The Escape Room was a unique interesting book. Well written and will keep your attention. I enjoyed this book.

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

๏ ๏ ๏  Highlights ๏ ๏ ๏ 

Locked-Room (Elevator) Mystery
Twisted Twisty-ness
Back & Forth Narrative
Corporate Finance


๏ ๏ ๏ Links ๏ ๏ ๏


Goodreads | Booklikes | BookDigits
Amazon | Kobo | Barnes&Noble 
GooglePlay | IndieBound 





๏ ๏ ๏  My Thoughts ๏ ๏ ๏ 

Set in the world of Investment Banking, the high stakes, cutthroat, "I'll step on you before you can step on me", kind of atmosphere.  Coupled with the mystery of an escape room challenge...made for a very interesting backdrop.  The story is told in alternating POV's between Sara Hall and the 4 people who have found themselves stuck in an elevator...that's supposed to be an escape room.  The question is...who put them there and why???  This story is not without its could-that-really-happen moments, but despite that, it's an indulging kind of Mystery/Thriller that I found quite entertaining.

I did have one issue...and it was with my advanced reader copy, it was, quite possibly the worse arc I've ever read before.  There was a ton of 1's and 0's, some of which had - or + in front of them, throughout the entire thing.  So flipping distracting.  Has anyone else ever had this with a kindle version of an arc?  I've had issues in the past with weird chapter breaks, but this was crazy they even had the numbers in between letters of a particular word.

๏ ๏ ๏  MY RATING ๏ ๏ ๏ 

☆4.5☆STARS - GRADE=A-




๏ Breakdown of Ratings ๏ 
Plot⇝ 4.5/5
Main Characters⇝  5/5
Secondary Characters⇝  4.5/5
The Feels⇝  4.3/5
Pacing⇝  4.3/5
Addictiveness⇝  4.3/5
Theme or Tone⇝  4.5/5
Flow (Writing Style)⇝  4/5
Backdrop (World Building)⇝  5/5
Originality⇝  5/5
Ending⇝  4.5/5 Cliffhanger⇝ Nope.
๏ ๏ ๏
Book Cover⇝ A little too much gold for me...
Setting⇝ New York mostly...
Source⇝ I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
๏ ๏ ๏

The Escape Room was an enjoyable book to read.  It really didn't have the "big twist" that you expect with some of these mysteries, but it was fun to watch as things unfolded.  It definitely kept your interest until the end.  I could see this being made into a really good thriller style movie.

They all meet at an undisclosed location. Vincent, Sam, Sylvie, and Jules. At an invitation from their firm, they all arrive at a building for a team challenge that will change their careers for the rest of their lives. They enter the elevator and are jolted at warp speed to the 70th floor. Suddenly a message appears on a television screen in the elevator. 

                          "WELCOME TO THE ESCAPE ROOM. YOUR GOAL IS SIMPLE. GET OUT ALIVE."

Sara Hall has been struggling to get out from the trenches of her life. As a newly graduated MBA student, Sara has been looking for an opportunity at some prestigious financial firms. In a male-dominated field, Sara is awarded an opportunity at Stanhope and Sons. This opens the door to financial freedom. But the cult-like "induction" is ominous. What happens at the firm, stays at the firm. 

                                                               "Dead but not forgotten: ASLHARLA"

Sara is an immediate outcast but finds comfort in another outsider within the firm. They funnel a secret friendship. When Lucy suddenly commits suicide, Sara is taken aback by the loss and the circumstances of her death.  After revealing her suspicions to the firm, Sara's job and performance come into question.

Sara knows something is not right and goes to great lengths to find out the truth.  

             "Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as the night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt."

The Escape Room is a gripping story of ruthless people fueled by greed.   Chapters alternate between two stories from the Escape room with confounding clues, and Sara's journey on Wall Street. The characters have well-developed realities which create investment in the reader. But this strength may contribute to an often stalled storyline. This may be more of my need and desire for fast pace drama and not a reflection of the writing. But overall I enjoyed the narrative and savvy ending and can potentially see this becoming a storyline for a media show.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, the author and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Have you ever participated in an escape room? Vincent, Jules, Sylvie and Sam have been competitors in finance for years. They now are heading to have the fun time in the escape room! Yet it is not what it was supposed to be. They realize a bit to late that this is a situation they will happen to battle. 

Who will come out on top?

What a tangled web of intrigue Megan Golden has created. The storyline captivates the reader with its insight into the cut throat world of investment banking. The characters are an odd blend that mesh together to form a high powered team that you really don’t want to mess with. The plot kept me guessing and the writing style made it very easy to read. It truly amazed me at the depths some will go in their search for revenge

A group of elite investment bankers find themselves locked in an elevator with only a few clues that might help them escape. As the puzzles are solved, secrets are revealed and the group soon begin to question whether the person who locked them in this deadly escape room is amongst them.

There are a lot of decent thrillers on the market right now, but this has to be one of the better ones in terms of its originality. The story is twisty and layered and author Megan Goldin does a fantastic job of creating complex characters who will leave readers wondering--are they truly as bad as they seem or is there something else going on? Goldin also writes at a pace that makes this book fly along, which is good because once the story hooks readers, they will not want to put it down. My only complaint for the story was that the ultimate reveal, when all was laid bare, I was left wanting a bit. But, all-in-all, I found this to be one of the more satisfying thrillers I've read in awhile. 

Fans of Gillian Flynn, Claire Mackintosh, and Ruth Ware will want to give this one a try.

The elements of a very good mystery or thriller are there, and the book takes us into the greed-filled, dog-eat-dog underbelly of the financial world in New York City, which was very interesting to experience. The setting seemed incredibly real, and it was clear the author either had experience within the world of finance or had done her research, or both. Plus, the book has a great title and hook for a thriller. 

Unfortunately, this almost seemed like an early draft to me, and it made me wish there had been much more rigor during the revision process, so that exposition was trimmed to the essentials, and whatever was left was woven into the action or conveyed through dialogue. There were large portions of exposition or backstory in this that seems like the type of thing that you might see when a writer is first jotting down ideas, without yet finding a way to bring them to life. And while the main character, Sara, and a supporting character, Lucy, were very specific and well-defined, the other characters seem to fall a bit flat.

The book’s summary: In the lucrative world of Wall Street finance, Vincent, Jules, Sylvie and Sam are the ultimate high-flyers. Ruthlessly ambitious, they make billion-dollar deals and live lives of outrageous luxury. Getting rich is all that matters, and they'll do anything to get ahead. When the four of them become trapped in an elevator escape room, things start to go horribly wrong. They have to put aside their fierce office rivalries and work together to solve the clues that will release them. But in the confines of the elevator, the dark secrets of their team are laid bare, leaving the four of them dangling on the precipice of disaster. If they want to survive, they’ll have to solve one final puzzle: which one of them is a killer?

This summary sounds amazing, but I wish that the story had fully lived up to its promise. Still, it was a fun read, and I think the author has a lot of potential to write great thrillers as she grows in her craft.

Thank you to Megan Goldin, Graydon House Books & NetGalley for the copy of The Escape Room.

As this book didn't really have a "wow factor" it kept me very interested until the end.  I really enjoyed how the book went back and forth between current time and past tense, it all flowed together well.  If you are looking for an easy read that will keep you interested and guessing what will happen next this is the book for you.

A unique novel set in the cut throat business world. Fast past with a surprise ending. At first I didn't know how to take the novel, as it was moving kind of slow. But it began to pick up and I could follow along better. At first I didn't like the main character, but as I read on I began to understand her more. 
I didn't like how it moved around a lot, from the elevator, to the past, then to another area of the story. But I think that is a personal preference, nothing to do with the author.

If you're looking to be entertained by an in your face thriller- look no further! This wasn't the most well written (the dialogue for some of the characters was... Not great)- but I couldn't put it down. The characters were downright nasty, but how fun to see how it all comes together.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

On Wall Street, the means are ruthless ambitious, greed is rampant and money is the end.  When a team of four money-loving and power-hungry financial analysts are lured to an elevator for an escape room outing, how will it end?  Quite horribly, I’m afraid. 

The story is told from two perspectives and two timelines.  First, we hear from Sara Hall, past and present, and from her four teammates presently locked in an elevator.  To start, Sara succeeds at snagging a coveted position at Stanhope, the financial giant that can make you millions.  Sara is run ragged by the incessant work, but reaps the rewards.  There are riches to be made, but at what cost?  When Sara’s only friend at Stanhope commits suicide, there are questions about it really being a suicide.  A little more digging, and Sara finds out just how powerful her teammates are, and that they will stop at nothing to ruin Sara’s life.

We then cut back and forth between Sara and her teammates.  Can they put aside their rivalry to work their way out of the elevator?  Unfortunately, suspicion and distrust rule the event, and some devastating secrets are revealed.

The book started well enough and kept me engaged almost to the end.  At the end, things got a little fantastical.  I won’t give away any spoilers, but some of the machinations are so wild to make the pieces all fit together, that they become unbelievable.  Really, who knows anyone who can make contact lenses to match someone’s iris pattern for an iris-reader?  Still, it was definitely an entertaining book, even if simplistic and kind of predictable, but still a fun escape from everyday.  None of the characters are likable, so there is no hero to root for, but if you can suspend belief for a while it’s an entertaining read.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

This is one of the best books I have read in a while.  The story is very well told and held my interest throughout.  Unfortunately I had to stop reading so I could get some sleep otherwise I would have continued till the end.  This is the first time I have read anything by this author but it will definitely not be the last.  Thanks to netgalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Team building at its best or worst.....

Ruthless, ambitious, selfish, greedy, jealous, intelligent, hardworking, devious and trapped are words that can easily describe Vincent, Sam, Jules, and Sylvie. They live a life of luxury fueled by the adrenaline that comes from making billion-dollar deals. No one looks better, works harder or lives faster than these four. It's a dog eat dog world they work in on wall street. They put work first- ALWAYS. So, when a text is received announcing a compulsory team building exercise - an escape room if you will, they all show up. They get trapped in an elevator and must figure out how to escape. What could go wrong?

Now, this was a fun book to read on a rainy day. I must give it points for originality and execution. Goldin pulled off this clever tale of involving high finance, back stabbing, revenge, and ingenuity with finesse which left me not only impressed but entertained. My advice is to suspend some disbelief and curl up with this book. 

Wowza, this book was good! I love reading all kinds of books and this book was a fun one which did not require much thought but had a huge pay off in terms of enjoy-ability. It sucked me and I was drawn to the fast-paced life the characters lived. The story flips back and forth between them being trapped in the elevator and events leading up to this team building exercise. This made for a fast read which had me captivated and turning the pages with a devilish grin on my face.

Highly recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved this book. It’s not out for a while so posting initial feedback here, will update nearer the time with full review and blog links. Really enjoyed it though!

This book is fun -- it's attention grabbing, twisty, and action-filled. It follows four competitive Wall Street bankers, all trying to fight their way to the top - until they get trapped in an elevator together, and are forced to confront everything - the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Things I liked: it's fast-paced, has a lot going on, and is a different thriller than the typical type flooding bookshelves lately.

Things I didn't like: the characters (none were particularly likable), their lack of depth, and consequently, the less I really cared about anything that happened.

However, it was an entertaining, fun, and fast read - so if you're looking for something different but still suspenseful, with a unique plot line, this might be the book for you. It just wasn't THE book for me, but it was still good. 

Special thanks to Netgalley & publisher for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to start by thanking Netgalley for the ARC of this book.  I loved it.  I couldn't read it fast enough.  It grabbed me right from the start.  The only negative is that I ended too fast.  Loved the character development and the way that it went back and forth between the main character, Sara and the "escape room."  it isn't very often that I can say that I like a book, when it is so easy to dislike the characters.  I will be keeping my eyes out for other books by this author.

Gripping read with clever plot twists.  The ending is a little far fetched but still satisfying.  An excellent debut novel!

Escape Rooms are becoming the latest trend now-a-days! We have the actual rooms where people go and try and make it out before the buzzer, movies which depict the horror of the rooms and making it out alive, and now books! I wasn't sure how this would come across in a book- would it be believable, exciting, etc. but I was pleasantly surprised! The author has written a compulsive thriller with this one and I could hardly put it down! I think many readers are going to love this book when it releases!

I really enjoyed The Escape Room. I was intrigued by the premise and the juxtaposition of Sara's narrative with that of the investment bankers was well done - Goldin expertly builds tension by weaving the stories together. The depiction of the brutal culture of Wall Street, including the bullying, cronyism, sexism, and ruthless career politics of places like Stanhope, really gripped me, and there were elements of the novel, particularly toward the end, which reminded me of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.