even though it was the reason why they were all stuck in that situation. I suppose I expected a bit more awareness or small hints that people were thinking about it and all that it meant for their lives but the fact this seems to be set on the beginning of things, when there was a lot of conflicted information, "helped" to explain why we don't have more drama. In the end, it ended up feeling as if the seven days quarantine was only a way to force them to stay there and not an active part of the plot.
Anyway, the story is divided into what happens in five apartments. I don't think the choice of characters was that illustrative of the family units that could have been used but, again, I assume the point was to show case romantic possibilities. The main characters are couples Ethan and Charlotte, Zach and Serena, Isla and Danny and Imogen and Nate. We also have the four friends who were doing plans for the wedding of one of them in Olivia's apartment. Each situation presents a different type of relationship dynamic and the chapters are alternate from one to the other and so on:
- Ethan and Charlotte are an established couple and she was out when the quarantine begun, so they have to spend these days apart. They embody the relationship of two people whose forced distance makes them realize they do want to take the next step in their relationship;
- Imogen and Nate had a one night stand and now she is stuck there and they must deal with forced proximity. With time they realize they like each other more than they thought and being close makes them have to interact and talk in a way they might not of she had left;
- Olivia and her friends Kim, Lucy and Addison had a good weekend but Olivia was ready to have her peace back and now this happened. They say things they might not if they weren't stressed and Olivia is also in doubt on whether Addison likes her as more than a friend;
- Zach and Serena are an established couple but this situation makes them face some facts they wouldn't if they hadn't to be challenged. They have a small fight and are left wondering if their relationship is truly strong or if they should separate after all;
- Isla and Danny have just now become a couple and are in the stage where everything is rosy and easy. However, no one can remain perfect for so long and Isla starts thinking maybe Danny won't like who she is when she isn't in "girlfriend mode".
All these little set ups were interesting to follow but I liked it best when we were focused on Imogen and Nate or Isla and Danny because the dynamics between them were the most interesting. I still think their interactions were more difficult because they didn't really have the confidence times gives people after they know each other for a while. The other three situations also had interesting elements (like work hours in a home environment situation which was so complicated for so many) but I wasn't as invested in how their relationships progressed. I admit some parts, about all of them, were a little boring.
I don't have anything to say about the writing style, it was fluid and easy to read, but the plot choices didn't offer for much development beyond the basics, especially with so many characters to focus on. In one hand, I liked this because it makes it easier to consider several factors, on the other it made the apartment stories a little superficial and rather clichéd...the details regarding life while in quarantine and all the virus related stuff was obviously easy to follow but the individuals chosen to personify this scenario, while cute and all that, didn't really leave a strong impression in me.
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