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The Elevator
J.P. Has just one goal. To become one of the wealthiest African-American men in the country. He doesn't have time for love or romance. So why is this new elevator companion's kindness and winning smile taking root in his mind and heart? At 12 years old Lauren's mother died. At 24 years old her father had move out of her childhood home. She was just finishing law school when that happened. Now working two part-time jobs she maintained a positive attitude. Meeting J.P. on the elevator each morning was not in her plans. And unknown truths were in her immediate future. How would her life be changed?
113 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 21, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 1, 2024
The Elevator by Benna Else is a captivating novel that weaves together the lives of two seemingly disparate individuals—J.P. and Lauren—within the confined space of an elevator. As the doors close and the floors ascend, their destinies intersect, leading to revelations, compassion, and a shared understanding of life’s twists and turns.
J.P., a driven African American man, has laser-focused ambitions: wealth, success, and breaking barriers. Love and romance are mere distractions—until he meets his new elevator companion. Benna Else masterfully portrays J.P.’s internal struggle as kindness and warmth seep into his guarded heart. His transformation from a single-minded businessman to someone who values human connection is both touching and relatable.
Lauren’s life has been marked by loss—the death of her mother at 12 and her father’s departure from their childhood home when she was 24. Now, as a law school graduate juggling two part-time jobs, she maintains an unwavering positivity. The elevator becomes her daily refuge, and meeting J.P. was not part of her carefully laid plans. Yet, as their conversations unfold, Lauren discovers hidden truths about herself and the world around her.
The elevator serves as a microcosm—a space where time compresses, emotions collide, and secrets emerge. Else skillfully uses this confined setting to explore vulnerability, empathy, and the unexpected connections that shape our lives. As J.P. and Lauren share snippets of their stories during their brief rides, readers are reminded that every encounter, no matter how fleeting, can alter our trajectory.
The Elevator explores themes of change and redemption. J.P.’s heart softens, and Lauren finds solace in their exchanges. Their interactions become a lifeline, offering hope and healing. Else’s prose captures the nuances of human emotions—the hesitations, the unspoken words, and the transformative power of compassion.
The Elevator is a heartfelt exploration of chance meetings, resilience, and the quiet magic that occurs when strangers connect. Benna Else’s writing invites us to pay attention to the people we encounter daily—those who ride alongside us, sharing fleeting moments. Perhaps, like J.P. and Lauren, we’ll discover that kindness and understanding can change the course of our lives, one elevator ride at a time.
J.P., a driven African American man, has laser-focused ambitions: wealth, success, and breaking barriers. Love and romance are mere distractions—until he meets his new elevator companion. Benna Else masterfully portrays J.P.’s internal struggle as kindness and warmth seep into his guarded heart. His transformation from a single-minded businessman to someone who values human connection is both touching and relatable.
Lauren’s life has been marked by loss—the death of her mother at 12 and her father’s departure from their childhood home when she was 24. Now, as a law school graduate juggling two part-time jobs, she maintains an unwavering positivity. The elevator becomes her daily refuge, and meeting J.P. was not part of her carefully laid plans. Yet, as their conversations unfold, Lauren discovers hidden truths about herself and the world around her.
The elevator serves as a microcosm—a space where time compresses, emotions collide, and secrets emerge. Else skillfully uses this confined setting to explore vulnerability, empathy, and the unexpected connections that shape our lives. As J.P. and Lauren share snippets of their stories during their brief rides, readers are reminded that every encounter, no matter how fleeting, can alter our trajectory.
The Elevator explores themes of change and redemption. J.P.’s heart softens, and Lauren finds solace in their exchanges. Their interactions become a lifeline, offering hope and healing. Else’s prose captures the nuances of human emotions—the hesitations, the unspoken words, and the transformative power of compassion.
The Elevator is a heartfelt exploration of chance meetings, resilience, and the quiet magic that occurs when strangers connect. Benna Else’s writing invites us to pay attention to the people we encounter daily—those who ride alongside us, sharing fleeting moments. Perhaps, like J.P. and Lauren, we’ll discover that kindness and understanding can change the course of our lives, one elevator ride at a time.
July 24, 2024
J.P. is fixated on one goal, and it’s an ambitious one: he is dead-set on becoming one of the wealthiest African-American men in America. In order to do so, he must dedicate himself tirelessly to his job. Romance is not in his plans, and in fact, he actively shuns it. However, life works in mysterious ways, like when it places the vivacious Lauren in front of him. They see each other on frequent elevator rides, and these glimpses begin to tantalize them both equally. Lauren has her own reasons for being evasive, though. Are these two meant to be together, or does the universe plan to drive a wedge between them permanently?
The Elevator, by Benna Else, is a relatively short but impactful romance centered around two African-American singles with complicated pasts. Parts of it may remind some readers of movies like How Stella Got Her Groove Back and last year’s excellent American Fiction.
As is true in most love stories, there are significant obstacles that seem to be conspiring to keep our protagonists apart. For J.P., it is his desire to establish himself in the financial arena, thereby proving to himself that he is every bit as insightful and driven as certain individuals he has known. For Lauren, it’s painful feelings stemming from her childhood.
Like all of the best romances, though, these two seem bound to get together, as they cautiously circle each other on route to a meaningful connection. Their meetings in the titular elevator are sweet, briskly written, and never feel contrived. Indeed, it is the natural flow of this novel that is probably its most compelling feature. It’s both character and dialogue-driven, with short chapters that leave the reader wanting more.
By the time our would-be lovers realize what is right in front of them, readers should be rooting for them to put their baggage aside and to embrace the opportunity chance has provided. These meet cutes are all too rare in real life, but when presented with one this gratifying in literary form, all one can do is sigh wistfully and surrender to the moment.
The Elevator, by Benna Else, is a relatively short but impactful romance centered around two African-American singles with complicated pasts. Parts of it may remind some readers of movies like How Stella Got Her Groove Back and last year’s excellent American Fiction.
As is true in most love stories, there are significant obstacles that seem to be conspiring to keep our protagonists apart. For J.P., it is his desire to establish himself in the financial arena, thereby proving to himself that he is every bit as insightful and driven as certain individuals he has known. For Lauren, it’s painful feelings stemming from her childhood.
Like all of the best romances, though, these two seem bound to get together, as they cautiously circle each other on route to a meaningful connection. Their meetings in the titular elevator are sweet, briskly written, and never feel contrived. Indeed, it is the natural flow of this novel that is probably its most compelling feature. It’s both character and dialogue-driven, with short chapters that leave the reader wanting more.
By the time our would-be lovers realize what is right in front of them, readers should be rooting for them to put their baggage aside and to embrace the opportunity chance has provided. These meet cutes are all too rare in real life, but when presented with one this gratifying in literary form, all one can do is sigh wistfully and surrender to the moment.
October 10, 2024
The Elevator introduces us to J.P., a man laser-focused on becoming one of the wealthiest African-American men in the country. Love and romance? Not on his radar—until he starts sharing daily elevator rides with Lauren, a young woman carrying more than her fair share of life's burdens. She’s juggling law school, two part-time jobs, and the grief of losing her mother at just twelve. Despite all this, she maintains a positive attitude—until some unexpected truths start unravelling in her life.
The book opens with a heartfelt but clunky flashback to Lauren’s mother’s funeral. The scene is meant to tug at your emotions, but the writing style has some awkward moments that may pull you out of the experience. For example, there are some odd phrases, like “teacher how to play various sports,” and a few too many instances of missing punctuation. These little slip-ups appear throughout the book, and while they don’t ruin the story, they do disrupt the flow.
Read the full review here: https://www.aliveshadow.com/category-...
The book opens with a heartfelt but clunky flashback to Lauren’s mother’s funeral. The scene is meant to tug at your emotions, but the writing style has some awkward moments that may pull you out of the experience. For example, there are some odd phrases, like “teacher how to play various sports,” and a few too many instances of missing punctuation. These little slip-ups appear throughout the book, and while they don’t ruin the story, they do disrupt the flow.
Read the full review here: https://www.aliveshadow.com/category-...
June 24, 2025
I got an ARC so I’m not sure if the edits and run-on sentences found their way in the published version, but I thought this was cute.
It was fast paced, I didn’t exactly melt into the pages the way other books get me there. But the idea was cute and I liked needing to know where it was going to go and how. Ending was a little fast and abrupt and some scenes seemed equally abrupt as if they were there as place holders for the deeper scenes.
Lauren means well and I think she was as communicative as could be given her circumstances. JP’s lie kind of came out of nowhere for me and the drama that followed felt almost as long as their meet cue but overall it wasn’t bad.
It was fast paced, I didn’t exactly melt into the pages the way other books get me there. But the idea was cute and I liked needing to know where it was going to go and how. Ending was a little fast and abrupt and some scenes seemed equally abrupt as if they were there as place holders for the deeper scenes.
Lauren means well and I think she was as communicative as could be given her circumstances. JP’s lie kind of came out of nowhere for me and the drama that followed felt almost as long as their meet cue but overall it wasn’t bad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews