Windy City Reviews: Julie Oleszekʼs exceptional first novel, The Fifth Floor, blends 1970s Midwestern nostalgia with harrowing, unexpected tragedy in an intensely readable, lightning-paced debut. With unerring attention to every detail, from the texture and taste from now-extinct candy bars to long-ago pop songs to the race to spear the few precious hotdog pieces embedded among the family’s baked bean dinner, Oleszek draws us into Anna’s world with surprising immediacy... Read the entire review.

Books & Pals:

"Getting the little things right matters, especially in a story like this where those minor details set up some of the major ones ... in this thought provoking and enjoyable coming-of-age story." - Read the entire review.

Reader's Favorite

"The Fifth Floor is a sensitively written, well thought out novel that delves into themes of love, loss, guilt and redemption. I was drawn into the emotionalism of the story and, at times, felt my heart actually aching for young Anna." - Read the entire review.