Synopsis: 

Meet Ellen, Alexa and Jack.

They’re broke. They’re lonely. They’re hungover.

And things are about to go from bad to worse…

After Ellen stumbles downstairs to discover their kitchen is flooded, the housemates find themselves in the attic, desperate to cut the water supply. But when Ben, Alexa’s date from the night before, accidentally breaks the door handle, all four are trapped. Cue the worst ever Morning After The Night Before, especially when Ellen becomes convinced she knows Ben from somewhere…

I have to tell you that I devoured ‘The Lock In’ within a day; I enjoyed reading about the characters and I couldn’t wait to find out what Ellen’s memories of Ben would lead to. I also loved the concept of a locked room story, I have never read anything like this before and I found it to be quite refreshing to read something so distinct. I was certainly not disappointed by the twists in the story and even though I suspected how it would end, I still enjoyed the reveal.

I also found Luckhurst’s writing to be very descriptive which made the setting and the characters a lot easier to imagine. Throughout reading the book, I was thinking how I would act and feel if I got trapped in an attic and I definitely wouldn’t be so calm about it like the characters in ‘The Lock In’ were!  Additionally, Luckhurst’s portrayal of the situation was very realistic - the housemates having an evil landlord, peeing in a box and shouting to neighbours for help out of the attic window all sound hilarious but would probably be something anyone would be likely to experience in such a situation. The dynamic of the group and the atmosphere in the attic also seeped through the pages and at times the interactions would be light-hearted but at times you could feel the awkwardness which also added realism to the chapters.

As for the characters, I found them to be well written and developed as they all had their own distinctive personalities. I also like that they had their own chapters and I got to read the story from different perspectives. I loved the friendship between Ellen and Alexa and I found the character of Jack to be incredibly funny. I found myself even warming to the character of Ben after the reveal at the end. If I had to summarise my favourite moments of the novel then they’d have to be the characters realising that they’re stuck in the attic, Jack live-tweeting about the whole ordeal and the MSN mystery reveal at the end. The flashback chapters of Ellen MSN messaging with a boy were also a pleasant addition and the mentions of MSN and BBM made me feel nostalgic.

Overall, I think ‘The Lock In’ is a well thought out story that is fast-paced and one that will have you laughing out loud. It’s certainly a perfect book to relax with in sunny weather! Luckhurst’s writing is vivid and keeps you absorbed from the first to the very last page. The setting, the characters and the entertaining moments allowed Luckhurst to form a truly brilliant debut and one that you definitely do not want to miss!

‘The Lock In’ is being published in hardback on 22nd July but the ebook is available for purchase right now.

Rating: 4 stars

About the Author

Phoebe Luckhurst was born in London and brought up in Glasgow. She is the Features Editor of the Evening Standard and appears regularly on their podcast, The Leader. She has written for the Guardian, Sunday Times Style, ELLE, ES Magazine, Grazia, The Telegraph and Vogue. Phoebe’s inspiration for the book was her own misadventures in renting, her friendships and relationships, and noughties nostalgia.