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powisamy's review
5.0
When Floored was announced, I was so excited. Combining the Queens of YA, Floored was going to be an epic read. I was so right and Floored was amazing, definitely one of my favourite reads of the year so far.
I do think that the whole idea of this book is so ambitious but it definitely pays off. All of the characters are so loveable and I think that the way that they develop over the five years that this book is set is so great. I do think that Hugo develops a lot through the course of the book and I love how he goes from being the arsehole to less of an arsehole and has feelings. He does some bad things in this book that I do not agree with but he does change in the book.
All the characters in the book are great. I did like Joe as a character as he was just really sensitive and I felt for his whole situation. Also, Dawson and Sasha and Kaitlyn and Velvet are great and I feel like they all have individual voices which are so good but it is written by lots of authors so that kind of is expected.
The breaks also have a WhatsApp group which I loved reading about and seeing the characters in the book. The ending definitely broke me and I loved it. I would love so much more from these characters but I feel like that is a massive ask for the authors so I will just gush about how much I love this one!
The Verdict:
Floored is a masterclass of YA showing complex characters and an engaging story so is definitely worth the read!
I do think that the whole idea of this book is so ambitious but it definitely pays off. All of the characters are so loveable and I think that the way that they develop over the five years that this book is set is so great. I do think that Hugo develops a lot through the course of the book and I love how he goes from being the arsehole to less of an arsehole and has feelings. He does some bad things in this book that I do not agree with but he does change in the book.
All the characters in the book are great. I did like Joe as a character as he was just really sensitive and I felt for his whole situation. Also, Dawson and Sasha and Kaitlyn and Velvet are great and I feel like they all have individual voices which are so good but it is written by lots of authors so that kind of is expected.
The breaks also have a WhatsApp group which I loved reading about and seeing the characters in the book. The ending definitely broke me and I loved it. I would love so much more from these characters but I feel like that is a massive ask for the authors so I will just gush about how much I love this one!
The Verdict:
Floored is a masterclass of YA showing complex characters and an engaging story so is definitely worth the read!
booksandmeforevermore's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
olivia_redd's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I loved how diverse the characters were and how unlikely their friendship was and how the perspectives from a character ironically included references from another character's chapter. I like how between the years we see some development in their personal lives and character despite missing a large section of time.
owls_rainbow's review against another edition
4.0
Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.
I loved the concept for this and the fact that it’s a collaborative novel (I’m assuming one person wrote each character to give them a unique voice and then another to do plot, tie things together etc) is a really unusual thing.
Six teenagers of vastly different backgrounds end up sharing an elevator and then an experience that connects them forevermore… I loved learning more about each character throughout the book and seeing them grow and mature such as Kaitlyn’s acceptance of her gradual loss of sight and Hugo’s struggle to be more than his wealth. The only thing is it could have done with being longer and having a more rounded ending.
I loved the concept for this and the fact that it’s a collaborative novel (I’m assuming one person wrote each character to give them a unique voice and then another to do plot, tie things together etc) is a really unusual thing.
Six teenagers of vastly different backgrounds end up sharing an elevator and then an experience that connects them forevermore… I loved learning more about each character throughout the book and seeing them grow and mature such as Kaitlyn’s acceptance of her gradual loss of sight and Hugo’s struggle to be more than his wealth. The only thing is it could have done with being longer and having a more rounded ending.
djc16's review
4.0
Floored is without doubt one of those YA novels that seems to have had a buzz about it for over a year now and when you look at the authors involved and the concept, the buzz is hardly surprising. It features a story written from six different perspectives by six of the most talented YA authors in the UK right now. I had read some of the authors before but the combination of writers made this one a must-read.
There’s the whole who-writes-which-character, which I was inevitably drawn to in the opening chapters of Floored. When the narrative starts to develop into a rhythmical year-on-year dynamic of the shifting relationships between the main characters, you begin to just appreciate the story for what it is: a collaborative contemporary YA by writers at the top of their game.
The characters are all strong, whether you connect with them all or not and there’s a clear arc for all involved. There’s enough time to flesh out rich worlds for all the characters but in different ways. For example, Kaitlyn’s personality as a tenacious friend with a low tolerance for bullshit shines through really well. We learn plenty about Joe and Sasha’s families and how that shapes their personalities.
The framing device of these characters coming together once a year as a collective is what drives the story. From an innocuous, Sliding Doors type moment, their lives are changed irrevocably and it’s fascinating to read the evolution of the group from aspirational teenagers to adults.
Each character finds their role in the group and it must have taken a lot of work as a writing collective to achieve this. Collaborations can be tricky endeavours when two people are involved, so I can only imagine the work in writing Floored into a coherent story. The six authors here deserve a lot of praise for even overcoming the logistics involved!
By the end of Floored, the reader is fully invested in the group and you would even love to see more of these characters and how their lives develop around each other, both independently and as part of this lifelong ‘Lift Lot.’
It’s worth noting as well that the authors of each character were recently revealed over on @MyKindaBook where it is their pinned tweet. Read and guess along with everyone else and then find out who wrote which parts!
There’s the whole who-writes-which-character, which I was inevitably drawn to in the opening chapters of Floored. When the narrative starts to develop into a rhythmical year-on-year dynamic of the shifting relationships between the main characters, you begin to just appreciate the story for what it is: a collaborative contemporary YA by writers at the top of their game.
The characters are all strong, whether you connect with them all or not and there’s a clear arc for all involved. There’s enough time to flesh out rich worlds for all the characters but in different ways. For example, Kaitlyn’s personality as a tenacious friend with a low tolerance for bullshit shines through really well. We learn plenty about Joe and Sasha’s families and how that shapes their personalities.
The framing device of these characters coming together once a year as a collective is what drives the story. From an innocuous, Sliding Doors type moment, their lives are changed irrevocably and it’s fascinating to read the evolution of the group from aspirational teenagers to adults.
Each character finds their role in the group and it must have taken a lot of work as a writing collective to achieve this. Collaborations can be tricky endeavours when two people are involved, so I can only imagine the work in writing Floored into a coherent story. The six authors here deserve a lot of praise for even overcoming the logistics involved!
By the end of Floored, the reader is fully invested in the group and you would even love to see more of these characters and how their lives develop around each other, both independently and as part of this lifelong ‘Lift Lot.’
It’s worth noting as well that the authors of each character were recently revealed over on @MyKindaBook where it is their pinned tweet. Read and guess along with everyone else and then find out who wrote which parts!
ciaraaine's review
3.0
Floored is the unlikely story of 7 people whose lives collide in a lift. When one of those 7 die, 6 teenagers are left to come to terms with what happened on that day, and navigate their new found tumultuous friendships.
YA isn't typically my genre as I feel like I've grown out of reading the typical stories that come with the genre. But I was intrigued by the plot premise of this one, so I decided to try it out. I didn't hate it, but it definitely confirmed by suspicions that YA isn't for me anymore. I really do think it would work well with the demographic it was aimed for, however.
Considering it was written by 7 different authors, I felt like the novel was generally quite cohesive. I didn't find the differing narratives too confusing or overlapping, they worked quite well together. The one thing I didn't enjoy about the way this book was written was the massive time jumps. We get to know these characters over a period of 6 years - except, we only see 1 day in their lives per year. 6 days isn't necessarily a long time to get to know these people and I feel like we missed out on a lot that happened. Despite this, there wasn't a lack of character development, we just didn't get to witness it first hand.
Generally, the characters were quite likeable and relatable (even Hugo!) because they all felt like a type of person I'd met or encountered before. My only qualm is the cliches each characters carried and how they may have negatively portrayed a certain demographic that that character fitted in.
Despite all of that, the book was quite enjoyable. It was just definitely not in my taste or age group. This would be a good book to read as a teenager because it encounters you with all types of personalities, that you might not have a chance to have encountered yet. It gives you all of their different perspectives on life and shows you that no matter how friendly you are with someone, you never really know or understand what is happening in their lives. On the surface, all of these characters are so "normal" but each has their problems which we watch them try to work through. Really recommended for YA readers.
YA isn't typically my genre as I feel like I've grown out of reading the typical stories that come with the genre. But I was intrigued by the plot premise of this one, so I decided to try it out. I didn't hate it, but it definitely confirmed by suspicions that YA isn't for me anymore. I really do think it would work well with the demographic it was aimed for, however.
Considering it was written by 7 different authors, I felt like the novel was generally quite cohesive. I didn't find the differing narratives too confusing or overlapping, they worked quite well together. The one thing I didn't enjoy about the way this book was written was the massive time jumps. We get to know these characters over a period of 6 years - except, we only see 1 day in their lives per year. 6 days isn't necessarily a long time to get to know these people and I feel like we missed out on a lot that happened. Despite this, there wasn't a lack of character development, we just didn't get to witness it first hand.
Generally, the characters were quite likeable and relatable (even Hugo!) because they all felt like a type of person I'd met or encountered before. My only qualm is the cliches each characters carried and how they may have negatively portrayed a certain demographic that that character fitted in.
Spoiler
(Spoiler) - For example, Dawson. His story about his struggle with his sexuality was quite nice to include. Having a character identify as gay, only for them to realise that they are infact bisexual is really important representation. But I didn't like how his character started to fall in love with another boy, whilst in a relationship with a woman. I understand this does happen in real life, but it perpetuates that negative stereotype that comes with bisexuality that they "can't choose" or are "overly promiscuous".Despite all of that, the book was quite enjoyable. It was just definitely not in my taste or age group. This would be a good book to read as a teenager because it encounters you with all types of personalities, that you might not have a chance to have encountered yet. It gives you all of their different perspectives on life and shows you that no matter how friendly you are with someone, you never really know or understand what is happening in their lives. On the surface, all of these characters are so "normal" but each has their problems which we watch them try to work through. Really recommended for YA readers.
booksandlemonsquash's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
I had a sampler for this and really liked the concept. And the way it’s written is different and fun. I really enjoyed the catching up year by year.
However having a largish main cast and large gaps in the narrative means we don’t get to spend a lot of time getting to know them. This is actually handled very well by the authors, but I just couldn’t quite connect with them as much as I wanted.
I did really enjoy it, but nothing jumped out at me as a “love” so I’m giving it 3.5 stars
I had a sampler for this and really liked the concept. And the way it’s written is different and fun. I really enjoyed the catching up year by year.
However having a largish main cast and large gaps in the narrative means we don’t get to spend a lot of time getting to know them. This is actually handled very well by the authors, but I just couldn’t quite connect with them as much as I wanted.
I did really enjoy it, but nothing jumped out at me as a “love” so I’m giving it 3.5 stars
ellie_ofc's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rosemal's review against another edition
1.0
i could not finish this book, too slow and I was so bored