The Elevator
Author: Benna Else
Publisher: Prominent Books Edge LLC
Rating: 3/5
The Elevator introduces us to J.P., a man laser-focused on becoming one of the wealthiest African-American men in the country. Love and romance? Not on his radar—until he starts sharing daily elevator rides with Lauren, a young woman carrying more than her fair share of life’s burdens. She’s juggling law school, two part-time jobs, and the grief of losing her mother at just twelve. Despite all this, she maintains a positive attitude—until some unexpected truths start unravelling in her life.
The book opens with a heartfelt but clunky flashback to Lauren’s mother’s funeral. The scene is meant to tug at your emotions, but the writing style has some awkward moments that may pull you out of the experience. For example, there are some odd phrases, like “teacher how to play various sports,” and a few too many instances of missing punctuation. These little slip-ups appear throughout the book, and while they don’t ruin the story, they do disrupt the flow.
One of the more memorable scenes is when a mysterious man gives Lauren a necklace from her late parents during the funeral. The description of him, particularly the detail about the gold band on his pinky, adds a nice touch of mystery—but then he disappears as quickly as he came. This moment leaves a lot hanging, setting up intrigue about what’s to come for Lauren.
Now, the budding romance between J.P. and Lauren is sweet but predictable. Their daily elevator encounters are a cute setup, but the relationship follows a fairly standard formula: successful man, hardworking woman, unexpected chemistry. While their connection is genuine enough to keep you engaged, the interactions could have been more polished. There’s a bit of stilted dialogue, with characters sometimes explaining things in a way that feels unnatural, as if the author is trying too hard to feed the reader information.
The pacing, too, feels off at times. The book sets up a lot of emotional depth early on with Lauren’s backstory but then rushes through some key moments later. There are also some grammatical errors and typos that could have used a final edit. For instance, the repetitive “kind of” phrasing and confusing sentence structure in parts make it clear this book could have benefited from stronger proofreading.
That being said, The Elevator has its merits. Lauren is an easily likeable character—her perseverance and optimism despite her challenges make you root for her. J.P.’s slow realization that there’s more to life than his career brings a satisfying sense of growth. And while the romance doesn’t break new ground, it’s warm and comforting in its way.
Would I recommend it? If you can overlook the typos and occasional awkward phrasing, The Elevator is a light, feel-good read with heartwarming moments. It may not win any literary awards, but it offers a nice escape, especially for fans of sweet romance with a side of personal drama. Just be prepared to forgive a few technical flaws along the way.
Buy this book here.