I want to say I enjoyed this book, but that feels too simplistic. I couldn't exactly relate to the main character at first, but overtime I began to understand her, and how she may have ended up sitting in Room 706. I did like how the details of her marriage were laid out; how overtime I began to feel for her, and her husband, as she thought back on the forming of her marriage.
I also felt the intensity of sitting in Room 706, fearing for your life, and knowing it is 100% your fault that you are there.

I've already recommended this to a few friends who I know will love this.

I liked the premise of this book and thought it was an interesting concept. Extramarital sex as self-care, sort of like a massage or facial once in a while with your favourite aesthetician. Good writing, interesting characters but it went a little long and the ending was frustrating for me. I see how it could have been hard to end without the obvious great tragedy or a “come to Jesus” moment but for the time invested on my part, I felt like the ending was lazy..

I liked this book till I got to the ending. Why did it have to end on a cliffhanger?

This was beautifully written and I found myself empathizing with the fmc even though I am not a big fan of cheating trope.

The storyline is thrilling and I liked the suspense with emotional depth but the ending was just terrible

A book that is simply not my cup of tea. I might not be the target audience as I felt the main character was completely unrelatable. The overall book was boring and hard to finish. I kept reading in the hopes of resolutions and answers to my questions but unfortunately, the ending simply annoyed me more.

I would not recommend this book but I do think some of the main themes could be explored further. The author has much more to give and I look forward to future books.

2 🌟

TROPES
⚫Literary Fiction
⚫Drama

TRIGGER WARNING: Infidelity

MY POV

👉 My head hurts and not in a good way. First things first,
The book was going nicely at the start, I was on my toes for the first 30% but then the story wasn't really progressing much. I was kinda frozen on the same point till the very end. And don't get me started on the ENDING.😒

It was one of the WORST ENDINGS OF THE YEAR, coz it didn't have a proper ending. It was rather an ABRUPT ending. It would have been one of the most classic cliffhangers if it had been, if It was a part of a series, but NO, this is a flipping standalone.

I refuse to believe that I saw a perfectly capable woman destroy her perfect family, cheat on her doting husband just for the "FUN ELEMENT," and then get struck in a hotel with her lover during an attack for this to abruptly end without a good ending. THAT IS UNEXPECTABLE.

Room 706 started with such promise. The idea of a woman being trapped in a hotel room with her lover, as an alleged siegewas underway, was completely pulling me in.

The book started well and I liked all of the characters. I didn't mind the back and forth between different timelines. I enjoyed reading about Kate's life and learning about her relationship with Vic. What did annoy me though was the ending. If I have invested so much time in a book, I really want a solution. Please don't leave me guessing. It's just not fair!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of Room 706. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Zando (SJP Lit), for this opportunity.
Ellie Levenson’s Room 706 is not the book I expected…and that, perhaps, is one of its quiet strengths. Subtle yet resonant, it invites readers to zoom out from the narrow lens through which we often see the world, reminding us that while we each live at the centre of our own universes, we are only one among many orbiting lives.
The novel’s structure, which intertwines the story of main character Kate’s past and present and how each brushes against each other in fleeting but meaningful ways, and, ultimately, forces a confrontation with the ripple effects of our choices. The narrative is not overtly dramatic; rather, its power lies in its accumulation of small moments, missed connections, and unconscious impacts. It is a meditation on cause and effect, and on how little we may grasp the consequences of even the most seemingly mundane decisions.
One of the most affecting threads in Room 706 is its portrayal of women, like Kate, whose identities risk becoming submerged in the roles of wife, mother and caretaker. Levenson gives voice to the kind of interiority that is too often overlooked: the quiet, rich inner lives that continue in parallel to domestic duties, often unseen and unacknowledged. The book serves as a powerful reminder that women are not merely defined by their relationships to others; they are whole people, with desires, regrets, and dreams that may never be spoken aloud.
This is not a plot-driven book, and it may not satisfy readers looking for sharp twists or neat resolutions. But for those willing to linger in the layered, sometimes uncomfortable spaces of human connection, Room 706 offers a thoughtful, introspective journey. It asks us to consider not just how we move through the world, but how others do too—just as real, just as central to themselves as we are to ourselves.

Kate, a married woman with two young children, begins an affair with a married man, James, but their time together is purely physical and Kate knows very little about him until one fateful afternoon when they've met at a hotel that is overrun by terrorists.
This is a great opening to the book and I very much enjoyed the first few chapters. The story is then told alternatively in the 'now' hotel time and at various points in the past in Kate's relationship with her husband Vic. It is here that the book lost interest for me. Many of the chapters are similar and in some cases actually repetitive and they rather dragged the narrative down. Vic also appears too good to be true most of the time...
Whilst in the now chapters, Kate has a lot of time to consider the consequences of her actions, and time to think about the future and what she might do differently. Her reactions to what is happening around her, and her manner with James come across as realistic and plausible.
Because of the strong beginning it seems inevitable the ending won't live up to the premise and sadly for me that was the case. I'm not sure what else could have been written either, but suffice to say I found it disappointing and that has rather skewed my view on the rest of the book too.
The writing style is good and the book is easy and enjoyable reading, but I fear I'd had enough of the characters by the end.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

Kate is married and shares two children with her husband. She finds happiness in her marriage and motherhood, but for the past few years, has met up with James in hotel rooms for sex on occasion. Their relationship is one of pure release from the stress and strain and boredom of everyday life — the minutiae of keeping a household running. One day, she turns on the news to discover that the hotel they’re in is under siege and she and James have become hostages.

From there, we go back in time to discover how Kate and her husband met, as well as how she and James met, weaving through timelines back to the tense present-day situation. As the story progresses, it becomes more character-driven, diving into Kate’s reflections on the choices that brought her to where she is today and how her life will play out if she makes it out of room 706.

I enjoyed Ellie Levenson’s sparse and simple writing style as well as her wry British humor. I liked the first half of this story more than the second, as it became more character-focused than I prefer, and I was a little let-down by the ending. I’d recommend this one to readers who enjoy character-driven stories about marriage and motherhood with a moral dilemma at the center.

Room 706 comes out in January 2026. Thank you to Zando, SJP Lit, and NetGalley for the advance copy.

What would be going through your mind if you were stuck in a hotel taken hostage by terrorists, a situation you might never escape from? This scenario dominates this moving novel about a woman, Kate, who finds herself trapped in a hotel bedroom with her secret lover as their hotel has been sieged by terrorists. I found Kate likeable and her story relatable in many ways, so her finding herself in this position was all-the-more compelling. A thoughtful and well-written book which I really enjoyed.

Ellie Levenson, Room 706, Zando | SJP Lit, January 2026.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

This is Kate’s story – her childhood and young adulthood, and the impact of marriage and motherhood are seen through Kate’s recall as she waits in room 706 in a London hotel. She is not alone. James, her older married lover has emerged from the bathroom when Kate sees the news on the television: their hotel is under terrorist attack. Their flag hangs outside leaving the media and security forces under no illusion that they are a group known to show no mercy to their hostages. That a past bombing of a building under siege was ineffectual does not reduce the menace Kate and James experience in room 706; nor is Vic, Kate’s husband to whom she texts early in her plight, unaware of the danger. He remains vigilant in helping her overcome her fears through the hours of incarceration.

Kate’s stories are personal, her childhood with a mother who dies too soon, her friendships with two engaging women, her romance with Vic, their marriage, and becoming parents. However, the way in which Kate experiences marriage and parenthood takes the novel into a realm that covers more than what these huge events mean to Kate, they are women’s experiences. While Kate dissects what her relationship with James means, she also provides clues for what her role as a married woman with children and paid work means. Her texts to Vic are a poignant blend of love for him and their children, and her need to support the way in which the family manages.

Ellie Levenson has written a novel that resonates with the dilemmas it poses, the alternatives it explores and the opportunity to judge the characters who are a splendid amalgam of flaws and heroic attributes. Kate is a marvellous character with her limitations, her attributes, and her capacity to see herself with all her weaknesses and, less robustly, her strengths. Room 706 will not be the answer for every woman who so often holds up more than half the sky, but Kate’s narrative makes the burden of doing so vividly apparent. Her changing attitude towards James, and realisation that both may have given too little, while seeing that as the only justification for their relationship, is a gentle reminder that Kate’s solution has its burdens too.

I look forward to reading more of Ellie Levenson’s work. Room 706 has been a powerful beginning.

What a truly excellent premise for a book. What if there's a terrorist attack in the hotel while you're cheating on your spouse? Both trying to hide it from your family and also spending a lot more time with your lover than you ever did are awkward situations. How will this change the course of your life? How did you even end up here?

This beautiful book tells the story of this wife. It goes back and forth between the present and the past, leading you slowly to this very moment and helping you develop empathy for all the characters involved along the way.

It's a really well written story and do not forget to read the author's note at the end. Excellent, excellent read.

with gratitude to netgalley and SJP Lit for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded down!

The FMC infuriated me and the constant battle she had between herself. While I can’t relate to the two main characters and their choice to have an affair, the dialogue throughout this story with supporting characters was very realistic/relatable.

The overall story itself when faced with the possibility of death was very thought provoking — did we tell the ones we love that we loved them enough? Did we live full lives? Etc. I imagine many people think about these things when faced with an unwanted, untimely tragedy. It really makes you realize what is taken for granted.

The writing was fantastic and that’s why it deserves 3.5 stars! The two lovers betraying good partners was so upsetting to me that’s why I had to round down.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kate, a happily married mother of two, meets her lover for a tryst in a hotel room. The hotel is taken hostage by terrorists. Her communication via text with her husband and her conflicted thoughts are mesmerizing. Consequences.

The premise of this book is rather exciting. A married woman with children and a thriving career meets a man through a casual business lunch. He is different from her husband and somehow seems intriguing. He calls again for lunch and this time there is no mistake that there is an attraction, even though she loves her husband and children deeply.

Over the course of their time together, these two, Kate and James, meet up to have afternoon sex. But on one random day, everything changes and what seemed benign all of a sudden takes on a whole new meaning.

I don't want to give the whole story away so I will not say more. The chapters go forward and back in Kate’s life. How she met her husband Vic, had her kids, and back to her present situation. The structure adds to the anxiety as we go back and forth in a repetitive fashion.

For me the story gets thin, as I get the point but some of the narrative is said over and over that I started to count how many times I read something before.

I am not judging the character’s choices, but I just think that some of her thinking in her most tense moment just didn’t ring true. The ‘what if’s’ are what makes the story interesting, but not super satisfying.

I received a copy for review. All opinions are my own. I could not put this book down! I loved the flashback timeline which helped explain the history of the characters and develop them even more. I felt my heart racing for the main character as everything unfolded. Many emotions hit me as I read. What a great read and one I will surely read again and again.

I loved the set up of this book from the premise to the flashbacks in timeline to understand how Kate ended up in the hotel room. It moved at a good pace and I'd definitely recommend to others!

A truly excellent example of a locked-room thriller. A woman meets her lover in a hotel room in London, only to be trapped there—where she’s not supposed to be—as the hotel is taken over by terrorists.

With no escape, the sex appeal gone, and no opportunity for room service, the characters are well and truly stuck. This is a challenge for any novel, so the author takes readers into alternate timelines. First, developing the relationship between Kate and Vic, her husband, as they met in Italy and grew closer together.

But the juicy dramatic question is why she ends up cheating on Vic with James, who is also married. They’ve never spent much time talking about their personal lives, and despite knowing better, they can’t stay away from one another, either.

For me, some of the Kate/Vic sections dragged. We know they’re still together and more happy than not, though there are cracks in their relationship. While the author does a good job of allowing readers to fall in love with Vic as well, it’s obviously not enough for Kate, though that part of their relationship isn’t really examined.

She keeps Vic at arm’s length, but readers as well, as she’s not able to be truly open with James, either. As such, the genesis of her marriage, about ten years of backstory, isn’t as relevant to the present action.

Spoiler:

The book also ends on a complete cliffhanger, similar to The Guest by Emma Cline. If you’re anything like me, you spent the entire novel wondering what would happen once Alex got back to Simon’s house. The second she does—boom. The book ends. Here, we’re obviously left wondering what might happen as either the terrorists or police go and knock on every room in the hotel. Kate and James have been able to lie low for the duration of the hostage situation, but then there’s a knock on the door.

Part of me thinks this is a practical choice on the author’s part. What’s going to happen? Either they’re rescued, say a sweaty goodbye, and go home. They might vow to never see one another again, but they’ll probably break down at some point, as they’re now trauma-bonded. Or it’s the terrorists and they’re tortured or killed. Either way, the sweaty logistics of writing either ending might take away from the mystique of this particular story, which is seeing the characters squirm under the pressure of the set-up.

I’m not sure they’re people a reader would naturally root for, but that’s what makes it more interesting to put ourselves in their shoes in this extraordinary situation. That said, the content of the actual novel does express the premise, but I’m not sure what the bulk of it adds once the hell-of-a-hook has gotten us in the door.

Summary:

Well-written, a strong/flawed protagonist, multiple timelines, and one hell of a hook. But once we get into the story itself, the extreme locked-room nature of the premise becomes suffocating, so playing this one out to its full conclusion was likely a challenge, and the idea itself pretty much means there’s no satisfying resolution that can live up to the opening.

My word - what a cracker of read!
This is a reflective and complex novel, written in the voice of a very happily married woman, and mother of two, as she contemplates her life and the choices that have led her to hotel room 706, with the lover that she meets several times a year just for sex, and where she is now trapped as the hotel is the subject of a major terrorist attack.
Using just Kate's perspective (her lover, James, is there but not the focus) and in a confined space, Levenson deftly guides us through her past history, her whirlwind romance with her (older) husband. her marriage and the decisions she has taken. All the layers of Kate's life - her grief, friendships, parenting, domestic load, love, desires - unspools within her head, silently and profoundly introspectively as she examines each aspect in the light of what may well be her last hours alive.
This is a compelling, thought-provoking read that I simply couldn't put down and which made me examine my judgements of her choices on every page.
Highly recommended.

What a situation to be in, which is exacerbated by the
fact that no one else knows you’re there and why, most especially your husband. I truly felt like I was there with Kate, physically, emotionally, mentally, all of it. The conversations she had with herself, the rambling thoughts, the emotional turmoil, it was all so visceral and real. The way the story alternates between the past and present is done so seamlessly that it just built on itself so well. It’s sad and heartbreaking, compelling and thought-provoking. I, however, wanted more from the ending. What is one left to do when faced with a possible end?

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for the eARC!