My Rating: 4/5 Stars

 My Thoughts: 

Katharine McGee’s American Royals was an absolute favorite book of mine in 2019. Since I loved American Royals so much, I knew I wanted to try out more of her books, which led me to her first series, The Thousandth Floor. A 2016 release, I admit that The Thousandth Floor never really caught my interest and has received some mixed reviews. However, I’ve been listening to old episodes of Bad on Paper podcast, and podcast hosts Grace and Becca said to give this one a shot because they love it so much. I’ve also been reading a bit more NA and adult than YA lately, and at the time of picking this one up, I was craving a binge-worth YA read. The Thousandth Floor met my expectations and made for such an enjoyable read.

The Thousandth Floor is truly the YA dystopian version of Gossip Girl. I’ve come to the conclusion that I love books about the slightly ridiculous lives of the rich, extravagant, and yes, spoiled. The book takes place in 2118 New York City, where most of the city’s population lives in the Tower. A two mile and a half high building where each floor is its own residential area, the Tower is filled with high-tech life and plenty of drama. The Tower is basically organized by class status; the higher the floor you live on, the more wealthy residents tend to be- and tend to have more at stake. The book follows the lives of five teenagers: Avery, Leda, Rylin, Eris, and Watt, all who have secrets and a lot to lose. There’s a ton of romance, steam, betrayals, shopping, breakups, makeups, and mysteries in store.

I think what makes The Thousandth Floor different from other YA books with similar storylines was its dystopian spin. It was really interesting to learn about the futuristic and high tech life in the Tower. Katharine McGee is super descriptive when it comes to these elements and it was fun imagining what each floor looks like. While there is a bit more diversity, I 100% admit that I imagined the characters as people from Gossip Girl: Avery as Serena, Leda as Blair, Cord as Nate, and Watt as Dan. There are a lot of secrets involved in each character’s lives and the outcomes were predictable, but it was still really fun to read. I really wish there wasn’t a prologue in the beginning because it would have made the last few chapters more suspenseful. This is also a common controversy when it comes to the book, but it was a major no for me regarding Avery’s feelings for Atlas.

Overall, The Thousandth Floor was the drama-filled binge read I needed. It’s by far not a perfect book, but I was all for its world-building and extravagance. If you’re looking for a book to read in a sitting or two, this is a really fun choice. I plan on picking up the next two books, The Dazzling Heights and The Towering Sky, soon. I’m not-so-patiently waiting for the sequel to American Royals, Majesty, to come out this September!

Have you read The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee? Have you read American Royals or The Thousandth Floor sequels? Share in the comments!