The escape room is a wonderful debut thriller that keeps you invested in needing to know what comes next. Switching between Sarah Hall’s version of what happened and Four coworkers who are trapped in an escape room this is a quick read.

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin is a roller coaster thriller. Its narration is split between Sara Hall and the present day. Sara Hall is a recent MBA graduate looking for a wall street job to help support her parents' overwhelming medical bills. Due to the market crash she has spent the last 6 months trying to find a firm that will hire her. She finally strikes gold at one of the most prestigious firms in the city. She takes on grueling work hours and learns to get by dealing with her overly competitive coworkers and work environment. But Sara has to learn, that she can't trust anyone. In the world of investment banking its every man for himself.
I highly recommend this book! Although, it is not 100% believable, it was a wonderful ride.

I think because I used to own an escape room, I really enjoyed this! Kept me glued to the pages! This was a new author for me and I highly enjoyed. Would recommend!

The book proceeds on parallel tracks between past and present as a high-powered finance team is drawn into an elevator escape room. The characters involved are not too complex, but are rendered in deep detail. As you get into the main part of the book, half the fun is trying to figure what is happening and why. The plot is both educational and interesting, and provides good exposure to the rewards and problems of Wall Street. The book doesn't provide detail on the financial sales, but is excruciating on the hours of analysis and research involved. In the end it becomes a "feel-good" book as the evil-doers received their due. The writing creates curiosity more than suspense, and does a good job.

4.5 stars
This was one of my most anticipated books coming out this year. I can't even tell you how excited I was when I was offered the chance to read this one because the early reviews for it were overwhelmingly positive. Sometimes though when you have high hopes for a book, it doesn't manage to deliver but I'm happy to report that was not the case here at all. This book completely lived up to the hype and I had a blast reading it.

It's no secret the world of corporate finance is competitive and the employees at Stanhope, a Wall Street firm, work long hours attempting to earn as much money as possible for both the company and themselves. Employees Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam aren't too happy when they are ordered to participate in a team building exercise but this isn't the time to skip out on anything as their jobs are potentially on the line. When the four get trapped in an elevator they soon realize this is one of those trendy escape room challenges and they better work together solving clues in order to get out as quickly as possible. But they will soon realize something ain't right here and their jobs aren't going to be the only thing on the line.

The book is a combination of thriller and mystery. The author did an amazing job with the elevator scenes as it made me feel claustrophobic as if I was actually stuck in there with them. It's like I was part of the action which is was a cool feeling. I enjoyed how the story went back and forth between the current thriller elevator portions and the mystery of what happened to Sara Hall who worked at the company. It was a nice balance as they both easily held my interest.

I will say I agree with other readers who state some of the story isn't all that realistic. However, just like with movies, I don't need the books I read to be 100% believable in order to enjoy them. I had fun and that's really all I was looking for when I picked up this book. The only other thing that is a slight negative about the book is some of the reveals aren't all that surprising. But even that wasn't a big deal to me because even though I had an idea of the direction the author was going in, I still wasn't sure on the details which is why I still had an interest to keep reading.

This will make the list for sure of my favorite books of 2019. Highly recommend if you are looking for a good vacation type read.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was an excellent book! I found it very engaging. It was first and foremost extremely thrilling. I was in the mood for the genre and this hit the spot!

Co-workers find themselves in an elevator escape room plugged as a team-building exercise. As they look for clues, each action uncovers information about the others, revealing secrets.

I love psychological thrillers. This one was told in alternating POVs, and it was just okay for me. I enjoyed the ending and premise, but some parts were unrealistic, and the story line dragged at times. It had a lot of potential, but it didn't quite deliver as much as I'd hoped.

How far would you go to live the life you’ve always dreamed of? Would you work 100 hours per week? Put off all of your personal relationships? Miss weddings, births, and funerals? For the people of Stanhope, this is considered to be the price of success on Wall Street. Those who survive it can easily make 7 figures per year, and they all daydream about retiring at the age of 40. But if someone gets in their way... well, let’s just say that some people will do almost anything to be rich.

The Escape Room casts a harsh light on the NYC finance world. The book bounces back and forth in time, between one of the only relatable characters, Sara, and the present, in which four of Stanhope’s most ruthless employees are trapped in an escape room.

Sara and Lucy aren’t like the rest of the finance herd, although Sara does allow herself to get sucked into it for a few years. Lucy - who continues the recent trend of slipping at least one autistic character into books - is brilliant and misunderstood. Sara switched from her dreams of working in medicine to a finance jobs in the hopes of helping pay for her ill father’s medical bills.

Everyone else in who works at Stanhope is a truly awful human being. I was rooting for their demise, and the ending was very satisfying. My only complaint about this book is that the author felt the need to keep reminding readers about details that had been revealed in previous chapters. If some of that repetition had been removed, this probably would have been a 5-star thriller.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Do not miss this thriller! I loved it! This book drew me in from the very beginning and enthralled me all the way through until the final page. The setting and plot were so unique and the characters were captivating.

A big part of what made this such a great read for me was how the story was structured and revealed. The book begins with a huge and shocking end of story situation, and then the story goes back to the beginning, and how the characters arrived at that end point is played out. The story unfolds with chapters alternating between the present situation in the elevator and the backstory point of view of a main character. The entire time the reader knows things are ultimately going to be unsettling. It is the journey to discover exactly what the situation is and how and why the characters got there that is so engrossing and thrilling.

This was so entertaining! I can't wait to see what comes next from this author!

This ended up being an enjoyable read.
It was more of a mystery than a thriller.

Four people living it up in the financial district. It is all fine suits and fine food. Anything or anyone that does not fit into their perfect world is removed....ruthlessly.

But someone came back. Now their perfect world is smashed and secrets come leaking out of the cracks.

Basically all of the events that lead up to 'the elevator' were pretty convenient.
Putting those doubts aside this was a fun ride featuring some pretty poetic justice.


e copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
review posted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2738249321

From the beginning, The Escape Room drew me in. Don't let the title deceive you- this is not a cliche book about your average escape room. It's an addictive story with unlikable characters, mystery and layers of deception that come together for a quick and enjoyable read that will keep you guessing until the last page. Sara is both manipulative and sympathetic at the same time - not always easy to achieve with female characters . The unique format and character development make this a thriller you don't want to miss.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I loved this book. A bunch of cutthroat banker types are called to work for a compulsory meeting that turns out to be an escape room challenge. Turns out its something much more sinister. Nice build of suspense while slowly uncovering the details behind why they have been trapped. The chapters switched between their situation and the events in the escape room which kept me unable to stop reading.

A good read about revenge. Some parts of it are not believable but it is still a good read. There was enough suspense in it to keep me reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

New author for me but pleasantly surprised. Thank you for the approval and look forward to a book relationship with other reads in the future,

If you are looking for a fun page turning read then this is the next book you should read! A psychological thriller filled with greed, lies, death, and consequences. What happens when four colleagues with secrets are trapped in an elevator... nothing good! Not the kind of Escape Room I want to try but definitely one worth reading about. I was looking so forward to reading this and was so thrilled to receive an ARC from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. Thank you!!

A novel so addictive that I resented having to stop reading for boring stuff such as work, food or sleep. A deadly game of manipulation and revenge that would make Sun Tzu proud. Four despicable Wall Street executives go to an escape room to try to save their jobs (and keep making money, insane amounts of money). I once did an escape room with my coworkers as a team-building exercise and it was tons of fun, as we all knew each other's strong points and used them to complete the challenges. But this is not a normal escape room and the players not just despise, but hate each other. Also, there are no easy clues and fun tasks to perform. To win, they must exploit each other's weaknesses and get out alive. We also see the story of Sarah Hall, an ambitious young woman who is trying to make money to help her parents. As commendable as that is, it's not long before she gets caught in a web of greed and backstabbing. What does Sarah's story have to do with the escape room? It doesn't take long to learn, even if it's hard to tell what's really going on. From the beginning we know that the "game" did not end well, so fitting the puzzle pieces together is a delight that the reader gets to explore as the plot unfolds. The Escape Room is gripping and impossible to put down.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/St. Martin's Press!

I loved, loved this novel. THE ESCAPE ROOM was a great novel of revenge, but full of twist that kept you guessing until the end. It kept me reading well into the night.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

. The short premise is that four top tier financial executives are ordered by their company to engage in a last minute team building exercise of working together to get out of an 'escape room' which takes place in an elevator. With lay-offs looming in the company, none of them dare refuse to participate, despite being a last minute compulsory exercise and wreaking havoc on their plans. They soon realize this isn't any ordinary team excursion.

The book vacillates between the first-person narrative of Sara Hall, a junior employee at Stanhope and Sons; and a third person narrative of Vincent, Sam, Sylvie, & Jules, the group taking part in the escape room exercise. Sara's chapters are in the past and tell her story; while the others takes place in the present. Most of the characters were well developed and distinct in their 'voice'. The present day plot, incidentally takes place roughly over only a 1-2 day period.

I found the book engaging & suspenseful. More and more details were gradually given as the story progressed. The tension was always high & it never let up throughout the book. It was a page turner. I found the style in which Megan Golden wrote this novel was unique. Sometimes switching between points of view can be confusing and slow the read down. She has done a nice job of blending the two to keep the narrative flowing an a good pace. The way the book was laid out, was unique for my reading experience.

I give it four stars instead of five; because based on my standards bar, I don't think I'd read this again; BUT I would highly recommend it to others!

Started well, but there were no big twists, no surprises and it all petered off in a fairly ridiculous manner. Just one clever spin or unexpected reveal would have made it great fun

Clever and twisted and a thrilling rollercoaster of a book. First published in Australia, it’s being released in the US at the end of July.

Reading this brought back all the memories - backstabbing, being judged and overworked, gender inequality, humiliation.... all the things i don’t miss about working a 9-5 job!

We alternate between the past as Sara Hall lands her dream job at Stanhope, the pinnacle of investment firms where billions are made and lost and the present as we see four of Sara’s coworkers being forced to participate in what they think is a team building exercise- an escape room.

Sara and Lucy were great characters. I wanted Sara to succeed and not lose her moral compass. Lucy was more of an enigma- I wasn’t sure what her role would be but she was the only one who was nice to Sara.

The scenes in the elevator were my favorite. The author did an excellent job of building tension and painting the scenes so vividly! I have always been curious about Escape Rooms since they’ve become popular outings for groups and parties. I was pretty sure who was behind the escape room, but even so, this title was entertaining, fast paced and a nail-biter!

The next time I’m in a high rise elevator watching the numbers flash by, I will be looking at the other passengers and thinking about this book!