Book Review: Floored

Title: Floorded (2018)
Author: Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood
Genres: Young Adult and Contemporary
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Book
Release Date: 12th July 2018
Rating: ★★★★☆
Reviewed by: LoisSynopsis:

When they got in the lift, they were strangers (though didn’t that guy used to be on TV?): Sasha, who is desperately trying to deliver a parcel; Hugo, who knows he’s the best-looking guy in the lift and is eyeing up Velvet, who knows what that look means when you hear her name and it doesn’t match the way she looks, or the way she talks; Dawson, who was on TV, but isn’t as good-looking as he was a few years ago and is desperately hoping no one recognizes him; Kaitlyn, who’s losing her sight but won’t admit it, and who used to have a poster of Dawson on her bedroom wall, and Joe, who shouldn’t be here at all, but who wants to be here the most.

And one more person, who will bring them together again on the same day every year.

Review:

Floored is a collaborative novel written by seven UKYA authors; Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Bryne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood. This story is all about six teenagers who are complete strangers, from all different walks of life. The six teenagers each get into the same life and in this lift they share an experience that connects them all for many years to come.

I was a big fan of this book. At first I was a bit sceptical as to how seven different YA authors could create a story together that didn’t feel glued together randomly. All the authors have different voices, genres and styles of writing so I wasn’t sure they would mix well in one story. Instead I was a huge fan of how the story was brought together and it all made sense to me. My worries of being able to figure out which author wrote each character was quickly put aside because I could not figure out whatsoever which author wrote who. Each character was unique and had ways of standing out. Also, the book flowed incredibly well.

I loved the diversity of characters this book has. There is Kaitlyn who is fierce and formidable but underneath all of that she is having to deal with a life changing disability. Velvet is insecure about everything, worried about what everyone thinks of her, all whilst having to deal with being from a poor background. Hugo is your “typical” rich boy, who is horrible to anyone who he thinks is lower than him. Sasha is the glue that holds the everyone together, but by doing this she is hiding a lot. Dawson was a child-star, who is no longer classed as “cute” and hasn’t got a career anymore. Finally, Joe is just a sweetheart who looks after his Mum.

I like how we have little snippets into each character’s life once a year for only one day. I feel like this made the book even more unique than it already was. This is where my issues with the book lie though. I feel like having these snippets means we can’t get full stories of each character. There are a few big events in the book that are hugely significant, but these only span one to two pages. This is in comparison to what would be a chapter in a book with only one author. This didn’t ruin the book for me though and is just a tiny little petty thing on my part. I love this book!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Floored and am recommending it to everyone. It is  fast-paced and is best read in a couple of days. It is such a unique story that will stick with me for a long time. I just have no idea which author wore each character and I wish I knew!

Thank you to, My Kinda Book, Beatrice May and all the authors of this book for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.