A somewhat implausible but highly compulsive good read, The Escape Room is the first book I've read by Megan Goldin but I hope it won't be my last. Four high-powered investment bankers who work for the biggest and best firm on Wall Street are summoned to what they think is a team-building challenge, but which instead turns out to be an escape room exercise in an elevator in an unoccupied office building. Vincent, Sam, Jules and Sylvie - each ruthless and greedy to a fault - comply because they're too afraid not to do what the firm tells them to do. Clues present themselves to assist in their "escape," but the elevator doesn't go down and the doors stay closed. They soon realize they are trapped, with no cell phone signal and no way out.

The "escape room" chapters alternate with first person POV chapters narrated by Sara Hall from several years earlier. Those chapters provide painful insight into the vicious and backstabbing culture at Stanhope, where Sara is hired by Vincent and teamed up to work with Sam, Jules and Sylvie. As the story alternates back and forth, time moves forward until converging with present day and we learn why Sara's co-workers are where they are -- and who wanted them there.

The Escape Room is a fun, quick read. The premise is clever and original and while the plot required some suspension of belief, I was happy to go along for the ride. I do think less back story on some of the characters (or maybe if it was presented differently) would make the book flow better. As it reads now, there are blocks of information that interrupt the plot at times, but it didn't interfere with my overall enjoyment of the story. The Escape Room is due for publication in July 2019,

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

Four cut-throat Wall Street finance execs are locked in an elevator for a "team building" exercise. They all have egos and money/power is a driving force in their lives. As the "escape room" clues escalate and become more personal and ominous, tempers flare and dark secrets are revealed. Will they escape with their lives? Is one of them a killer?
This was a fast-paced, very thrilling story! The chapters were short and manageable. The characters were interesting and I devoured this book in just a few days!
Thank you to Megan Goldin, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this great book!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This book was absolutely great until the end. The story line between current day and the past was full of tension and I loved the back and forth telling the story how the characters got to the "escape room" and the tension that it built. What turned this solid 4 star book to a three was the ending. It was so rushed and completely unbelievable. I would take a chance on this author again but with caution!

I love escape rooms. I also love cutthroat office politics. So this definitely sounded like the book for me!

The plot moves quickly, is engaging, and kept me up late anticipating what would happen next. The story is told in two separate narratives, alternating between the escape room elevator and the back story of a woman called Sara. I admit, I vastly preferred Sara’s chapters and looked forward to seeing what transpired in the past that led up to the escape room.

The escape room chapters themselves weren’t as strong-they felt rushed, despite nothing really happening for quite awhile other than some infighting amongst colleagues. I also felt more “told” than “shown” the story in those chapters. The “escape room” aspect itself isn’t really that well-developed either; it quickly becomes just a bunch of people stuck on an elevator who hate each other. The ending also strained my suspension of disbelief skills; I felt like I was being given a movie montage ending in written form.

It’s not a bad novel, however...I did enjoy the read, I just wish the elevator sections were stronger and more developed.

"Welcome to the Escape Room. Your goal is simple. Get out alive."

Escape rooms can be really fun and right now they are all over the place and getting pretty creative. The premise is simple enough. A group of people locked in a room. Together they must look at clues that will allow them to escape. The clues are rarely straight forward and more than once will have you backtracking. In the real world if you run out of time, they just let you out and you can do the walk of shame.

This isn't that type of story. In this story four very competitive co-workers are told that on this Friday evening they will be participating in an escape room challenge. None of them wants to do any team building exercises, but they also want to keep their jobs and the money that goes with those jobs, so they show up in a building that is undergoing construction, waiting for an elevator to take them to the escape room.

Little do they know as the elevator rises to the 70th floor that they are already in the escape room. And for the next few days all of their dirty little secrets, failings and crimes come out and they must all deal with their own shameful behaviors. And most importantly, which one of them is a killer?

Yes we find out at the end who was running the show. But I have to say it was a rather unsatisfying end.

Netgalley/ July 30th 2019 by St. Martin's Press

Escape rooms are one of todays trendy forms of entertainment. People join together to be locked into a room where they will examine clues that will lead them to finding the escape from the room. It is a fun experience as clues are examined, interpreted and sometimes misinterpreted leading to a dead end. Then its back to reexamine what you know or think you know. At the end of an allotted time period you have either found your way out or you suffer the embarrassment of having to be let out by the game masters.
A fun activity for friends is not the escape room Megan Goldin presents in her novel, The Escape Room.
Four coworkers are summoned to an escape room challenge for what they assume is a team building exercise sponsored by their employer. Though it is Friday evening and each has plans, they show up. Their firm is facing retrenchment and each of the four fears for their position. They stand before the elevator in an under construction building waiting to be taken to the escape room.
Little do they know that the elevator itself is the escape room. Over the next several days - yes days not hours - each member will face their weaknesses, their failures and their demons as they struggle to determine who is keeping them trapped in the elevator and why. Perched on the 70th floor of an empty building in a stifling elevator, their interactions devolve into accusations and threats.
Ultimately we learn who is controlling the elevator cables and why. There is however no face to face confrontation between the four people on the elevator and the person who brought them there. The omission left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. I wanted the four to definitely know who was responsible for their enforced examination of past transgressions and why.
Escape Room is a worthwhile read as the relationships between all parties are fully developed. The controller of the elevator was seeking revenge. You can decide if that was the final outcome.
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. #NetGalley #EscapeRoom

Good plot with interesting characters from an investment bank. Got hooked in the first chapter and finished it in one day. Look forward to reading more by Megan Goldin.

A surprising good read. The synopsis didn't grab me, but after the first chapter, I was hooked. Nice character development, clear division between characters, and some unexpected emotions tossed in those chapters. Interesting how the relationship changed between Vincent and Sara, and while a couple of things happened that I wasn't sure really would, well - that's fiction. Good escalation of events and I loved the friendship build between Lucy and Sara. All in all, I was glad I read this book and do recommend it. Not sure how I'd be with all that money to entice me, but I'd sure like to give it a try.

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

This book caught my attention because I kept seeing a lot of buzz on it in a reader's group that I belong to. Everyone was saying what a great ride this was. It is not a story that I would typically be drawn to. But I'm so happy that I listened to everyone's recommendations and decided to request this book.

This is a fast paced thriller that will draw you in from chapter 1. At first, I was a little worried that the whole story would take place in one location leaving me bored. The author used alternating narrators and timelines to remedy that to keep the reader intrigued. This novel succeeded in keeping my attention from beginning to end and I easily read it all in one day.

I will say the first 70% of the book was incredible, the last 30 % be came a little too unbelievable which is how my review ended up a 4 instead of a 5.

Megan Goldin did an amazing job, she's a great writer, and I look forward to reading other books of her in the future! I really hope this gets made into a TV series or a movie.

Relatively well-written. The story really feels like it’s missing something, though. It may also just be me, but I found the ending very unsatisfying.

Intricately plotted. Captivating premise. Hard to put down.
I really enjoy this author. Looking forward to more from her.

LOVED 👏🏼THIS 👏🏼BOOK👏🏼.

The Escape Room is categorized as a psychological thriller, my favorite genre, but it’s really just a well-written thrill ride.

"Welcome to the escape room. Your goal is simple. Get out alive."

Halfway through I was 100% sure I solved the mystery, and was already thinking how I’d mention that I adored the book and it’s phenomenal writing despite figuring it out early on. And I WAS WRONG!

This book is slightly about an escape room, and mostly the story of a young, bright woman whose first job out of college is making billion-dollar deals on Wall Street, and the high stakes, fascinating, ruthless and greedy life her colleagues lead.

I could not put it down, which says a lot considering I DNF’d several popular books this month. 😒

Thank you, @netgalley And @macmillanusa for an advanced copy!

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin was a great, fast paced read. I knew nothing of this book or author before reading this book. I will definitely read her again! If you are a fan of alternating timelines you will definitely not want to skip this one. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of escape rooms in real life and was intrigued by the description of this book. However, there is so much more to this book than the back cover lets on.

There are two storylines that are being told in alternating chapters: the present-day escape room scenario and the lead up to what caused these characters to end up in this situation. I really don't want to say too much to give away spoilers, but both plot lines are equally important to each other. There are a ton of twists, none that are too predictable.

The four characters who are trapped in the escape room are not very likable, but this is by design. I really had a Saw 6 vibe as I read this book (but without the excessive gore). Highly recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers.

Book given in exchange for a review through NetGalley.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Escape Room by Megan Goldin.
WOW - this is a nail biter. This story has two time lines - The Wall Street Executives and Sara.

A prestigious Wall Street Firm recruits a young woman, Sara, to work in a cut throat environment - it is Sara's dream come true. She has worked her whole life to be part of a company that will reward her for the hard work she is capible of doing - Welcome to Stanhope in the heart of NY City.
Sara quickly learns that the team she works with are willing and able to crush her if she makes any mistakes. Sara works hard and is starting to make headway with this tough group of Wall Streeters.
The team, lead by Vincent, has their place in the firm. This includes a young autistic woman, Lisa, that Sara befriends. Lisa doesn't want Sara to tell anyone they are friends, and Sara finds this strange but goes along with it. Lisa committs suicide, and Sara is soon fired.
In real time, An email is sent to the Wall Streeters telling them to meet on a Friday evening after hours for an important meeting. They are angy, but consent to meet. They enter an elevator in their building, but they don't get out - It's an escape room. At first, they are not concerned, but as time goes on and they don't see themselves getting out, they become an angry group - one that will tell their secrets, lies, and anything else just to survive.
The plot goes back in forth to Sara's story to the Wall Streeters in the elevator - quickly things begin to unravel in the elevator and you can feel the "heat" as the four individuals divulge their darkest fears to each other. Will they get out - ALIVE?
Great book and very current - I liked this alot. It is one of my favorites so far this year. Great ending....
RECOMMEND.

‘Welcome to the escape room. Your goal is simple. Get out alive.’

This book is a treat.

No, it’s not going to solve world hunger or bring peace to the land, but it will entertain the absolute shit out of you, and don’t we all need a little bit of that magic these days?

Alternating between the past and present, The Escape Room is a deftly plotted tale of revenge, and revenge is never sweeter than when the people receiving it really, really deserve what’s coming to them.

The scene: four people are in an elevator in a building under construction. It’s flying toward the top floor, binding them all to a meeting they don’t know anything about. Each of these four people are tightly wound, high-flying business types, each with their own secrets, malicious thoughts, baggage, selfish hopes, dreams of better, more – more money, more love, more freedom – and they all know each other. Perhaps a bit too well. When the elevator comes to a halt, they realize that what they thought was a ‘meeting’ is actually a team-building exercise.

The elevator has become their own personal escape room, and they have to answer riddles in order to be let out of the elevator before the hour is up. Believing this is a test to keep their jobs, they get to work unraveling the scant, frustrating clues. Already fractious, their tempers fray as their personalities clash and it becomes apparent that something a bit more sinister is going on. The temperature is rising, the clues are impossible, and why aren’t the doors opening when the hour is up?

Between these bites of suffocating tension, Goldin tells another story – Sara’s story. A young financial analyst, Sara begins working at Stanhope & Sons, a company that thrives on making money, and will do anything to get its clients rich – and its employees even richer. Drunk on the prospect of unlimited income, Sara is willing to drink any sort of Kool-Aid to rise to the top of the wolfpack. As she begins to sacrifice her own ideals, values and even friendships for the sake of the company, she wonders if she’s in over her head. Things take a bloody turn when an associate dies under suspicious circumstances, and Sara wonders if Stanhope & Sons is really all that it seems, and what might be unspooling beneath the surface, rotten and dark.

How these two tales intertwine is fairly obvious from the beginning, but it’s nonetheless fascinating watching how it plays out. It’s one of those books that just makes you feel damn good about life. Perhaps not a morally sound admission, but some people getting their just desserts gave me a little glow of happiness, and I think it will do the same for you.

Revenge is a dish best served … up high, in an elevator, with no way out but down.

Support authors & literacy & imagination! Get your copy of The Escape Room here. (link included in blog and GR)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really appreciate it!

A thrilling ride, this novel splits time between Sara Hall, a rising financial analyst in New York City and four co-workers trapped in an elevator. Centered around the premise of an "Escape Room," the four co-workers have to solve clues to get out. However, things don't go as planned, and new alliances and betrayals come to light. I read this book in less than two days, as I couldn't wait to find out what happened. A fun, suspenseful novel sure to keep you guessing.

This was an exceptional book. I will probably read it again. If you enjoy thrillers with plot twists then this is definitely the book for you. I thought I had it all figured out in the beginning of the book but I was no where near what ended up happening.

I absolutely loved this book. I will be reading every book written by Megan Goldin. I loved her writing style. She hooked me from the very beginning of this book. I loved how each chapter switched between Sarah and the elevator happenings. I did not have any idea how this story would end and that is a sign of an excellent book!

An exciting beginning but what followed didn’t quite take the story over the mountaintop. It was lacking something for this reader that would have put it over the top.

In the lucrative world of Wall Street finance, Vincent, Jules, Sylvie and Sam make billion-dollar deals and live in luxury. Getting rich is all that matters, and they'll do anything to get ahead. When they are ordered to participate in a corporate team-building exercise, things start to go horribly wrong. They are made to answer for profiting from a workplace where deception and intimidation thrive.

While I didn’t find the story 100% engaging, I did want to see how the story unfolded. Was this a mystery? It didn’t really feel like it, but there were a few times when my heart beat just a bit faster than normal. But the ending didn’t do anything for me because it didn’t feel complete. While one character’s story is closed, there was another character’s story that was left open in my opinion. I needed an epilogue!

This review doesn’t feel complete, yet I can’t think of another thing to say about this book. I’ll close by saying that this isn’t the best book I’ve read, but it’s not the worst book I’ve read either. Give it a try if Wall Street and a bit of mystery are your thing.