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The Journal of Room 305
She survived the fall, but can she survive the aftermath?
Anne wakes up in a psychiatric hospital with no idea how long she's been there--only that something broke inside her. Days blur into each other in a haze of group therapy sessions, bland meals, and the quiet ache of missing home. Her thoughts are loud, unrelenting, and cruel. The water still calls to her.
Through heartbreakingly honest journal entries, Anne invites readers into the raw, unfiltered reality of her struggle with depression. She clings to fleeting moments of hope--a visit from her husband, a stuffed animal from her daughter, the return of a friend she thought she'd lost. But with each small victory comes the weight of guilt, shame, and the crushing fear that she'll never be the mother or wife she once was.
Anne wakes up in a psychiatric hospital with no idea how long she's been there--only that something broke inside her. Days blur into each other in a haze of group therapy sessions, bland meals, and the quiet ache of missing home. Her thoughts are loud, unrelenting, and cruel. The water still calls to her.
Through heartbreakingly honest journal entries, Anne invites readers into the raw, unfiltered reality of her struggle with depression. She clings to fleeting moments of hope--a visit from her husband, a stuffed animal from her daughter, the return of a friend she thought she'd lost. But with each small victory comes the weight of guilt, shame, and the crushing fear that she'll never be the mother or wife she once was.
Kindle Edition
Published May 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 30, 2025
This is a fast read at only 74 pages. You are getting to experience the mental hospital through the journal entries of Anne. This is her day to day recount of what her life is like after an attempted suicide. She tells you her experience on the journey to recovery. Which I have to say isn’t much. You are getting her daily food intake which she describes as bland. She also describes her daily movements which are basically sitting in front of a window or staring at a wall. She goes to group and doesn’t share. Then it all repeats. I was interested in this book because it said it was a thriller. I was only thrilled when it was over. I’m sorry I wouldn’t recommend this book.
May 6, 2025
The Journal of Room 305 by Revna Zil presents a stark and introspective account of a woman’s inner life during her inpatient psychiatric hospitalization in the wake of a suicide attempt.
Structured as a series of daily journal entries, the lucid, unembellished glimpse into the cognitive and emotional patterns characteristic of acute mental health distress with particular attention to themes of self-worth, dissociation, and the fraught process of recovery.
Zil’s prose is both restrained and affecting, capturing the pervasive sense of self-erasure—the internalized belief that one is a burden, undeserving of presence or space. Her language resists dramatization, instead relying on its clarity and precision to render the invisible weight of psychiatric struggle with haunting immediacy.
The novel’s structure—fragmented and introspective by design—can sometimes works against its narrative cohesion. While the journal format is well-suited to the subject matter, it also limits character development and forward momentum, making the reading experience feel repetitive or static in places. The introspective intensity may also narrow its appeal, offering a more psychological atmosphere than narrative progression.
As the narrator confronts her own ambivalence about survival, the journal gradually charts a tentative trajectory toward self-recognition and reengagement with life. Zil’s work is an uncommonly honest meditation on psychological pain, rendered with literary sensitivity and clinical insight. It is a vital text that does not sensationalize suffering but treats it with the seriousness and nuance it demands.
Overall, The Journal of Room 305 is a thoughtful and sincere exploration of mental illness, best suited for readers drawn to interiority and clinical realism. Though not without its limitations, it contributes meaningfully to contemporary mental health literature.
Structured as a series of daily journal entries, the lucid, unembellished glimpse into the cognitive and emotional patterns characteristic of acute mental health distress with particular attention to themes of self-worth, dissociation, and the fraught process of recovery.
Zil’s prose is both restrained and affecting, capturing the pervasive sense of self-erasure—the internalized belief that one is a burden, undeserving of presence or space. Her language resists dramatization, instead relying on its clarity and precision to render the invisible weight of psychiatric struggle with haunting immediacy.
The novel’s structure—fragmented and introspective by design—can sometimes works against its narrative cohesion. While the journal format is well-suited to the subject matter, it also limits character development and forward momentum, making the reading experience feel repetitive or static in places. The introspective intensity may also narrow its appeal, offering a more psychological atmosphere than narrative progression.
As the narrator confronts her own ambivalence about survival, the journal gradually charts a tentative trajectory toward self-recognition and reengagement with life. Zil’s work is an uncommonly honest meditation on psychological pain, rendered with literary sensitivity and clinical insight. It is a vital text that does not sensationalize suffering but treats it with the seriousness and nuance it demands.
Overall, The Journal of Room 305 is a thoughtful and sincere exploration of mental illness, best suited for readers drawn to interiority and clinical realism. Though not without its limitations, it contributes meaningfully to contemporary mental health literature.
May 3, 2025
The Journal of Room 305 is not merely a memoir—it’s a lifeline whispered through pages, a tender, unflinching descent into the heart of a woman unraveling, and the slow, often agonizing climb back toward wholeness. Through a series of raw, intimately penned journal entries, Anne—mother, wife, survivor—invites us into the sterile, fluorescent-lit world of a psychiatric hospital following a near-fatal suicide attempt. What unfolds is a portrait of pain and resilience that will leave readers changed.
Anne’s voice is achingly honest, her words unvarnished and trembling with both despair and hope. She doesn’t try to soften her experience for the sake of comfort. She allows us to sit with the discomfort of her silence, the monotony of hospital life, the weight of longing, guilt, and the stubborn ache of surviving when she once didn’t want to. And yet, there is exquisite poetry in her suffering—in her keen observations of the world around her, in her guarded but slowly blossoming friendships, and in the vulnerable fragments of herself she stitches together day by day.
This book is more than a story—it is a companion for anyone who has ever felt alone in their pain. It’s a testament to the strength it takes to survive, to speak, to heal. Heart-wrenching and luminous, The Journal of Room 305 will break you open and leave you grateful for the cracks where the light gets in.
Rating: 5/5 – A masterpiece of emotional truth and unwavering grace.
Anne’s voice is achingly honest, her words unvarnished and trembling with both despair and hope. She doesn’t try to soften her experience for the sake of comfort. She allows us to sit with the discomfort of her silence, the monotony of hospital life, the weight of longing, guilt, and the stubborn ache of surviving when she once didn’t want to. And yet, there is exquisite poetry in her suffering—in her keen observations of the world around her, in her guarded but slowly blossoming friendships, and in the vulnerable fragments of herself she stitches together day by day.
This book is more than a story—it is a companion for anyone who has ever felt alone in their pain. It’s a testament to the strength it takes to survive, to speak, to heal. Heart-wrenching and luminous, The Journal of Room 305 will break you open and leave you grateful for the cracks where the light gets in.
Rating: 5/5 – A masterpiece of emotional truth and unwavering grace.
April 29, 2025
Shattered me
The Journal of Room 305 isn’t just a story — it’s a slow bleeding out. Every page felt like peeling back skin to get to something I didn’t want to look at, but couldn’t turn away from.
Revna Zil doesn’t write with pretty words. She writes with splinters. With the quiet, ugly moments no one ever talks about — staring at cracked ceilings, counting the seconds between heartbeats, wondering if tomorrow is even worth it.
Anne’s pain isn't loud. It hums low, constant, until it fills the whole room. And you feel it. You carry it with you.
By the end, I wasn’t just reading her journal — it felt like I was holding her last thread of hope in my own hands, terrified to let it slip.
This book broke me open. And somehow, I’m grateful it did.
If you’re brave enough to sit with real darkness — and still believe in a tiny, stubborn piece of light — The Journal of Room 305 will wreck you in the best way.
The Journal of Room 305 isn’t just a story — it’s a slow bleeding out. Every page felt like peeling back skin to get to something I didn’t want to look at, but couldn’t turn away from.
Revna Zil doesn’t write with pretty words. She writes with splinters. With the quiet, ugly moments no one ever talks about — staring at cracked ceilings, counting the seconds between heartbeats, wondering if tomorrow is even worth it.
Anne’s pain isn't loud. It hums low, constant, until it fills the whole room. And you feel it. You carry it with you.
By the end, I wasn’t just reading her journal — it felt like I was holding her last thread of hope in my own hands, terrified to let it slip.
This book broke me open. And somehow, I’m grateful it did.
If you’re brave enough to sit with real darkness — and still believe in a tiny, stubborn piece of light — The Journal of Room 305 will wreck you in the best way.
April 29, 2025
“The Journal of Room 305” by Revna Zil is a raw and deeply emotional journey into the mind of a woman battling through the aftermath of a suicide attempt. Written in the form of daily journal entries during her hospitalization, this book offers an unfiltered look at the thoughts, fears, and fragile hopes of someone navigating a mental health crisis.
Zil captures the pain of feeling like a burden and the desperate fear of forgetting that she is allowed to exist, to take up space. Her words are hauntingly honest, revealing the internal battles that often go unspoken. As she documents her slow journey toward healing, you can't help but wonder — will she remember her worth and choose to stay? This is a deeply moving, important read that doesn’t shy away from the darkness but still leaves room for hope.
Zil captures the pain of feeling like a burden and the desperate fear of forgetting that she is allowed to exist, to take up space. Her words are hauntingly honest, revealing the internal battles that often go unspoken. As she documents her slow journey toward healing, you can't help but wonder — will she remember her worth and choose to stay? This is a deeply moving, important read that doesn’t shy away from the darkness but still leaves room for hope.
April 30, 2025
This was touted as a dark, raw, gripping thriller. I definitely wouldn't call it a thriller. It was very short. You can read it in roughly an hour. It was comprised of journal entries of a woman in a mental health facility after her suicide attempt. I recently read Phantom Limb by Lucinda Berry, which was very similar, and I couldn't help but compare the two. Lucinda always expertly tackles mental health issues. In this book, there was nothing deep in the diary entries. No real emotions, realizations, or reflections. I didn't feel there was any character development. The majority of the entries were repetitive with daily descriptions of her bland food and her daily activities, which mostly consisted of looking out the window and sitting in group therapy and not sharing. It didn't make me feel anything. Not one I'd recommend.
May 29, 2025
The Journal of Room 305 is basically a woman's diary during her stay at an institute after she tried to unlike herself. This was unique because it really let you inside of her head to really see the struggles of someone with a mental health issue that is seeking help. It's easy for someone to tell someone, "hey, you need to get help". But starting that journey is just the beginning of the battle. This really allows us to see the daily struggles to try to keep herself in check, her fears, her worry for her family, her worry for going back into the real world and not being bale to handle it, how her family and kids will look at her, just all the internal struggles. I really enjoyed this story, only because I enjoyed getting It from this perspective. As someone who can struggle mentally, it's good to know that we aren't alone in the thought processes we go through when seeking help.
May 6, 2025
This book can be a standalone, though it has a partner book "Haunted by the thoughts". You dont have to read it before, but it does help the understand and continuation of this story. This is a journal style book with entries. Detailing a womans inpatient psychiatric stay. It shows raw emotions of cognitive thought processes, and emotional distrubances. With a strong focus on mental health; attwntion to self-worth, dissocoiation, and the recovery process. It continues with re-engagement into life; giving clinical insight. Make sure to read tropes, triggers, and take care of your own mental health while jumping into this read.
April 30, 2025
The Journal of Room 305 is a powerful and emotional read. Through Anne’s journal entries, Revna Zil takes us deep into the reality of a mental health crisis with honesty and grace. Anne’s story is raw, moving, and full of small but meaningful moments of hope. I felt her pain, her doubts, and her quiet strength as she slowly began to heal. This book is a reminder of how difficult, but also how beautiful, the journey toward recovery can be. I couldn’t put it down!
May 11, 2025
mental health
A deep journal styled writing about a woman going through a mental health crisis.
This book shows the raw details of what it’s like being in a mental health hospital. About the journey she has to take for herself mentally. About the obstacles she has to get over and heal from before going home.
Overall a decent read, if I could give 1/2 stars I would give 3.5. For me it wasn’t quite a 4star read but deserves more than 3 for sure.
A deep journal styled writing about a woman going through a mental health crisis.
This book shows the raw details of what it’s like being in a mental health hospital. About the journey she has to take for herself mentally. About the obstacles she has to get over and heal from before going home.
Overall a decent read, if I could give 1/2 stars I would give 3.5. For me it wasn’t quite a 4star read but deserves more than 3 for sure.
May 22, 2025
I received an eArc of this book a bit ago. Super short story, set as journal entries. I was interested in it at the beginning, and I actually wanted to read more. Then came all the repetitiveness. There wasn't much difference in the journal entries. The story was the same over and over. Definitely struggled to keep reading, but I did anyway to see how it ended. I guess at least it ended on a good note.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2025
I received an ARC copy of this book, and I had no words. This book hit me in all the feels. Readers get a first hand walk of how people who have mental health issues cope and how their train of thought progresses as they slowly recover. As someone who deals with anxiety, this book really spoke to me and showed me if this character can overcome her struggles, anyone can.
May 9, 2025
The Journal of 305 is one of the most raw and honest portrayals of mental health I’ve ever read. It doesn’t shy away from the pain or the darkness—it walks straight into it and tells the truth. This book felt like reading someone’s soul laid bare, and it shook me in the best way. Thank you, Revna Zil, for writing something so real, so heavy, and so necessary.
April 30, 2025
I received an ARC of this but only got 70 pages when I thought it was over 200. It was boring and repetitive. Zero thrill or anything besides her not wanting to eat, looking out a window all day then finally going home. What am I missing???
May 1, 2025
wow i love the continuation of book two and how she was feeling during her stay there and the raw feelings she had love it
June 17, 2025
This is a raw read documenting the stay at a mental institution and the world around her. It’s heartbreaking and emotional
June 28, 2025
An emotional story that is written as a journal of a woman who is in a mental clinic after a failed suicide attempt. This book has all the harrowing feels of a mental institution and a woman’s attempt to crawl out of her own spiraling thoughts. The descriptions of the clinic were so accurate that I could feel myself in that clinic along with Anna as she cried in the shower or tried to eat down the powdery eggs. But what I loved most about this book was Anna herself, and the raw emotion she evoked as she questioned whether she was permanently broken, whether she’d fail again and whether she was just a burden on everyone in her life. Her vulnerability was written so beautifully that I fell in love with her character. I adored this book for the character of Anna, the subject matter, the writing style of journal entries and the way it all pulled together. An amazing 5 star read! I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 28, 2025
I read as ARC, but must read Haunted by The Thoughts first to understand this book further. Having said that, this book hits all the feels. I suffer from mental illness, pretty bad, and working through it. As I read this book, I felt like the author was in my head writing for me what I am unable to write on my own. Everything that is here is in my own mind more days than not, except the suicide part. It is very well written, and I really enjoyed Anne's story. I really like the fact that it is written journal style. Great work. Glad I got the chance to read this book.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews