Elevator 143 is a sweet romance set in the New York City. It follows Lawrence and Cassie, two fashion industry professionals staying at the same hotel during Fashion Week who end up connecting in an elevator. While the main characters were cute, my personal favorite was Mrs. Frederickson, the charming, elderly woman who offered advice and helped guide their journey. The story captures some great NYC vibes and experiences that honestly made me want to go there myself!
Now to the part that bugged me a lot, I do think the book had potential that wasn’t fully realized. The plot was definitely interesting, but the execution didn’t quite sit well for me. At under 200 pages, I expected a quick, engaging read, but I found myself struggling to stay invested. The formatting made the dialogue a little hard to follow in the beginning, and I had to re-read a few conversations to understand who was speaking. Some of the character actions felt repetitive with lots of face-turning, face-hiding, and facepalming, which distracted me from the emotional flow. There were also a few grammar issues that could’ve been cleaned up with another round of proofreading.
All in all, the core story has charm, and with some polishing, I think it could become a really cozy and enjoyable romance. I’m hopeful the author keeps writing, because there’s a lot of heart in the storytelling, it just needs a bit more refining to truly shine.