I read The Escape Room so fast, I don't think it ever left my hand! Sara has graduated with an MBA, but still cannot find a job doing what she is trained to do. She goes for an interview with a huge firm, but the man who interviews her clearly has no intention of hiring her and is downright rude. As she is leaving the firm, she happens to get in the elevator with one of the higher-ups in the company, and he ends up offering her a dream job. But something isn't right at the company she works for. Men are allowed to sexually harass and get away with it. The group she works with all have shady pasts. And somehow the group she works with all end up in an elevator, a part of an escape room group bonding meeting. But the group bonding isn't what they think. It's much worse. This book was really good! When I got to the last few chapters, I had to go back and read them again to grasp just what was actually happening. Who knew that working on Wall Street could be so deadly...

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."
 
Loved this book very much.  It had just enough sweet, sexy romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

A super suspenseful fast paced story, i couldn't put this one down! A truly thrilling story from start to finish,
Highly recommend.

An escape room challenge becomes a life-or-death situation. Four young professionals participate in a team-building activity. Emotions and imaginations rise when the lights go out and they are trapped. But the cryptic clues are more like dangerous truths. Terrible deeds they committed climbing up the corporate ladder are revealed. It becomes clear that someone has to die in order for others to survive.

Was it realistic? For sure. Especially for people that have participated in an escape room before with only minutes left on the clock to decipher senseless clues and no escape in sight. Oh, just me? Okay. Well, the feeling of being trapped is real. Teamwork becomes every man looking out for him/herself. Then when you finally escape, you think of how you overanalyzed the whole scenario. Kind of how I felt about this new book. I overanalyzed the storyline so the ending fell flat.

There was so much buildup in The Escape Room. Lots of information for readers to wade through. Perhaps it was the author's tactic for a suspenseful thriller; although, it seemed like filler material. It gave me R.L. Stine Fear Street vibes. I loved those but I was not expecting it from The Escape Room. Nevertheless, I finished reading with a sense of nostalgia for the simpler times of thriller. 

Happy Early Pub Day, Megan Goldin. The Escape Room will be available Tuesday, July 30.

LiteraryMarie

While this novel gripped my attention right away, it was very unrealistic. If you can get past that aspect, you’ll enjoy it.

This mystery/thriller definitely requires the reader to suspend disbelief, but doing so allows the book to be completely and totally enjoyed. A fun, smart summer escape. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41150380

A psych thriller where corporate big shots riddled with secrets have to escape out of a locked elevator? Yes please! 

I really enjoyed this one and actually finished it in one day. Told with varying perspectives, The Escape Room is a semi-slow burn but Megan Goldin keeps you just interested enough to keep going. The characters are not very likeable given that they are stereotypical Wall Street finance people but that actually helped keep me engaged since it's so different from my corporate world experiences. 

The Escape Room offers revenge, greed, and oh so many secrets with fantastic twists! This is definitely one to keep on your radar, on shelves 8/6!

The Escape Room starts off with an intriguing idea, then takes an unexpected turn that I didn’t see coming!

Quick word of advice if you haven’t read this one yet – skip the prologue. I’ve never really understood prologues to begin with, but this one sort of ruined the ending for me.

The story starts off with four investment bankers arriving for a last-minute Friday night meeting. Odd, but they were used to their company pulling their strings so  show up when and wherever they’re told.

Finding out that their mandatory meeting is actually an escape room challenge, they’re less than pleased. Assured it will only take an hour, they resign themselves to the exercise and get in the elevator.

The chapters alternate between the present day escape room and the story of Sara Hall, which takes place in the past. Each chapter is labeled so it’s easy to keep track of each storyline.

Sara was a talented business school graduate who, because of a downturn in the economy, had a hard time finding a job. We first meet Sara during an interview. We quickly learn that the man interviewing her is a first class jerk who is only going through the motions. Poor Sara.

Meanwhile, the elevator lights go out as soon as the doors close, leaving the four bankers in the dark as the car quickly rises. Finally stopping at the 70th floor, the doors fail to open and the lights stay off. A message pops up on the small monitor, welcoming them to the escape room.

Game on.

The story pops back and forth between the escape room and Sara’s story. We follow along as Sara finally lands a job, working with the same team currently stuck in the elevator escape room.

Of the two stories, I was more interested in Sara’s. Getting a behind the scenes glimpse of life in the fast lane of investment banking was fascinating!

You know the old Fitzgerald quote that the rich are different than you and me? Well, this book more or less proves it. The money that these people throw around is amazing! And a little sickening.

Sara even mentions that her induction class was nothing short of a seduction, with generous gifts, gourmet meals, and lots of little perks. Getting them all used to the high life. By the end of the week, the entire class was fully indoctrinated into the cult-like worship of greed.

Make no mistake, these are not nice people. The more I got to know Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam, the less I liked them. Even Sara, who starts off likable and relatable, soon gets caught up in the lifestyle.

As the clues in the elevator escape room get more and more personal, tensions start to rise. While these people may have worked together as a team for years, they do not like or respect one another. At all.

And learning about Sara’s journey from bright young star to “gone, but not forgotten” was something else!

Really enjoyed the ride on this one.

Good writing, interesting (if not exactly likable) characters, and a decently paced plot, all adding up to a fast, fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Goldin and St Martin’s Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam are ruthless and ambitious high flyers working in Wall Street finance where intimidation and deception thrive. Getting rich is all that matters to them. They are all ordered to meet and participate in a team building exercise that requires them to escape from a locked elevator where the dark secrets of their team will be left bare. The biggest mystery to solve is what happened to Sara Hall – the young shining start is that gone but not forgotten. They will have to fight for their lives.

I loved the way this author made something so popular and fun turn into a dark and twisty novel that makes you rethink ever trying another escape room in your life! I especially enjoyed that fact that it takes place in an elevator and that the author leaves you hanging by going back and forth between Sara Hall’s life and what is happening to the others lives in the elevator. This book really kept me on my toes and I couldn’t read fast enough to see what was going to happen to Sara and the rest of the team.  I really enjoyed a little peek into the life on Wall Street and how cut throat is was; there are so many characters that I hated to much and others that I wanted to take home and be besties with. I enjoyed all the little story lines in this one and will definitely be recommending this one to anyone who likes a good suspenseful read!

Out July 30th!

*I received a free advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The general concept of this book really captured my interest. Imagine working in a high powered realm where you are always competing with others. Then you are invited to what appears to be a team building exercise through an Escape Room game. Over time you finally realize this is not a corporate event but rather someone's attempt at revenge. Now you are stuck in an elevator with people you despise and definitely distrust. 

Over the course of the book there are a lot of flashbacks to teach the reader the secrets each person has that may have something to do with why this is happening. The book has a good concept, but I must admit that some of the events are a little far fetched. But if you just want something to grab your attention, give you some entertainment and a little suspense it works.

This book was something  that I could not put down. From the first page, to the last I was hooked. In the interest of keeping my review completely spoiler free, I'm just going to go ahead and say - READ IT!

5 stars. OMG, wow! The buzz about this book is spot on! The Escape room will make your heart pound! This psychological thriller is fast paced, adrenaline inducing and an absolute page turner! An unexpected favorite! The ending is unexpected and will leave you with a bizarre feeling of closure. A must read!

Thanks Netgalley.  Believable characters.  The story about Sara Hall, the individual as to her working for Stanhope, made for a compelling read.  Her relationship with her co-works and how they controlled her life in the beginning to the way her life ended up in the end.  Were quiet different.  Yet very satisfying.

All the thought and work to extract her revenge was wonderful, well thought out and precisely executed.  Loved it. After all how much trouble can 4 financial executive do to each other locked in an elevator?

They are the 1% … and they didn't make it to the top by playing nice.  Nor did they wind up trapped in an elevator together under the guise of a team-building escape room exercise because they are upstanding people.  The "they" we are talking about is the Wall Street investment bankers.  That slimy, ruthless group of people who will stab backs and cut throats in the rat race to make a buck.  A LOT of bucks.  

Vincent, Sylvie, Jules, & Sam have been brought to an elevator after hours for a compulsory team-building exercise.  None of them wants to be there, but they will do just about anything to climb high in their positions at Stanhope, one of New York City's top investment firms.  However, they soon realize that what they thought was an activity meant to bring them together (yeah right), and score them some points with Stanhope's top executives, is really a plot meant to tear them apart.  Who will escape this escape room … and who will succumb to it?

Australian author Megan Goldin stuns with her new novel The Escape Room.  Readers are thrown headfirst into the callous and unmerciful world of investment banking - and let us warn you in case you didn't already know - it's a dog eat dog world.  Goldin's passages about life and death behind Stanhope's secretive walls are fascinating, and provide a sardonic glimpse into a world most of us will never witness with our own eyes.  The plot is outlandish, the characters are deliciously cold and wicked, and the pages turn because this novel will have you racing to the end to see who or what is behind this incredibly cruel escape room.  While this novel is far from cerebral, and won't be lauded for being extraordinarily thought-provoking, it is a lot of fun.  Readers who enjoy stories that border on the insane and don't make them think too much, will have a blast with Goldin's The Escape Room.

Wow!!  What a page turner!  I read this book in one sitting.  This is a great summer beach read with compelling characters and a plot that hooks you right from the first chapter. Will appeal to fans of Harlan Coben.

The Escape Room is one of the best thrillers I have read. The characters were all well written and the plot was so well paced I didn’t want to put the book down. Loved the perspective switches between chapters. The descriptions of the different locations in the book were perfect.

Enjoyed this one overall. Perhaps dragged a little at times but I was let satisfied when I’d finished. 

The story is set in the world of Wall Street and high finance. Our main protagonist, Sarah Hall is a new MBA and is looking hard for a job in one of the big firms. Having had a bad interview in one of the big ones, she bumps into one of the higher ups in an elevator and gets talking.  He tells her to come back for a second interview which he will hold himself and she gets the job. 

Assigned to a team of the best of the best, she has to work all hours and basically be the runner but is on a huge salary and it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. The team are arrogant and ruthless and she finds it hard to fit in. 

Fast forward to present day, the company is not doing as well and the team(minus Sarah and another girl from the team) have been summoned at the last minute to meet at work late in the evening. It’s not a request.  
When they get there they find that they have to partake in a team building exercise and following instructions make their way to an elevator where they have to complete a series of puzzles to complete the task in an allotted time to get out.  But as the puzzles become more obscure and the time allowance passes, still trapped inside the elevator, they realize that they may be here for a more sinister reason, something to do with their past, but what can it be and who’s past will be the exposed?

I enjoyed this one overall.  The story is a little fantastical if I’m honest but told well and comes to a very satisfying conclusion at the end. The pacing is a little uneven, going from quite hectic to dragging in parts, although I suppose it is part of the story and the way it is told. Present day - a small group of people trapped in an elevator and the flashback sequences - which are the pacy ones and add real meat to the story. 

Some of the characters are very well written and rounded while some are a little one dimensional. I think the story took precedence  here although thankfully Sarah is well written and very likable. 

I’d recommend this one. It’s certainly unique and really holds your attention for the most part. 

Many thanks to Netgalley, St Martins Press and Megan Goldin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was fun, in a sort of twisted sense, and highly entertaining. I loved the dynamics between the coworkers at the investment firm. The power struggle between Vincent as the boss and his team was fascinating. I felt like a got an inside look at the high-power lives of rich, successful young Wall Street millionaires.

That said, it wasn't quite what I expected based on the title alone. I thought it would be friends or coworkers going to one of those escape rooms that are very popular right now, but the situation in the book is rather different - it's not a real escape room, and there's nothing the people trapped inside can do to free themselves. I definitely enjoyed the novel, but the title was a bit misleading.

Wow, this was a great book! I have always enjoyed psychological thrillers but this one is the best I have read in a long time and was a real page turner! I found it hard to put this book down and if I hadn't needed to sleep and work, I would have stayed up all night reading it! 

Is the storyline realistic? No but part of the reason I enjoy books is to have the fun of a non-realistic story, so if you are the type that needs a realistic storyline this isn't the book for you. This is a fast paced book and you are glued to each page. It is rare for me to get so into a book that I actually crave reading it when I am not able to. Even rarer for me is a 5 star review, but this book truly blew me a way. I actually feel a little down that I am done with it. Great characters and a fantastic storyline, Megan Goldin is an author I will be following and I look forward to her next book!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy of this novel.

Four corporate finance think they are taking part in a escape room organized by their company. They soon find that their situation is more real than they realize. They will need to face their pasts, and reveal secrets that could tear them apart.

The characters in this novel were horrible in the best way. They are selfish, greedy, and looking to tear other down if possible if it will get them ahead. I could not wait to read the next delicious devious act committed by our characters.

The plot was faced-paced and totally consuming. I was so invested that I had to stay up all night just to find out how it would turn out. Some plot points seemed very unlikely and unbelievable. This did not bother me overall because it was such a fun ride.

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin is an addictive fast-paced thriller that shines a light on corporate greed, and is really satisfying if not unbelievable. I recommend this novel wholeheartedly to anyone, but especially fans of thrillers.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars