Recent Reads: Lift Me Up by Milly Johnson

Lift Me Up by Milly Johnson
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Publication Date:  May 1, 2026

 

Format: Ebook
Source: From Amazon First Reads

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

A heartwarming story from Sunday Times bestseller Milly Johnson.

Tam Remington had her life planned out. Until a conversation in a broken lift—with her worst enemy—changes everything.

For a decade, Tam has quietly held YorkMart together whilst others took the credit, making herself smaller in the process. When she’s briefly promoted to acting Managing Director, she finally has a chance to shine—until her promotion is snatched away and handed to Jack Cesaroni—the man brought in to do the job that should have been hers.

Tam expects nothing but disappointment from Jack. But when they’re trapped in a lift between floors thirteen and fourteen, he sees what no one else has: Tam is exceptional. That single word of recognition sparks something Tam thought she’d lost—and an unexpected connection she never saw coming.

Now Tam faces an impossible choice: stay being the smaller version of herself she’s become used to, or take a leap and reclaim the vibrant, authentic woman she once was—and discover how wonderful it could be if she lets someone see the real her…

This enemies-to-lovers story shows sometimes you need to get stuck to find your true self.

Review: 

This novella was such a fun, fast read with a surprisingly thoughtful core message. Tam, who works in Operations at YorkMart, has basically been single-handedly keeping the company running while executives make one terrible decision after another. When one of the higher-ups is finally let go, she’s thrilled at the possibility of stepping into the interim role she has more than earned and then take over permanently. But instead, the company brings in Jack, a polished hotshot outsider who immediately feels like a threat to everything she’s worked for.

The setup really shines as Tam and Jack get trapped in an elevator together. The story unfolds through flashbacks and future moments surrounding the elevator stall, which gives the novella a reflective, slightly confined feel that works so well for Tam’s internal struggle. She starts questioning not only her place at YorkMart, but also how much of herself she’s sacrificed just to survive her relationship and in a company that doesn't fully realize what she has done over the years.

Jack is frustrating in all the right ways. Tam’s suspicion that he’s there to fire her creates great tension as it creeps into different parts of the story. What I appreciated most, though, was that the story never forced Tam to shrink herself for the romance, actually quite the opposite. The relationship develops in a clean, heartwarming way that feels good, and Jack eventually becomes part of Tam’s journey back to herself instead of overshadowing it.

Tam’s struggle with whether to keep playing the role everyone expects from her or finally become honest about what she wants can be frustrating at times, both for her and for the reader, but that payoff at the end is worth it. 

Overall, this was an engaging workplace romance with emotional depth, character growth, and just enough tension to keep me hooked the whole time. A quick and eay read.