Synopsis
Nobody knows she's checked into Room 706.
Caught in the wrong place at precisely the worst time, Kate must face the most confronting situation of her life - and discover what matters most - in this deeply suspenseful and thought-provoking novel.
If she knew it would end this way, would it ever have begun?
'I devoured it... I haven't stopped thinking about it' Jennie Godfrey
'An ending that demands to be talked about' Erin Kelly
'Poignant, heart-breaking and utterly human' Joanna Cannon
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Kate stretches her legs and turns on the TV while James washes away the traces of their morning. She watches in horror at the unfolding news: the hotel they are staying in has been taken under siege.
She should be making her way home, working on appearing normal, getting ready to re-enter family life with her loving husband Vic and their two adored children. Instead, she is trapped somewhere she shouldn't be, with a man she definitely doesn't love.
How will she begin to tell Vic what she is doing here? If her body is found, will it give up the secret of what she's been up to? She's been so careful hiding the evidence of her affair: write nothing down, leave no trace. Will he begin to understand why?
For now, Kate can only hide, take a deep breath, and reflect on the series of choices she's made that have brought her to this moment.
What will her marriage and her life look like, if she makes it out?
Discover the most gripping and original novel you'll read this year, from an incredible new talent in fiction.
'As tender as it is surprising... a gripping interrogation of womanhood' Sarah Jessica Parker
'A love story wrapped in a grenade' Cecelia Ahern
'A tense, riveting read about the unpredictable ripple effects luck and choices can have' Tracy Sierra
'I could not stop reading' Sarah Easter Collins
Publisher information
- Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
- ISBN: 9781035423699
- Number of pages: 384
- Dimensions: 236 x 160 x 38 mm
- Weight: 598g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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A lovely story with a twist
A great idea for a novel. The story of a siege from the POV of a woman hostage trapped in a hotel room with her lover. Initially she's panicking about pick... READ MORE
Absolutely incredible - will easily be one of my favourite books of the year (and it's only my first one!)
Kate is in a hotel room with her lover when they hear that the hotel is under siege. This is the outward premise of this novel and I was immediately entice... READ MORE
Tense read
This is a strange read because at some points I loved it, at others I hated it. There are a lot of flashbacks which I didn't mind too much as it cemented K... READ MORE
Stunning thriller aside a brave exploration of marriage
This was such a tense and engaging read, with the two stories (a terrorist attack and a flawed marriage) developing in tandem, and the interaction between ... READ MORE
A fine read
First of all, I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Room 706 is a debut nove... READ MORE
Thought-provoking
I was sent a copy of Room 706 by Ellie Levenson to read and review by NetGalley. This is a very thought-provoking novel - what would you do in, not necess... READ MORE
Thought-provoking, discomfiting, and entirely human
Room 706 is a tight, pacy read that surprised me with its depth and emotional resonance. It has the set-up of a thriller—married woman meets her illicit lo... READ MORE
Not a thriller, But a reckoning
This is not a thriller.
It looks like one. It wears the skin of one. A hotel under siege. A woman trapped in a room with the man she should not be with.... READ MORE
If you like a slow pace then this may be for you
Kate is married to Vic, and together they have two children. Her life is fairly ordinary, school drop-offs, playdates, dental appointments, all the routine... READ MORE
A thought provoking debut
For years Kate and Vic have been a solid, loving couple and now they have two gorgeous children too. They’re a genuinely happy family. But Kate has a secre... READ MORE
Less a thriller, more a love story...of sorts
What would happen if you found yourself trapped somewhere you shouldn't be and no one knows that you're there. This is what happens to Kate, a journalist, ... READ MORE
Tense
An emotionally wrought thriller that keeps you begging for more.
The setting was so brilliantly written that it was easy to imagine myself in her shoes... READ MORE
character led mystery
This is a story of two people who have been having an affair. Neither of them loves the other, but it is convenient and adds something to their own lives. ... READ MORE
Very good for a book club
Wow! I have just finished Room 706 and I feel like I need a little lie down. What a roller coaster. I want to talk about that ending RIGHT NOW! (Reading an... READ MORE
Gripping!
I would love to discuss the ending of this well written book which kept me in suspense until the end. Sadly, as I don’t want to write a spoiler, I will hav... READ MORE
Wonderful!
I was gripped throughout by this thriller-cum-story of a love (not a love story in the traditional sense). This is a thought-provoking novel which raises q... READ MORE
Prepare to be hooked.
A book that gets you completely hooked from the word go. Written in a number of timelines, but easy to follow. I really enjoyed this novel which eventuall... READ MORE
Excellent Debut
Review of ‘Room 706’ by Ellie Levenson, due to be published on 15 January 2026 by Headline.
Kate is married to Vic with two young children, Lenny and An... READ MORE
Wonderful fiction debut
Part-thriller, part-love story, part-a tale of one woman's life, this is a really compelling book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
At the beginning, we meet t... READ MORE
Trapped in suspense
Room 706 by Ellie Levenson
How would you like to escape from the constant responsibilities of being a working mother and trusting wife?
Maybe a fantasy... READ MORE
Great Debut Story
Wow what a great story of 2 people cheating on their spouses in hotels. Kate and James find themselves caught up in a hostage situation when they meet in a... READ MORE
Interesting
Kate lives with her husband and two young children. Her mother died at 38 in a car accident and then her best friend Eve died of cancer at 27. Kate has nev... READ MORE
Tense
Such an interesting angle of a story that focuses not on the drama or perpetrators of the crime but on the unusual and everyday multifaceted experiences of... READ MORE
Such a good book
Such a good book. Throughout, the reader is held on tenterhooks as the back story is cleverly interwoven into the narrative and with no way of predicting t... READ MORE
Tense, thought provoking
I was so looking forward to this book but I was really disappointed with the ending which I won’t give away but had it been different it might have got a f... READ MORE
BRILLIANT
I'd read a lot of great reviews for this book and omg I wasn't disappointed. I was engrossed from the first page and couldn't put it down. Loved it.
Room 706
I enjoyed this book and was very impressed by it being a debut novel. Kate the protagonist is trapped in a hotel room when it comes under siege. Kate has t... READ MORE
Thrilling novel set mainly in a hotel room on LONDON
Early June 2025 I began to see a lot of talk about this novel on Social Media, there was a real frisson about it. The tenet of the novel – from what I coul... READ MORE
a solid, well-written novel that makes you think about the impact of being in the ‘wrong place’ at the ‘wrong time’
Room 706
Kate and James find themselves stuck in a hotel room as terrorists take over a central London hotel. That’s a horrifying enough situation - but n... READ MORE
Debut Read
Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy.
I am pleased to repot that I adored the first 150 pages or so of this book but then for me it fell... READ MORE
Powerful debut novel
Kate is happily married to Vic with 2 beloved young children, despite this picture of marriage bliss, she still meets lover James 4 times a year in a hotel... READ MORE
So tense
I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.
This is a story of a woman put into a terrifying position that f... READ MORE
Hotel thriller
Thank you NetGalley and Headline Review for this eCopy to review.
Room 706 is a tense, introspective and morally tangled debut that blends real‑time cri... READ MORE
Profound ending
I couldn’t put this book down and the ending had such a profound effect on me that it’s taken a while to give feedback.
I’m still speechless; just read it... READ MORE
Room For Reading
This is a good read.
The narrative splits over three story timelines around our heroine Kate.
The title is derived from her location for "today" whe... READ MORE
Thought-provoking
This is a thoughtful quiet novel which examines the meaning of life and love. Although the premise is about a woman trapped in a room in a hotel under sieg... READ MORE
Superb!
This was such a surprising book. I was drawn in by the blurb on the book and requested it straight away. I was delighted when I received an advanced e.re... READ MORE
Different, but in a good way
I was originally expecting a fast pace thriller but after reading reviews I realised that it was quite a love story. Because of this I was unsure whether ... READ MORE
Fab!
An absolutely fabulous story. I honestly could not stop reading, I was gripped. The only, only thing that was a disappointment was the ending. OMG what ... READ MORE
An outstanding debut
Multi-layered, tender, tense and claustrophobic, Room 706 is an explosive debut. Morally ambiguous and thought provoking it follows Kate, who has just enjo... READ MORE
Room 706 by Ellie Levenson
Kate is a wife and mother. She’s happily married, adores her kids and has a successful career. What more could she want? Something for just her. So, every ... READ MORE
Compelling, Tense and Emotional
Room 706 is a book that will stay with me for a long time. Part thriller, part relationship drama, it's an emotional read and one I couldn't put down.
... READ MORE
Great debut, lots of talking points
This is a great debut, bound to get people talking. Kate and James have met in London for a hook up, something they do every few months. Both are married t... READ MORE
Unexpectedly Moving and Utterly Absorbing
I first heard about Room 706 on the brilliant Book Off podcast, where Ellie Levenson was chatting about her debut novel. The premise instantly grabbed me—i... READ MORE
A Gripping plot
A brilliant novel for keeping you on edge and wondering what will happen. Trapped in a hotel room where she is not supposed to be, and terrorists marauding... READ MORE
Love story with grit
Kate is in Room 706 in a high-end hotel in London, when she turns on the news and sees a hostage situation has begun in the lobby of that same hotel. She i... READ MORE
Page turner with heart
Room 706 doesn’t fit easily into a particular genre - it’s a romance and a story about marriage and parenting, but set against a tense backdrop where you r... READ MORE
Four stars!
Room 706 is a compelling and introspective book that explores love, guilt and the quiet discontent that can grow within an ordinary life. Kate appears to h... READ MORE
An enjoyable read
I enjoyed this book very much and raced through it. Reflecting on it at the end, I liked the back story but the hotel parts made me realise that I didn’t ... READ MORE
An absolute page turner but I didn't like the ending
For years Kate and Vic have been a solid, loving couple and now they have two gorgeous children too. They’re a genuinely happy family. But Kate has a secre... READ MORE
A great premise, well developed
A great premise, people meeting over several years for sex, besieged in a hotel in a terror attack. The siege is by no means the main story, and there coul... READ MORE
Very good debut
A good story that follows Kate a woman trapped in a hotel room with her lover after terrorist take over the hotel. Kate reflects on her life and choices. T... READ MORE
great premise
I was very sucked in by the premise of this book. "Happily married" Kate has a purely sexual affair with James and the story unfolds as their hotel is tak... READ MORE
amazing debut
Ellie Levenson’s debut is the kind of novel that slips under your skin and lingers there. Room 706 begins with a deceptively simple set-up: Kate, in a Lond... READ MORE
A carefully nuanced story of love, deceit and forgiveness
Kate Bright felt guilty enough meeting her lover in a London hotel, but when terrorists take control of the hotel, she feels even worse. Forced to hide in ... READ MORE
An exciting, exploration of a woman’s human experience
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I could relate to Kate’s experience of motherhood, loved the dipping in and out of different times of her life. It explored... READ MORE
Gripping read
A couple having an illicit meeting in a hotel room find themselves locked in when the hotel is taken under siege.
I expected a thriller from the blurb b... READ MORE
Suspenseful and Emotional
This was a really quick, compulsive read and I flew through it in no time. I liked the structure and format a lot… the way it built tension from the outset... READ MORE
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