Kate is waiting for her lover to leave their hotel room so she can unwind on her own when she turns on the TV and discovers their hotel is under attack. Now, stuck in the room with her thoughts and with James, she reflects on her choices and tries to prepare for the possibility of not making it out alive.

This is an enjoyable read and the author makes interesting choices in how she portrays Kate’s and James’s relationship. The storyline reminded me of Lucky Night—two people stuck in hotel room because of a fire—which I also loved. If you are looking for a gripping story (about relationships, freedom, and the life-altering choices we make), give this a read!

Thank you very much to Zando SJP Lit and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

It was hard to believe this novel was the writer's debut! The story is so entertaining and well written. I was captivated by the characters and setting—one room in a hotel! The story explores doom, hope, reflection, motherhood, and marriage. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Room 706 introduces us to Kate, a woman who loves her husband and two children, enjoys her work and generally loves her life. But the daily challenges and the mental load of working full time and organising a family are a strain. She finds herself checking in to a hotel every few months to have an affair with another man in an attempt to feel alive. On one such meeting, Kate turns on the television in the room to find that the hotel is under siege. What follows is an introspective view on her life and the choices that led her to this room, on this day, with a man who isn’t her husband.

As Kate sits in her hotel room, she contemplates her life, the choices she has made and what defines her. Ellie Levenson cleverly navigates us through Kate’s life in memories, as a child with her beloved mother, a teenager and young adult with her best friend, upon meeting her husband and in becoming a mother. She also finds a way to show us her hopes and dreams for her life at different ages, and how love and grief have shaped her in to the woman currently sitting in Room 706 with a man who is not her husband. How we identify ourselves amidst our relationships with others, of who we are in our marriage, as a friend, as a mother and in being a woman.

It is a thoughtful, suspenseful, gripping and thrilling story of what it is to be human, and how when confronted with death, we just want to let others know how much we have loved them and how much their love has meant to us.

I’m a new mother myself and I read this book while I probably should have been sleeping, which goes to show how much I enjoyed it.

My rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for this Advanced Copy. Room 706 is due to be published January 20th 2026.

FIVE STARS This was an absolute whirlwind following an affair where the individuals involved meet up weekly after having met many years ago. During this meetup danger forces them into extremely uncomfortable self revelations and conversations about how their actions are hurting not only themselves but others. It was anxiety inducing, reflective and smartly written. There were times where I thought these characters were severely unlikeable, but then very relatable. It was absolutely a journey and I look forward to reading more from Ellie Levenson.

Twenty-eight-year-old married mother, Kate continues to meet her lover, James (51) in the same hotel every week. They'd met in Italy 16 years earlier and although both are married, they cant stay away from each other. But this day, unknown gunmen take over the hotel and no one is sure what the motive is or whether anyone will survive. Lots of introspection on both their parts and it tossed my emotions all over the place!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!