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What Happened on Floor 34?
Her dream job just became her worst nightmare…
My name is Rose, and I work for one of the country’s biggest newspapers. I was the Day Editor. Will Frost was the Night Editor.
When I got to the office, Will had already left. When I left, Will arrived. We were two sides of the same coin.
Last week, Will disappeared from floor 34 without a trace. Now I am the Night Editor.
And I have a feeling I’m next.
My name is Rose, and I work for one of the country’s biggest newspapers. I was the Day Editor. Will Frost was the Night Editor.
When I got to the office, Will had already left. When I left, Will arrived. We were two sides of the same coin.
Last week, Will disappeared from floor 34 without a trace. Now I am the Night Editor.
And I have a feeling I’m next.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2023
70 people are currently reading
571 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
December 31, 2022
What Happened on Floor 34? starts off with a tension-filled bang.
Recently promoted to day editor, Rose works for London’s largest newspaper. She begins her shift shortly after the night editor finishes for the day. The two editors never cross paths, but they work closely together via email.
Suddenly, the night editor Will goes missing without a trace. Rose agrees to work nights until they replace Will. Rose becomes obsessed with figuring out what happened to the night editor.
This thriller is compulsively readable and piles on twist after twist. Some of the twists were juicy, while others felt like they were there for shock value alone. Also, the author often hinted at some revelation but would not reveal it until many pages later, which was a minor annoyance.
Rose is an unreliable narrator that relies on booze and caffeine to get her through the days. It’s fairly obvious early on what caused her to take up drinking so much.
This was a serviceable thriller. It likely will not stick with me, but it did keep me wanting to find out how everything pieced together.
I would indeed read more from this author.
Thank you to Avon for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
Recently promoted to day editor, Rose works for London’s largest newspaper. She begins her shift shortly after the night editor finishes for the day. The two editors never cross paths, but they work closely together via email.
Suddenly, the night editor Will goes missing without a trace. Rose agrees to work nights until they replace Will. Rose becomes obsessed with figuring out what happened to the night editor.
This thriller is compulsively readable and piles on twist after twist. Some of the twists were juicy, while others felt like they were there for shock value alone. Also, the author often hinted at some revelation but would not reveal it until many pages later, which was a minor annoyance.
Rose is an unreliable narrator that relies on booze and caffeine to get her through the days. It’s fairly obvious early on what caused her to take up drinking so much.
This was a serviceable thriller. It likely will not stick with me, but it did keep me wanting to find out how everything pieced together.
I would indeed read more from this author.
Thank you to Avon for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
November 21, 2022
What I liked:
✔️authentic representation of someone suffering from panic attacks and rape trauma
✔️unreliable narrator keeping me on my toes
✔️unique setting
✔️a plot with depth
✔️a compelling intro
✔️the expertise of the author's career knowledge transferred into the plot
What I struggled with:
🤔 Short, choppy sentences!
🤔 the numerous times the characters alluded to something and didn't share it - such as the way a child would try to get you interested to keep you asking more
🤔 too many twists all piled up together after an unevenly paced intro and midpoint
🤔 rape, despite the author’s sensitive handling of it
🤔 unclear ending still not obvious in the epilogue (or, was it just me?)
🤔 overdone thought streaming and mindless conversations
I’m thankful for the opportunity to read one of this author’s books - my first! I ran the gamut of emotions from banging my head against the wall to gleeful bursts at the cleverness of it all…and that’s a good thing. The bottom line, Corcoran is a great crime novelist on the rise. She gives us the puzzle pieces, makes us work on how they go together, changes the picture on the puzzle pieces, throws in a few annoying bits and bobs, and then reminds us that everything isn’t as cut and dried as WE want it to be.
I was gifted this copy by Avon Books UK and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
✔️authentic representation of someone suffering from panic attacks and rape trauma
✔️unreliable narrator keeping me on my toes
✔️unique setting
✔️a plot with depth
✔️a compelling intro
✔️the expertise of the author's career knowledge transferred into the plot
What I struggled with:
🤔 Short, choppy sentences!
🤔 the numerous times the characters alluded to something and didn't share it - such as the way a child would try to get you interested to keep you asking more
🤔 too many twists all piled up together after an unevenly paced intro and midpoint
🤔 rape, despite the author’s sensitive handling of it
🤔 unclear ending still not obvious in the epilogue (or, was it just me?)
🤔 overdone thought streaming and mindless conversations
I’m thankful for the opportunity to read one of this author’s books - my first! I ran the gamut of emotions from banging my head against the wall to gleeful bursts at the cleverness of it all…and that’s a good thing. The bottom line, Corcoran is a great crime novelist on the rise. She gives us the puzzle pieces, makes us work on how they go together, changes the picture on the puzzle pieces, throws in a few annoying bits and bobs, and then reminds us that everything isn’t as cut and dried as WE want it to be.
I was gifted this copy by Avon Books UK and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
December 22, 2022
Have loved some of the previous books by this author ( Through The Wall comes to mind )
I really enjoyed the insight into life as a day and then a night editor of a major red top National Paper and was shocked how ferocious it all was, the author has a 16 year history of journalism so the experiences are ‘real life’ and although a lot are toxic as say its a fascinating look into that ( at times ) awful environment
I also enjoyed, as always, the book being set in London
I can say it kept me reading as all the way through I really did want to know what had happened on Floor 34, it took a long time to get there and at times repetitive in its main characters musings and feelings and she seemed ungrateful for all the good, positive things in her life but then as the book finally came to its conclusion we learnt more about the reasons why
In a week of a change of reading routine it was a perfect book to pick up and read a bit here and there and not get too overly involved with, a goodish read all told
Great acknowledgement section
6/10
3 Stars
I really enjoyed the insight into life as a day and then a night editor of a major red top National Paper and was shocked how ferocious it all was, the author has a 16 year history of journalism so the experiences are ‘real life’ and although a lot are toxic as say its a fascinating look into that ( at times ) awful environment
I also enjoyed, as always, the book being set in London
I can say it kept me reading as all the way through I really did want to know what had happened on Floor 34, it took a long time to get there and at times repetitive in its main characters musings and feelings and she seemed ungrateful for all the good, positive things in her life but then as the book finally came to its conclusion we learnt more about the reasons why
In a week of a change of reading routine it was a perfect book to pick up and read a bit here and there and not get too overly involved with, a goodish read all told
Great acknowledgement section
6/10
3 Stars
January 23, 2023
I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I had hoped. I was looking for an exciting mystery but the direction the plot took was unexpected and not something that made for an exciting read.
I found the subject of Rose’s job to be fascinating. The way that Corcoran describes the world of digital journalism was really interesting and I like to think that it was an accurate representation. Rose’s role as editor of the web page of a news outlet has lead to her being obsessed with her job: to ensure the site gets the most clicks and reader engagement at all times. Focussed on the data and real-time feedback that is the result of her editing, Rose believes she is living her best life and thriving off this all-time pressure. Yet, it is clear to readers that this is not the case and I started to recognise the warning signs that Rose was not actually as happy as she had convinced herself to believe.
Life as a journalist is presented as heady, exciting and fuelled by alcohol. There does not seem to be any rest for Rose, at least, and I was disturbed by the way she carries herself. A lot of alcohol is consumed and I think this is cleverly reflected in the style of the narrative. With long, rambling sentences, it felt like Rose was lacking control and reasons for this are gradually revealed. At first, I put it down to the excitement and constant movement of the news world, but Corcoran eventually shows that there is more to this erratic and unpredictable narrative voice.
When the Night Editor disappears, the story takes a darker turn and this becomes even darker at a late-night party that Rose attends. When Rose steps up to be the new Night Editor, she becomes consumed by this role and determined by her twilight role. Everything else falls by the way-side and she becomes as obsessed with the Night Editor’s disappearance as the police seem to be with Rose herself. Realising that the police are questioning her far more than her colleagues, it felt like the narrative disappeared down a rabbit hole of confusion, fear and paranoia.
I understand why Corcoran developed Rose’s character and, having completed the book, realise why Rose behaves in the way she does. However, the narrative style and the way the story progressed left me feeling quite uncomfortable. I also experienced inexplicable feelings of lethargy and I wonder if this is a result of Rose’s detachment from society and working in an isolated office whilst the rest of London sleeps. It certainly was disarming.
Yet, I thought the plot to move quite slowly (again adding to the lethargy). I wanted there to be more excitement but don’t think this was at all possible with the eventual direction that the novel takes. In all honesty, the story was the opposite to what I was expecting and I think the blurb could have been a bit clearer about what this book is about – it is certainly not the thrilling murder mystery that is implied.
With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I found the subject of Rose’s job to be fascinating. The way that Corcoran describes the world of digital journalism was really interesting and I like to think that it was an accurate representation. Rose’s role as editor of the web page of a news outlet has lead to her being obsessed with her job: to ensure the site gets the most clicks and reader engagement at all times. Focussed on the data and real-time feedback that is the result of her editing, Rose believes she is living her best life and thriving off this all-time pressure. Yet, it is clear to readers that this is not the case and I started to recognise the warning signs that Rose was not actually as happy as she had convinced herself to believe.
Life as a journalist is presented as heady, exciting and fuelled by alcohol. There does not seem to be any rest for Rose, at least, and I was disturbed by the way she carries herself. A lot of alcohol is consumed and I think this is cleverly reflected in the style of the narrative. With long, rambling sentences, it felt like Rose was lacking control and reasons for this are gradually revealed. At first, I put it down to the excitement and constant movement of the news world, but Corcoran eventually shows that there is more to this erratic and unpredictable narrative voice.
When the Night Editor disappears, the story takes a darker turn and this becomes even darker at a late-night party that Rose attends. When Rose steps up to be the new Night Editor, she becomes consumed by this role and determined by her twilight role. Everything else falls by the way-side and she becomes as obsessed with the Night Editor’s disappearance as the police seem to be with Rose herself. Realising that the police are questioning her far more than her colleagues, it felt like the narrative disappeared down a rabbit hole of confusion, fear and paranoia.
I understand why Corcoran developed Rose’s character and, having completed the book, realise why Rose behaves in the way she does. However, the narrative style and the way the story progressed left me feeling quite uncomfortable. I also experienced inexplicable feelings of lethargy and I wonder if this is a result of Rose’s detachment from society and working in an isolated office whilst the rest of London sleeps. It certainly was disarming.
Yet, I thought the plot to move quite slowly (again adding to the lethargy). I wanted there to be more excitement but don’t think this was at all possible with the eventual direction that the novel takes. In all honesty, the story was the opposite to what I was expecting and I think the blurb could have been a bit clearer about what this book is about – it is certainly not the thrilling murder mystery that is implied.
With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 11, 2023
2.5 rounded up. This book had so much potential but found it repetitive and I’m still not clear on the ending 😅 Recieved a E-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
January 30, 2023
This is a book that demands attention at the headline (or book title) - What Happened on Floor 34??? Never reading Caroline Corcoran before, she had me picking this book up and immediately being transported with her synopsis:
"My name is Rose, and I work for one of the country’s biggest newspapers. I was the Day Editor. Will Frost was the Night Editor. When I got to the office, Will had already left. When I left, Will arrived. We were two sides of the same coin. Last week, Will disappeared from floor 34 without a trace. Now I am the Night Editor. And I have a feeling I’m next."
What happened.... is a slow burn. While Will disappears immediately, figuring out whats going on is a much slower experience. Stick with it - you won't be disappointed! Corcoron spins a workplace thriller that will have you guessing what happened. I enjoyed learning about the news industry, never before understanding what goes on behind the scenes. While I get news is a 24 hour business, I never gave thought to a night editor being alone each and every night working in solitude. The atmospheric sense of being alone up high in a building at night gave me several "feels."
Corcoran addresses workplace violence, denial and obsession. It's also about alcohol abuse, mental illness and learning about yourself. Many characters are unlikable, but that doesnt take away from the need to know what happenend on floor 34. The twists and turns come fast and frenzied right up to the very end, leaving me shocked and thinking wow...
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the reminder that all is not what it seems.
"My name is Rose, and I work for one of the country’s biggest newspapers. I was the Day Editor. Will Frost was the Night Editor. When I got to the office, Will had already left. When I left, Will arrived. We were two sides of the same coin. Last week, Will disappeared from floor 34 without a trace. Now I am the Night Editor. And I have a feeling I’m next."
What happened.... is a slow burn. While Will disappears immediately, figuring out whats going on is a much slower experience. Stick with it - you won't be disappointed! Corcoron spins a workplace thriller that will have you guessing what happened. I enjoyed learning about the news industry, never before understanding what goes on behind the scenes. While I get news is a 24 hour business, I never gave thought to a night editor being alone each and every night working in solitude. The atmospheric sense of being alone up high in a building at night gave me several "feels."
Corcoran addresses workplace violence, denial and obsession. It's also about alcohol abuse, mental illness and learning about yourself. Many characters are unlikable, but that doesnt take away from the need to know what happenend on floor 34. The twists and turns come fast and frenzied right up to the very end, leaving me shocked and thinking wow...
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the reminder that all is not what it seems.
March 24, 2023
I loved THROUGH THE WALL
And
BABY GROUP
by this author so I was surprised this one didn’t thrill me or capture me like her others.
It lacked pace and pitch now and again which made me slightly eager to get to a faster pace (hopefully) as I read on. It was a bit bumpy.
Although I did enjoy following Rose on her journalism but the actual plot behind all that fell a little short for me personally.
And
BABY GROUP
by this author so I was surprised this one didn’t thrill me or capture me like her others.
It lacked pace and pitch now and again which made me slightly eager to get to a faster pace (hopefully) as I read on. It was a bit bumpy.
Although I did enjoy following Rose on her journalism but the actual plot behind all that fell a little short for me personally.
December 18, 2022
Caroline is a must read author for me since I read and loved The Baby Group. What Happened on Floor 34 is a gripping and twisty novel that takes the reader on an unexpected journey set in an unusual setting that felt claustrophobic and threatening. Rose is the day editor at a national newspaper but has to take over as the night editor when the “ying to her yang” Will goes missing. Rose is happily engaged with her wedding fast approaching but she can’t get over the fact that Will has gone even though they never hung out as friends or colleagues. There’s an unsettling feeling to her reaction to the supposed crime that has taken place and we gradually come to realise there is more to Rose and her involvement than we realise.
There are some super twists that both shocked and surprised me and I had to actually read the last chapter again as it was so clever and completely different to the ending I had been expecting!
Gripping, dark and sometimes disturbing I found What Happened on Floor 34 to be a compelling page turner from start to finish.
There are some super twists that both shocked and surprised me and I had to actually read the last chapter again as it was so clever and completely different to the ending I had been expecting!
Gripping, dark and sometimes disturbing I found What Happened on Floor 34 to be a compelling page turner from start to finish.
November 9, 2022
Book Title: What Happened on Floor 34
Author: Caroline Corcoran
Publisher: Avon Books UK
Genre: Mystery
Pub Date: January 19, 2023
My Rating: 3.2 Stars
Rose’s dreams are coming true. She is about to be married and is the Day Editor of the country’s biggest newspapers. However, her dreams has turn into a nightmare when Will Frost the Night Editor, disappears from floor 34 without a trace.
I really didn’t know what to expect after I checked a few reviewed and saw they ranged from 1 to 5 stars Hmmm.
True it wasn’t a 5 star read but it also wasn’t all that bad.
Want to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this early uncorrected eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 19, 2023
Author: Caroline Corcoran
Publisher: Avon Books UK
Genre: Mystery
Pub Date: January 19, 2023
My Rating: 3.2 Stars
Rose’s dreams are coming true. She is about to be married and is the Day Editor of the country’s biggest newspapers. However, her dreams has turn into a nightmare when Will Frost the Night Editor, disappears from floor 34 without a trace.
I really didn’t know what to expect after I checked a few reviewed and saw they ranged from 1 to 5 stars Hmmm.
True it wasn’t a 5 star read but it also wasn’t all that bad.
Want to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this early uncorrected eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 19, 2023
January 18, 2023
3.5 stars
What Happened on Floor 34 by Caroline Corcoran is a psychological thriller.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Avon Books and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Rose is the Day Editor for a large newspaper, and it's her dream job...although her boss derides her mercilessly. Mind you, arriving late, sometimes hungover, doesn't really help her case. Her whole mindset has changed since what happened last June, but not even her fiancé has noticed the changes. He is full steam ahead with the wedding, but Rose is hesitant, and growing more anxious every day. She loves Patrick wholeheartedly, but she is falling apart.
After another very late night drinking, Rose arrives at work (late and confused), to find out that the Night Editor is missing. Will Frost apparently left the office around 2pm, after talking to Rose. Rose remembers nothing of the conversation, nor most of the previous night .
But Rose is intent on finding out what happened to the elusive Will. She agrees to take over the position of Night Editor. Perhaps it will help her find out what happened to her predecessor. This is not helping her relationship with her soon-to-be husband.
My Opinions:
It's really difficult to enjoy a book when you strongly dislike the protagonist. Rose was a self-centered woman who solved all her problems with alcohol (and coffee). She needed therapy, but self-medicated instead. I'm not saying that she didn't have issues to deal with, just that she took the easy way out -- and that annoyed me. So initially, I really struggled with the book. Eventually I could see past Rose and look at the bigger picture, but it took a while.
The book is about sexual abuse, denial, and obsession. It is also about love, anxiety, and mental illness.
The plot was really good, although at times I felt I was being pulled along -- slowly and somewhat painfully. It dragged occasionally. With an unreliable narrator, and with the author providing details at the pace of a snail, it was sometimes a difficult read. However, the twists in the book were really good.....although a long time coming. And then suddenly it was over.
So, overall, I have mixed emotions with this one. Despite the faults I mentioned above, it was still a good book. I will look for more from this author.
For a more complete review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, author information and a favorite quotation from the book), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
May 29, 2024
Good thriller, good writing, good twist at the end. The title is a bit misleading though.
February 2, 2023
What Happened On Floor 34 is a book about mystery, the main description between the day editor and the night editor will, is they are two sides of the same coin. They are conjoined, yet they have never met.
When Will goes missing, in the middle of a shift you would think it would be a very concerning thing for all of the staff, regardless of the shift they worked, this wasn’t really the case, their was concern at the beginning but as the weeks passed by, the only person that seemed to care, take an interest or wanted it solved was Rose. She became obsessed with finding the truth and she let her life slip by in the process. She started becoming ill, having panic attacks and the shift in her life took a huge turn, she backed away from everyone and wanted to be alone. Everyone starting to become concerned for Rose. Relying on drink, and having black outs, Rose feared she had been assaulted and she did not know why, but she knew this had, to have something to do with the disappearance.
I enjoyed reading this book, I loved the style in the way it was written, I felt like Rose was talking directly to me. Telling me her life’s story. It didn’t take long for me to build a connection with her, so by the time she started feeling out of sorts and needed time away I felt so sorry for her, but I also understood what she was going through. Like on a completely different scale, of course I was going through similar motions.
Always playing the detective I felt her need to know what the hell was going on.
In the majority of the book, it focuses on Rose and her character, along with all the things she needs to find out. I learnt through Rose, how other characters ticked and what kind of person they was, had made my own judgements about what may have happened and why…
So, by the time the SHOCKING twists came hurtling towards me one after the other… it was unexpected and winding!!!
This book would be very well suited to any slow burn lover who loves it when the twists come flying and they are NOT what you could have EVER imagined!!
When Will goes missing, in the middle of a shift you would think it would be a very concerning thing for all of the staff, regardless of the shift they worked, this wasn’t really the case, their was concern at the beginning but as the weeks passed by, the only person that seemed to care, take an interest or wanted it solved was Rose. She became obsessed with finding the truth and she let her life slip by in the process. She started becoming ill, having panic attacks and the shift in her life took a huge turn, she backed away from everyone and wanted to be alone. Everyone starting to become concerned for Rose. Relying on drink, and having black outs, Rose feared she had been assaulted and she did not know why, but she knew this had, to have something to do with the disappearance.
I enjoyed reading this book, I loved the style in the way it was written, I felt like Rose was talking directly to me. Telling me her life’s story. It didn’t take long for me to build a connection with her, so by the time she started feeling out of sorts and needed time away I felt so sorry for her, but I also understood what she was going through. Like on a completely different scale, of course I was going through similar motions.
Always playing the detective I felt her need to know what the hell was going on.
In the majority of the book, it focuses on Rose and her character, along with all the things she needs to find out. I learnt through Rose, how other characters ticked and what kind of person they was, had made my own judgements about what may have happened and why…
So, by the time the SHOCKING twists came hurtling towards me one after the other… it was unexpected and winding!!!
This book would be very well suited to any slow burn lover who loves it when the twists come flying and they are NOT what you could have EVER imagined!!
January 5, 2023
Rose is a day editor for a newspaper. She shares the role of editor with Will, the night editor, between them they keep the newspaper website up to date and gaining readership. When Will disappears, Rose finds herself taking on the position of night editor - can she solve Will's disappearance, and can she keep her own life on track as she tries to?
The blurb for this book sounded really interesting, gained my interest and left me thinking "OK, so what DID happen on floor 34?". Unfortunately, the blurb was about the only part that actually held my attention. The main character Rose was incredibly annoying, people pleasing and I simply found myself not caring at all what happened to her. The book was very long winded, so much was completely unnecessary in my opinion, and the "twists" at the end were either very predictable or else felt popped on at the last minute so the author could try and fool the reader.
All that said, I did find myself warming to Will, especially towards the end, and I felt their character was much more likely to garner sympathy from the reader.
The book definitely wasn't for me, but if slow burn twisting thrillers are your thing, perhaps give it a go.
The blurb for this book sounded really interesting, gained my interest and left me thinking "OK, so what DID happen on floor 34?". Unfortunately, the blurb was about the only part that actually held my attention. The main character Rose was incredibly annoying, people pleasing and I simply found myself not caring at all what happened to her. The book was very long winded, so much was completely unnecessary in my opinion, and the "twists" at the end were either very predictable or else felt popped on at the last minute so the author could try and fool the reader.
All that said, I did find myself warming to Will, especially towards the end, and I felt their character was much more likely to garner sympathy from the reader.
The book definitely wasn't for me, but if slow burn twisting thrillers are your thing, perhaps give it a go.
December 15, 2022
What Happened on Floor 34? is an interesting slow-build premise centred around Rose, a day editor. She has a work connection with the night editor, Will Frost. Suddenly, Will Frost disappears, and Rose's boss offers her the position of night editor. However, this comes at a price. Caroline Corcoran's narrative style is engaging, and the downward spiral of our protagonist is thorough and intense. The spiral triggers an obsession to truly decipher what happened to Will Frost, leading Rose to walk a dark and narrow path of disconnection and isolation. There were multiple moments when the book dragged on and felt like a never-ending cycle, impeding my reading experience. This book is filled with twists and turns; some are pure hits, while the others felt like it was a consolation, added purely for shock value. The plot is intriguing; however, the execution slightly falls short—a 3-star read.
Trigger Warning - Rape.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me an e-ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.
Trigger Warning - Rape.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me an e-ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.
January 14, 2023
This book left me with rather mixed feelings to be honest!
It's an intriguing read, with some great twists and turns.
However it's also a difficult read (I'd suggest there needs to be a trigger warning for SA) not just due to the subject it tackles, but with the way it is written. It's sometimes a little hard to know whose narrative you're reading (one very small part in particular - but unsure if that's due to it being an arc)
I understand why the main character acts the way she does - but it makes it difficult to root for her at times. It's also frustrating to read at times - there's things constantly alluded to - snippets of information she's apparently been told, yet it takes forever for us to find out what that thing actually is!
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.
It's an intriguing read, with some great twists and turns.
However it's also a difficult read (I'd suggest there needs to be a trigger warning for SA) not just due to the subject it tackles, but with the way it is written. It's sometimes a little hard to know whose narrative you're reading (one very small part in particular - but unsure if that's due to it being an arc)
I understand why the main character acts the way she does - but it makes it difficult to root for her at times. It's also frustrating to read at times - there's things constantly alluded to - snippets of information she's apparently been told, yet it takes forever for us to find out what that thing actually is!
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.
November 20, 2022
From the synopsis I was intrigued by this book and looking forward to getting my teeth into it. In reality I was disappointed. It severely lacked pace. We seemed to go whole chapters without anything happening or you were given a snippet of information and then had to wave through pages and pages for this to be explored. There were some plot twists at the end but far too many and crammed into too few pages at the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author for the chance to review.
February 17, 2023
Wow just wow! I'm quite fussy when it comes to books. They have to be really good for me to be able to sit there and read the entire thing without getting bored. This book certainly did that for me. I found the first 75% really good and then BAM the last 25% just hit me, cliffhanger after cliffhanger and i couldn't put it down. Everything you thought Will was at the start is completely wrong by the end. Would highly recommend this book without a doubt.
August 2, 2025
The worst attempt at twists and turns in a book that I’ve read so far
March 23, 2023
What Happened On Floor 34? by Caroline Corcoran was published on January 19, 2023 and is about Rose Rivers, who works at a newspaper as the day editor and will be getting married in a few weeks. When the Will Forest, the night editor, goes missing in the middle of his shift, Rose starts obsessing with the case and can't help but look into the case.
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Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of What Happened On Floor 34?. I was happy that my request to review this book was approved, and I received this e-book for free in exchange for my honest review.
I was intrigued by this novel and couldn't read it fast enough . . . it was that engrossing. There were twists and turns galore towards the last twenty-five percent of the book that had my heart pounding. Once I got to the end, I was sorely upset at the ending. I'm not going to go into detail as that would give the story away, but I'd be interested to know if anyone else hated the ending.
There were things in What Happened On Floor 34? that were reminiscent of The Girl on the Train by Rachel Hawkins . . . namely the main character having a drinking problem. It also has similar pacing. Fair warning, this book does deal with sexual assault, so it may not be for everyone.
Most of the characters that were likable and some that were not. However, by the end of the story there were a few that I ended up disliking immensely. I love the setting of the story, and it definitely left me feeling uneasy while reading it late at night. I would have loved it had it been storming while I read the story because it would have given the story additional ambiance.
All in all, I'd give What Happened On Floor 34? by Caroline Corcoran four out of five stars, and I look forward to reading more novels by this author.
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March 13, 2023
Wow what a rollercoaster!
A very gripping, easy to read novel. My only complaint and reason not to give it 5 stars, is that it kept a similar pace for a large part of the book, then seemed to pick up pace but get a bit too messy and complicated. However I didn’t guess who did it and I liked the fact it had a final twist which I hadn’t seen coming!
A very gripping, easy to read novel. My only complaint and reason not to give it 5 stars, is that it kept a similar pace for a large part of the book, then seemed to pick up pace but get a bit too messy and complicated. However I didn’t guess who did it and I liked the fact it had a final twist which I hadn’t seen coming!
February 26, 2025
Rose is a journalist who works the days shift, with an opposite who works the night shift.
They get intertwined in the story.
I found the build-up long and the ending underwhelming.
The story was good in parts but repetitive, and I struggled with the choppy sentences.
The first one by this author, this one wasn't for me, but it's not put me off, and I'm going to try another of her books
They get intertwined in the story.
I found the build-up long and the ending underwhelming.
The story was good in parts but repetitive, and I struggled with the choppy sentences.
The first one by this author, this one wasn't for me, but it's not put me off, and I'm going to try another of her books
April 10, 2023
Although I haven’t rated this a 5 star read I don’t think it needs much improvement. Sometimes a humble thriller serves its purpose.
The epilogue at the end did leave me stunned a bit I won’t lie. Fairly clever little twist that consolidates the underlying message of relationships in the book.
The epilogue at the end did leave me stunned a bit I won’t lie. Fairly clever little twist that consolidates the underlying message of relationships in the book.
February 20, 2024
I'm glad I read this one very quickly. The writing style was good and it's definitely one of those thrillers that hooks you in. Three quarters of the way in though, it got very silly. Almost as if the author was thinking: "How can I be more shocking?" And then tried to throw everything at the ending, it just became unrealistic. A shame it ended that way.
May 7, 2024
Average. First 3/4 dragged on and I couldn't really understand the main characters obsession with the missing person. Last 1/4 was better.
August 31, 2022
TW: Rape
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.
This book is narrated by our main character Rose, the newspaper day editor, as she works the night shift and tries to figure out what happened to the previous night editor who disappeared. It was really difficult to live in Rose's head. She was raped at a party and feels a lot of shame because she was blackout drunk. She never told anyone nor processed the trauma, so she's constantly getting blackout drunk to avoid thinking about it. She can't handle being around people and pulls away from her friends, family, and fiancé. She starts having panic attacks, sometimes as often as hourly. Towards the end, during her off time, she stays in bed because she's too depressed to do anything. She's working 12 hour nights at a job that she says is her dream job while it very clearly no longer is her dream job - she's constantly screamed at by everyone, she's drinking 5+ cups of coffee per day (that made my stomach hurt from reading it), she only eats from the vending machine, she's afraid to leave her desk even for a minute because what if she misses some breaking news. And still, she doesn't open up to anyone or get any help or even think that anything is wrong. I don't mean to minimize her trauma or ability to work through her trauma, but it was hard to see her self-destruct and make so many unhealthy choices. She's the friend who is spiraling out of control, layering on bad decision after bad decision, but refuses to admit there's any problem. At one point, her fiancé suggests seeing a therapist (he knows about the panic attacks and distancing herself from everyone) and I actually out loud exclaimed "YES!" I wanted to hug and smack her throughout the entire book. Also, if you can't talk to your fiancé when something bad happens to you, maybe you shouldn't be marrying that person...?
I don't know if Rose was intended to be an unreliable narrator (vs just a narrator who couldn't remember things due to all the drinking), but it added some interest to the book. I kept wondering about Rose's relationship with Will since Rose gets so obsessed about Will's disappearance. Rose talks about how they're two sides of the same coin.
Around the 75% mark, the author reveals what happened to Will. That was very well done and the author did a great job with that. Where the book lost me was with remaining 25%. I thought at first that maybe my copy had a chapter or 2 from another novel and I was actually closer to the end than the 75% indicated - nope. It felt like the author wanted to keep adding shocking twists and turns, but after the 3rd or 4th twist and turn, I was over it and ready for it to end. I needed the Epilogue to explain what the final coffee shop realization was, because it didn't make sense to me. It ultimately got explained, but it's not the best when you need that or else it's not clear.
What also drove me crazy was how the book would hold back information from the reader. "I called Rania and asked her about Will." "I am so shocked about what Rania told me about Will!" and then it took 50-100 pages to find out what Rania told Rose about Will. I understand why the author did that, but it was frustrating, especially with the amount of times that the author did it.
What also was odd was how something would happen, the next chapter would jump forward, and then the next chapter would jump back to after the previous chapter. It felt out of order. For example "the elevator dinged." "This person was doing this" "The person got out of the elevator". I've seen this done successfully, but that was not the case here. It felt like someone dropped the chapters on the floor and scooped them up in the wrong order.
My book had so many typos and missing words (even one random sentence). It was very distracting trying to figure out what was meant. When two characters were speaking, sometimes their dialogue was on the same line and if you didn't notice the single quotation marks (since it's a British book, so it's ' instead of "), then it was easy to lose track of who was the speaker and then need to reread. There were a few sections narrated by Will (instead of Rose), but the book didn't show when we were jumping back to Rose (sometimes without even a line break) and I kept having to reread to adjust that it was now Rose telling the story. These issues might be better in the official release.
The first 75% of the book was pretty decent (I was fluctuating between 4 and 5 stars). The last 25% of the book was brutal. If you're good with a narrator in desperate need of an intervention and a book with more twists and turns than a country road, then you'll likely enjoy this.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.
This book is narrated by our main character Rose, the newspaper day editor, as she works the night shift and tries to figure out what happened to the previous night editor who disappeared. It was really difficult to live in Rose's head. She was raped at a party and feels a lot of shame because she was blackout drunk. She never told anyone nor processed the trauma, so she's constantly getting blackout drunk to avoid thinking about it. She can't handle being around people and pulls away from her friends, family, and fiancé. She starts having panic attacks, sometimes as often as hourly. Towards the end, during her off time, she stays in bed because she's too depressed to do anything. She's working 12 hour nights at a job that she says is her dream job while it very clearly no longer is her dream job - she's constantly screamed at by everyone, she's drinking 5+ cups of coffee per day (that made my stomach hurt from reading it), she only eats from the vending machine, she's afraid to leave her desk even for a minute because what if she misses some breaking news. And still, she doesn't open up to anyone or get any help or even think that anything is wrong. I don't mean to minimize her trauma or ability to work through her trauma, but it was hard to see her self-destruct and make so many unhealthy choices. She's the friend who is spiraling out of control, layering on bad decision after bad decision, but refuses to admit there's any problem. At one point, her fiancé suggests seeing a therapist (he knows about the panic attacks and distancing herself from everyone) and I actually out loud exclaimed "YES!" I wanted to hug and smack her throughout the entire book. Also, if you can't talk to your fiancé when something bad happens to you, maybe you shouldn't be marrying that person...?
I don't know if Rose was intended to be an unreliable narrator (vs just a narrator who couldn't remember things due to all the drinking), but it added some interest to the book. I kept wondering about Rose's relationship with Will since Rose gets so obsessed about Will's disappearance. Rose talks about how they're two sides of the same coin.
Around the 75% mark, the author reveals what happened to Will. That was very well done and the author did a great job with that. Where the book lost me was with remaining 25%. I thought at first that maybe my copy had a chapter or 2 from another novel and I was actually closer to the end than the 75% indicated - nope. It felt like the author wanted to keep adding shocking twists and turns, but after the 3rd or 4th twist and turn, I was over it and ready for it to end. I needed the Epilogue to explain what the final coffee shop realization was, because it didn't make sense to me. It ultimately got explained, but it's not the best when you need that or else it's not clear.
What also drove me crazy was how the book would hold back information from the reader. "I called Rania and asked her about Will." "I am so shocked about what Rania told me about Will!" and then it took 50-100 pages to find out what Rania told Rose about Will. I understand why the author did that, but it was frustrating, especially with the amount of times that the author did it.
What also was odd was how something would happen, the next chapter would jump forward, and then the next chapter would jump back to after the previous chapter. It felt out of order. For example "the elevator dinged." "This person was doing this" "The person got out of the elevator". I've seen this done successfully, but that was not the case here. It felt like someone dropped the chapters on the floor and scooped them up in the wrong order.
My book had so many typos and missing words (even one random sentence). It was very distracting trying to figure out what was meant. When two characters were speaking, sometimes their dialogue was on the same line and if you didn't notice the single quotation marks (since it's a British book, so it's ' instead of "), then it was easy to lose track of who was the speaker and then need to reread. There were a few sections narrated by Will (instead of Rose), but the book didn't show when we were jumping back to Rose (sometimes without even a line break) and I kept having to reread to adjust that it was now Rose telling the story. These issues might be better in the official release.
The first 75% of the book was pretty decent (I was fluctuating between 4 and 5 stars). The last 25% of the book was brutal. If you're good with a narrator in desperate need of an intervention and a book with more twists and turns than a country road, then you'll likely enjoy this.
October 13, 2023
Was unsure, and found some of the writing confusing, but the last 3rd was cracking once the story revealed itself
June 16, 2024
The ending gave me chills
January 30, 2023
Well, this is a bit of a creepy read, especially when Rose ‘stepped’ into Will’s role.
There are some fantastic twists, although I prefer faster paced books, the pace really enabled to get to know Rose and to try and work out what on earth was going on!
There are some fantastic twists, although I prefer faster paced books, the pace really enabled to get to know Rose and to try and work out what on earth was going on!
March 5, 2024
Good story line but the way it is written felt a little too all over the place for me
September 18, 2022
First of all, let me thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this book, it's greatly appreciated.
Second of all, let me put into words my thoughts only a few minutes after having finished this title. As of right now, I have mixed feelings about what I just read - there were parts that entertained me (even surprised and shocked me) but there were also parts that I found infuriating and would rather have skipped or omitted all together. And this second kind was coincidentially, the majority.
Let's begin with our protagonist, Rose, whose perspective I did not enjoy reading from. She is a stubborn people pleaser (as she doesn't forget to mention multiple times throughout the book) who denies her very obvious problems and "soldiers on" with the biggest amount of self-pity under the Sun. I detested reading from her point of view because of how insufferable she was to listen to and how 90% of her thoughts was just plain self-deprecation and denial. I'm well aware of the fact that this book portrays serious real-life issues (TW: rape), but the whole book was written in such a way that you'd think all the depression and PTSD of the main character managed to seep into your own life.
I'm not sure why I thought this book was a mystery, potentially delving into the paranormal. That might've been my misunderstanding, even though I had those same feelings while reading the first 30% of the book. From then on it quickly went downhill - the plot kept on dragging on for a ginormously long amount of time and then the final plot twists (yes, you heard right, plural) were crammed into the final 15-20% of the book. And what's even worse is that at the end of the epilogue (despite being pleasantly surprised by the last plot twist), I was still not sure whether the suppossed villains were the actual villains, as the narrator was so unreliable I probably wouldn't have believed her even if she managed to pull up clear and obvious evidence.
Another thing I'd like to mention is a very annoying detail the author decided to fit into almost every. Single. Chapter. While the protagonist looks for clues in conversations with her acquaintances, usually we only hear her responses to said clues and hints (e.g. "I am so shocked by what she told me about___") and actually hear the facts and data after another 10-20%. of the book. Which, as you might imagine is quite the buildup-killer.
In conclusion, there were a few aspects of this title I enjoyed - the epilogue, the atmosphere descriptions & an interesting look behind the scenes of a day editor of a periodical (I think that's what it's called).However, the negatives sadly outbalance the positives - slow plot progression, overcrammed plot twists at the end, (very) unreliable narrator, confusion over facts and fiction & the absolute monotony of the protagonist's conversations and thought processes.
But if that's something you enjoy and seek out in a book, go ahead, you'll love this one.
Second of all, let me put into words my thoughts only a few minutes after having finished this title. As of right now, I have mixed feelings about what I just read - there were parts that entertained me (even surprised and shocked me) but there were also parts that I found infuriating and would rather have skipped or omitted all together. And this second kind was coincidentially, the majority.
Let's begin with our protagonist, Rose, whose perspective I did not enjoy reading from. She is a stubborn people pleaser (as she doesn't forget to mention multiple times throughout the book) who denies her very obvious problems and "soldiers on" with the biggest amount of self-pity under the Sun. I detested reading from her point of view because of how insufferable she was to listen to and how 90% of her thoughts was just plain self-deprecation and denial. I'm well aware of the fact that this book portrays serious real-life issues (TW: rape), but the whole book was written in such a way that you'd think all the depression and PTSD of the main character managed to seep into your own life.
I'm not sure why I thought this book was a mystery, potentially delving into the paranormal. That might've been my misunderstanding, even though I had those same feelings while reading the first 30% of the book. From then on it quickly went downhill - the plot kept on dragging on for a ginormously long amount of time and then the final plot twists (yes, you heard right, plural) were crammed into the final 15-20% of the book. And what's even worse is that at the end of the epilogue (despite being pleasantly surprised by the last plot twist), I was still not sure whether the suppossed villains were the actual villains, as the narrator was so unreliable I probably wouldn't have believed her even if she managed to pull up clear and obvious evidence.
Another thing I'd like to mention is a very annoying detail the author decided to fit into almost every. Single. Chapter. While the protagonist looks for clues in conversations with her acquaintances, usually we only hear her responses to said clues and hints (e.g. "I am so shocked by what she told me about___") and actually hear the facts and data after another 10-20%. of the book. Which, as you might imagine is quite the buildup-killer.
In conclusion, there were a few aspects of this title I enjoyed - the epilogue, the atmosphere descriptions & an interesting look behind the scenes of a day editor of a periodical (I think that's what it's called).However, the negatives sadly outbalance the positives - slow plot progression, overcrammed plot twists at the end, (very) unreliable narrator, confusion over facts and fiction & the absolute monotony of the protagonist's conversations and thought processes.
But if that's something you enjoy and seek out in a book, go ahead, you'll love this one.
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