I am in charge of the senior library and work with a group of Reading Ambassadors from 16-18 to ensure that our boarding school library is modernised and meets the need of both our senior students and staff. It has been great to have the chance to talk about these books with our seniors and discuss what they want and need on their shelves. I was drawn to his book because I thought it would be something different from the usual school library fare and draw the students in with a tempting storyline and lots to discuss.
This book was a really enjoyable read with strong characters and a real sense of time and place. I enjoyed the ways that it maintained a cracking pace that kept me turning its pages and ensured that I had much to discuss with them after finishing. It was not only a lively and enjoyable novel but had lots of contemporary themes for our book group to pick up and spend hours discussing too.
I think it's important to choose books that interest as well as challenge our students and I can see this book being very popular with students and staff alike; this will be an excellent purchase as it has everything that we look for in a great read - a tempting premise, fantastic characters and a plot that keeps you gripped until you close its final page.

So, I loved some of this! I felt meh about some of it. It's fun! I like the fun part. The entire premise of an escape room. However, don't look for deep characters. These aren't those characters. It's more like Clue, or how teamwork should, or doesn't work. Even with that, it still felt fresh and not worn out. See, this is a puzzling book! I do like the writing style. I would read another book by this author.

Thank you to Net Galley for my copy of this book. This review is my own. A positive review wasn't required.

I'm not sure if I would be any good in an Escape Room. I like to think I'm calm, cool, and collected but sometimes, the slightest change to my day will have my putting a pox on the guilty party. I can say with certainty that I wouldn't be of any use in an Escape Room that's set in elevator, unlike the four work colleagues trapped in an elevator in the debut novel from Megan Goldin. Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam are all set to work together to make it out of the darkness until a few things like money and murder get in the way of their teamwork. If I learned that my colleague earned 30% more than me for doing the same job, I wouldn't be so helpful either, even if it meant going down the chute. #pettyaf

I avoided picking this book up when it first came out because I thought the premise sounded silly but once I started reading, I was hooked. I was a little confused about the end but overall, a perfect read to spend the weekend with. I very much enjoyed the author's second book as well, so I'll continue to keep an eye out for other books from her in the future.

I was intrigued by this as team building exercises are my idea of hell, after attending one many years ago that literally nearly ended in a punch up. At least it didn’t end in murder like this. A good read, plenty of tension and twists.

Clever concept! I read this over two days, begrudgingly setting it down to work and sleep. Co-workers battle for politcal power and status in the cutthroat world of finance. As layoffs loom, one team is lured to an elevator car to fight for their jobs under the guise of an escape room. Shady past misdeeds are revealed as they turn on one another as they realize the game is not a game, but a trap. Very fun story.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller despite figuring out “who done it” before I was even halfway through. Even knowing who was behind everything it was still a really engaging, quick paced book.

I’m so tired of the domestic fiction with an unreliable narrator that’s being touted as “psychological suspense”. This was unique and fun read.

I will definitely be recommending this to friends.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book!

Wow, what an amazing book! I've read many psychological thrillers, but this one is at a different level entirely.

When four investment bankers at the lucrative finance house of Stanhope and Sons are summoned by the Human Resources department to a gathering at an out-of-the-way partially constructed office building in the South Bronx they each fear that after an unprofitable year for the team they are about to be sacked. When they find themselves thrown into what appears to be a team building exercise in an escape room within an elevator, tempers fray. Boss and Senior Vice President, Vincent de Vries knows that his foothold at the company is weakening, but he is just as in the dark as his team members; pill-popping, flesh-pressing Sam Bradley whose wife spends money as fast as he earns it; alcohol dependent lawyer and divorcee, Jules and supercilious former model, Sylvie, who is swimming against the tide in a male-dominated industry. When a message flashes up welcoming them to the escape room and issuing them with a mission to get out alive, it seems like a tasteless joke and the team grow fractious given they all have specific reasons to want out.

With a cast of horrible characters, Goldin has crafted a diabolical, revenge plot in the moneyed world of banking, ambition and greed. Super fun and twisty read!

I wasn't sure about this at the beginning, but I got sucked into the story! It definitely tricked me too - I didn't quite figure out the ending. Worth a read if you lik suspense!

“Welcome to the escape Room, Your goal is simple. Get our alive”
The Escape Room is a twisted psychological thriller with a clever and original plot. While there are moments where you do find yourself having to suspend belief it didn't effect my enjoyment of the story.

I loved the setting of this one as the author takes the reader to the heart of the finance world and Wall Street where we meet 4 high flying investment bankers in Wall Street all stuck in an elevator. The story is told from two perspectives in two different periods of time and works really well as the reader is kept entertained throughout. I also felt truly upset when the injustices to Sara and Lucy played out. It actually made me mad as if it were happening to a real person. It made the ending so satisfying.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I dnfed this at 10% I lost interest in the book. Which is disappointing since I thought I was going to love this.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

No one quite knows where the statement, revenge is a dish best served cold, comes from beyond it being French and from the 1800s....and that would absolutely be the best way to describe this novel. This novel bounces back and forth from the present and multiple peoples points of view while in the elevator, to Sarah's point of view beginning way in the past. This is certainly an interesting look into the cut-throat, greedy, and frankly, disgusting, world of corporate business. This certainly makes you way more disgusted by the 1%-ers who are truly greedy assholes who feel like they can (and often do) get away with whatever they want....except they had karma truly come and bit them in the ass. This was a crazy slow boil of a story that ended making me feel like karma certainly had been served. A really good thrill and it was quite enjoyed! I believe this was the author's debut as well so I will for SURE be coming back for more from Megan Goldin!

I think I am going to be the odd one out who just didn't LOVE this book. Perhaps it's because I listened to it on audiobook and felt a little confused as it jumped between past and present day? Either way, I am happy I still gave this one a try because I am quickly becoming a fan of Megan Goldin's writing!

Pros:

-The plot was super unique. Having done a few escape rooms in my time, the premise of locking people together in a elevator who all despise each other and forcing them to work together to survive was both anxiety inducing and a nice twist to a traditional thriller

-I loved getting an insider's view into the life of the characters who work in this financial organization. It was a very nice element to the story and helped the reader understand more about the fast paced, soul-sucking work that does happen in real life!

Cons:

-I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I didnt love them, but didnt hate them either. I think I would have preferred to read them in physical print vs. audio. Sometimes it can be hard if there are multiple narrators.

-This felt fast paced and then slow paced in certain parts and I had trouble "picking it back up" because I wasnt 100% invested

Overall, I love Goldin's writing and authenticity. I'll be reading anything she publishes in the future!

It took me a couple of chapters to get into this book but this thriller was great! “The Escape Room” was fun to read and I really enjoyed how the story developed. This thriller is fast-paced and a page-turner. I would recommend this to everyone.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

So good! I wasn’t sure about this book at first, but the more I read the more I liked it. A great thriller for these times. Definitely read it.

The Escape Room is a unique book in its premise. It tells the story of how an escape room challenge turns deadly for a group of up and coming Wall Street financiers.
The four main characters & co-workers discover that the escape room challenge that they thought was a simple work-repoire builder actually involved much tougher decisions.
I enjoyed this sleek mystery and look forward to more books by Megan Golden.

Now that is how you write a thriller! This was a blast to read while following Vincent, Sam, Jules, and Sylvie. I had no idea what this was about-as per usual-just kept seeing this on my newsfeed at how fun and crazy read it was. AND IT WAS. This was fast-paced and a page-turner for sure. I would recommend this to everyone.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Megan Goldin for the opportunity

DNF - Based on reviews and the fact that I have not picked this one up yet I will not be reading it. Thank you publisher and netgalley for the early copy!

If you’re a mystery/thriller fan, The Escape Room is a perfect read. I love how the story built up through the relationships between the different characters - and it took some turns I didn’t expect. I can’t wait to read more from this author!