I wanted to like this book, but at 30%, it just became a monotonous read, not that it was bad, just that nothing seemed to be happening night after night. This was a DNF for me. Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I am sorry to say I did not finish this book, which is rare for me. After about 25% of the pages, I realized I did not like the cleaner (character), was not enjoying the read, and allowed myself to give up. I am sorry not to have a positive thought about the book that might have helped me to give it a good review. The description certainly caught my interest.

As I started to rad this book, I was intrigued by the inventive writing style. The author chooses to let the "cleaner" gives us her thoughts on her evening work and on the people who work in the office during the day. By the end of the book, my feelings are that the "cleaner" is a bit delusional in her thought process. While I found the writing to be interesting, the ending was rather banal. Not the best read for me.

Ms Wells has delivered us a novel with a unique approach to her characters. I found this book to be a vehicle to self-exploration of my own attitudes, and a study on "don't judge too quickly." There were times I found the characters sympathetic and other times they were atrocious. This book explores the world of the people who support us in unseen realms. In all my years of working in offices, I have to admit I put very little thought into who emptied my trash and dusted my desk while I was at home with my family and sleeping securely in my home, and it makes me wonder if I had a nickname or caused undue hardship to them in their job. And on the larger scale, what do they see and uncover that no one else sees while they are focusing on themselves and getting ahead in their daily job - and how far will someone go to make what is wrong, right. I enjoyed this book and the reflection it stirred.

Brandy Wells has created a pitiable character study in the title character of The Cleaner. Working the night shift at a nameless company in nondescript city, the Cleaner offers more than her janitorial services to the members of the fourth floor office suite. She views herself as their silent savior - nudging potential romances, encouraging healthy habits, and furthering careers through small acts during her nightly visits. She has created relationships with a staff of people, based on the detritus of office life they leave behind every day but never meeting them face to face. The Cleaner is successful as a dark comedy, and the main character rises above the dissatisfaction most often found in a third shift minimum wage job.

This was not a book for me. It just rambles on and on really going nowhere. It was way more quirky than I like and it seems to jump around. It found it a bit confusing. I’m sure there other readers out there who will really enjoy it. It just wasn’t for me.
Thanks too NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a honest review. 2⭐️

The cleaner by Brandi wells is a women’s fiction almost thriller style book. There is no romance or spice in this book. This is a standalone novel about a women who is a cleaner of an office business . She works the night shift and cleans each of the floors and spaces. Each night she acts almost as a mother/helper to the individuals. She gets rid of stuff or adds stuff to their offices and even at times tries to almost get them to do better and the right things. It’s a very original weird concept. I found the blurbs interesting but actually reading it was weird and almost anticlimactic and boring. The story had no names just initials. They never knew the main characters motive or name or anything. I was hoping it was going to become like scary thriller more but it just never picked up . It had some grammar and spelling errors which might just be the arc itself but hopefully it’s fixed in the actual copies. I wish I could say that I was invested in this story more but it’s like the author just wrote it for a homework assignment it didn’t feel like it was written for enjoyment of the reader.

I found this book to be very boring and repetitive. It needs to have chapters to break it up but I'm not sure that it would really help. It was not what I expected and was really disappointed. It felt like a waste of time. The characters were not likable and I couldn't relate to them. The main character was especially annoying.

What an intriguing concept for a book— the nightshift cleaning lady getting to know the employees she never sees, through her discoveries (and snooping) while cleaning the company floors and desks. It's also amazing that her behind the scene efforts actually make some profound changes in the company. However, she's not always accurate in her analysis of the individuals or their situations. She did evoke emotions from me in respect that sometimes I felt empathy for her, and at other times, I was rather disgusted with her. It wasn't my favorite book but I find myself thinking about the main character often so it evidently made an impact on me.

During the day she is quietly working, but invisible because she already completed her work during the nighttime hours.

The Cleaner by Brandi Wells is definitely a dark comedy. It is a story of an after hours cleaning woman in a high rise office building. The daytime occupants do not know her, but she is controlling their lives unbeknownst to them. As she cleans each desk area, she envisions the user in her own mind. What are the characteristics of each employee/employer? She determines that by going through their desk drawers, rearranging as she cleans not only their desk (inside and out) but also their emails and appointment schedules. Oh yes, she trolls their computers because they leave their passwords on a sticky note either attached to the screen or their desktop. She actually thinks she is being very helpful, directing their lives toward something good..or not so good. Ms. Cleaner’s (she is not named) antics can be delightful..or not. As she keeps the office workers humming, she also keeps close eyes on the CEO of the company. You will have to wait to see what that is about.

The author’s writing style for this book is unique. One main unnamed character. The quips come fast as the reader takes on the observer role, hiding in a corner. You can actually visualize the employees by the vivid descriptions. I though the novel was fast paced and finished it in two days..couldn’t put it down.

I really enjoyed this book. It has one voice and it does have laugh-out-loud moments. It would be interesting to have bookclub members debate the morality of The Cleaner. Don’t you just wonder what is actually happening in your office building at night?

I thank Brandi Wells, Hanover Square Press and BookBrowse for giving me the opportunity of reading this novel.

I thought this book would be really interesting based on the blurbs, but it just plodded through the first few chapters and by then I had lost interest in the plot when it popped up. I don't care that names weren't used, but rather the fact that we only got one side of each of the characters. Overall, very meh

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but all opinions are my own.

I received an ARC of The Cleaner from Netgalley publication date January 30, 2024. I DNF the book at 12%. The part I did read it focused on a Cleaner who cleans this office building after hours but seems to be invested in the employees that work at the office. She is having conversations with herself while she adds laxative to one of the workers protein powder and changes another employee meetings around on her calendar because she feels she won’t be as overwhelmed. She also does not get along with the security so they have this back and forth dialogue. I just could not get into this book it did not keep my interest.

Okay I’ve read a number of short stories where the main character has remained more or less a nameless/faceless individual, but I’m pretty sure this is the first full length novel I’ve read that has done this, not to mention everyone else is referred to by nicknames. And while it took a bit to get used to and I wouldn’t want to read too many books done in this way, I have to admit it definitely worked here, and it made for a trippy experience. The crazy thing is I’m not even sure how to describe this story…other than already mentioned ‘trippy experience’. The Cleaner’s (since we have other name for her, lol) devotion to her job/workplace is nothing short of an obsession. What is really crazy is how real she feels. I would say go into this one knowing as little as possible and just enjoy the ride. Get the right actors/director and this could make a fantastic series for one of the streaming services out there. Thanks so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press, and NetGalley for allowing me access to an ARC of The Cleaner.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cleaner-brandi-wells/1143656132?ean=9781335018106&bvnotificationId=15199485-bf9e-11ee-b237-1206ee238171&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/270399553

The fourth floor is the cleaner's home away from home. She takes special care of all of the friends she's made there. If they seem a little down, she gives their desks extra attention. If she finds they're misbehaving, she makes sure that doesn't go unchecked. And if anything happens to threaten their employment, she's there to save their jobs. Too bad she's never actually met them.

I fell in love with this book in the very beginning. As someone who works in a corporate space, I was here for the internal monologue about everyone who worked there. But after reading what I expected to give me a whole new appreciation of those whose labor often goes unseen, I actually ended up more grateful to IT departments that train their coworkers in cybersecurity.

Despite the commentary on corporate class and her role as "the cleaner", many of the things she did shot my anxiety through the ceiling in a bad way. The fact that she didn't truly know these people whose work lives she was messing with made it even worse. I appreciated (and loved) the ironic humor in the beginning, but because the pace of the book stayed more or less the same, it grew stale over time.

"The cleaner" did have moments of reflection throughout the novel that I could relate to. I very much enjoyed the beginning and most of the end, but the middle left me wanting more.

The Cleaner by Brandi Wells is a story told from the eyes of a night shift office cleaner who believes she is going above and beyond her job description by taking care of her daytime colleagues. The cleaner's descriptions of what she finds on the office floors and her nightly antics made me laugh out loud while reading on public transit. As the story progresses we see the cleaner become more unhinged while following the trail of her office's drama.

Overall, The Cleaner was an extremely fun and engaging read. The main character's quirkiness and desire to take care of her colleagues left me wanting to know more about her and continue to follow her escapades. What stood out to me the most were the short interactions the cleaner had with the office workers. Their lack of respect for her as an equal employee were evident in their engagements. It was as if her role as a cleaner made her less of a person and not worthy enough of their attention and gratitude. So many of these moments stuck with me after reading the book.

*** I received an advanced digital copy of The Cleaner from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.***

This one unfortunately took me a very long time to finish. I found the premise and beginning intriguing (great voice!), and really liked the idea at the root of the story. However, I felt the pacing lagged and that the premise might have been stretched too thin for a novel (but would have made a great hour of television). I also didn’t mind the outlandishness of some of the main character’s ideas about the lives of the people at the office, but again it felt a bit repetitive after a while (or maybe “directionless” is a better word, as the story could have used a more clear plot).

I love the fact that the bare minimum of information was given to us, the reader. Somehow, without bogging us down with too much knowledge that wasn’t actually pertinent to the story but is usually a blueprint in writing, I became more invested in the protagonist and their life. I can also say that I do relate to this character to a particular level of life though, and appreciate the author’s commentary on how social economic status creates a divide regardless of intent. I also appreciated the look at how deep loneliness can pull us down.

I'm definitely the outlier, but I found this book to be very underwhelming. I loved the concept, and it was definitely intriguing at first, but then it just felt so repetitive and like nothing was really happening. I personally just enjoy more fast-paced reads with an engaging plot, but this was very slow without much of a plot.

Like I said, though, it seems to be a me problem since there are a ton of really good reviews.

Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is one of those books that will definitely make you want to make sure you are extra nice to everyone at your work place, even the "cleaner." From the outset, I was intrigued by the premise and the synopsis of this story. I kind of pictured the office setting like the one from Suits, probably because that is the show that I am currently binge-watching. I love when a book captures my attention from the beginning, and I was invested in this one from the beginning. Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of this book!

The Cleaner is the person you don't think about but the Cleaner thinks about you. This is an interesting take on office culture as well as class and caste. The nameless Cleaner (because how many people know the name of the person who cleans the office overnight) knows a lot about the various people at the corporation- some from the bits and bobs on their desks, some from their trash, some from emails, and some because they actually speak to her. This is a slow burn and it's quite thought provoking. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.