A review by laurenbookishtwins
The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

3.0

Disclaimer: I received a free copy via Edelweiss for review purposes.

A hundred years in the future, New York is home to a tower made up of a thousand floors. At the top levels, the elite. The ultra glamorous, ultra rich. The lower levels are the poorer, lower classes. The book follows several teens living on varying levels in the Tower. On the highest floor is the genetically altered perfection, Avery, who is in love with a boy she can never have. She has two best friends, Leda and Eris. Leda is a recovering drug addict living on one of the upper floors, secretly in love with Avery's adoptive brother. Eris is beautiful and carefree, but her entire life falls to pieces as her family falls apart and there is nothing she can do about it. Watt, living with his Iranian family on one of the lower levels, is a tech-genius saving up for MIT who takes a surveillance job for one of the upper level girls, only to get caught up in a web of lies. Rylin's job on one of the upper levels thrusts her into a world of romance and glamour she is not used to, but her new life could cost Rylin her old one.

The Thousandth Floor was a book I requested on a whim: the cover was absolutely stunning, and the synopsis was intriguing,. It wasn't a bad book, but I felt like perhaps this was too long of a book for the type of story it was. The pace certainly lagged and it was only during the last 10 percent that the pace quickened and some action finally happened
Spoiler, though I am kind of pissed that the author killed the only bisexual main character
. I enjoyed the high-tech and futuristic elements.

There were elements of the story I did enjoy, such as certain romances (though there was a lot to keep track of). Some of my favourite pairings included Eris and Mariel who I felt had instant chemistry. Avery and Watt were super cute too. And finally, Rylin and Codi. Because there were so many characters I don't think that there was as much depth and character and relationship development as there could have been, despite the length. But like I said, there were certain pairings and characters I enjoyed.

However, there seemed to be so much drama, especially concerning the romantic entanglements (and there was a lot). I would definitely liken it to something like [b:Gossip Girl|22188|Gossip Girl (Gossip Girl, #1)|Cecily von Ziegesar|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398814332s/22188.jpg|3061184] but in a futuristic, high-tech setting. The class structures, elitism, and backstabbing is pretty much central to the story.

Nevertheless, I did end up enjoying it, though not as much as I thought I would. I might check out the sequel.

I've also read that it's being adapted for TV by ABC and I think it will probably work better on screen.