Room 55 was a tense and atmospheric mystery-thriller by Helena Kubicek Boye. This was the first book I’ve read by Boye. Room 55 centered around a young psychologist as she unraveled the sinister mysteries of a psychiatric clinic—starting with one eerie, whisper‑haunted room.

Boye delivered a slow-burn suspense style, with a creeping tension that escalated through small, unnerving details. I loved how this chilling story played with the unsettling terrain of the human mind, identity, and the blurring lines between reality and delusion. The mysterious room 55 was a symbolic space that represented the mind’s “locked doors,” where suppressed memories, secrets, or psychological fractures were hidden. The characters in Room 55 were deliberately layered and unreliable. These traits reinforced the central question: what is real and who can be trusted? I loved how the protagonist’s descent into doubt and fear was mirrored by the obscure motives of those around her. This characterization created a compelling psychological thriller that thrived on ambiguity and tension.

Helena Kubicek Boye fabricated a chilling and atmospheric mystery that blurred the line between sanity and suspicion. I was fascinated by the eerie tone and haunting reveal. Room 55 is most suited for readers that love intelligent atmospheric psychological mysteries with a clinical setting, emotionally complex characters, and a chilling awareness of suspense rooted in sanity and institutional confidentiality.

Thank you Net Galley and Saga Egmont for an advance e-copy in exchange for my 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.

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!

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 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!

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.