This book immediately gripped me just from the first page. I got sucked in straight away and didn’t want to put it down.

I absolutely LOVE psychological thrillers and this one was incredible. The descriptions are vivid and well detailed and the author really knows how to build an atmosphere and world amazingly.

There were multiple twists that I never saw coming that left my jaw dropped. I love how unpredictable this book was! It was also full of suspense and dark themes so make sure you look up trigger warnings before reading.

I loved Kimberley and her dog Muffin, from a young age Kimberley already suffered through a lot of trauma and throughout the whole book I was rooting for her and Muffin.

Overall, this was an incredible book! I absolutely loved it. I highly recommend if you like psychological thrillers with a tiny bit of gore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for this ARC.

Kimberley, 25, excels in her job as a senior housekeeper at a posh London hotel. She has severe epilepsy and dog Muffin who is an epilepsy alert dog accompanies her everywhere. She grew up in care and has no idea who her parents are.

One day, posh Jennifer Clifton arrives at her luxury hotel, a rich VIP guest residing in the largest suite with her little Pomeranian Frankie. She sends for the senior housekeeper to deal with some outlandish demands and is impressed by Kimberly, so much so that she offers her a job in her own exclusive hotel called Clifton Hotel in the Scottish Highlands, to help with arranging the highly anticipated party of the year in two weeks' time.

However, the hotel is on no map and Kimberly will have to sign an NDA if she wants to work there as the guests are both hand selected and challenging, to say it politely. There are a lot of rules but one she is only told once she gets there: "Do not look into Room 21 ever."

In a second timeline, Emily has been raped and kidnapped at eight months pregnant by the evil father of her baby, influential Damien Clifton who wants to keep the baby for his lineage. However, once the baby is born, it disappears without trace, but Emily swears to leave no stone unturned to find her. How far will she go for her child and what links her story to the hotel?

This disturbing plot in four parts is told in first person POVs by Kimberly, Jennifer and Emily. It starts slowly, introducing all the characters and their back stories, then a series of twists gives you whiplash. I was engrossed from the first page and could not stop reading until deep into the night. The very short chapters cleverly invite you to read "just one more chapter", until you've suddenly finished.

The setting is isolated, unnerving and claustrophobic and most of the characters uniquely horrifying, plus uncovering the hidden family ties will leave you reeling. Kimberley must decide who she can trust and find out who wants her harm. There is always a sense of dread and danger in this tense story of how far people will go for what they want.

I don't know how one comes up with such a plot - it's dark, tense, creepy and full of the most horrendous people mankind has ever produced. The author gives three trigger warnings at the beginning, but there are so many she never mentions! You need kind of a strong stomach, not just for unpleasant and depraved deeds which are hinted at but also for the casual psychological and even medical manipulation and gaslighting some of the characters excel in.

I really felt for Kimberly who at so young had had to experience such trauma already. I rooted for her, cheered her on and was immensely happy about the ending. No dogs or other animals are harmed in this book although I can't say the same for people. But then, they might deserve it. Highly recommended as a nail biting psychological thriller. This author consistently produces quality suspense and I loved it as much as "The Good Parents".

This was a fast-paced, exciting and shocking thriller, and as well as it being very dark, it had a lot of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The main character, Kimberley, was very interesting and her dog, Muffin, just sounded adorable. This story does touch on some dark and difficult subjects, such as rape, murder and is quite gory in places also. The main character has epilepsy, which makes her have several fits which are also touched upon in this novel. The story follows Kimberley, a young woman, who doesn’t have any family or friends, but loves her job at the hotel as a housekeeper. She gets invited to take a new job at a different hotel, but she must up and leave straight away, must leave her home and live at her new hotel, but what follows gets even stranger. She must not leave the hotel without permission and must sign a non-disclosure agreement. Also, what is behind Room 21? A horrifyingly, frightening story, which makes you wonder what would you do in this situation?

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This was my first book by Jessica Huntley and it won't be my last. What a ride! Room 21 had me hooked from the very beginning. Kimberley and Muffins bond was very believable and.was rooting for them until the end. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't read it fast enough. I look forward to more books from this author.. Thank you to Netgalley and Joffe Books for the ARC.

Room 21 was very different than what I was expecting, and I mean that in a good way. I was expecting more of a thriller and this went somewhere darker than I expected. I do think the less said about the plot going in, the better, but be sure to check trigger warnings as there are sensitive topics in here. I didn’t really connect with the writing or the characters, and that’s why I can’t give this a higher rating. But it was a quick read and kept me entertained throughout.

Thank you to Joffe Books and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

wow this one will have you feeling fully worn out. but in the best way of a thriller. Jessica Huntley is not shy in the subjects and plots of her thrillers and her bravery is well rewarded by the books she gives us. they are delightful in all the best thriller ways. but hold on to your seats because she doesnt hold back.
this book was just as good as any of her other i have read. just as dark and eeekish. this book gives us Kimberley. shes quiet hard working and is a housekeeper and proud of it. she also suffers from seizures so has a helper dog Muffin. and let me just say what i didnt realize what how much more anxious i would feel when a thriller book has an adorable dog in it! because no one of the focus's is on if this dog will be ok. because as we all know the dog needs to be ok!
Kimberley is giving the chance to start a new life in the Scottish Highlands with a better salary in a new housekeeping role. the place is lavish and a wish come true or so she thinks. but things start to get dark quick. creepy quick. and whats going on behind these doors and with these people are not ok, are chilling.
Kimberley will question everything an herself. she will definitely be questioning those shes come to work for.
i wont spoil it by revealing too much a si want you to have you own books gasping moments. because they are the best fresh and new. and you will, you will have them.
this is a corker of a book. a darker thriller with "omg" under vibes all the way through,

I like this book it had sus pence and drama l Liked the dog who helped Kimberly and a bit of fear what room 21 was all about

I would like more on what room 21 was

At first this book seemed really intriguing… but a few chapters in it got quite dark and disturbing. While a live a good thriller…this one was a bit too much for me. Unfortunately for me, it was a DNF

Ok I loved this! Thank you for the opportunity on reading an early copy.
This was suspenseful. It kept me entertained and not wanting to put this book down. I binged it in under a day

Stayed up late to Read this in a night, I really enjoyed this book. I would read more books by this author

This is the new twisty, dark, and unnerving new story from Jessica, and it certainly was a page turner.

Even though the story is written from multiple pov, Kimberly is who the book is really about. She is a housekeeper who loves her job and has the cutest dog. She grew up in the care system and has worked her way to where she is now, howvlever shes only just scraping by and living with people she would rather avoid.

Then comes Jennifer, who turns her world sideways, offering her a job that invites disturbing events and secrets being unravelled.

The book has many twists, and the narration style of writing makes the book quite an easy read that you can binge pretty quickly.

This is the second time I have started to write a review for this book as I was not quite sure where to begin. I have read another book by this author so I should have realized I would be in for something different and that was absolutely the case here.

Kimberley is working for a hotel chain as head Housekeeper, she suffers from epilepsy and has an alert dog Muffin. She is great at what she does but when a new guest arrives. Jennifer Clifton with her dog Frankie in tow, her world is about to change dramatically.
Jennifer is like the guest from hell, rude, pompous and full of self-importance. She barks at the staff, and nothing is ever up to her standard. She has many of the staff completely terrified, but Kimberley takes it all in her stride even though internally she is struggling too. However, she is also intrigued by this woman and when Jennifer offers a position at her own Hotel, she decides to make a break and take the role. But will this be a decision that Kimberley regrets?

Be warned this is not an easy read at times. Very dark themes are presented to the reader and numerous times I had my heart in my mouth and at a couple of stages even wondered if I wished to continue but something about the book kept me turning the pages. Chilling, frightening, bilious and vile in parts, it is like nothing I had ever read before and you will be entering a very obscure world, and I have to say this is a book that will no doubt will stay with me, I am not even sure that this is a good thing but obviously the author has done her job in creating this reaction.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

This is a weird book.

I didn't hate it, but I also didn't like our characters (any of them), found much of it illogical, and just found that it got crazier and crazier (not necessarily in the best of ways).

Our MC loves being a housekeeper. I mean, she waxes poetic about the joys of housekeeping FOR AGES. All her life she wanted to be a housekeeper. Housekeepers are the only reasons we have hotels. Housekeepers are the most amazing thing since sliced bread and Jesus (okay...maybe she didn't say that one, but I do believe she would have lol).

She's also brilliant, has an amazing memory, has the cutest dog, has astounding observational skills and is...thoroughly unlikeable. And, honestly, if she were all that, she would never have taken the job nor stayed with it when she got her list of restocking blood and weapons and sex toys (oh my).

I will say that the book keeps you reading, if only because you want to know what implausible thing happens next.

A popcorn read.

* ARC via Publisher

🏨🏨🏨

The narration started with a long circling of inner thoughts not actually relatable due to my differences with the first pow character. They supposed to be the life story, but ended up being ranting and circling. It could be interesting as an insight into a character's world, but it stretched too long without any plot movement and utterly bored me. Same happened with the second pow. And the third. Looked like we had some extra self-centered people telling us who they are. The problem wasn't in the characters or the general idea, but in the style of narration we have to face in the start.

The monologue aside, I wasn't immersed in the Kimberley's job interest. It was like she didn't just tell us about her life, she exitedly expected us to share the passion and I felt confused to why I should.

I was completely bored by 10% of the book and kept going only in hopes to finally get the anything. The plot indeed gained tension and great twists further, but I still didn't quite connect this book. It was too sick for something normal and not detailed enough to be truly twisted.

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Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing me with this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

4.75/5 stars! Wow! This book blew me away. I don't think I've read anything else by this author, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Also, any book with a service animal makes me happy (I have one myself). The story had so many twists, I couldn't keep up. It almost had a Bride of Bluebeard energy at times. I loved it and will be actively looking to read more books by this author.

Room 21 was not the book I was expecting. I feel I should say now, this book is dark, extremely dark, so only read this book if that is what you are looking for.

Kimberley is a housekeeper. Happy in her career, if not in her life outside of work. Her life changes when she meets Jennifer Clifton, a guest at the hotel. A woman with exacting standards, who head hunts a surprised and perplexed Kimberley, for a role at The Clifton Hotel.

The book is narrated by three women. As realisation dawned as to how they were linked, the story became more intriguing, and chilling too. I reached a point in the book where I read a line, then paused, and re-read it again. Then I stared at the wall for a while, trying to move the pieces of the story in my mind. After a minute or two, I still felt bamboozled, so I read on.

In summary, if you choose to pick up Room 21, you will find a warped and twisted tale. You should expect the unexpected, and you will still be surprised. It is dark and gritty in the extreme.

Kimberly is offered a job at a secret invite only hotel. After singing a NDA and doing repulsive task to prove her loyalty, she is promoted to do a malicious job for a party that will be hosted in that hotel.

I had been wanting to read Jessica Huntley’s books for quite some time now. I’m so satisfied with this one and will be reading more of her books in the future.

This was a dark and morbid book that made me scared to keep reading but I was so interested that I had to keep reading. I really liked how the story is told through the POV of multiple characters. The guest and the reason for the hotel was super interesting in the story but very frightening to think of in terms of it happening in real life. Incredible twist after twist thrown in. It has revenge driven characters that carry out vengeance which was fascinating. The note that came with Kimberly’s teddy bear was so shocking!

Nothing is what it seems. I thought I knew the connection of the characters but then their true identities would be revealed. This would then make me question which characters can I truly trust.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book "ROOM 21" is a remarkable psychological thriller that captivates me from the very first page. This novel is a masterclass in suspense, with a plot that twists and turns in ways you could never anticipate. Huntley weaves a terrifying narrative filled with secrets that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The emotional depth of the characters adds a heartbreaking layer to the story, making it not only creepy but also profoundly impactful. Absolutely it's a thrilling read that combines psychological intrigue with heartfelt moments, I highly recommend "ROOM 21." I was hooked until the very last page! Must-read!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of Room 21.
This is the story of Kimberley who works as a housekeeper in a hotel. She works extremely well and is one day offered to work at another hotel in Scotland that no one’s heard of…
I loved this book so much. Kimberley was such a great main character. I thought it was nice to read about epilepsy as it is not a disease that is often featured in books. Her dog Muffin was also so cute.
I managed to guess some of the plot twists, but there were many that I did not see coming AT ALL, so it was nice to be surprised. It made me gasp out loud many times!
The writing was amazing, and the short chapters kept the pace going. Room 21 is a page-turner that you won’t be able to put down!
I would highly recommend it!

Room 21 feels like if The Housemaid by Freida McFadden and Butcher and Blackbird had a baby — and honestly, that’s the best way I can describe it. It pulls together the psychological tension of The Housemaid with the darker, more graphic elements found in Butcher and Blackbird. If you loved those two books, you’ll find Room 21 right up your alley.

Going into this, I didn’t know too much since it’s a new release, but the mystery immediately intrigued me. I love a good thriller, and the more I read, the more shocked I became — this book took turns I was not expecting. It definitely leans heavier into the graphic thriller side, so I highly recommend checking the trigger warnings before diving in. There are a lot of potentially sensitive topics covered.

That being said, Room 21 is a solid thriller overall. I really enjoyed it. Some standout positives:
• The chapters are short and engaging, making it a fast-paced and bingeable read.
• The pacing was spot-on — it never dragged, but it also never felt rushed.
• The twists kept me hooked, especially around the midpoint when major reveals started coming out. I was genuinely excited to see how everything would unravel.

If I had one critique, it would be that a few of the twists could have been fleshed out a little deeper. I would have loved more background or explanation in certain areas. But even with that, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. If you’re looking for a thriller that keeps you on your toes, with twists that actually twist, Room 21 is definitely worth picking up. I’m excited to read more from this author in the future!