You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
atsimoes 's review for:
The Escape Room
by Megan Goldin
Three stars - I liked it!
Believable, no, but fast-paced entertainment that kept me hooked? Yes. Absolutely.
The story is told in alternating viewpoints (along two different timelines) between Sara Hall and a group of four colleagues participating in an escape room.
Sara has landed the opportunity of a lifetime at Stanhope and Sons, a prestigious firm that boasts 10,000 applicants a month, dozens of branches around the country, and securing deals in the billions. She got to rage quit her dead end job and that was a mood right there. She will have enough money to cover her ailing parents’ health expenses and then some. Of course it comes at a price. The firm does an excellent job of throwing off your moral compass, putting dollars above people, working you long hours, and expecting you to do it all while looking like a model. Except Lucy, who with an IQ of 151 and the ability to predict financial situations no one saw coming, has a pass to be plain and socially inept in the corner. Sara befriends her, but Lucy insists they keep their friendship a secret from their colleagues.
In every other chapter, we are updated on the progress of an escape room, held in an actual elevator. There, Vincent, Sylvie, Sam, and Jules were told via e-mails from HR that participation was required and avoiding a layoff meant doing well in this team building test. They begrudgingly show up, possibly sacrificing their marriages and their vacation plans - but what else is new? Stanhope calls, they answer. But as the time ticks away with no solutions to the room in sight, the four start turning against each other. Emotions run high and the shocking confessions just pour out of them. My jaw hit the floor.
How do these two storylines tie together? Well, that’s the part that’s worth suspending belief for, I promise. This book has murder, revenge, greed, corruption, backstabbing, secrecy ... pretty much everything anyone could ever ask for. I definitely recommend it.
Trigger warnings for suicide and sexual assault.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Believable, no, but fast-paced entertainment that kept me hooked? Yes. Absolutely.
The story is told in alternating viewpoints (along two different timelines) between Sara Hall and a group of four colleagues participating in an escape room.
Sara has landed the opportunity of a lifetime at Stanhope and Sons, a prestigious firm that boasts 10,000 applicants a month, dozens of branches around the country, and securing deals in the billions. She got to rage quit her dead end job and that was a mood right there. She will have enough money to cover her ailing parents’ health expenses and then some. Of course it comes at a price. The firm does an excellent job of throwing off your moral compass, putting dollars above people, working you long hours, and expecting you to do it all while looking like a model. Except Lucy, who with an IQ of 151 and the ability to predict financial situations no one saw coming, has a pass to be plain and socially inept in the corner. Sara befriends her, but Lucy insists they keep their friendship a secret from their colleagues.
In every other chapter, we are updated on the progress of an escape room, held in an actual elevator. There, Vincent, Sylvie, Sam, and Jules were told via e-mails from HR that participation was required and avoiding a layoff meant doing well in this team building test. They begrudgingly show up, possibly sacrificing their marriages and their vacation plans - but what else is new? Stanhope calls, they answer. But as the time ticks away with no solutions to the room in sight, the four start turning against each other. Emotions run high and the shocking confessions just pour out of them. My jaw hit the floor.
How do these two storylines tie together? Well, that’s the part that’s worth suspending belief for, I promise. This book has murder, revenge, greed, corruption, backstabbing, secrecy ... pretty much everything anyone could ever ask for. I definitely recommend it.
Trigger warnings for suicide and sexual assault.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.