Such mixed feelings this book has left me exhausted. It's a brutal and honest eye opening about how motherhood can be and feel. With a tense plot. I loved it!

"The View from The Maxwell Hotel" delivers a gripping narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Set in Australia, this darkly compelling psychological drama introduces us to Gracie Michaels, a first-time mother struggling to navigate the challenges of parenthood. When she decides to book a night alone at The Maxwell Hotel for some much-needed rest, little does she know that her brief escape will plunge her into a web of deceit and danger.

“The Eleventh Floor” is a domestic thriller that most readers will find particularly easy to empathise with. They’ll quickly be caught up in the novel, caring deeply about the central character and the overall outcome.

Reviewing Orr’s first novel, I observed that she needed to make only a few small tweaks to make her writing unputdownable. I think she’s achieved that with this novel. Although the mystery element didn’t engage me very strongly, the plot elements directly centred on Grace did, and I often found myself turning the pages quickly to see what happened next.

Gracie loves her eight month old son, but she could really use some sleep. In fact, with a baby that doesn’t sleep, her fantasies about it have become increasingly desperate. Eventually she leaves her husband and son at home, while she spends a night in a hotel. All she wants is to eat a meal while it’s hot, and then sleep for twelve hours.

But Gracie wakes in the room of a strange man, half dressed, disorientated, and unaware of how she got there. Out the window she sees what appears to be a man assaulting a woman, but she’s too addled to do anything about it.

In the following days Gracie realises that she might hold information that would help in the search for a missing woman. Sharing that information could do irreparable damage to her own marriage. And so Gracie finds herself facing an unpalatable choice.

As I said, I didn’t find the mystery element around the missing woman strongly engaging. It wasn’t the main focus of the novel, and in some ways was treated as an after thought.

However, Gracie’s story was fascinating. It raised a lot of questions; what do you owe strangers? What are your responsibilities as a “good” member of society? How do you prioritise when those things might clash with the things you owe your family and those closest to you?

Gracie’s struggle was very believable and very vivid. Readers will eagerly follow her choices and their consequences, in many cases wondering if they’d have done the same thing. This is an exploration of moral choices, told through a compelling character and a believable dilemma that will strike close to home for many women.

I’m not sure how I’d classify this genre-wise. It touches on a number of genres. I suppose I’d land on “crime”, but that doesn’t really encapsulate the sweep of this novel.

The readable style won’t distract readers, and helps keep the story flowing. Although I have mentioned only Gracie, other characters are also vivid and believable. Orr also presents police procedures in a way that is realistic and grounded.

This is a strong, absorbing novel. It’ll appeal to anyone interested in character based stories, hard choices, or topical social issues. Many crime readers will also enjoy it.

You may also be interested in my review of Kylie Orr’s debut novel:
https://otherdreamsotherlives.home.blog/2022/05/27/someone-elses-child/

This is a psychological drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is dark, intense and very much a book you can't put down. It took me two days to read this as I just didn't want to let it go. With many twists and turns, many tense moments and many unreal happenings which made me want to know more.

The characters work very well and the story is just unreal but you feel it happening on each and every page. So well written and engrossing! It can at times be hard to read due to the topics and experiences withing the story but this is what makes in such an intense and emotional read. Yet another great book from this author. What will she write next!?

Thank you NetGally and Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction, YA) for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This story piqued my interest right from the start. I could easily relate to Gracie as she struggled to adapt to life with a baby that would not settle. Been there, done that and it’s not fun. Author Kylie Orr sets the scene well. Gracie is utterly worn out and I could understand her desire for one night of uninterrupted sleep. I also understood her desire for company and a few minutes to unwind before she indulged. What happened after that first drink is equally understandable. Again, the scene is well set and I fully understood Gracie’s shame, confusion and guilt when she woke up. The ensuing story shows us just how complicated things can get when you tell a lie. This story is rather scary in that it shows just how easy it is to take advantage of an unsuspecting woman given the right set of circumstances. Anger, betrayal and double standards all feature in the story, but there are also light notes. Gracie has a loving husband, even if he is aggrieved by the way she’s hurt him. She’s got a friend inher corner and despite her own mother being worse than useless as a support person, she discovers that Ruth, her husband joe’s mother is actually not as judgemental as she thought. While this story will definitely trigger people who have experienced sexual assault, it is nonetheless a well told story that kept me interested to the end.

I loved Kylie Orr’s debut book and have been eagerly awaiting her next one and wow I was pulled into this dark, gripping and compelling story, a story that I think should be told, it takes in the life of a young mother in a very happy marriage, but having a baby and sleepless nights and no time for herself takes its toll, when her husband Joe suggests she has a night to herself in a luxury hotel, Gracie says yes, but maybe she shouldn’t have.

Gracie Michaels arrives at the luxury hotel ready to rest, but maybe a bit of shopping and a drink at the bar first, it has been a while but when she is pulled into a conversation with a guy and one drink turns to two and the next thing she is waking up practically naked with a man in another hotel room, while trying to get way she sees something out of the window, something she wishes she had never seen.

Gracie leaves early and takes her time getting home to her husband and son, with many thoughts going through her mind, what will she do, if she says anything it will probably destroy her marriage, but what about what she saw is that person safe? So many questions, keeping everything to herself is best, but when the police are asking questions about a missing woman and Gracie is called in things heat up and then her son becomes ill and the truth must come out, will there ever be justice for what has happened?

I loved this twisty psychological drama, it is fast paced, and so edge of your seat suspense my heart was in my stomach with what Gracie was going through, and the decisions she made it is filled with intrigue and sadly things that happen too often, MS Orr has written this one with empathy and lots of research I would say, the characters are fabulous and come to life on the pages. I f you love a good twisty tale filled with lots of emotions then this is one to read, I do highly recommend it.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

The eleventh floor opens with a distressed new mum, Gracie; her nightmare child has not stopped crying for eight months and she is at the end of her tether and barely functioning as a human. She feels a complete failure as a mother. All she wants to do is have one night of uninterrupted sleep. Her husband treats her to a night off in a fancy hotel - one night with no husband, no baby, just peace and quiet and sleep.

Then Gracie decides to go shopping for new clothes and after a flirty exchange with a kind man decides to accept his offer of a drink in the hotel bar. She hopes that for one hour she will feel like a woman rather than a feeding machine. But it all goes pear-shaped when the kind man turns out to be a nasty man and gets her drunk, slips a drug into the last drink, and takes her to his room where he rapes her.

Gracie comes to, is utterly disorientated, sees him asleep, panics and gathers her torn clothes. As she dresses she glances out of the window and sees a woman being attacked outside the hotel. Gracie focuses on getting out of the hotel room and making her way back to her room, dithering as to whether she should report what she has seen. She is so ashamed of her husband finding out, and still half out of her senses due to her drugged state, she doesn’t do anything.

Gracie goes home the next day, but soon discovers the woman she saw being attacked is now a missing woman. Still wanting to hide her “sin”, Gracie lies to her husband, friend and police before circumstances force her to come clean about her one night stand/rape and seeing the missing woman being attacked. Her wonderful husband supports her and her life improves as she is now supported by the police to pursue the man who raped her. She is lucky, the police have found evidence that supports her story while they were investigating the missing woman.

The rest of the book follows Gracie’s case. After spending the first part of the story actively trying to forget what happened, Gracie now decides to go off on a tangent after the police tell her not to. This left this reader wondering if Gracie’s case was going to be jeopardised by her refusal to listen to advice and possibly ending up with her assailant getting off. Overall it was a real page turner to find out how it was all going to end. Not sure I liked the ending, but it is what it is. Gracie made some stupid decisions, in the first half of the book, however utter sleep deprivation, and the trauma of the assault was a reasonable excuse. But in the second half she had no excuses - just stubbornness and stupidity - and I can’t help thinking that maybe by doing what she did, it triggered the outcome that happened.

The story was well written and heartbreaking as the sexual abuse and workplace sexism was laid out. The plot felt very real - the police processes, getting inside Gracie’s head and understanding her motivation. The story also explained how thousands of women put up with bad behaviour from men in the workplace, as well as their homes across the country, and are not going to put up with it any more. Thankfully, the story also emphasises that not all men are evil, which they aren’t, there are many, many good ones out there. I found it interesting because recently there has been a high profile rape case in the news and I found myself comparing it with Gracie’s fictional case where evidence had been found, despite her showering immediately and not reporting the rape, to the real case where it really is word of mouth.

I really recommend this book.

There are a lot of issues covered in this novel about new mother Gracie Michaels. From parenting to relationships, to sexual violence and how the legal and justice systems deal with these cases. And that’s probably why it ended being a three star read, the first half was good, I was drawn into the story but I read the second half expecting some twists and turns only for it to almost turn into a life coaching manual. Okay it’s not that bad but the issues did feel more important than the story and of course the issues are important, it just took away the intensity of the read for me.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Yes it touches on dark topics of rape but the strength that the women and their families showed to make life normal again was astounding. Gracie who is not coping with motherhood, really hit home. It was a struggle when I had my son and I could relate to how she felt (I still feel like that sometimes). This book had all the right emotions in it, a friendship between Gracie and Saskia that every woman wants and a truly romantic ending to finish the book.

‘All mothers lie.’

Gracie Michaels, a first-time mother, is struggling. She’s sleep deprived and anxious and totally unable to relax. Her son Theo is unsettled, and Gracie desperately needs a break. Her husband Joe is happy for Gracie to spend a night on her own. Gracie plans on spending a night at The Maxwell Hotel where she can unwind and relax, enjoy a good night’s sleep, and return home to Joe and Theo invigorated.

Except … Gracie wakes up in another room with a man who is not Joe. And, while returning to her own room she sees something disturbing. Gracie tries to ignore it but then a woman is reported missing, and the police call for assistance. Feeling ashamed and guilty and desperate to hide her encounter, Gracie becomes entangled in a web of lies. The more the police investigate, the more entrapped Gracie becomes. Staying silent is not an option for long but Gracie’s hesitancy could cost her dearly.

An uncomfortable story which touches on trust, safety, and security. Ms Orr has delivered a fast-paced story with more than a few twists.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

What an absolute thrill ride!!! Kylie Orr has hit it out of the park with her latest offering The Eleventh Floor. I read this book over two sittings, finding it extremely hard to put down. With lots of tough subject matter it was at times a difficult read but so gripping I just could not stop.

A gifted night away from her baby after feeling sleep deprived and on the verge of a breakdown see's Gracie ready to enjoy some well needed R and R. But when she wakes up in someone else's bed things spiral into a cesspool of nightmares. If only Gracie could turn back the clock and stay home with her family, instead she had witnessed things that could change the trajectory of her life forever.

I devoured this book turning pages long into the night to see how Gracie;s plight would turn out. I will recommend The Eleventh Floor to anyone who will listen, it is such an addictive thrilling ready.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for this early reading copy. Five big stars!

I enjoyed this book by Orr - the first of hers I've read - although in some ways it almost tries to do a bit too much. In writing this I've been pondering if Gracie's not-great experiences as a mother and its impact on her marriage were the backdrop to the events at the hotel and what unfolds as a result; or if the events of the hotel were the backdrop to Gracie's 'journey' through motherhood and marriage. Either way there's traction in both and perhaps Orr's intent is to remind us of the adage that sometimes 'the only way out is through'.

Gracie is suffering from post-natal depression and struggling with motherhood, her new body and - to an extent - her marriage. A night alone at a hotel sounds like a godsend.

Accepting an invitation from a man to drinks at the bar was probably not her smartest move and staying beyond her original plan.... also bad.

Of course we learn that Gracie is taken advantage of and later... that it's something the guy makes a habit of.

Her guilt and horror over the night stop her from reporting what she believes to be a woman in danger which is something she comes to regret and I felt this murder got a little lost in Gracie's story. I guess I realise the focus here is more about Gracie's actions (or inaction) but I'd initially assumed this to be about the murder committed than the sexual harassment / abuse of women in general.

What I did like however, as mentioned earlier, was Gracie's growth and acceptance of herself - and not just because of the night in the hotel room. I did find her sudden zealousness a bit frustrating however. And in that respect I think Orr perhaps ultimately took this book in a direction that seemed a little over-the-top (in its conclusion) and some of the important themes reflected here, lost as a result.

3.5 stars

Sleep deprivation has been an effective method of torture and new parents know this more than most. Which is why, when given an opportunity for a night away in a hotel, Gracie jumps at it. However, when she wakes there is a man in her bed and it’s not her husband. Is she a witness, a perpetrator, an innocent party? The police are asking for help, but is that something she should do? This could destroy everything she has.

This is a gripping story. The pace is excellent where the thrills, suspense and mystery keeps building. I would waiver between being annoyed at Gracie, feeling sorry for Gracie, then going back to being annoyed at her. Some of the decisions of the characters made me want to scream at them, but I had to keep reading. I think this would be an interesting book for book clubs because there are so many discussion points: gender, relationships, motherhood, parenthood, society views/influence, safety, justice, to name a few.

An ok thriller in my eyes. It was fast paced but I just didn’t find myself loving it. I do intend to do a reread in a few months and perhaps I’ll enjoy it more a second time around. Thank you to NetGalley and HQ fiction for this ARC.

Gracie knows what she witnessed from the hotel window should be reported to the police. But if she does it, the truth will come out. And Gracie has plenty to hide.

I literally devoured this book. It was so addictive and I had to keep reading to see what was going to happen. I couldn't believe some of the bad decisions Gracie made and found myself shaking my head at how far she went in some cases but boy, did it make the story! If you like your thrillers fast paced, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

A night away at a city hotel seems like just what the doctor ordered for this sleep deprived new mother, however it turns out to be anything but. The hell ride begins with drinks on a swanky, rooftop bar and ends with protagonist Gracie looking like she will lose everything she loves.

The Eleventh Floor is completely unputdownable, and I read it over two days. Kylie Orr captures Gracie’s confusion, guilt, and anguish as she stumbles through the nightmare maze and tries to preserve herself, her family and even her sanity. The twists and turns keep coming in this relentless house of mirrors, with the ripple effects of actions coming back to bite in the most unexpected and heart-stopping ways.

An intriguing, heart-racing story that raises some interesting questions about gender, relationships, and the society we live in. If you enjoyed Kylie's first novel, Someone Else's Child, you're going to love The Eleventh Floor.

Gracie is a new mum, with baby Theo who seems awake and cry most of the time. She totally lack of sleep and after a talk with her husband, Joe, they both agree that Grace needs to have a rest. Joe will stay home with baby Theo while Gracie will stay for the night in a hotel.
Gracie go to the bar in a hotel that night, flirt with Tom, a sales guy who attending conference at the hotel. (Yeah, I'm annoyed with this Gracie, what a stupid thing to do, shouldn't she sleep if she is lack of sleep?). That one night with Tom will turn her life upside down. At the eleventh floor, she did what she was not supposed to do and she was also being a witness of an assault.
But, reporting that assault will drag her to reveal her sin.

The book brings up some issues from sexual assault, postnatal depression, and injustice towards women. The story is a bit dragging out unnecessarily, and just picking up around 75% of the book. It's kind of missing the suspense compare to her first book "Someone Else Child".

Phenomenal book! The first third is a heart-stopping, fabulous thriller. I could not believe how much kept happening at a break-neck speed. Then there's a bit of a mystery that's just full of tension. Throughout is a discussion about motherhood, society, patriarchy, and how those intersect. I was on the edge of my seat at the beginning and then vigorously nodding along through the rest. This was my first book by Kylie Orr but it won't be my last.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Gracie is sleep deprived, caring for a baby, so when her husband offers to book her a suite on her own as a getaway, she jumps at the chance - for sleep. Except things don't go exactly to plan. She wakes in a room with a man that isn't her husband and she witnesses something she wants to put behind her. But when police start appealing for anyone who may have seen a missing woman, Gracie knows what she should come forward. But doing so will risk her marriage and destroy her family.

This was a fast paced novel that had action from the outset, drawing you into the story. It contained some unexpected twists and turns and parts were like a thriller movie where you are screaming at the characters not to go down a certain path. Another tense and entertaining story and I look forward to more by this author.

I loved Kylie’s debut Someone Else’s Child and was very keen to get my hands on The Elventh Floor. It didn’t disappoint. This domestic thriller explores postnatal depression, trauma, justice and the double standards women face as parents and as victims of sexual assault. I was immediately hooked and it kept pace the whole away through. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next and certainly didn’t pick how things placed out.

Gracie was such a relatable main character. Her experiences as a new mother and the struggle of identity and balancing your self as a mother, having a career and being a woman certainly hit home. She describes herself perfectly at one point as complex, flawed and loved. Her condition synesthesia was interesting and added a different element to her thoughts.

As well as relatable main protagonist there were a cast of side characters that also helped make the story. I particularly liked husband Joe and her best friend Saskia. Everyone should have a friend like Sass. There were also a few characters I loved to hate. Another solid thriller, I can’t wait to see what Orr comes up with next.