Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Hmm. Stereotypical characters, a forced plot, The premise sounded like it would be interesting/fun, but it fell short of its potential.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

The Man on the Middle Floor was really thought-provoking and hard to put down. It follows three neighbors who live in the same house ---one on each floor. I really liked Tam, the cop who was struggling after quitting g his job, and Nick was interesting; his struggle with Aspergers was very insightful, and although he does some awful things, the author helps readers separate the person from the act. Finally, there was Karen, the character I truly despised. Overall, the plot was interesting and unique. I enjoyed this book and would love to read more by this author.

I'm so sorry for not finishing this book and giving it a review. I DNFed it after finding the style hard to read for me personally. For a book on this premise (meaning a premise ususally set up for a fast-paced thriller), it's far too long and drawn out. I cannot say sorry enough to express my guilt for not finishing it. After a few titles like this, I started to get more careful when it comes to what to request on Netgalley. This won't happen again if I had a say in it. Again, sorry to the publisher. It’s me, not the book.

Unfortunately this book, The Man on the Middle Floor, failed to live up to the very promising blurb

Not one for me

I found it rather bland unfortunately, it did not grip nor keep my interest. I DNF about 30%. I'm sure others enjoyed it but it wasn't for me.

I thought the description of The Man on the Middle Floor sounded like a book I would enjoy. I was pleased to receive an ARC from NetGalley and RedDoor Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Each of the renters of flats in a house in London had obstacles in life to overcome. There is a retired policeman, an autistic young man, and a professional divorced woman having to deal with childcare and her work. They do not know each other at the beginning. There is a murder that is not solved.

I tried to read this three different times. On the final read I plowed through and finally finished. I think it could have been a good book. It reads like an unpolished first draft and needed help to get the reader to like something about the characters. 2.5 stars

This book was just wasn't for me. The storyline is forced and didn't leave any impact on the reader. All the three characters, living on different floors, have different problems- one with autism, one with dysfunctional family life and the one with failure and divorce- yet they felt shallow and never really fit into the story.
I wasn't a fan of the writing and because of that this story sometimes felt like a comic one instead of a psychological thriller.

The premise of the book was so interesting and this book had so much potential but because of so many stereotypes that the author tried to include, the characters were hollow and didn't quite made the story strong.

I started this but it somehow didn’t hold my interest. Not sure why - maybe the characters felt a little predictable. Sorry. DNF

This was a no for me on so many levels. The writing was not great, the story was atrocious, the assumptions that were made were awful, and honestly I felt offended while reading this novel. I would not recommend this to anyone.

I'd completely forgotten what this book was about, and for some reason, I thought it was a light-hearted, comedic even, novel. It was a bit of a shock to find it was the complete opposite…there's a lesson learnt: check what you're about to read!

This was dark novel, sometimes violent, but…gripping. It follows the lives of three people, each living in a flat of a three-storey house. Each of them with diversely dysfunctional lives: Tam on the ground floor has retired himself out of the police force—a rash decision he starts to regret. Nick on the middle floor is autistic and is trying to live independently using strict routines and daily lists. Karen on the third floor is a career-focused doctor, whose obsessive research into autistic people has wrecked her marriage and personal relationships. A violent and seemingly senseless unprovoked murder implicates and interweaves their lives.

The story is told by each of the three characters' POV. I thought it was a well-structured and compelling thriller. Karen is obnoxious and really, a victim of her obsessive career-mindedness, Nick struggles…not just because of his condition, but because of his upbringing, and Tam regrets his rash resignation from a job to which he was dedicated and reacts rather erratically. His policeman hat, however, stays firmly on his head…as it were…because it's his instincts that force the three residents' lives to connect.

There are characters you dislike intensely, some you feel frustrated for, Nick in particular, and some you like. Tam is a bit shambolic, but I did feel there's a sequel in him!

This was a bold book for a debut novel, but Moore has crashed into the literary world with quite a bang. I shall look forward to her next novel.

I will start by saying that I know very little about people with Asperger's apart from the limited interactions I have had in the past. I think, however, I can safely say that the portrayal of our main character Nick (who has Asperger's) is probably well off key. I can see what the author was trying to do here, with raising awareness, but I'm not sure I would want these broad and misguided representations of who I was as a person. I liked the interaction between the three neighbours who's lives are thrown together following a series of what they think to be random events. But I struggled with the underlying message.

Well. It's taken me a few days to sort out my thoughts around this book. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting when I requested it. There is a mystery of sorts involved, although it's left to one of the characters to figure it out rather than the reader.

Three people live in a converted house, one on each floor, each with a very different set of issues and coping mechanisms. Tam, the ex-police officer on the ground floor, who uses whisky and porn to get through the first few days of his new (self-imposed) free time; Nick, who has Asperger's Syndrome, lives on the first floor, and has myriad ways of maintaining strict routines to help him function; and Karen, on the top floor, is a self-involved, hyper-focused scientist (her focus is Asperger's) who has neglected her family to the point that she quite often simply forgets she has three children and an ex-husband.

It's an intense read, and none of the characters is completely likeable or sympathetic. Tam is probably the most likeable because he's at least a little bit aware of why he's acting the way he is. There is some animal cruelty, which was very difficult to read about and coloured most of the book for me and took away a little from the human shortcomings of the characters.

I can't comment on Asperger's because I know nothing about it, or the autistic spectrum, but suffice to say Nick's character and the representation (or not) of it have created a lot of controversy and comment. And if Karen had been, say, Kevin instead, would there even be a story? Someone else commented on this too. The reason it is such a big deal is that people simply do not believe a woman would have the capacity to neglect a family to that extent. Perhaps not being a mother or a wife means that I can actually believe this to a degree. I don't know.

Anyway, it certainly held my focus and kept me reading. It's a bit messy and uncomfortable and awful - just like us humans in real life. I would recommend it, but with trigger warnings and the knowledge that it's a disturbing read in some part.

This was difficult for me to review. I liked the story and the characters were dynamic, but I felt the author played into bad stereotypes that made this a little difficult.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very well written book that covers issues that are sometimes avoided in everyday life. All three characters have issues and draw different levels of sympathy and frustration from the reader.

The plot is well thought out and the interaction between the three main characters is interesting and engaging , even if you have little apathy towards them.

Going to be interesting to read the Elizabeth's next book to see what subject is covered.

I got to a quarter of the way through this book and then gave up. I didn’t like the characters and I didn’t want to spend any more time with them. If the plot was going the way I think it was then I didn’t want to read it. I’m also very worried about the portrayal of the neuro-diverse characters here - which seemed to clash with a lot of what I’ve previously read.

I have really mixed opinions about this book. I thought the premise sounded really fun, and there was a lot of potential for this book to be great in one of a few different ways. Unfortunately, though, a lot of the book just felt like it was trying too hard.

I had hoped for the subtle threads of each character's story to be deftly woven into a story that was touching and maybe a bit surprising or a bit of a mystery. What I got, though, was a story that introduced three of the most unlikable characters I've read in a long time.

There were brief moments when I almost liked each of the characters, and moments when I wanted to root for them to come out of it all okay. But those moments were far too short-lived and I spent most of the book either not caring about any of them, or else almost perversely hoping they'd all get smucked by a train or something.

A big part of the problem is that the story tried so hard to be shocking, especially in the first third or so of the book, that there were scenes that would be very off-putting to many readers. I don't think all of the shocking events were actually necessary and/or they could have been written in slightly different ways to make them (and the characters involved) less repulsive. Most odd of all, is that for all the shocks throughout, the book ends a bit too neatly, with everything tied up with a pretty bow.

My final verdict is that I didn't hate this book, but I also surely didn't love it. I struggle to think of anyone I would suggest should read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and RedDoor Publishing for providing me with a DRC of this book.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I must confess right up front, I almost did not finish this book. I got to a point and was so upset by the characters that I had to put it down and return another day. It was a tense, compelling story so I am glad that I came back but be prepared to be very disturbed by some of the story.
Nick, who lives in the middle floor of an old Victorian building, is a functional autistic. He tries his hardest to do the things “normal” people do with his lists and routines. One the main floor is a cop who, after a life changing injury on the job, is struggling to figure out where he fits in the New Met. On the top floor is a doctor and scientist whose passion is autism. She is probably the most distressing character in how she handles her own family and how she intrudes into Nick’s world.
It does not take much for things to unravel for Nick thanks to both Karen, the doctor, and his grandfather and to a lesser degree his mother. Someone without his autistic challenges might have struggled to keep his equilibrium. For Nick, a series of events compounded by the ham handed interference of others tips him over the edge.
It’s a story of how the people who should take care of each other wound and destroy. All the characters are damaged in some way. It is not an easy read. It is the stuff of nightmares despite being well written. I cannot say I enjoyed it however well it is done.
For that reason I give it four purrs for style and three purrs and no paws up for enjoyment.

Inconsistent story, bad writing, and poor depiction of mental illness. This book handled some controversial issues in a really irresponsible way. Overall, not enjoyable.