I enjoyed the plot and the different characters eas not confusing. I was just expecting a little bit more, the characters development was not as built up as I’ would have enjoyed , and the lead up to Room 55 was not totally jaw dropping. I would recommend this books for those looking to get into this genre as a beginner.

3.5 rounded up. A interesting read, more mystery than thriller. I understand that some reads struggled with the formatting in the unfinished ARC copy, but I was offered access to the audiobook which was excellently done and enhanced my reading experience.

Lots of POV changes and some unexpected romance, but worth a read.

Dark, Dismal, isolated, with ghosts of the past haunting the hallways - the past filled with women institutionalized for "hysteria" and being unwanted or to be put out of the way. Have things really changed? A wide cast of characters, several layers of mystery and a web of paranoia - who can be trusted. An addictive Scandi mystery, what's not to love!

I was really excited to get stuck in, as the premise of the book was intriguing to me. It started big with an exciting initial chapter, but unfortunately I just didnt feel that the drama continued enough for me. Trying to keep up with the variety of viewpoints was a bit challenging at time too, and the short chapters meant I couldn't really get into a good flow.
Not for me, unfortunately.

this is an intense and creepy read and delves into the mind of madness really well.

Room 55 is a depiction of the locked mind and the author gives a chilling and brilliant tale
It is a slow burn but develops well and ends fantastically. it is one of those read that just gets better...

Set inside a clinic it is a read that I couldn't put down. I loved my reading time and will be looking for more of this genre...

The premise of this book was so enticing, I couldn’t wait to get started! Unfortunately it fell flat for me. It had such promise and unfortunately just didn’t come to fruition.

Most of the chapters were 1-2 pages, and I love short chapters, but I feel that these didn’t allow for the story to develop the way it needed to. The story goes through the perspective of way too many characters and it was hard to keep everything straight. I didn’t build any sort of connection to any of the characters and that just made the story drag on.

The ending was very unsurprising and did not feel very developed as a plot line. It felt very rushed and not fully thought out.

I was really intrigued by this book — the premise is strong, and the story itself has so much potential. The setup had me hooked early on, and I was excited to see where it would go.

However, the formatting in the ARC I received via NetGalley made it hard to stay engaged. POVs would switch mid-paragraph, which was confusing and pulled me out of the story repeatedly. Because of this, I struggled to connect with the characters and found myself more focused on figuring out who was speaking than enjoying the plot.

That said, I read an advance copy, and formatting often isn’t final in ARCs. I’m hopeful the finished version will be more polished — and I genuinely think readers who pick up the final book will have a much better experience. The core of the story is there; it just needs the right presentation to really shine.

I did enjoy this book however there were a mix of pros and cons. I expected a really creepy thriller and it just didn’t deliver, there was no creepiness, no imminent threat and it all kind just fizzled out. It was a slow burn with a few plot holes that didn’t go anywhere.

One big pro is that I could vividly visualise this book in my head which is a testament to the way the author writes and the descriptions written.

I was hoping for a bit of a longer epilogue that tied every thing up, also the character of Lina? It was like she was written out and then just forgotten about.

The summary of this book sounded intriguing, so thought I'd give it a shot! I was just a little confused because NetGalley has the Publication Date as August 5th, 2025; however, there's also a 2018 copyright date. The book has been translated to English, so maybe that's why there's a 2025 date?

I have to say the book started off with a bang!! Soooo much action! Exactly the way I like for a book to start. Sucks me in and keeps me wanting more!

Unfortunately, the first chapter was the most exciting chapter. The rest of the book was very dry and boring. I feel like it was a "bait and switch" moment. The storyline was also told from MANY different points of view. So many, in fact, that I had a difficult time keeping all of the different characters straight.

The premise of this book had so much potential. Unfortunately, it just didn't live up to my expectations. It could have been so much better if the author focused more on the inmates receiving psychiatric care.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

I haven't read a proper creepy thriller in ages, so I had high expectations for this. However, it didn't quite hit the spot.

It's a story about a psychiatric clinic in Sweden where Anna, a newly qualified psychologist, is excited to begin her career there. Working alongside one of her best friends treating some of the most dangerous offenders. It isn't long until she starts receiving mysterious messages mentioning a Room 55. Her friend and colleague advised her to ignore it, but she couldn't help and wonder if there was something else going on at the clinic.

I expected a much sinister and chilling atmosphere, but honestly, it just felt flat despite the topics of the story.

At first, I thought we would only get Anna's narrative, but we got several other characters' POV. Which usually is great, but in this instance, there was no real introduction to the characters or their roles in the story. So it was a little confusing.

It's also clear quite early on who the bad guys are, but we're just not sure what it is exactly they may be hiding, so this didn't help with the suspense factor.

This really could have been a proper chilling story, maybe if it had 100+ more pages. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC.

I received a free copy of, Room 55, by Helena Kubicek Boye, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Anna Varga lives in Sweden and is starting a new job at Sater, but is she ready for what is going to happen? Sater is isolated and is known for room 55, where strange things happen including a death. This dark book, did not help my anxiety at all.

a dark and weirdly realistic book. if you've ever had the unfortunate time of being near one of these places or types of "hospital" you will know of the treatments that go on inside and behind closed doors without there even needing to be a fiction book about it. its nice to read a fictional dark tale about them though. and this one did all the uneasy dark things you want it to.
this book brings to a Psychiatric clinic and a psychologist who finds sinister goings on there and specifically one haunted room. there is the tension that ripple throughout this book and as you are fed more details and situations you feel it rolling on and creeping upwards.
and of course you are never quite sure what is real and what is delusion.
i really enjoyed the symbolic reason behind the room 55. and adds to that layer of not knowing what or who to trust.
it was such a layered book with mystery and darkness woven throughout. you are never quite sure and then not quite sure of what your not sure of!
its a mind one this book. and fits perfectly in its premise. and smartly done. i felt or hope i felt exactly how the author wanted me to and that was all by her writing.

This was an amateurish thriller that had quite a few plot holes. I couldn't find any way to connect to any character and it was a struggle to finish. This was not the book for me.

I work in healthcare so this was perfect! I love a good thriller especially of the medical kind! This is the first book I've read from this author but it did not disappoint!

This story was actually quite good, despite the handful of bad reviews. Considering this is an ARC review, I want to preface this by saying, yes. The formatting was troublesome. When I first started reading, I had a hard time getting into the story because every few paragraphs, even sometimes mid paragraph, the perspective would change. And it was all one looooooooooooooong chapter. Then, right about 39% in, I see a header, “CHAPTER 52” right in the middle of the page. Then I got it. Whoever formatted this ARC neglected to separate all the chapters. And there are A LOT. Each chapter is actually only a couple of pages, sometimes even only a paragraph. But with no chapter headings, there’s no way to tell. It just seems like random perspective changes and really pulls you out of the story. Once I realized what was going on, it was much easier to get into the story. At that point, I couldn’t put it down. I went through the rest of it in a single sitting. This was an odd one—in a great way! I really liked the characters even the super creepy ones. And the story itself was so interesting. Despite the formatting issues, I couldn’t stop turning the pages because I had to know who the bad guy was. And if you think you know who it is, just wait because there’s more! I genuinely hope the publisher fixes the formatting issues with this book before publication. Otherwise they are doing a huge disservice to the author and themselves.

Huge thanks to Saga Egmont and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

I neither liked nor disliked this book.
It was a slow burn mystery that had some plot holes which don't necessarily take away from the book but plot holes bother me as a reader.

I was expecting a more gothic scandi noir but overall it was grand.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC!

Room 55 is a psychological thriller that follows Anna as she embarks on a new chapter as a psychologist in a renowned psychiatric ward. She soon discovers that the position became available due to the mysterious disappearance of her predecessor, and it doesn't take long for Anna to realize that everything is not as it appears.
While Room 55 begins a bit slowly and contains some scenes that feel unnecessary, the story ultimately ties together nicely at the end. I hope this aspect is specific to the ARC, but I found there were numerous characters to track, and the lack of chapter labels led to shifts in character perspectives mid-paragraph, which was somewhat confusing. Additionally, none of the characters seemed to possess enough depth to be truly relatable, yet overall, the story was enjoyable to a degree!

Read in 2 hours and 13 minutes.

The short chapters and punchy writing gave this book a blink-and-you-miss-it pace and amps up the tension.
It’s interesting because the eerie setting and shifty behaviour of the characters enamoured me to this book, although the actual backbone of the story didn’t entertain me.

This may be a personal fault rather than that of the author but I didn’t care one jot about the historic side of the plot, but the modern version, with the characters twisting around each other, was pretty good.

It seemed like not a lot happened despite the hyped up mystery, and I’d like to read more about the clinic itself, so I’m glad that this is a series.

In one chapter, the patients are sedated so heavily that they are described as “completely devoid of spontaneous movement” and the “living dead”.

It’s such harsh comparisons that cut to the brunt of the matter, that fascinated me.

I’ll read the next book, as I appreciate the way that this author writes, but I hope that this is a meticulous laying of foundations for a gothic castle rather than a flimsy greenhouse.

As an example of the skill in writing, I now live in fear that someone would describe me like this:

As long as she could remember, she’d been there to appease her mother’s anxiety, to galvanise and inspire her. Her mother entirely lacked the capability to do this by herself. There was a void somewhere in her, hungry and howling for others to fill it. It had always taken a great deal of energy and Anna found herself continually exhausted. She hoped that with some distance, her mother could learn to let go of her and manage her emotions.

And this quote? Iconic

Lina now noticed how Miro was looking at her, his gaze moving against her body like a heat lamp.

(I still hate Miro).

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for n honest review!

As someone who gravitates toward thrillers rooted in psychological and medical horror, Room 55 caught my attention immediately. Set in Sweden’s infamous Säter psychiatric clinic, the story is rich in atmosphere and eerie tension. The isolated forest setting, the whisperings about a mysterious room, and a suspicious death all make for an intriguing setup.

Helena Kubicek Boye uses her background in psychology to add realism to the setting, and it shows in the detail and tone. The concept had so much potential, especially with the blend of Scandi-noir and institutional horror, but the execution felt uneven. Some plot twists were predictable, and the pacing dragged in sections that should have built suspense. Anna Varga is a compelling protagonist, but I found myself wanting more development in both her backstory and the supporting cast.

This is a good entry point for readers new to Nordic thrillers or those curious about psychological horror in clinical settings. It did not blow me away, but it scratched the itch for asylum-centered thrillers. Fans of Sharp Objects or Lars Kepler may enjoy the ride, even if the payoff feels slightly muted.

I really wanted to enjoy this one, but I found the read to be a bit confusing and the layout and transitions were not smooth. While I did finish this book, I didn't find the characters relatable, I just couldn't form that connection. There was nothing "chilling" within this book nor was there anything thrilling. I think the idea is great. There is real potential. Just needs some re-formatting.

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.