What do you think?
Rate this book
Löödud
Omapärane noorteromaan, millel seitse autorit.
Tol hommikul astub ühte lifti kuus võhivõõrast inimest. Sasha, kes toimetab Briti suurimasse telestuudiosse pakki kohale. Hugo, kes on vägagi teadlik, et on liftis olijatest kõige jõukam ja nägusam. Velvet, kes teel tööintervjuule kirub endamisi maailma kõige ebamugavamaid kingi. Dawson, kes ei näe enam sugugi välja see kena ja kuulus tiinekast staar, kes ta kunagi oli, ja üritab kõigest väest oma tuntust varjata. Kaitlyn, kes on tasapisi nägemist kaotamas, kuid ei tunnista seda. Ja Joe, kes soovib liftiga unistuste töökohta sõita.
Ja siis veel üks inimene, kes nad igal aastal samal päeval taas kokku toob …
Tol hommikul astub ühte lifti kuus võhivõõrast inimest. Sasha, kes toimetab Briti suurimasse telestuudiosse pakki kohale. Hugo, kes on vägagi teadlik, et on liftis olijatest kõige jõukam ja nägusam. Velvet, kes teel tööintervjuule kirub endamisi maailma kõige ebamugavamaid kingi. Dawson, kes ei näe enam sugugi välja see kena ja kuulus tiinekast staar, kes ta kunagi oli, ja üritab kõigest väest oma tuntust varjata. Kaitlyn, kes on tasapisi nägemist kaotamas, kuid ei tunnista seda. Ja Joe, kes soovib liftiga unistuste töökohta sõita.
Ja siis veel üks inimene, kes nad igal aastal samal päeval taas kokku toob …
440 pages, Paperback
First published July 12, 2018
39 people are currently reading
3243 people want to read
About the author
Sara Barnard
24 books231 followersSara Harris has authored close to thirty books for both children and grown ups. She and her family – plus their menagerie of rescue pets – make their home in Katy, Texas where the ice cream is perfection and the ocean is close enough to visit every weekend. Sara has her BA in History and wishes that someone who majored in Engineering would hurry and invent a time machine.
Visit Sara online at https://saraharrisbooks.com/
Visit Sara online at https://saraharrisbooks.com/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 321 reviews
January 7, 2019
3.5/5
August 4, 2018
This was so good!!! :')
June 23, 2018
Overall, I did enjoy reading this, it was a nice, quick read. However, I feel like we didn't get enough time to get to know each of the characters enough. Like we'd start to get to know one of them, and then it'd be on to another characters chapter. Which is a shame, because they were such great characters with so much to give
The story was really interesting, and seeing how all of the characters dealt with their lives and problems, and how this unlikely group of friends helped all of them to get through was really nice.
I think the book could've done with being a bit longer, and spending some more time to explore the characters and get to know them more.
I really liked how it was set over a few years, and focusing on the one day every year. It was so different, which is one of the factors I loved about it tbh.
It was such a quick nice read, but it didn't blow me away or wow me.
The story was really interesting, and seeing how all of the characters dealt with their lives and problems, and how this unlikely group of friends helped all of them to get through was really nice.
I think the book could've done with being a bit longer, and spending some more time to explore the characters and get to know them more.
I really liked how it was set over a few years, and focusing on the one day every year. It was so different, which is one of the factors I loved about it tbh.
It was such a quick nice read, but it didn't blow me away or wow me.
March 13, 2019
Floored had an interesting premise and an undoubtedly intriguing structure, with its six different authors writing six different characters. I liked most of the characters and the plot was interesting but because there were so many characters, with so little time to get to know them, I don’t feel as though they had as much depth as they could have done. I didn’t necessarily warm to them and due to the consistent large time jumps, ‘things’ kept happening without much back story and therefore I didn’t find myself all that invested in who these characters were becoming. Even so, I didn’t mind that all too much and I probably would have overlooked it had it not been for two major issues I had with this book.
The first being that one of the main characters, the child star, essentially lost his acting career due to becoming ‘ugly’ with a heavy emphasis on that being due to him gaining weight. This doesn’t sit well with me whatsoever and had me somewhat cautious from the first chapter.
The second and main issue I had with this book was another of the characters, Hugo a.k.a ‘the asshole’. I know that he was literally meant to be an asshole but I personally feel as though there’s a way to write someone as being an asshole, without making them sexist, racist, homophobic, ableist and just so incredibly awful. (e.g. jokes about eating disorders, disability and identity. Manipulating girls into sleeping with him and so much more.) Reading Hugo’s perspective made me extremely uncomfortable, so uncomfortable in fact, I almost put this book down the moment I read his first chapter. Just considering the amount of readers that could have potentially been extremely hurt by his words, made me incredibly infuriated. Again, I understand that he was meant to be an awful human being (which he 100% was) and I might just be being over sensitive, but surely there must be a way to create a character readers hate, without potentially harming those same readers and then giving that same character an odd, cliche redemption arc?
I realise this review comes across as wholly negative but I don’t believe this was a wholly ‘bad’ book. I do think it was an interesting idea and premise, I just don’t think it was executed to its full potential. Overall, I’m definitely currently confused as to how I felt about this book. For me, I just don't feel as though the not so great parts outweigh the enjoyable parts. For now, I’m still just tying to get my head around what, if anything, was gained by having ones character who essentially embodied every single jerk in you find in twitter arguments and potentially harming readers (especially young readers) in the process.
The first being that one of the main characters, the child star, essentially lost his acting career due to becoming ‘ugly’ with a heavy emphasis on that being due to him gaining weight. This doesn’t sit well with me whatsoever and had me somewhat cautious from the first chapter.
The second and main issue I had with this book was another of the characters, Hugo a.k.a ‘the asshole’. I know that he was literally meant to be an asshole but I personally feel as though there’s a way to write someone as being an asshole, without making them sexist, racist, homophobic, ableist and just so incredibly awful. (e.g. jokes about eating disorders, disability and identity. Manipulating girls into sleeping with him and so much more.) Reading Hugo’s perspective made me extremely uncomfortable, so uncomfortable in fact, I almost put this book down the moment I read his first chapter. Just considering the amount of readers that could have potentially been extremely hurt by his words, made me incredibly infuriated. Again, I understand that he was meant to be an awful human being (which he 100% was) and I might just be being over sensitive, but surely there must be a way to create a character readers hate, without potentially harming those same readers and then giving that same character an odd, cliche redemption arc?
I realise this review comes across as wholly negative but I don’t believe this was a wholly ‘bad’ book. I do think it was an interesting idea and premise, I just don’t think it was executed to its full potential. Overall, I’m definitely currently confused as to how I felt about this book. For me, I just don't feel as though the not so great parts outweigh the enjoyable parts. For now, I’m still just tying to get my head around what, if anything, was gained by having ones character who essentially embodied every single jerk in you find in twitter arguments and potentially harming readers (especially young readers) in the process.
January 28, 2021
Floored is described as The Breakfast Club meets One Day; a unique collaborative novel by seven YA authors: Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood.
I’ve been in a reading slump for the past few months and knew what I needed was a fun, fast-paced YA contemporary novel. Floored is about six teenagers – six strangers – who meet when they get stuck in a lift with a man who suffers a heart attack, and continue to meet up on the anniversary of his death every year.
Continue reading this review over on Pretty Books.
Thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review!
I’ve been in a reading slump for the past few months and knew what I needed was a fun, fast-paced YA contemporary novel. Floored is about six teenagers – six strangers – who meet when they get stuck in a lift with a man who suffers a heart attack, and continue to meet up on the anniversary of his death every year.
Continue reading this review over on Pretty Books.
Thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review!
May 13, 2019
[RECENZJA KSIĄŻKI NA YOUTUBE]
+ książka tak naprawdę nie jest o tym co wydarzyło się w windzie, tylko o pięciu latach życia szóstki nastolatków i tym jak zmieniają się przez ten czas
+ zupełnie inne spojrzenie na przyjaźń / znajomość którą buduje się przez lata
+ struktura powieści podzielona na lata i bohaterów
+ pozytywne, motywujące i pokrzepiające przesłanie książki
+ ilość podejmowanych problemów, tematów społecznych i kontrastów
- praktycznie niezauważalne jest to, że książkę napisało siedmiu autorów, a mógłby to być jeden z największych atutów książki
- niekiedy chaos w narracji
We could be heroes... just for one day.
July 14, 2018
i've spent the last hour or so, gathering my thoughts on what i thought of this book, because i didnt really think anything of it. it wasn't absolutely terrible, but it wasn't amazing either. it was just okay.
floored is a collab between two authors who i've read and loved, and a few others who i'd heard wonderful things about, and the premise sounded epic, so needless to say i was very excited about this. but what could have been a beautiful book on friendship, found family & an underlying message about life, was instead a messy romance book with boring characters. for a book supposedly focused on friendship, they do spent the majority of the book building romantic relationships between characters. and sure, they come and go, and remain friends despite it, but they could easily have left it all out, and write about the complications of friendships instead.
the characters seemed very flat and were hard to connect to, because this group only gets together once a year for a single day, you only read about these characters telling the others about their lives, instead of you reading about their lives firsthand. on top of that, there was a seventh perspective, aimed to tie all the povs together, but it didnt really add much to the story, and could easily have been left out or replaced with another pov.
and last but not least. hugo. dear god, what an asshole. there wasnt a single thing about him or his storyline that i found even remotely enjoyable. hugo is the 'asshole' character, and spends the first several chapters, being a sexist, racist, homophobic, ableist piece of shit, manipulating girls into having sex with him. after year three, he finds 'redemption' in india by culture appropriation. which is just,,, fantastic really.
the only two povs i actually enjoyed reading about were sasha and kaitlin. sasha was the (fat!) lovable sweetheart who pours her heart into her friends and deserves a lot better than her emotionally abusive dad, kaitlin is the snarky, going-blind, lovable asshole. her storyline about accepting her disability was great, and her snarky, but fierce love for her friends was heart warming. i truly wish we could've gotten more from these two.
EDIT: apparently i was so angry about hugo that i even forgot to mention this but: dawson sherman starts the story ID-ing as gay, but eventually falls in love with a girl and comes out as bi instead. although i appreciated they using the terms gay and bi on the page (which is still somehow a rarity), and the need for stories like these, of queer people redefining themselves and their labels, i really wish they'd just .....not. this book is written by a group of (as far as im aware, but i dont know most authors personally so i cant be 100% sure) straight white women, and a storyline of a gay man realising he is bi, is just a big no no. please leave such sensitive stories to own-voices.
floored is a collab between two authors who i've read and loved, and a few others who i'd heard wonderful things about, and the premise sounded epic, so needless to say i was very excited about this. but what could have been a beautiful book on friendship, found family & an underlying message about life, was instead a messy romance book with boring characters. for a book supposedly focused on friendship, they do spent the majority of the book building romantic relationships between characters. and sure, they come and go, and remain friends despite it, but they could easily have left it all out, and write about the complications of friendships instead.
the characters seemed very flat and were hard to connect to, because this group only gets together once a year for a single day, you only read about these characters telling the others about their lives, instead of you reading about their lives firsthand. on top of that, there was a seventh perspective, aimed to tie all the povs together, but it didnt really add much to the story, and could easily have been left out or replaced with another pov.
and last but not least. hugo. dear god, what an asshole. there wasnt a single thing about him or his storyline that i found even remotely enjoyable. hugo is the 'asshole' character, and spends the first several chapters, being a sexist, racist, homophobic, ableist piece of shit, manipulating girls into having sex with him. after year three, he finds 'redemption' in india by culture appropriation. which is just,,, fantastic really.
the only two povs i actually enjoyed reading about were sasha and kaitlin. sasha was the (fat!) lovable sweetheart who pours her heart into her friends and deserves a lot better than her emotionally abusive dad, kaitlin is the snarky, going-blind, lovable asshole. her storyline about accepting her disability was great, and her snarky, but fierce love for her friends was heart warming. i truly wish we could've gotten more from these two.
EDIT: apparently i was so angry about hugo that i even forgot to mention this but: dawson sherman starts the story ID-ing as gay, but eventually falls in love with a girl and comes out as bi instead. although i appreciated they using the terms gay and bi on the page (which is still somehow a rarity), and the need for stories like these, of queer people redefining themselves and their labels, i really wish they'd just .....not. this book is written by a group of (as far as im aware, but i dont know most authors personally so i cant be 100% sure) straight white women, and a storyline of a gay man realising he is bi, is just a big no no. please leave such sensitive stories to own-voices.
May 8, 2019
Siedem różnych bohaterów, siedem różnych autorek, jedna winda i jedno przełomowe spotkanie w uziemionej windzie popularnej stacji telewizyjnej w „Uziemionych”.
W „Uziemionych” na pierwszy plan wybija się struktura powieści – podzielona na kolejne spotkania bohaterów, kolejne lata i tym samym kolejne etapy ich życia. Poznajemy ich sekwencjami, po kawałku, obserwując zmiany, jakie zachodzą, przeżywając ich wzloty i upadku. Otrzymujemy wyłącznie okruchy ich problemów, jednych więcej, innych mniej, ale możemy dostrzec, że każdy szóstki bohaterów z czymś walczy, z czymś się zmaga na swój własny sposób. Najbardziej widoczna jest tutaj potrzeba akceptacji, bez względu na pozycję społeczną postaci czy jej doświadczenie – oni wszyscy w tej windzie są zagubieni, uziemieni dosłownie w jakiejś przełomowej chwili i szukają jedynie motywacji, by coś zmienić.
„Uziemieni” to opowieść o walce o swoje marzenia, o swoje przekonania, o poszukiwaniu swoich dorosłych tożsamości i tym samym wchodzeniu w dorosłość. To także powieść o przypadkach, które rządzą życiem i prowadzą w nieoczekiwanych kierunkach, mają też nieoczywiste konsekwencje. I o przyjaźni, która rodzi się tam, gdzie najmniej byśmy jej wypatrywali, przyjaźni, która może przetrwać nawet lata. Mamy tu ciekawy koncept, mamy siedem autorek, których głosów co prawda w polskim przekładzie nie słychać, ale które są obecne w strukturze narracyjnej. I samego narratora – wszechwiedzącego obserwatora o ciętym języku, krytycznego względem bohaterów, który nie oszczędza ich nawet w najtrudniejszych momentach życia.
Dla młodych czytelników wchodzących w dorosłość, którzy nie wiedzą, co jeszcze czeka ich na drodze - powieść sprawdzi się jak znalazł!
W „Uziemionych” na pierwszy plan wybija się struktura powieści – podzielona na kolejne spotkania bohaterów, kolejne lata i tym samym kolejne etapy ich życia. Poznajemy ich sekwencjami, po kawałku, obserwując zmiany, jakie zachodzą, przeżywając ich wzloty i upadku. Otrzymujemy wyłącznie okruchy ich problemów, jednych więcej, innych mniej, ale możemy dostrzec, że każdy szóstki bohaterów z czymś walczy, z czymś się zmaga na swój własny sposób. Najbardziej widoczna jest tutaj potrzeba akceptacji, bez względu na pozycję społeczną postaci czy jej doświadczenie – oni wszyscy w tej windzie są zagubieni, uziemieni dosłownie w jakiejś przełomowej chwili i szukają jedynie motywacji, by coś zmienić.
„Uziemieni” to opowieść o walce o swoje marzenia, o swoje przekonania, o poszukiwaniu swoich dorosłych tożsamości i tym samym wchodzeniu w dorosłość. To także powieść o przypadkach, które rządzą życiem i prowadzą w nieoczekiwanych kierunkach, mają też nieoczywiste konsekwencje. I o przyjaźni, która rodzi się tam, gdzie najmniej byśmy jej wypatrywali, przyjaźni, która może przetrwać nawet lata. Mamy tu ciekawy koncept, mamy siedem autorek, których głosów co prawda w polskim przekładzie nie słychać, ale które są obecne w strukturze narracyjnej. I samego narratora – wszechwiedzącego obserwatora o ciętym języku, krytycznego względem bohaterów, który nie oszczędza ich nawet w najtrudniejszych momentach życia.
Dla młodych czytelników wchodzących w dorosłość, którzy nie wiedzą, co jeszcze czeka ich na drodze - powieść sprawdzi się jak znalazł!
July 15, 2018
* 2.5 stars *
Floored follows the story of 6 individuals who get stuck in a lift and witness an event that brings them to meet up every year on the anniversary. This book had an interesting premise and is told over 5 years, meaning we get to see how their friendships and personal lives develop over time.
As some other reviews have said, I did think that perhaps 6 different perspectives became a bit too much at times and I often confused some of the background stories of the characters together. I think 4 characters would have been perfect and I feel that there still would have been enough drama and events that could have happened to still make it interesting. It wasn't until near the end that I managed to distinguish them apart, so I think I would perhaps give it a slightly higher rating if I was to read it again as I would be able to appreciate the individual characters more. This book is also relatively short for so many perspectives and think it would have benefited from having it slightly longer, just so we could get a better understanding of where everyone was coming from. My particular favourites were Kaitlyn and Joe and so I would love to have read more about them (or as a spin off novel please!).
The story itself was okay and I quite liked that they met up every year on the anniversary and is certainly not like anything I've read before. However, I think this format made it a little jumpy at times (that was the idea of course) as they hadn't seen each other for a year, but again, didn't allow for very much character development in my opinion and meant I didn't really care so much as to who they were all dating/friends with etc, which was a huge theme of the book. I didn't feel as invested as perhaps I could have done.
Don't get me wrong, I still did enjoy this book though as it was a quick and easy read, and the multiple perspectives and time changes meant that it was a fast paced book that a lot happened in. I also liked the inclusion of social media and Whatsapp messages as it added a nice dimension to the novel. It was also well written, had funny narratives and was generally fun to read. However, for me, I think the format let it down as it had too many perspectives which meant that not a lot of detail, and therefore character development could form and became confusing at times, particularly at the beginning or if you didn't read it in one sitting. I don't think it was as well executed as it perhaps could have been, which is a shame because it was a really great and interesting premise to read about.
Floored follows the story of 6 individuals who get stuck in a lift and witness an event that brings them to meet up every year on the anniversary. This book had an interesting premise and is told over 5 years, meaning we get to see how their friendships and personal lives develop over time.
As some other reviews have said, I did think that perhaps 6 different perspectives became a bit too much at times and I often confused some of the background stories of the characters together. I think 4 characters would have been perfect and I feel that there still would have been enough drama and events that could have happened to still make it interesting. It wasn't until near the end that I managed to distinguish them apart, so I think I would perhaps give it a slightly higher rating if I was to read it again as I would be able to appreciate the individual characters more. This book is also relatively short for so many perspectives and think it would have benefited from having it slightly longer, just so we could get a better understanding of where everyone was coming from. My particular favourites were Kaitlyn and Joe and so I would love to have read more about them (or as a spin off novel please!).
The story itself was okay and I quite liked that they met up every year on the anniversary and is certainly not like anything I've read before. However, I think this format made it a little jumpy at times (that was the idea of course) as they hadn't seen each other for a year, but again, didn't allow for very much character development in my opinion and meant I didn't really care so much as to who they were all dating/friends with etc, which was a huge theme of the book. I didn't feel as invested as perhaps I could have done.
Don't get me wrong, I still did enjoy this book though as it was a quick and easy read, and the multiple perspectives and time changes meant that it was a fast paced book that a lot happened in. I also liked the inclusion of social media and Whatsapp messages as it added a nice dimension to the novel. It was also well written, had funny narratives and was generally fun to read. However, for me, I think the format let it down as it had too many perspectives which meant that not a lot of detail, and therefore character development could form and became confusing at times, particularly at the beginning or if you didn't read it in one sitting. I don't think it was as well executed as it perhaps could have been, which is a shame because it was a really great and interesting premise to read about.
July 4, 2018
I found this book very hard to start with there being so many different POVs. I normally love a book with multi POV but there were times in this in the first 100 pages where I got very confused as to who was who doing what. I think becuase I read the first 100 pages in a few chunks and this is the kind of book you need to fully submerge yourself in to really enjoy it. Once I got to halfway I really started enjoying the book. I really liked how it ended and some of the character growth. I do feel like maybe a character or 2 less and we would have really been able to delve even deeper into the characters.
Overall though I enjoyed it and I honestly have no idea who wrote who haha.
Thank you to Macmillan for my proof copy (Guys can you believe I actually read a proof book BEFORE it hit shelves. I can't remember the last time I did that lol)
Overall though I enjoyed it and I honestly have no idea who wrote who haha.
Thank you to Macmillan for my proof copy (Guys can you believe I actually read a proof book BEFORE it hit shelves. I can't remember the last time I did that lol)
August 29, 2018
This book has an air of mystery surrounding it. The blurb tells us that there are 6 point of view characters who get into an elevator one day, and a 7th mystery character who will reunite these characters on the same day for years to come. And as an added mystery, each character is written by a different YA author, and we aren't told who wrote what.
That's honestly enough to interest me to this book. I actually recently realized I do really enjoy "one day" type storylines, following the same day every year. I like the blanks that get filled in without us living them, and seeing characters grow. The same can be said with this book. While it's not the best book by any means, it was really enjoyable and sweet and I enjoyed the one day a year aspect, as I think I would not have enjoyed these characters in a normal book setting.
I am actually really amazed at how 7 authors made this feel like one coherent novel. I didn't get any authors distinct voice in the book, no one overpowered another, but I got 6 distinct character voices, and I really was impressed by this. I think the fact that they pulled this off so well really worked and is a large part of why I enjoyed the novel as much as I did.
*Minor spoilers here, and by spoilers I mean I talk about how this book ends, not events that end the novel, actual like how it leaves off.
As for the story itself, I really really enjoyed the plot. I do not realistically think these characters would have actually continued to reunite every year in real life, but I liked that they did. The actual individual storylines were a bit boring for some, I didn't like choices made or plot progressions, and we got a lot from some and little from others, but I did like the general direction the novel went.
I also REALLY enjoyed the way the book ended. So, there's not really a coherent storyline in this book. Like, we get the same day every year for the 6 characters, but realistically there is never a "good" place to end it. Like, presumably they'll meet every year, so what's a good number of years to stop it at. I think they chose a good place to end it and we got just enough of a "happy ending" but also a bit of an open ending, leaving us to make our own decisions about where these characters would go. And there's room for a sequel where we could potentially get more years. So I like that as well.
That's honestly enough to interest me to this book. I actually recently realized I do really enjoy "one day" type storylines, following the same day every year. I like the blanks that get filled in without us living them, and seeing characters grow. The same can be said with this book. While it's not the best book by any means, it was really enjoyable and sweet and I enjoyed the one day a year aspect, as I think I would not have enjoyed these characters in a normal book setting.
I am actually really amazed at how 7 authors made this feel like one coherent novel. I didn't get any authors distinct voice in the book, no one overpowered another, but I got 6 distinct character voices, and I really was impressed by this. I think the fact that they pulled this off so well really worked and is a large part of why I enjoyed the novel as much as I did.
*Minor spoilers here, and by spoilers I mean I talk about how this book ends, not events that end the novel, actual like how it leaves off.
As for the story itself, I really really enjoyed the plot. I do not realistically think these characters would have actually continued to reunite every year in real life, but I liked that they did. The actual individual storylines were a bit boring for some, I didn't like choices made or plot progressions, and we got a lot from some and little from others, but I did like the general direction the novel went.
I also REALLY enjoyed the way the book ended. So, there's not really a coherent storyline in this book. Like, we get the same day every year for the 6 characters, but realistically there is never a "good" place to end it. Like, presumably they'll meet every year, so what's a good number of years to stop it at. I think they chose a good place to end it and we got just enough of a "happy ending" but also a bit of an open ending, leaving us to make our own decisions about where these characters would go. And there's room for a sequel where we could potentially get more years. So I like that as well.
dnf
August 11, 2018DNF at 20%
While this book has an interesting premise, I am finding that there are just too many characters to keep track of. Also, it is just a bit to crass for me. Not a fan of the constant degrading comments.
While this book has an interesting premise, I am finding that there are just too many characters to keep track of. Also, it is just a bit to crass for me. Not a fan of the constant degrading comments.
December 19, 2018
I honestly couldn't fault this... I can't see the purpose of giving a 4.5 star rating, so I think this definitely deserves a 5 star rating! I connected with all of the characters in such different ways. They were all so unique- but connected to one-another at the same time.
January 26, 2019
When I first started 'Floored' I thought it was another cliche YA set in the 80s. The groovy front cover and the way it started had me wondering immediately what would happen. But as I read on, what I found was a diverse and heartwarming read.
"Perhaps all the who-fancies-whom nonsense is a distraction; a way of finding something - or someone - in the miserable mess of their lives to make it feel like they aren't being kicked repeatedly in the heart. Isn't that all any of us want?" (178).
The novel includes Dawson, Kaitlyn, Sasha, Hugo, Velvet and Joe who all end up in a lift together. Without spoiling what happens, the blurb reads "And one more person who will bring them together again on the same day ever year." This novel includes the celebration of life and friendship and surveys how we change over time.
Structurally, it's broken down into the years, expanding to 6 years after meeting in the lift. Each chapter documents a different character's time in that year, and is followed by a summary of things that have happened previously, an omniscient narration about what could be and should be. We are able to understand personally the mindsets of each character. Dawson, struggling with his sexuality, Kaitlyn accepting her loss of sight, Sasha living against her father, Hugo dealing with his rich boy behaviour, Velvet accepting love and herself and Joe who aspires to become something in spite of his dire family situation. Over the years documented, you find yourself drawn to the characters, angry with them, laughing with them. It feels so natural and real every step through and their growth is pure.
"How do you go your whole life without leaving a mark on anyone?" (255).
At times I found this structure a little jarring, especially in the beginning. But I moved through it was easier to understand and I began to accept some of the decisions that the authors made about the characters. But being able to see a variety of representation and honesty about friendship, people and the impact that we have on others was pure. I truly loved this read and identified with so many of the characters and would read anything these authors write (Sara Barnard in particular after reading one of her YA pieces last year as well).
So congratulations to this team for a fantastic and pure novel.
I would love to see this as a TV series.
"Perhaps all the who-fancies-whom nonsense is a distraction; a way of finding something - or someone - in the miserable mess of their lives to make it feel like they aren't being kicked repeatedly in the heart. Isn't that all any of us want?" (178).
The novel includes Dawson, Kaitlyn, Sasha, Hugo, Velvet and Joe who all end up in a lift together. Without spoiling what happens, the blurb reads "And one more person who will bring them together again on the same day ever year." This novel includes the celebration of life and friendship and surveys how we change over time.
Structurally, it's broken down into the years, expanding to 6 years after meeting in the lift. Each chapter documents a different character's time in that year, and is followed by a summary of things that have happened previously, an omniscient narration about what could be and should be. We are able to understand personally the mindsets of each character. Dawson, struggling with his sexuality, Kaitlyn accepting her loss of sight, Sasha living against her father, Hugo dealing with his rich boy behaviour, Velvet accepting love and herself and Joe who aspires to become something in spite of his dire family situation. Over the years documented, you find yourself drawn to the characters, angry with them, laughing with them. It feels so natural and real every step through and their growth is pure.
"How do you go your whole life without leaving a mark on anyone?" (255).
At times I found this structure a little jarring, especially in the beginning. But I moved through it was easier to understand and I began to accept some of the decisions that the authors made about the characters. But being able to see a variety of representation and honesty about friendship, people and the impact that we have on others was pure. I truly loved this read and identified with so many of the characters and would read anything these authors write (Sara Barnard in particular after reading one of her YA pieces last year as well).
So congratulations to this team for a fantastic and pure novel.
I would love to see this as a TV series.
June 13, 2019
I made it over halfway through. This book is just not for me I’m afraid. I just can’t get into it. It just feels so... overdone yet undercooked at the same time? There’s loads happening plot wise but you never get to learn any finer details about the characters and that really sucks. Sadly this is another DNF for me. I momentarily thought about continuing but I realised that I have books I know I’ll love on my TBR, and I did give this 53%, so yay!
December 20, 2019
Sweet and sometimes funny, but sad too.
August 17, 2018
Review to come.
While you wait, see what I did for the Blog Tour Here.
While you wait, see what I did for the Blog Tour Here.
February 25, 2019
This book went up and down for me. There were some moments where I disliked it, and others where I was really enjoying it, but I think that overall I really liked this book. Personally, I thought it was really unique, in many different ways: the story itself, the way it was written and all the different characters. Of course, it was nowhere near perfect - there are a lot of things I would have changed about it, despite my four star rating. But there were also a lot of good things, and I think this book is very thought provoking and realistic. I would recommend.
The book is told from the POV of six characters, plus an extra bit every now and then which is written in third person with an omniscient narrator. I assume that as this is written by seven authors, each author wrote one POV, and I would be really interested to know which author wrote which. Because I have only read two of the authors in here previously, I didn't particularly recognise a writing style that I had seen before. But also, I think this was down to the fact that the authors tried to mimic each others' writing styles in order to make the book more cohesive. To be honest, I would have preferred it if the authors had more distinct voices, therefore making the characters even more distinct. I just think it would have made the book a lot more interesting. I did enjoy the characters though. They are all dealing with difficult moments in life, and the books follows them through the years as they grow and change and do new things. I really liked this aspect of the book - it was possibly my favourite. It felt so real - story book relationships don't always exist during real life. People don't have perfect lives where everything turns out fine in the end. People grow apart and don't stay together simply because they aren't the right people for each other anymore. Opportunities don't always appear for everyone, and sometimes they are lost. That was the most powerful thing about this book, and what will definitely make the most impression on the reader.
Dawson is the first character we are introduced to. He used to be pretty famous, and he was one of the most attractive young teens on tv, but after going through puberty he has lost his good looks and literally cannot find work anymore - which is such a good discussion of how, even when we are trying to open up more to body positivity and loving yourself, the media still only wants to have attractive actors/actresses in most films/tv shows. Dawson just doesn't want to be recognised, but he can't give up his dreams of working in television, despite his misfortune. He is dealing with the pity and cruelty from the rest of the world, whilst trying to work out who he is, and what he can make of his life now. I liked Dawson, and I was more invested in his story than some of the characters'. He seemed like a considerate and nice person, and although he was a little bitter about the way life had treated him(obviously), he remained more positive about himself, which was nice to see.
Kaitlyn was perhaps my favourite character in this book. She is snarky and snaps at people when she feels threatened, but she was such a great personality and I liked reading from her perspective. Kaitlyn is having to deal with losing her sight, slowly but inevitably, and how that changes the way people treat her, even if it seems unintentional. I have never been in a situation similar to hers, so I cannot vouch for the representation, but I thought the way she talked about disability in general was very respectful, and her refusal to let other people change the way she wanted to live her life was very inspiring. Even when she lost so many opportunities, she would not allow other people to let her feel incapable (plus she has the cutest guide dog ever).
I think on the surface Sasha is one of those characters who actually seem to be in an okay situation compared to some, but just because they weren't as obvious and drastic did not mean that her troubles were any less. She lives with her father, a single dad, who struggles to keep a job, and as the book continues become more and more controlling over her life. Her mother is a distant figure, only contactable through her social media, and through this all, Sasha manages to remain one of the sweetest people ever. She is very self sacrificing, and a lovely person, and while I didn't feel too strongly about her character myself, I'm glad that she was in the book. She sometimes felt as though she faded into the background, but in reality I think she was an integral part of the group of friends, which I think they seemed to realise a lot more later on.
Look, at the beginning of the book, Hugo is the most disgusting character I have read about for a long time. The way he thinks about girls, queer characters, disabled characters, fat characters, basically just anyone in particular is utterly horrible. I don't think the authors are promoting this kind of thinking in any way at all, but reading all this in his close first person present tense perspective was just not fun. I really hated being in his head. No spoilers, but his character of course gets developed as the book continues, but I stand by my original thoughts that the first few of his chapters were thoroughly unpleasant to read, even if they are sadly real for some people. Because of that, I think it is safe to say that I really didn't like his character, and I thought that his character arc was good, but happened a little too quickly for my liking.
I think Velvet was another of my favourite characters from this book. The author who wrote this really broke down the idea of the brainless girls who only care about makeup, how they look, what boys they are going to go out with, and celebrity magazines, because lets face it, that stereotype is so harmful, especially when it is portrayed so negatively, and if a girl does think only of those things, it is okay. There are all different types of girls, and not everyone has to be the same. Velvet does genuinely care about the celebrity magazines, and likes to wear small dresses (which people repeatedly slut shame her for) and be with boys. But she also likes writing, and she also genuinely cares about her friends. She has a personality, and she struggles with just as much as the others.
Yeah, aside from Hugo, Joe was probably the character I was least interested in. For me, he just didn't have very much personality, and he didn't seem to be a main feature in the story. His mum is suffering from early dementia, and this has such a huge impact on his life and opportunities, but he chapters just didn't feel like they had that much impact on the plot. I totally understand that he didn't want to bring his problems at home into his friendship group - this book is totally about normalising a situation, and how sometimes worrying about relationships and other smaller things that don't seem to matter in the wide scope of things can actually make a situation feel so much less scary, and how just being with good friends, even when your world is falling apart, can make something that bit better. But I just didn't feel like his story tied into the main plot as much as others' did.
The first person POVs bring the characters together every year, and through them we get an insight directly into the character's minds, which are often more clouded than what we see in this portion of the book, because they think they know what they are feeling, but the omniscient narrator can actually see what they are feeling. The book begins when one event brings all these people together, and every year they meet up for a reunion. Once they are all together again, we get one of these chapters, where we see everyone's interactions together and what they are all thinking at once. It was pretty interesting, and I enjoyed them.
I think essentially this book is about life. The book ends quite abruptly, which I wasn't a fan of to begin with, but in the end I think that this decision was actually a good one. The friends may not be friends forever, or they might always be meeting every year. At its heart the book is about life, but specifically moving on, and the people who are right for you at the present moment, and what growing up is like. There is a lot of depth in here that I wasn't necessarily expecting. I think that simple yellow cover is quite deceptive, and that these authors have pulled a lot more together than most people see at a first glance.
Onto the things that I would change. I would have not written it in first person present tense style, but I KNOW that is very specific to my personal preference. I just think it dumbs everything down so much, and this story is so mature that it just didn't need that. I would have also kept distinct author voices for each character, because the way the chapters were written felt very similar to me. And finally, I think the authors almost went too far in trying to overthrow stereotypes, because at some points, the characters almost became caricatures to try and achieve this.
I know this review is really long and I'm not sure what sparked it. I may have been really repetitive as well, but I wanted to really get my feelings out about this book and into the world. I don't think I have really done it justice. And I really do not think this book is perfect - it isn't even a favourite. I just think that more people should be reading it, and appreciating it, because it is very different, and very unique, and very raw and real and heartfelt. I would definitely recommend it to you if you are looking for a new contemporary to read, especially one that is subtly hard hitting (if that even makes sense). Even in the really hard-hitting contemporaries, the situations that people are in are not applicable to all, but I think that what Floored does really well is that it is about ordinary people, and ordinary lives, and such a range of different lives as well, where not everyone's dreams come fully true, and the kind of soul mate relationships that last forever and ever don't always exist.
The book is told from the POV of six characters, plus an extra bit every now and then which is written in third person with an omniscient narrator. I assume that as this is written by seven authors, each author wrote one POV, and I would be really interested to know which author wrote which. Because I have only read two of the authors in here previously, I didn't particularly recognise a writing style that I had seen before. But also, I think this was down to the fact that the authors tried to mimic each others' writing styles in order to make the book more cohesive. To be honest, I would have preferred it if the authors had more distinct voices, therefore making the characters even more distinct. I just think it would have made the book a lot more interesting. I did enjoy the characters though. They are all dealing with difficult moments in life, and the books follows them through the years as they grow and change and do new things. I really liked this aspect of the book - it was possibly my favourite. It felt so real - story book relationships don't always exist during real life. People don't have perfect lives where everything turns out fine in the end. People grow apart and don't stay together simply because they aren't the right people for each other anymore. Opportunities don't always appear for everyone, and sometimes they are lost. That was the most powerful thing about this book, and what will definitely make the most impression on the reader.
Dawson
Dawson is the first character we are introduced to. He used to be pretty famous, and he was one of the most attractive young teens on tv, but after going through puberty he has lost his good looks and literally cannot find work anymore - which is such a good discussion of how, even when we are trying to open up more to body positivity and loving yourself, the media still only wants to have attractive actors/actresses in most films/tv shows. Dawson just doesn't want to be recognised, but he can't give up his dreams of working in television, despite his misfortune. He is dealing with the pity and cruelty from the rest of the world, whilst trying to work out who he is, and what he can make of his life now. I liked Dawson, and I was more invested in his story than some of the characters'. He seemed like a considerate and nice person, and although he was a little bitter about the way life had treated him(obviously), he remained more positive about himself, which was nice to see.
Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn was perhaps my favourite character in this book. She is snarky and snaps at people when she feels threatened, but she was such a great personality and I liked reading from her perspective. Kaitlyn is having to deal with losing her sight, slowly but inevitably, and how that changes the way people treat her, even if it seems unintentional. I have never been in a situation similar to hers, so I cannot vouch for the representation, but I thought the way she talked about disability in general was very respectful, and her refusal to let other people change the way she wanted to live her life was very inspiring. Even when she lost so many opportunities, she would not allow other people to let her feel incapable (plus she has the cutest guide dog ever).
Sasha
I think on the surface Sasha is one of those characters who actually seem to be in an okay situation compared to some, but just because they weren't as obvious and drastic did not mean that her troubles were any less. She lives with her father, a single dad, who struggles to keep a job, and as the book continues become more and more controlling over her life. Her mother is a distant figure, only contactable through her social media, and through this all, Sasha manages to remain one of the sweetest people ever. She is very self sacrificing, and a lovely person, and while I didn't feel too strongly about her character myself, I'm glad that she was in the book. She sometimes felt as though she faded into the background, but in reality I think she was an integral part of the group of friends, which I think they seemed to realise a lot more later on.
Hugo
Look, at the beginning of the book, Hugo is the most disgusting character I have read about for a long time. The way he thinks about girls, queer characters, disabled characters, fat characters, basically just anyone in particular is utterly horrible. I don't think the authors are promoting this kind of thinking in any way at all, but reading all this in his close first person present tense perspective was just not fun. I really hated being in his head. No spoilers, but his character of course gets developed as the book continues, but I stand by my original thoughts that the first few of his chapters were thoroughly unpleasant to read, even if they are sadly real for some people. Because of that, I think it is safe to say that I really didn't like his character, and I thought that his character arc was good, but happened a little too quickly for my liking.
Velvet
I think Velvet was another of my favourite characters from this book. The author who wrote this really broke down the idea of the brainless girls who only care about makeup, how they look, what boys they are going to go out with, and celebrity magazines, because lets face it, that stereotype is so harmful, especially when it is portrayed so negatively, and if a girl does think only of those things, it is okay. There are all different types of girls, and not everyone has to be the same. Velvet does genuinely care about the celebrity magazines, and likes to wear small dresses (which people repeatedly slut shame her for) and be with boys. But she also likes writing, and she also genuinely cares about her friends. She has a personality, and she struggles with just as much as the others.
Joe
Yeah, aside from Hugo, Joe was probably the character I was least interested in. For me, he just didn't have very much personality, and he didn't seem to be a main feature in the story. His mum is suffering from early dementia, and this has such a huge impact on his life and opportunities, but he chapters just didn't feel like they had that much impact on the plot. I totally understand that he didn't want to bring his problems at home into his friendship group - this book is totally about normalising a situation, and how sometimes worrying about relationships and other smaller things that don't seem to matter in the wide scope of things can actually make a situation feel so much less scary, and how just being with good friends, even when your world is falling apart, can make something that bit better. But I just didn't feel like his story tied into the main plot as much as others' did.
The Omniscient Narrator
The first person POVs bring the characters together every year, and through them we get an insight directly into the character's minds, which are often more clouded than what we see in this portion of the book, because they think they know what they are feeling, but the omniscient narrator can actually see what they are feeling. The book begins when one event brings all these people together, and every year they meet up for a reunion. Once they are all together again, we get one of these chapters, where we see everyone's interactions together and what they are all thinking at once. It was pretty interesting, and I enjoyed them.
I think essentially this book is about life. The book ends quite abruptly, which I wasn't a fan of to begin with, but in the end I think that this decision was actually a good one. The friends may not be friends forever, or they might always be meeting every year. At its heart the book is about life, but specifically moving on, and the people who are right for you at the present moment, and what growing up is like. There is a lot of depth in here that I wasn't necessarily expecting. I think that simple yellow cover is quite deceptive, and that these authors have pulled a lot more together than most people see at a first glance.
Onto the things that I would change. I would have not written it in first person present tense style, but I KNOW that is very specific to my personal preference. I just think it dumbs everything down so much, and this story is so mature that it just didn't need that. I would have also kept distinct author voices for each character, because the way the chapters were written felt very similar to me. And finally, I think the authors almost went too far in trying to overthrow stereotypes, because at some points, the characters almost became caricatures to try and achieve this.
I know this review is really long and I'm not sure what sparked it. I may have been really repetitive as well, but I wanted to really get my feelings out about this book and into the world. I don't think I have really done it justice. And I really do not think this book is perfect - it isn't even a favourite. I just think that more people should be reading it, and appreciating it, because it is very different, and very unique, and very raw and real and heartfelt. I would definitely recommend it to you if you are looking for a new contemporary to read, especially one that is subtly hard hitting (if that even makes sense). Even in the really hard-hitting contemporaries, the situations that people are in are not applicable to all, but I think that what Floored does really well is that it is about ordinary people, and ordinary lives, and such a range of different lives as well, where not everyone's dreams come fully true, and the kind of soul mate relationships that last forever and ever don't always exist.
August 12, 2018
I don’t usually go for character driven stories and I have to be honest and say that the only reason I actually read this book is because Holly Bourne and Lisa Williamson wrote parts of it. However, I am extremely glad that I did, because thus book is so unique and different and what I love about it most is how diverse the characters are. They all have their own quirks and back story and are all so different. It tells a story of 6 people who meet in an odd situation which brings them back together once every year and follows them throughout five years of their life, growing and developing as individuals and as a group of unlikely friends.
Now for the characters:
Velvet: Velvet was one of my personal favourites. She’s supposed to be one of the more ‘less fortunate’ members of the group, which is shown but her outlook on life remains positive. She appears to want to grow up and move on from her life from her mum, to become more independent and to make something of herself. She is also portrayed as being quite vulnerable and sensitive underneath and is always looking out for and remembering every member of the group.
Hugo: Hugo is the typical character of the book who starts off as the posh, wealthy, stuck up member of the group, who we then see develop into a more caring, considerate and just better person. Hugo was one of the more humorous characters to read as obviously his outlook and experience of life is so much different than the others.
Kaitlyn: I actually quite disliked Kaitlyn. I liked her at the beginning of the book, she was kind but also fiery and took no ones shit, but throughout the book I just found myself disliking her and the way she spoke to people and it just felt as if her fieryness was unnecessary and she actually became slightly bitter.
Dawson: I found Dawson to be one of the least interesting characters of the book. The book starts of by making out he’ll be the most interesting as he used to be an actor and had this lifestyle, but he’s actually pretty average, living an average life, apart from the aspect of his mother and his dysfunctional relationship with her.
Sasha: Sasha is the typical character that is forgotten about. Not necessary by the reader, but as a member of the group, she’s the sweet, innocent and caring one of the group who is always there for all of them, but she is always the one who’s forgotten about. I found myself feeling sorry for her a lot of the time, not only because of this, but also because of her home life and her overbearing father; she just can’t seem to find somewhere happy or where she fits in.
Joe: Joe’s story is really touching and you see him develop from your average boy with an average family, to a young man who’s fulfilling his dreams and trying to make something for himself and his family.
I loved reading their stories as their separate lives but also intertwining at the same time; they were all so contrasting and engaging in their own way. The ending was really touching and heartwarming and this book just tells a story of six unlikely friends coming together. I have given this book four stars as it was a lovely story, but I don’t think it was quite good enough for a full five stars.
Now for the characters:
Velvet: Velvet was one of my personal favourites. She’s supposed to be one of the more ‘less fortunate’ members of the group, which is shown but her outlook on life remains positive. She appears to want to grow up and move on from her life from her mum, to become more independent and to make something of herself. She is also portrayed as being quite vulnerable and sensitive underneath and is always looking out for and remembering every member of the group.
Hugo: Hugo is the typical character of the book who starts off as the posh, wealthy, stuck up member of the group, who we then see develop into a more caring, considerate and just better person. Hugo was one of the more humorous characters to read as obviously his outlook and experience of life is so much different than the others.
Kaitlyn: I actually quite disliked Kaitlyn. I liked her at the beginning of the book, she was kind but also fiery and took no ones shit, but throughout the book I just found myself disliking her and the way she spoke to people and it just felt as if her fieryness was unnecessary and she actually became slightly bitter.
Dawson: I found Dawson to be one of the least interesting characters of the book. The book starts of by making out he’ll be the most interesting as he used to be an actor and had this lifestyle, but he’s actually pretty average, living an average life, apart from the aspect of his mother and his dysfunctional relationship with her.
Sasha: Sasha is the typical character that is forgotten about. Not necessary by the reader, but as a member of the group, she’s the sweet, innocent and caring one of the group who is always there for all of them, but she is always the one who’s forgotten about. I found myself feeling sorry for her a lot of the time, not only because of this, but also because of her home life and her overbearing father; she just can’t seem to find somewhere happy or where she fits in.
Joe: Joe’s story is really touching and you see him develop from your average boy with an average family, to a young man who’s fulfilling his dreams and trying to make something for himself and his family.
I loved reading their stories as their separate lives but also intertwining at the same time; they were all so contrasting and engaging in their own way. The ending was really touching and heartwarming and this book just tells a story of six unlikely friends coming together. I have given this book four stars as it was a lovely story, but I don’t think it was quite good enough for a full five stars.
April 5, 2020
Floored is a collaborative work of UK YA authors. It describes one day a year when a group of 6 characters meets.
I really liked this book, it surprised me a lot. I thought it will be a fun and cute story, but it turned out to be much more. I loved that it dealt with real issues and problems.
It's really hard to create six different distinguishable voices in one book, but the authors did it. I didn't even have to read the headline to see which character was talking. It was really nicely done.
Only problem I had with this book is that it ended a bit abruptly and I wish we'd get one more happy ending chapter. But I liked the ending and that reader can think of how the characters' lives continued.
I really liked this book, it surprised me a lot. I thought it will be a fun and cute story, but it turned out to be much more. I loved that it dealt with real issues and problems.
It's really hard to create six different distinguishable voices in one book, but the authors did it. I didn't even have to read the headline to see which character was talking. It was really nicely done.
Only problem I had with this book is that it ended a bit abruptly and I wish we'd get one more happy ending chapter. But I liked the ending and that reader can think of how the characters' lives continued.
August 26, 2018
DNF
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Well this was an unpleasant surprise. I thought I'd love this one, it features 2 authors I already love and the other 5 are all on my tbr so I was really excited to get to Floored.
Unfortunately, I knew I didn't like it very early on, the only character I actually liked was Velvet- everyone else was immediately self centred and facetious. I had no desire to carry on reading about any of them apart from maybe Kaitlyn, who at least had an interesting story to tell with her illness but this wasn't enough for me to continue.
Hugo was just a joke. I know he's supposed to be despicable but there are ways to make this clear without every single one of his thoughts being horrific. His internal monologue discusses how he as a straight, white, middle class boy is so oppressed and a 'one armed, black lesbian' or 'genderfluid scientologist' would be chosen over him for a job. My eyes rolled so hard they almost fell out. There isn't a single redeeming feature for him and making someone that obviously awful is, at best, lazy writing. I've also seen other reviews and apparently he magically turns into a decent person without a proper redemption arc.
I can't explain how disappointing this book was to me- I made it 20% before knowing that I was just going to end up hate reading and that's not my style.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Well this was an unpleasant surprise. I thought I'd love this one, it features 2 authors I already love and the other 5 are all on my tbr so I was really excited to get to Floored.
Unfortunately, I knew I didn't like it very early on, the only character I actually liked was Velvet- everyone else was immediately self centred and facetious. I had no desire to carry on reading about any of them apart from maybe Kaitlyn, who at least had an interesting story to tell with her illness but this wasn't enough for me to continue.
Hugo was just a joke. I know he's supposed to be despicable but there are ways to make this clear without every single one of his thoughts being horrific. His internal monologue discusses how he as a straight, white, middle class boy is so oppressed and a 'one armed, black lesbian' or 'genderfluid scientologist' would be chosen over him for a job. My eyes rolled so hard they almost fell out. There isn't a single redeeming feature for him and making someone that obviously awful is, at best, lazy writing. I've also seen other reviews and apparently he magically turns into a decent person without a proper redemption arc.
I can't explain how disappointing this book was to me- I made it 20% before knowing that I was just going to end up hate reading and that's not my style.
July 6, 2018
3.5 stars I think!
I did enjoy it but it didn’t blow me away. I think my reading tastes are changing tho because I know a year ago I’d have loved this! I liked the format and the different authors but it was a little disjointed sometimes - things happened between the yearly meet ups that I’d have liked to have seen developed.
Overall it was good tho, and I’m looking forward to hearing more about the writing process and more from the authors at YALC!
I did enjoy it but it didn’t blow me away. I think my reading tastes are changing tho because I know a year ago I’d have loved this! I liked the format and the different authors but it was a little disjointed sometimes - things happened between the yearly meet ups that I’d have liked to have seen developed.
Overall it was good tho, and I’m looking forward to hearing more about the writing process and more from the authors at YALC!
August 30, 2023
This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library
"Floored" is a collaborative novel written by Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson, and Eleanor Wood. The authors all met in an elevator, and then decided to write the story of six very different teens who also met in an elevator, but the story only checks in on them on the anniversary of that meeting one day a year like an annual snapshot of their lives. This led to both an interesting and frustrating reading experience.
Don't get me wrong, it's entertaining to follow these characters as they grow and evolve, but the limitation of just one day per year left me craving more. I mean, life is messy and intricate, and by only showing us these brief glimpses, we're missing out on a lot of the juicy stuff. It's like watching a TV show where they only air the season finales – where's the build-up and the in-between moments?
The main selling point is that the book is written by seven different authors, and I can only assume that each author tackled one character's perspective with the final author bringing in the third person perspective to round out the end of the day each year. Unfortunately, some of the character's voices were much more distinct than others, and personalities changed over the years as the teens grew up, which sometimes seemed jarring as we didn't see the growth, just the result. It also means there was no grand climax to tie things up. It's like being at a New Year's Eve fireworks show where each firework goes off individually, but there's no big finale that leaves you incredibly satisfied that you stayed up until midnight again when you could have been getting a decent night's sleep.
Although each of the characters had very different lives, struggles, wealth, and dreams, I struggled to understand why they kept in touch. Because we only see one day a year, I couldn't tell why they kept gravitating towards each other. There was a hint that some of the characters felt like they couldn't talk to their own friends, or grew apart from their own friends, but (again, I feel like I'm repeating this sentiment) because we only see a snapshot of one day, I felt like this wasn't really explored. They had nothing in common, which was supposed to be part of the charm, but I just couldn't understand why they all kept in touch.
This book was essentially like a puzzle with a few missing pieces. It was an entertaining read that offered a peek into the lives of these different characters, but the yearly snapshot format left me yearning for more depth. You would also think that the collaboration of multiple authors would add diversity to the characters, but I'm pretty sure they were all white; we only had one disability rep and one diverse sexuality rep; and while there was a really great opportunity to add in further diverse sexuality rep (I was waiting for the slut-shamed character to come out as ace, to be honest), the focus really seemed to be on the wealth gap: one of the teens was stinking rich while the other five really struggled with money.
I'm glad I read this book on my journey to read everything by Sara Barnard, but I think the authors had more fun collaborating on writing it than I did reading it.
"Floored" is a collaborative novel written by Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson, and Eleanor Wood. The authors all met in an elevator, and then decided to write the story of six very different teens who also met in an elevator, but the story only checks in on them on the anniversary of that meeting one day a year like an annual snapshot of their lives. This led to both an interesting and frustrating reading experience.
Don't get me wrong, it's entertaining to follow these characters as they grow and evolve, but the limitation of just one day per year left me craving more. I mean, life is messy and intricate, and by only showing us these brief glimpses, we're missing out on a lot of the juicy stuff. It's like watching a TV show where they only air the season finales – where's the build-up and the in-between moments?
The main selling point is that the book is written by seven different authors, and I can only assume that each author tackled one character's perspective with the final author bringing in the third person perspective to round out the end of the day each year. Unfortunately, some of the character's voices were much more distinct than others, and personalities changed over the years as the teens grew up, which sometimes seemed jarring as we didn't see the growth, just the result. It also means there was no grand climax to tie things up. It's like being at a New Year's Eve fireworks show where each firework goes off individually, but there's no big finale that leaves you incredibly satisfied that you stayed up until midnight again when you could have been getting a decent night's sleep.
Although each of the characters had very different lives, struggles, wealth, and dreams, I struggled to understand why they kept in touch. Because we only see one day a year, I couldn't tell why they kept gravitating towards each other. There was a hint that some of the characters felt like they couldn't talk to their own friends, or grew apart from their own friends, but (again, I feel like I'm repeating this sentiment) because we only see a snapshot of one day, I felt like this wasn't really explored. They had nothing in common, which was supposed to be part of the charm, but I just couldn't understand why they all kept in touch.
This book was essentially like a puzzle with a few missing pieces. It was an entertaining read that offered a peek into the lives of these different characters, but the yearly snapshot format left me yearning for more depth. You would also think that the collaboration of multiple authors would add diversity to the characters, but I'm pretty sure they were all white; we only had one disability rep and one diverse sexuality rep; and while there was a really great opportunity to add in further diverse sexuality rep (I was waiting for the slut-shamed character to come out as ace, to be honest), the focus really seemed to be on the wealth gap: one of the teens was stinking rich while the other five really struggled with money.
I'm glad I read this book on my journey to read everything by Sara Barnard, but I think the authors had more fun collaborating on writing it than I did reading it.
July 9, 2018
This book was probably one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Because it brings together a few of my favourite YA authors into one big project, and I have a real weakness for books that include multiple POVs to read. I just find them more interesting. I have to say I enjoyed reading this too, it was an interesting experience trying to guess who wrote which character and also following my own emotional turmoil about which characters I did and didn't like. And believe me, my thoughts changed over time.
Okay, so let's start with the goods - character development was a plus in some ways. I liked watching each POV grow up, the way that they changed (some went through a major epiphany and others very subtly) and uncovering their stories. I had a soft spot for certain characters - Dawson being one of them, Velvet another, and of course Hugo. Hugo because I hated everything about him and everything that he represented and yet he made me laugh SO much and he was the character I really found myself rooting for despite everything. I looked forward to his chapters. I also thought that the book really touched upon some nice themes, and showed how much of a difference a year could make.
I wish I had been able to get to know the characters and their backstories a little bit more though. While I got their personalities, the context surrounding their lives was a little vague and hazy, for some more than others. As I said, I thought that Hugo struck the balance well, but others needed a little more exploration to add depth to their lives. This was definitely more of a book about fleeting moments than it was a full on analysis of teenage life, but in the end I enjoyed it for what it was. The narrator's parts were necessary in helping to draw themes together too and they did it really well. A nice idea pulled together by some really talented authors.
Okay, so let's start with the goods - character development was a plus in some ways. I liked watching each POV grow up, the way that they changed (some went through a major epiphany and others very subtly) and uncovering their stories. I had a soft spot for certain characters - Dawson being one of them, Velvet another, and of course Hugo. Hugo because I hated everything about him and everything that he represented and yet he made me laugh SO much and he was the character I really found myself rooting for despite everything. I looked forward to his chapters. I also thought that the book really touched upon some nice themes, and showed how much of a difference a year could make.
I wish I had been able to get to know the characters and their backstories a little bit more though. While I got their personalities, the context surrounding their lives was a little vague and hazy, for some more than others. As I said, I thought that Hugo struck the balance well, but others needed a little more exploration to add depth to their lives. This was definitely more of a book about fleeting moments than it was a full on analysis of teenage life, but in the end I enjoyed it for what it was. The narrator's parts were necessary in helping to draw themes together too and they did it really well. A nice idea pulled together by some really talented authors.
October 23, 2018
Floored was amazing.
This was one of those books that you anticipate so much. I read all the articles I could find about it, I researched the authors ( yes- authors ). I WAS SO HAPPY WHEN I FOUND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I only knew about Holly Bourne and Sara Barnard ( who I love, btw! ) when I read it, but now I really want to read the books of the others!
Sorry - I should probably tell you what the book is about before I get carried away!
Basically, this is a modern-day Breakfast Club... except it's different. It doesn't just happen on one day. The story stretches through SIX YEARS!!!! SIX! It follows the lives of six people ( however told seven ways ), all very different. At the start, none of them know each other. However, over time, they change so much and they form very strong bonds. Each author describes a character. The characters all meet at the same place, at the same time, and are brought together by something. Something that brings them together EVERY YEAR. And it keeps them together.
The characters in this book are amazing. I really love them so much. This is such a unique book, and I haven't read anything like it before, and I love it so much.
This is probably one of my favourite books. Ever.
Now please go and read it.
This was one of those books that you anticipate so much. I read all the articles I could find about it, I researched the authors ( yes- authors ). I WAS SO HAPPY WHEN I FOUND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I only knew about Holly Bourne and Sara Barnard ( who I love, btw! ) when I read it, but now I really want to read the books of the others!
Sorry - I should probably tell you what the book is about before I get carried away!
Basically, this is a modern-day Breakfast Club... except it's different. It doesn't just happen on one day. The story stretches through SIX YEARS!!!! SIX! It follows the lives of six people ( however told seven ways ), all very different. At the start, none of them know each other. However, over time, they change so much and they form very strong bonds. Each author describes a character. The characters all meet at the same place, at the same time, and are brought together by something. Something that brings them together EVERY YEAR. And it keeps them together.
The characters in this book are amazing. I really love them so much. This is such a unique book, and I haven't read anything like it before, and I love it so much.
This is probably one of my favourite books. Ever.
Now please go and read it.
June 18, 2020
I liked the concept of Floored but I don't think the execution was brilliant. The chapters were often too short, making it so you couldn't really get to know characters. I also really disliked the way the '7th' chapters were written, the ones that didn't focus specifically on a character. It was a fairly average read when all is said and done.
May 3, 2024
4.5 stars - loved this book; that final scene had my heart in my throat. Usually not a fan of multiple POVs, but this worked beautifully and I really liked how each character wasn’t openly assigned to a single author. I don’t want to know either and I think that’s part of the beauty of the book itself.
March 2, 2019
I've just finished Floored and I need more of the characters! I loved this book and felt so attached to the story and the characters! Floored is a masterpiece in showcasing human emotions and attachments, as well as personal growth and the importance of chasing your dreams! I am secretly hoping for a sequel!
October 24, 2021
Najpiękniejsza książka o dojrzewaniu i przyjaźni, jaką czytałam do tej pory. Obowiązkowa pozycja.
October 15, 2019
I really, really enjoyed this - what a creative and fun idea to let seven authors work on one story! I loved following these characters throughout the years and felt like every one got their moment to shine.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 321 reviews