Totally enjoyed this, it kept me interested right from the start. I don't usually like when stories bounce back and forth between current and past but this one worked. I really liked how it all unfolded.

This book was a different kind of mystery/thriller, and one that I enjoyed. I did find part of the mystery predictable, but it didn't take away much from my overall enjoyment of the story. Even though I have never participated in an Escape Room, I could really see where the author was drawing from and liked the spin she put on it. Overall, I think this is a good book that I would recommend.

Loved the book! Characters were well written and fleshed out. Good story line! Although guessed "who dunnit" early on, did not ruin the twists and turns.

Really enjoyed this book! What would you do to get to the top and walk away with all the money? A look into the world of high finance & what employees will do to each other to rise to the top & deceive everyone. But, watch out for the quiet ones who always win in the end!

This book was decent but I definitely didn't love it. I reviewed it on my goodreads but don't think I will be posting it on my social media because I truly wouldn't give it that great of a review. I think this book would be good for some people but it truly wasn't my thing. I didn't care for the style of writing and felt confused from the very beginning. I felt like I was having to re-read too many sections to actually enjoy the book. Normally this is exactly the kind of book I love but I couldn't get into it at all.

This one was a cool concept and I was entertained throughout even though I saw the ending coming a mile away... It would make a very entertaining movie, and was a quick read. I enjoyed it well enough that I had a tough time putting it down - the pernicious selfishness of the main characters was surprisingly entertaining rather than irritating, as I was afraid it might be - even though ultimately there wasn't anything particularly novel or original in its execution or resolution. Still, it's always interesting to me to see how quickly "society" breaks down once people are put in highly stressful situations without the protections of their social expectations (civility, reputation, the armor of "stuff"), and the elevator definitely served as a broken environment!

Probably more 2.5

This was a good concept but the execution was a bit lacking. Two plot lines (Sarah’s, the more interesting) weave back and forth with the two settings.

This story had intriguing moments but then it also dragged at points. The world of high finance and the commitment it requires (though fiction) was fascinating.

The characters, as a whole, were unlikable. Their background is told through info dumps, extremely clunky. The conclusion was ok. I plugged along to the end because I was curious how this would play out so there’s that.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for a copy in exchange for a review.

Goldin has given readers a novel of slow building suspense around the inner workings of a high power investment banking firm. The narrative points of view alternate between first person Sara, a new hire at the firm, and a universal view of others already working there. We know from a prologue that there is some suspense in the end. The narratives, however, go back in time. Sara's narrative goes back to when she was hired and progresses a few years from there. The universal narrative goes back only a few days to when four of those who had worked longer in the company were told to participate in an elevator escape room exercise. That exercise goes terribly wrong.

The double narratives with different time periods may sound confusing but it does work out pretty well. We know from those experiencing the escape room that by their time Sara was “gone” but not forgotten. In reading Sara's narrative then, we anticipate some kind of trouble. In reading the escape room narrative, we know from the prologue it ends in disaster. The suspense in the novel is mostly psychological as we find out how the prologue comes to pass.

This novel is a good character driven story revealing the pressure and danger of working for a cut throat firm. Designing acquisitions, takeovers, and selloffs can be brutal, exhausting and dangerous. Decisions are made with only profit in mind and not what happens to workers who may lose their jobs. There is stiff competition within the firm as people work toward advancement. Murder is not out of the question.

I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy a character driven novel revolving around individual greed in high finance corporations.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I was kept in suspense for quite a bit of it, which i liked. It did get tedious reading the escape room scenes, yes I know that made it realistic, but it felt like what was the point. I didn't like the characters trapped there and no one had a lot of depth., a lot more of their back stories might have helped. I enjoyed the "second" story more and it gradually came together. If I could give half stars, I would have rated this 3.5.

I really appreciated the different POVs used here and think the author did .a great job of balancing them. I definitely was surprised at the ending but parts of this book fell flat. I lost interest about a third of the way through but it did manage to pull me back in before I set it down for good. It's a fun, quick read.

I'm not quite sure what it was about this book that kept it from grabbing me, but it never took off. I get that the intention was to show that these women work in a chauvinistic/misogynistic environment, but so much attention was given to describing the way female character's blouses stretched across their breasts that I checked to see if it was written by a man. The writing style was fine, but unfortunately the story never seemed to go anywhere unique or interesting enough to hold my attention.

I LOVED this book. Finished it in under 4 hours because I literally could not put it down until I read the last page. It is gripping from the first page and the reader is quick to discover this is not an ordinary Escape Room Challenge. This book is dark, twisty, and very thrilling. Have not read this author before...but this will not be my last book by Megan Goldin.
Thank you Net Galley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

This story tells of the power hungry people that work in a Wall Street type financial office. We follow the cut throat business dealings with Jules, Sam, Sylvie and Vincent, each trying to be top dog in their department and letting nothing stop them from achieving that goal. Sarah Hall joins that department and soon finds that she is at the bottom of the totem pole while the others try to step over here to get to the top. But Sarah is intelligent and knows her job and also makes a friend in the office. Lucy is quiet, but is an analytical expert. At one office meeting, she speaks out of turn when she points out a mistake one of the others has made. Then Lucy goes missing and soon after that the 4 main characters get a memo for a mandatory meeting. They already have their own plans for that evening, but as the meeting is compulsory, they have to attend. They find out that it is a carefully choreographed scenario to test them and they need to use every skill set they possess to win.
This book is so well written that you can just imagine the wheeling and dealing in a financial office where every one doesn't care what they have to do to get to the top. An interesting and surprise ending.

4.5 stars
This is a book that people will love or hate. It is going to have divided audiences for sure. Having said that, I fall in the love category. It was a tightly wound story, you could feel the tension in there. The plot is well thought of and Sara’s character development is brilliant. As you read it you will realize that this would make a great tv mini series. The suspense is well created and there are bits and pieces of information that the reader gathers as they move along. The ending ties everything in very well and nothing is left as a loose end. The book has many learnings that one can take from it. It makes you think hard about how our moral compasses are our most valued possession and how important they are in our lives.
This is a book that will likely end up being heavily discussed in book clubs and had the potential to make people re-asses how far they would go for satisfying their greed.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sara Hall can't wait to become a part of Wall Street. She is recruited by Vince a leader in a high rising establishment. There are Lucy, Sylvie, Jules, Sam, her and Vince is the leader in her team. She knows she is low man on the totem pole. Even being on the low end of the totem pole she is making more money than she could have imagined. And that doesn't include bonuses. Of course almost every spare moment is spent at work. Things seem to be going well, and then Lucy dies. Is it suicide or murder? Later Sara finds herself being frozen out of her group. Finally she is fired. She loses everything. Including her fiancee. Looking through some items that had belonged to Lucy, she discovers why Lucy was killed. There is a group in that office that are making millions through insider trading. The group is called, "The Circle".
Using a training method called the escape room, Sara is getting her revenge. But, first, she has to die.
Incredible, and enjoyable read. Kept me guessing.
Great characters, you love to hate. Storyline is spectacular!! Loved this read!

Though I can see this being a good read for others, it just didn't do it for me. I found myself losing focus on the actual story as it's easy to predict.

I am obviously in the minority, when I write that this book was a disappointment to me. I had high hopes, especially after reading lofty member reviews. Those high hopes quickly dissapated after the time I invested in reading this novel. Only after finishing the book and reading some reviews on goodreads, did I feel exculpated.
I will not dwell on the many errors, both grammatical and otherwise, as I hope the final product will be properly vetted. The read imploded when it detailed unbelievable and honestly, outrageous accounts by some of the characters. I do not want to interject any spoilers, so I am deliberately being vague. But I found myself shaking my head and wanting to escape as quickly as I could to finish “The Escape Room.” Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this fabulous ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Surprisingly amazing read. It all began with a dream for Sara. Sara went from a middle class or even lower class family. She worked hard in school and struggle to get into Wall Street, especially after the market crashed. To her good fortune she met Vincent who gave her dream job. However, it took a turn for the worst when a colleague died. It was a great story even through the end. However, I find some points in the end a little hard to believe.

*** SPOILER***

How did Sara get all that money to get everything that she needs to pull off her revenge? Such as, the bio-metric contact lens in order to by pass the system. On the black market it would have taken her more than $5000 in order to obtain that type of equipment. Her waitress job would not have given her that much cash. Overall, this is very different from anything I've ever read.

I'm so disappointed to have to leave a negative review for this book. It started out with so much potential, but man...it totally derailed by the end and I have to give it 2 stars.

So much unnecessary back story, so many boring details, and a ludicrous ending. I was truly giggling by the end, and not in a good way.

Also, I found all of the characters absolutely revolting. What horrible people. I had a visceral reaction to them and it actually made it hard to finish the book.

Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin just didn't capture my attention. Right from the start, all of the characters seemed all too self-involved, living over their collective means, and frankly, none of them were appealing. I could not root for any of them to figure out the riddle of getting out of the "escape room", in this case an elevator. I did finish the book, but would not recommend it to anyone. Thanks to Netgalley.com for an advance copy.