ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – Room 706 by Ellie Levenson

Room 706 by Ellie Levenson will be published on 15th January by Headline Review. My thanks to the publishers for the proof copy. Oh, this book is so SO good.

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.

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 enticed by it, wondering how Kate would deal with this turn of events, the life or death situation, and whether her betrayal of her husband Vic would be discovered. However, there is so so much more to this story than just the fateful day in question. The reader is taken back to when Kate and Vic first met in Italy and this thread follows their life together over the ensuing years, including two much-loved children. A third thread tells how Kate met her lover James and the progress of their affair. The three strands when woven together tell a story of love, need and desire, and of balancing stability and family life against those brief snatched moments of excitement.

Room 706 is an incredible book. I had fairly high expectations that I would like it but it exceeded everything I could have imagined. It’s complex and authentic, and it made me ponder on those decisions we make when we think nobody will find out. The chapters in the hotel room felt so tense with Kate and James holed up in a quiet room, not knowing what’s going on and if rescue will come. The other chapters told of a long-lasting love, a solid marriage and a happy family life. Despite this, the question is not really one of why Kate made the decision to have an affair, but one of how to deal with whatever the fallout may be.

This is a beautifully written book with a superb storyline. It’s full of heart and soul and felt completely real. It totally blew me away and oh my goodness, the ending! This is my first book of 2026 and I know for sure that it will be one of my favourites of the year.