I wish I had escaped the tedium of The Escape Room. Another wanna be psychological thriller that is not thrilling in the least.

THANKS to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I wish the review could be more positive, but the negatives are too numerous.

Positive:
Captivating hook

Negative:
1) poor structure
2) excessive exposition and irrelevant, wordy detail ( telling, not showing)
3) slow pacing due to #2 issues stated above
4) unlikeable protagonist
5) escaping from an escape room was not central to the plot AT ALL.

The plot is about revenge. It is not a psychological thriller. It is not about team building via an escape room. It does not hold my interest nor do I connect with any of the characters. Suspenseful tension is not present except the hook. Meh

Insane book. I really enjoyed the detail the author goes through concocting a tale that resonates with today's people that have an interest in escape rooms. This book wasn't what o expected and I found myself enjoying every second trying to figure out along with those trapped what exactly is going on.

Being trapped in an elevator is one of my worst fears, so reading this book created a tension for me throughout. The back and forth method of story telling worked very well to reveal the personalities and motives of this group of high-powered individuals However, there was no one that I really cared about, to root for. Excellent characterization, but not much of a plot.

I really enjoyed this thriller. The author used alternating narrators to really build the suspense and kept me eagerly turning pages, wondering how everything was going to come together. The story was unique and interesting, and the characters were well developed. I’m eager to read other books from this author.

Super unique book for me. Adrenaline rush, paranoia, secrets, lies, back stabbing coworkers, murder, fast paced Wall Street lives with money, power and LIES! It’s all in the Escape Room!
Very cleverly written and yes I could feel the claustrophobia in that elevator!
I’m going with 5 stars!
Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review! Posting to goodreads as well!

It’s very rare to find a book where halfway thru I am researching the author to see what else I can read from her and that’s what I did here.
This book had me hooked early on and I devoured this book. The flashbacks really made you interested in figuring out what was happening.
I can’t say more without giving it away but just get this book
.tThanks to NetGalley and st martens press for the ARC. Thi# is one book I would definitely buy.

The Escape Room had me hooked from the opening lines. Sam, Jules, Sylvie and their boss Vincent are summoned to a meeting. The meeting turns out to be an escape room exercise of sorts but they are actually trapped in an elevator in an unfinished building. The four of them work for Stanhope & Sons a finance firm on Wall Street. They are young, ambitious, and ruthless in the workplace. As time goes on, tempers flare, accusations are made and secrets are revealed.

The story cuts between the elevator and the story of Sara Hall an ex employee of Stanhope. I’m a fan of psychological thrillers and the author did not disappoint. This was a real page turner. Loved it. Recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely loved this novel! It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story and had me guessing who might be behind the escape room setup at every turn. As someone who tends to read really disturbing and gory psychological thrillers, this was a pleasant change to keep me intrigued in the mystery without the fears of walking home at night or going to sleep.

I recommended this book to a lot of my friends who like a good mystery, but can't handle the details in Karin Slaughter type books and we will be adding Megan Goldin to our book club authors to read!

This intriguing novel kept my rapt attention throughout. Ms. Goldin did an excellent job of keeping me glued to the pages.

I read this in an afternoon, it was that exciting.

Initially I was dubious about what seemed to be the four main characters because they were so thoroughly unlikeable. I really do need a character to "root" for as it were, please read on!

The four, Vincent, Sylvie, Sam and Jules work in the cut-throat world of finance on Wall Street. You need to be devious and willing to do anything to get ahead and stay ahead in the industry, where you are only as good as your last deal. Millions are at stake with every deal and so is your job.

So when they are all summoned on a Friday night to appear for a team building exercise they have no option but to attend. The team building turns out to be an escape room exercise, except it's an elevator and they have to solve clues in order to escape. The puzzle is what happened to Sara Hall.

It was a pleasure to read a novel with a more novel plot! I will definitely be on the look our for more of the author's work.

Thank you very much to #Netgalley and #StMartin'sPress for the ARC of #TheEscapeRoom in exchange for my honest review.

From the very beginning, The Escape Room captures readers and holds them on the wild ride throughout the entire novel. This psychological thriller is one of the best I’ve read all year.

We begin at the end, where the horror is laid out for us in grusome detail. Then we start at the beginning, both for the lead character, Sara Hall and the 4 high powered investment bankers summoned to an abandoned building for a team building, “Escape Room”.

Sara’s character is relatable and her story is similar to most. She had just graduated college and is looking for a job that will help support her ailing parents. Finance seems lucrative, and so after months of rejection she happens upon just the right person in an elevator and lands a job at a high powered firm in New York City.

The team in the Escape Room elevator are coworkers of the firm and quickly find that this isn’t a normal Escape Room. The clues are morbid and soon the torture begins. The characters are developed here so well and we get a true sense of each one, their histories and their true motives.

This novel was one of my favorite reads this year. It was engaging, well written and the characters were well developed.

The Escape Room is all about the careers of Wall Street financial wizards, Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam, who are employees of a company that puts money above all else. Nothing is taboo in this world where clawing your way to the top, over anyone who gets in your way, is considered normal practice. Greed, the addition of more money and more power, drives these people to the exclusion of all else in their lives. Wives, family, and girlfriends are accessories and not allowed to interfere with the earning of more accolades and more money. To even get an interview at this company, an individual already has to be willing to ditch all else, to risk losing everything that could slow their drive to the top, their drive to win over others. Once a person makes it on the payroll, the week long introduction to the company is designed to make sure each new employee is addicted to the acquisition of more riches, for the company first, which then leads to more riches for them. The company actually encourages cutthroat practices, deception, manipulation, and ruthlessness as a way of life.

The story starts with Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam in an unfinished high rise where they have been summoned by management to take part in a team building exercise that involves getting out of an Escape Room. With no other instructions, they enter an elevator, discovering that the elevator is their Escape Room. These four people hate each other, don't trust each other, and are determined not to be bettered by the others. Whether by accident or by design, things happen that put all four people in jeopardy of losing their lives if they don't escape or get rescued before they die.

The book alternates chapters with these four, stuck in the elevator, and with the narration of Sara Hall, one of their co-workers from years ago, who died sometime in the past. With Sara narrating, it's clear that she must still be alive, as she tells the story about getting hired by the company, her horrible co-workers, and her grueling job at the company. Never ending work hours and never ending deadlines, allow Sara to put all other parts of her life aside, as she slaves over each work goal.

During the chapters concerning the people in the elevator, we get to know a lot about each of the people trapped. I did not care for how we learn about each person though because it was basically massive amounts of information on each person's past that did nothing to make us care for them or understand what made them such horrible people, with no concern for anything but money. These four people are ruthless, selfish, dishonest people, that deserve to be locked in a room with each other forever.

Sara seems a little more self aware and concerned about how the company cares nothing for people and only for the bottom line. Still, she was already leaning towards going for the money angle in her life when she chose a financial career and higher earnings, sooner, over a medical career, where it would take longer to earn the money she needed to pay off her student debt and help her parents with medical bills. Once she gets on with the company, she gets so wrapped up with the long work hours, the intense pressure to perform, and the competitive atmosphere that she eventually takes on the same ideals as the other high flyers, scrambling to make more, move higher, become more powerful.

At some point Sara is betrayed by these people who already treated her with contempt. Towards the end of the book we get another massive information dump, so many details about why and how Sara does what she does. I never wanted to stop reading the book but at the same time, I didn't care about any of these irredeemable people, who were so out of touch with their humanity. The book is an interesting read for all we learn about such powerful, wealthy companies and people but I think I would have enjoyed the book more if the information we learn about the people and what Sara does, could have been presented in a less dry, info dumping manner.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

So, I started reading this book and it sounded narrated, and I thought I don't think I will like this book. The next night I read some more and was hooked. This story reminded me of John Grishams, The Firm with all the suspense, and high powered people. The writing was so good that I found myself transported to be in the elevator as part of the escape room exercise. I felt trapped, I found it hard to breath. I was hot and cold and thirsty, just like Vincent, Jules, Sylvie and Sam were. I was wondering where I would go to the bathroom and how long it would take me to die, when it was clear no one was getting out of the elevator anytime soon, if at all. Today at work, I got in the elevator and was envisioning what it would be like. This book is about someone who deals out justice with extreme prejudice. It is awesome and very intelligent read. Highly recommend!

Would give this one SIX stars if I could - read it in record time! I loved this tale of personal lives entwined in the world of business. Sara is hired by a powerful financial group after she completes her MBA. She's excited about her great new position and the incredible wages she is earning. Sara learns quickly that all is not what it seems in the cutthroat world of finance.

Goldin writes in a manner easy to read. I enjoyed the "back and forth" format of the chapters, which seemed to heighten the tension and mystery. The chapters are short and manageable and I didn't feel I needed to go back to reread anything for clarification.

I recommend this book to those of us who appreciate contemporary conflict, with satisfying resolution.

Very, very interesting take on the "Escape Room" craze that many of us have enjoyed. Four normal folks (read VILLIANS) are locked not only in a small space but in a small nightmare that keeps growing. Great pacing and character development.

The plot was intriguing and the writing style was easy to read. Since the main story line involves investment bankers, it has some detailed background on it that was not as interesting to me, but I can see where it is necessary to establish backgrounds on characters.

This is a super interesting idea - I love escape rooms and I love a good thriller, so this was right up my alley. I really enjoyed seeing how the characters interacted through space and time (there is some time hopping and multiple perspectives involved). I read this in one night, stayed up until 3 am to finish it. That's high praise from someone who works full time and is a grad student at night!

I was sucked into this book right from the start! This is my first book by Megan Goldin and I really enjoyed it. A nice psychological thriller.

So…this isn’t well written.

I’d like to say otherwise and I rarely say something like this so baldly, but…it’s just not.

Many authors keep notes with biographies for their main characters. These detailed notes can include everything from eye color to the name of their best friend when they were in elementary school. While the author uses these details to flesh out a character, they don’t dump all this information into the book. Until now.

Honestly, I felt like I was primarily reading character profiles. There was so much telling and so little showing. Just exposition!

The person behind everything was obvious from the start – zero surprise – and was remarkably unlikeable. And when I had to read every blasted detail about every blasted thought they had while planning this blastedly stupid revenge…I wanted to blast them. The only truly likable character was dead.

Finally, while it takes place in America, it doesn’t read like it. I finally found out the author was Australian.

I didn’t like this. I do think the author had the thread of a good idea, but needs to pay more attention to craft and learn to tell a story that actually moves.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

Fabulous “locked room” mystery by Goldin. The Escaoe Room delivers a well-formed read that engrossed until the final page.