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Dark Room Etiquette
Sixteen-year-old Sayers Wayte has everything—until he's kidnapped by a man who tells him his whole life has been a lie.
Trapped in a windowless room, without knowing why he's been taken or how long the man plans to keep him shut away, Sayers faces a terrifying new reality. To survive, he must forget the world he once knew, and play the part his abductor has created for him.
But as time passes, the line between fact and fiction starts to blur, and Sayers begins to wonder if he can escape . . . before he loses himself.
Trapped in a windowless room, without knowing why he's been taken or how long the man plans to keep him shut away, Sayers faces a terrifying new reality. To survive, he must forget the world he once knew, and play the part his abductor has created for him.
But as time passes, the line between fact and fiction starts to blur, and Sayers begins to wonder if he can escape . . . before he loses himself.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published October 11, 2022
73 people are currently reading
16114 people want to read
About the author
Robin Roe
2 books917 followersRobin Roe is the author of A LIST OF CAGES, named one of the Best YA Books of the Year by Buzzfeed, EpicReads, Goodreads & more.
Her new novel DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE is out now!
Praise for DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE
• “Intense and visceral… an unforgettable story about trauma, resilience, and hope.” — Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces
• “Haunting, beautiful, and impossible to put down, Dark Room Etiquette is nothing short of a masterpiece.” — Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be
• “Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!” — Andrew Smith, author of the Printz Honor Book Grasshopper Jungle
• “I burned through the pages of Dark Room Etiquette—riveted, transfixed, and deeply moved by Sayers’ journey and Roe’s stunning prose.” — Jennifer Niven, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places
• “With Dark Room Etiquette, Robin Roe has surely cemented herself as one of the most compelling and honest YA writers of our time.” — John Corey Whaley, Printz winning author of Where Things Come Back
• “An impressive and soul-stirring read.” — Jay Coles, author of the critically-acclaimed Tyler Johnson Was Here
• “Harrowing, enthralling, and ultimately hopeful.” — Jeff Zentner, Morris Award winning author of The Serpent King
• “A tense, raw, stunningly written tale of trauma, survival, and healing.” — Liz Lawson, author of The Lucky Ones
• "A stunning achievement in psychological terror. I couldn't look away." — Gretchen McNeil, author of Ten and #murdertrending
Her new novel DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE is out now!
Praise for DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE
• “Intense and visceral… an unforgettable story about trauma, resilience, and hope.” — Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces
• “Haunting, beautiful, and impossible to put down, Dark Room Etiquette is nothing short of a masterpiece.” — Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be
• “Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!” — Andrew Smith, author of the Printz Honor Book Grasshopper Jungle
• “I burned through the pages of Dark Room Etiquette—riveted, transfixed, and deeply moved by Sayers’ journey and Roe’s stunning prose.” — Jennifer Niven, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places
• “With Dark Room Etiquette, Robin Roe has surely cemented herself as one of the most compelling and honest YA writers of our time.” — John Corey Whaley, Printz winning author of Where Things Come Back
• “An impressive and soul-stirring read.” — Jay Coles, author of the critically-acclaimed Tyler Johnson Was Here
• “Harrowing, enthralling, and ultimately hopeful.” — Jeff Zentner, Morris Award winning author of The Serpent King
• “A tense, raw, stunningly written tale of trauma, survival, and healing.” — Liz Lawson, author of The Lucky Ones
• "A stunning achievement in psychological terror. I couldn't look away." — Gretchen McNeil, author of Ten and #murdertrending
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 736 reviews
March 2, 2023
I can honestly say Dark Room Etiquette is captivating, compelling, extremely intense and dark survival and healing story of Sayers Wayte! It’s not for everyone to read! Some chapters were hard to absorb! I honestly got a few breaks to control my breathing! It made me cry. It made me deeply hurt. It felt like thousands of tiny glass pieces stuck in my throat!
After the ominous opening of a teenage boy who is captured, talking with the man who took him away from his old life, we move backward to get introduced with sixteen years old Sayers Wayte; privileged, popular, arrogant, golden boy who is bored to death with his life. Even though he has brilliant linguistic skills, he has no purpose and no plan about his future because it’s already mapped by his family. He will graduate and manage the family business.
He acts like he doesn’t care about his estranged relationship with his father who recently decided to move to another country. His mother is trying to act like his best friend, taking to him vacations around the world, providing everything he desires. But she doesn’t see her actions is the reason her only son turned into spoiled brat.
Sayers never thinks the consequences of his actions, hanging with bullies of school who are targeting Evan Zamara. At the prom night a prank gets out of control. At the next day, Evan’s best friend Blair threatens Sayers to pay what he did.
Sayers jumps into his car to get away from the mayhem. He has no idea that a few mistaken decisions he’s made at the same day will result with his captivation.
When he opens his eyes, he finds himself in a dark, windowless room, chained, trapped. A very dangerous man called Caleb wants Sayes call him dad. Because he thinks Sayes is his missing son Daniel who has been kidnapped from the park when he was only 10 years old.
Sayers tries to run away but he’s stuck in this dark room with a monster and unfortunately he slowly starts to believe he may be telling the truth. But when another prisoner joins him in the dark room, everything changes. He cannot differentiate between the nightmare and reality!
Finally he escapes from the dark room but old Sayes is already gone. In his mind he’s still trapped in the same place with his father Caleb. Even though he tries harder to get out, he’s stuck there. Only one person tries to help him instead of pitying or resenting him. But what if Sayes is at the point of no turn. What if old Sayes died at the room and he will come back?
The heartbreaking, thought breaking, tense, scary survival, PTSD, trauma story of Sayes Wayte probably will haunt me forever!
I advise you to read the author’s note at the end. Unfortunately the children at the young age carry the burden of most frightening nightmares. The healing process is tough and long way.
Thank you so much Robin Roe for writing this book to show us the light still exists at the end of the tunnel!
After the ominous opening of a teenage boy who is captured, talking with the man who took him away from his old life, we move backward to get introduced with sixteen years old Sayers Wayte; privileged, popular, arrogant, golden boy who is bored to death with his life. Even though he has brilliant linguistic skills, he has no purpose and no plan about his future because it’s already mapped by his family. He will graduate and manage the family business.
He acts like he doesn’t care about his estranged relationship with his father who recently decided to move to another country. His mother is trying to act like his best friend, taking to him vacations around the world, providing everything he desires. But she doesn’t see her actions is the reason her only son turned into spoiled brat.
Sayers never thinks the consequences of his actions, hanging with bullies of school who are targeting Evan Zamara. At the prom night a prank gets out of control. At the next day, Evan’s best friend Blair threatens Sayers to pay what he did.
Sayers jumps into his car to get away from the mayhem. He has no idea that a few mistaken decisions he’s made at the same day will result with his captivation.
When he opens his eyes, he finds himself in a dark, windowless room, chained, trapped. A very dangerous man called Caleb wants Sayes call him dad. Because he thinks Sayes is his missing son Daniel who has been kidnapped from the park when he was only 10 years old.
Sayers tries to run away but he’s stuck in this dark room with a monster and unfortunately he slowly starts to believe he may be telling the truth. But when another prisoner joins him in the dark room, everything changes. He cannot differentiate between the nightmare and reality!
Finally he escapes from the dark room but old Sayes is already gone. In his mind he’s still trapped in the same place with his father Caleb. Even though he tries harder to get out, he’s stuck there. Only one person tries to help him instead of pitying or resenting him. But what if Sayes is at the point of no turn. What if old Sayes died at the room and he will come back?
The heartbreaking, thought breaking, tense, scary survival, PTSD, trauma story of Sayes Wayte probably will haunt me forever!
I advise you to read the author’s note at the end. Unfortunately the children at the young age carry the burden of most frightening nightmares. The healing process is tough and long way.
Thank you so much Robin Roe for writing this book to show us the light still exists at the end of the tunnel!
May 23, 2024
Trauma. How do you deal with it? What does it do to you? Dark Room Etiquette is the intense and discomforting story of Sayers (Saye), a sixteen-year-old privileged boy who gets kidnapped and is trapped in a windowless room.
This book was one of my most anticipated 2022 reads, and I was a little anxious to get in. I knew this would be a harrowing story, but the harshness started differently than I expected. Soon after I started reading my stomach churned, and a band tightened around my chest. Not because of what happened to Saye, but because Saye was such an asshole. And then he got kidnapped.
I sat under huge olive trees in Italy and watched my boys beside me, reading and having fun. Meanwhile, I felt sicker and sicker, and eventually, goosebumps crawled over my body. I almost hated the privileged Saye, but I wanted to hug the kidnapped Saye so badly. When I thought it couldn’t get worse, anger burned itself through my skin, and tears prickled in my eyes.
This story is not only about kidnapped Saye. It’s also about the aftermath, about being back in the everyday world—about a traumatized boy who had to find himself again. And I had huge lumps in my throat, and I cried, like a lot. Eventually though, Dark Room Etiquette is a hopeful story and I’m so happy about that.
Last but not least, I want to spotlight that gorgeous cover by a Dutch artist (yes 😀!) Martina Johanna. It’s so stunning!
Thank you so much, Robin, for trusting me to read and review this ARC. Like I said, it was one of my most anticipated 2022 books, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. I highly recommend this story but please, everyone, read the trigger warnings first! Even though this book is hopeful in the end, it’s really dark and disturbing.
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This book was one of my most anticipated 2022 reads, and I was a little anxious to get in. I knew this would be a harrowing story, but the harshness started differently than I expected. Soon after I started reading my stomach churned, and a band tightened around my chest. Not because of what happened to Saye, but because Saye was such an asshole. And then he got kidnapped.
I sat under huge olive trees in Italy and watched my boys beside me, reading and having fun. Meanwhile, I felt sicker and sicker, and eventually, goosebumps crawled over my body. I almost hated the privileged Saye, but I wanted to hug the kidnapped Saye so badly. When I thought it couldn’t get worse, anger burned itself through my skin, and tears prickled in my eyes.
This story is not only about kidnapped Saye. It’s also about the aftermath, about being back in the everyday world—about a traumatized boy who had to find himself again. And I had huge lumps in my throat, and I cried, like a lot. Eventually though, Dark Room Etiquette is a hopeful story and I’m so happy about that.
Last but not least, I want to spotlight that gorgeous cover by a Dutch artist (yes 😀!) Martina Johanna. It’s so stunning!
Thank you so much, Robin, for trusting me to read and review this ARC. Like I said, it was one of my most anticipated 2022 books, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. I highly recommend this story but please, everyone, read the trigger warnings first! Even though this book is hopeful in the end, it’s really dark and disturbing.
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April 13, 2023
You should've just shot me. Why torture my poor heart like that?
Intense, harrowing and frightening. "Dark Room Etiquette" is an unforgettable story of trauma and healing, told in achingly beautiful prose with great tenderness and care. We are following our main character Sayers Wayte, a sixteen years old teenager. Sayers is a rich privileged boy who has everything a teenager of his age can dream of. But everything falls apart when he's kidnapped by a man who claims to be his father. The man tells him the privileged life he's been living is based on a lie. Sayers must escape from the windowless dark room the man has been keeping him. But escaping is pretty impossible. Will he be able come out of this living hell before he loses himself to its darkness?
I wouldn't deny that "Dark Room Etiquette" was a cover buy for me. I mean, just look at that gorgeous cover! At first, I thought it was thriller. But it's not. It's more like a contemporary fiction; dark and disturbing. It also does offer some decent twists and turns, incredibly well written character relationships and a wonderful main character who would stay with me in years to come. I wanna hug Sayers so bad right now...
This book was just perfect. It was enthralling and fast paced. The wickedly interesting plotline immediately gripped my attention, lured me in like a deathly lullaby and didn't let go until I had finished it. It was emotional and thought provoking. You're going to cry yourself to sleep, I promise. I cried like an infant while reading it.
Highly highly recommended. Please make sure to check the trigger warnings beforehand.
“The bad things are going to change you no matter what, and they can make you angry and bitter—or they can make you better.”
"We come into the world ready to love whoever shows up, good or bad—that’s what we do.”
Intense, harrowing and frightening. "Dark Room Etiquette" is an unforgettable story of trauma and healing, told in achingly beautiful prose with great tenderness and care. We are following our main character Sayers Wayte, a sixteen years old teenager. Sayers is a rich privileged boy who has everything a teenager of his age can dream of. But everything falls apart when he's kidnapped by a man who claims to be his father. The man tells him the privileged life he's been living is based on a lie. Sayers must escape from the windowless dark room the man has been keeping him. But escaping is pretty impossible. Will he be able come out of this living hell before he loses himself to its darkness?
I’m sinking again.
Deeper and deeper.
Until it’s just me.
Alone in a dark room.
And I know how to handle the dark.
You stay quiet, and you wait for it to end.
I wouldn't deny that "Dark Room Etiquette" was a cover buy for me. I mean, just look at that gorgeous cover! At first, I thought it was thriller. But it's not. It's more like a contemporary fiction; dark and disturbing. It also does offer some decent twists and turns, incredibly well written character relationships and a wonderful main character who would stay with me in years to come. I wanna hug Sayers so bad right now...
"Your mind can stay trapped even when your body is free."
This book was just perfect. It was enthralling and fast paced. The wickedly interesting plotline immediately gripped my attention, lured me in like a deathly lullaby and didn't let go until I had finished it. It was emotional and thought provoking. You're going to cry yourself to sleep, I promise. I cried like an infant while reading it.
"I’m bitter and dazed—I hate him—I’ve missed him."
Highly highly recommended. Please make sure to check the trigger warnings beforehand.
October 15, 2022
Sayers Wayte is an entitled rich boy. He’s the definition of ennui. He’s bored with life, and he never laughs anymore, at least, according to his best friend he doesn’t. He’s charming, popular, and he’s friends with bullies. But he doesn’t care when the bullies take things too far. He doesn’t care about anything.
That is, until he’s abducted by a redneck who’s convinced he’s his long-lost son. He’s held captive in a place that’s the exact opposite of the luxuries he’s grown to take for granted. Gone are his fancy car, his mother’s mansion, the meticulously cooked food that his chef prepares for him. It’s a rude awakening for Sayers, and that’s just the beginning of it. It’s clear that the man who abducted him is delusional and dangerous, and Sayers’ life is in danger. Will he be able to escape–with his sanity intact?
Wow! This book is both thought-provoking and thrilling. It has shades of Room by Emma Donoghue (but far more readable!), where it’s so much more than just a thriller. It explores the teenage mind and the effects of extreme trauma. I could not put it down!
This book is quite long, and we get to see a lot of Sayers’ life before he gets abducted. We see firsthand how he’s not a good person. We love to hate him, because he’s sarcastic, and the ways that he describes things are quite humorous, but as readers, we see how his actions are hurting those around him. He’s attending high school, and there are little nuggets throughout these scenes that foreshadow what’s to come. this includes when he attends his psychology class, and the teacher talks about a whole slew of conditions that might just afflict him later on…
The book has a few fantastic plot twists, including a new direction it takes later on that I didn’t see coming. Given the length of the book, I’d recommend not starting it too close to bedtime! You won’t be able to put it down… 5 stars!
*Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher, and Lets Talk Books Promos for the ebook to review*
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
Book Blog | Instagram | TikTok | Website | Twitter
My 2022 Reading Challenge
That is, until he’s abducted by a redneck who’s convinced he’s his long-lost son. He’s held captive in a place that’s the exact opposite of the luxuries he’s grown to take for granted. Gone are his fancy car, his mother’s mansion, the meticulously cooked food that his chef prepares for him. It’s a rude awakening for Sayers, and that’s just the beginning of it. It’s clear that the man who abducted him is delusional and dangerous, and Sayers’ life is in danger. Will he be able to escape–with his sanity intact?
Wow! This book is both thought-provoking and thrilling. It has shades of Room by Emma Donoghue (but far more readable!), where it’s so much more than just a thriller. It explores the teenage mind and the effects of extreme trauma. I could not put it down!
This book is quite long, and we get to see a lot of Sayers’ life before he gets abducted. We see firsthand how he’s not a good person. We love to hate him, because he’s sarcastic, and the ways that he describes things are quite humorous, but as readers, we see how his actions are hurting those around him. He’s attending high school, and there are little nuggets throughout these scenes that foreshadow what’s to come. this includes when he attends his psychology class, and the teacher talks about a whole slew of conditions that might just afflict him later on…
The book has a few fantastic plot twists, including a new direction it takes later on that I didn’t see coming. Given the length of the book, I’d recommend not starting it too close to bedtime! You won’t be able to put it down… 5 stars!
*Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher, and Lets Talk Books Promos for the ebook to review*
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
Book Blog | Instagram | TikTok | Website | Twitter
My 2022 Reading Challenge
February 10, 2022
My blurb for this book:
DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE is an utterly harrowing, enthralling, and ultimately hopeful exploration of survival and the journey of recovery from trauma. This book will make you think, but more importantly, it will make you feel.
DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE is an utterly harrowing, enthralling, and ultimately hopeful exploration of survival and the journey of recovery from trauma. This book will make you think, but more importantly, it will make you feel.
Want to read
May 20, 2025A NEW BOOK??? IM READY TO CRY AGAIN!!!😭😭😭
update 04/05/2022: Normally I don’t rate a book until I’ve actually read it but I’m going to make this one as an exception.
update 01/27/2022: This book is gonna be over 500 pages. THAT’S FIVE HUNDRED PAGES OF PAIN 💀
update 04/05/2022: Normally I don’t rate a book until I’ve actually read it but I’m going to make this one as an exception.
update 01/27/2022: This book is gonna be over 500 pages. THAT’S FIVE HUNDRED PAGES OF PAIN 💀
November 11, 2022
Overview:
😱 Heavy use of PTSD and trauma themes
😱 Brainwashing
👐 No romance
😍 Intense friendships
😍 Character study
😍 Identity arc
😍 Redemption Arc
🧠 Psychological thriller
Dark Room Etiquette is perfect. The vibes of The Wicker King meets Touching Spirit Bear. Sayers is your typical rich bully- willing to tolerate and even participate in the abuse of weaker kids. His family is distant. He has never really been a full person.
His life changes for good when he is kidnapped by a main who claims he is his father. That Sayers was kidnapped as a child and given a new identity. Locked in a dark room with no stimulation and only his kidnapper for company, Sayers reality starts to bend as his real life and the life of the person the man says he is start to blend.
Dark Room Etiquette is told in 3 parts: a before, a during, and an after. Each part has a slightly different tone and gives you a different layer to Sayers's personality and how he connects to the world. This is written in a young adult style, but the subject matter is very adult. This book contains no graphic abuse, but its so dark and twisted using subtly that I would still warn against reading it if you are particularly sensitive. The psychological element is very extreme. The book explores trauma and the fragility of the human mind in a visceral way.
Sayers is such an incredible character, and being in his head is a phenomenally chilling experience. He is written with so many layers and develops into a very complex, multi-layered character with a powerful identity arc. The best way to describe it is a mix of Theon's arc in Game of Thrones and Elisha from Docile. If that's your jam, you will love this boy.
Though the subject relates to kidnapping, this is a pretty long book with a lot of character and character relationship development. Not just between Sayers and his abuser but characters that be bullied. Characters that he ignored. His friends and family. Dark Room Etiquette gives a beautiful and deeply emotional relationship to everyone in Sayers's life and has some of the best friendships I've seen in young adult fiction.
If you like dark brain squeezes, this is your book. I can not say enough good things about it. Dark Room Etiquette has everything that a fan of dark fiction could possibly want without being as traumatizing as this type of fiction can be. It is still written for a young adult crowd in mind. That said, do not dismiss this as a story that plays it safe, either.
😱 Heavy use of PTSD and trauma themes
😱 Brainwashing
👐 No romance
😍 Intense friendships
😍 Character study
😍 Identity arc
😍 Redemption Arc
🧠 Psychological thriller
Dark Room Etiquette is perfect. The vibes of The Wicker King meets Touching Spirit Bear. Sayers is your typical rich bully- willing to tolerate and even participate in the abuse of weaker kids. His family is distant. He has never really been a full person.
His life changes for good when he is kidnapped by a main who claims he is his father. That Sayers was kidnapped as a child and given a new identity. Locked in a dark room with no stimulation and only his kidnapper for company, Sayers reality starts to bend as his real life and the life of the person the man says he is start to blend.
Dark Room Etiquette is told in 3 parts: a before, a during, and an after. Each part has a slightly different tone and gives you a different layer to Sayers's personality and how he connects to the world. This is written in a young adult style, but the subject matter is very adult. This book contains no graphic abuse, but its so dark and twisted using subtly that I would still warn against reading it if you are particularly sensitive. The psychological element is very extreme. The book explores trauma and the fragility of the human mind in a visceral way.
Sayers is such an incredible character, and being in his head is a phenomenally chilling experience. He is written with so many layers and develops into a very complex, multi-layered character with a powerful identity arc. The best way to describe it is a mix of Theon's arc in Game of Thrones and Elisha from Docile. If that's your jam, you will love this boy.
Though the subject relates to kidnapping, this is a pretty long book with a lot of character and character relationship development. Not just between Sayers and his abuser but characters that be bullied. Characters that he ignored. His friends and family. Dark Room Etiquette gives a beautiful and deeply emotional relationship to everyone in Sayers's life and has some of the best friendships I've seen in young adult fiction.
If you like dark brain squeezes, this is your book. I can not say enough good things about it. Dark Room Etiquette has everything that a fan of dark fiction could possibly want without being as traumatizing as this type of fiction can be. It is still written for a young adult crowd in mind. That said, do not dismiss this as a story that plays it safe, either.
March 23, 2024
This book is for those who want to experience a Criminal Minds episode through the surviving victim's eyes. It messed with my head all right.
My complaint is that it took a while till the plot actually began and that I didn't really care about the story after he got out. But it was an experience. A traumatic one.
My complaint is that it took a while till the plot actually began and that I didn't really care about the story after he got out. But it was an experience. A traumatic one.
October 6, 2022
Review coming soon.
January 22, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
“It’s incredible what our minds will do to survive.”
This book completely shocked me. I remember seeing it on the shelf and it had caught my eye. Once I read the synopsis, it was an instant buy.
Robin Roe creates this all intensive world with so many plot twists that you would not expect. I was at the edge of my seat the entire book.
“I think your mind can stay trapped even when your body is free.”
Sayers had major character development. He began the book as this thoroughly spoiled rich kid who did not care about others at all. He felt empty and like he was just cruising through life. He was horrible to all those around him all because he had money and power. This whole lifestyle ended in a moment’s notice when his life is turned upside down. He gets kidnapped and has to play the role his kidnapper wants him to play. Sayers has to walk the line between being who the kidnapper wants him to be and his true self.
“The things that hurt you, change you. And they can either make you better or make you worse.”
I love the inclusion of side characters. They really add to the plot and I love how at first, they seem inconsequential until later on when we really get to see them in action. I also loved the psychological aspects that we see because a kidnapping is so hard and intense and it really feels like nothing was held back in this book. We saw the good, bad, and the really bad. I also loved the ending to this book and can wholeheartedly say this is one of my favorite reads ever!
“It feels like God has a language- one I could learn if I keep trying.”
“It’s incredible what our minds will do to survive.”
This book completely shocked me. I remember seeing it on the shelf and it had caught my eye. Once I read the synopsis, it was an instant buy.
Robin Roe creates this all intensive world with so many plot twists that you would not expect. I was at the edge of my seat the entire book.
“I think your mind can stay trapped even when your body is free.”
Sayers had major character development. He began the book as this thoroughly spoiled rich kid who did not care about others at all. He felt empty and like he was just cruising through life. He was horrible to all those around him all because he had money and power. This whole lifestyle ended in a moment’s notice when his life is turned upside down. He gets kidnapped and has to play the role his kidnapper wants him to play. Sayers has to walk the line between being who the kidnapper wants him to be and his true self.
“The things that hurt you, change you. And they can either make you better or make you worse.”
I love the inclusion of side characters. They really add to the plot and I love how at first, they seem inconsequential until later on when we really get to see them in action. I also loved the psychological aspects that we see because a kidnapping is so hard and intense and it really feels like nothing was held back in this book. We saw the good, bad, and the really bad. I also loved the ending to this book and can wholeheartedly say this is one of my favorite reads ever!
“It feels like God has a language- one I could learn if I keep trying.”
January 19, 2024
Whew! Both gut-wrenching and compulsively readable, Dark Room Etiquette follows Sayers, a spoiled teenager whose life is tilted upside down when he’s kidnapped by a strange man claiming to be his real father.
This reminded me a lot of my experience reading My Dark Vanessa. Both follow “unlikeable” protagonists who experience stockholm syndrome, have themes of navigating life after living through unspeakable traumas, and were impossible to put down once invested in the story.
Dark, emotional, and immersive-if you’re in the mood for a page-turner then this will hit the spot.
*edit: I’m bumping this up from 4.5 to 5 stars because it really did its damn thing and I’ve thought about it a lot after finishing it! So yeah I have a little gripe about the ending, but I am already thinking about when I should re-read this so clearly it’s a 5 star read!!
Also I’m gonna go ahead a delete my spoilers even with the spoiler warning because I don’t trust the goodreads app enough to keep that part up 😂
To be as vague as I can, I wanted to know more about the investigative part of the story. Like once we and Sayers see the full picture, I wanted to know even more details than what was given about his case. That was my little gripe!
This reminded me a lot of my experience reading My Dark Vanessa. Both follow “unlikeable” protagonists who experience stockholm syndrome, have themes of navigating life after living through unspeakable traumas, and were impossible to put down once invested in the story.
Dark, emotional, and immersive-if you’re in the mood for a page-turner then this will hit the spot.
*edit: I’m bumping this up from 4.5 to 5 stars because it really did its damn thing and I’ve thought about it a lot after finishing it! So yeah I have a little gripe about the ending, but I am already thinking about when I should re-read this so clearly it’s a 5 star read!!
Also I’m gonna go ahead a delete my spoilers even with the spoiler warning because I don’t trust the goodreads app enough to keep that part up 😂
To be as vague as I can, I wanted to know more about the investigative part of the story. Like once we and Sayers see the full picture, I wanted to know even more details than what was given about his case. That was my little gripe!
October 23, 2023
Five stars.
I don't give them out often. I am REALLY a hard reader to please and most books are three or four or one stars to me.
I kept seeing Dark Room Etiquette on Insta, plus I loved the cover, so I got the audiobook. And months later, I read the paper version and still loved it.
When I started this on Saturday, it was absolutely going to be a DNF, but I had no other book in the queue and just kept listening.
Until I couldn't stop.
A well written interesting story in three acts - an unlikable rich teenager, his life as a kidnapped victim, the aftermath.
Well done Robin Roe.
I don't give them out often. I am REALLY a hard reader to please and most books are three or four or one stars to me.
I kept seeing Dark Room Etiquette on Insta, plus I loved the cover, so I got the audiobook. And months later, I read the paper version and still loved it.
When I started this on Saturday, it was absolutely going to be a DNF, but I had no other book in the queue and just kept listening.
Until I couldn't stop.
A well written interesting story in three acts - an unlikable rich teenager, his life as a kidnapped victim, the aftermath.
Well done Robin Roe.
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October 10, 2022
The author, Robin Roe, reached out to me on Instagram to ask if I would read her latest novel Dark Room Etiquette and I said yes. The premise of the story is completely up my alley and even though it's a beefy 500+ pages, as a YA novel that is a quick read for me. It took me about six hours to read cover to cover and I have a major bone to pick with it, the authors note should have come at the beginning of the story and here is why.
Sayers is a largely unlikeable character, but for the purpose of the story development he has to be. Spoiled rich kid who wants for nothing is kidnapped by a delusional serial killer who believes he's found his long, lost son, Daniel. Through intense abuse, isolation and brainwashing, Sayers begins to believe he is Daniel and develops an attachment for his capture, Caleb. Upon his rescue Sayers finds himself back at school with his old friends as he tries to process the trauma.
Up until Sayers was rescued I felt the book was good. It read long and a bit overhanded but good. By overhanded I mean the psychology class that just happened to be covering Stockholm Syndrome, the students talking about implanted memories and first person witness unreliability and the security guard who rushes Sayers because he got lost on the job. Even without reading the synopsis it was pretty clear to see where the story was going.
After Sayers rescue is where I became frustrated as a reader. Sayers family has resources and yet therapy was a choice and he was never deprogrammed? Penny, a girl with less resources, was sent to an in-patient facility and Sayers was left with nothing? This made no sense. No one would have just allowed Sayers to go back to school without some form of support or accommodations. I was so distracted by this frustration that I could not wait for the book to be over.
Now to Sayers captor Caleb. Despite having freezers full of dead boys, he chose to kill himself instead of Sayers. Why? This stuck out to me as strange.
The character of Garrett, the budding sociopath that sexually assaults a male classmate, where does he go? So much time in the first half of the novel was spent talking about him, what he does and how he terrifies Evan but is then almost completely out of the ending. I understand Garrett, along with most of Sayers friends abandon him, but as a reader it left me unsatisfied.
And Evan, sweet Evan, I know he was a vessel to show Sayers' better side but their friendship never felt genuine or real.
Once I read the authors note I was more frustrated then what I finished the final chapter. It was pretty clear that the author wanted to show what trauma does and how it affects many aspects of someone's life, but the execution was poorly written. Once I read the authors note I then had to think about the book under a new lens. Which is why, despite finishing the book days ago, it's taken me this long to give feedback. Had the note come at the beginning and I understood what the author was trying to achieve, I probably wouldn't have spent the last half of the quarter of the book frustrated. As a rule, I do not DNF books when I'm asked by an author to read it. Had I not been, this is a book I would have put down and then would have never learned about the authors nephew and her inspiration for this novel.
Overall, the novel had a promising theme but the execution was not all there for me. I also think it could have been culled down significantly and achieved the same story.
As always, thank you to NetGalley, author Robin Roe and Harper Teen for allowing me access to an eARC in exchange for feedback.
Sayers is a largely unlikeable character, but for the purpose of the story development he has to be. Spoiled rich kid who wants for nothing is kidnapped by a delusional serial killer who believes he's found his long, lost son, Daniel. Through intense abuse, isolation and brainwashing, Sayers begins to believe he is Daniel and develops an attachment for his capture, Caleb. Upon his rescue Sayers finds himself back at school with his old friends as he tries to process the trauma.
Up until Sayers was rescued I felt the book was good. It read long and a bit overhanded but good. By overhanded I mean the psychology class that just happened to be covering Stockholm Syndrome, the students talking about implanted memories and first person witness unreliability and the security guard who rushes Sayers because he got lost on the job. Even without reading the synopsis it was pretty clear to see where the story was going.
After Sayers rescue is where I became frustrated as a reader. Sayers family has resources and yet therapy was a choice and he was never deprogrammed? Penny, a girl with less resources, was sent to an in-patient facility and Sayers was left with nothing? This made no sense. No one would have just allowed Sayers to go back to school without some form of support or accommodations. I was so distracted by this frustration that I could not wait for the book to be over.
Now to Sayers captor Caleb. Despite having freezers full of dead boys, he chose to kill himself instead of Sayers. Why? This stuck out to me as strange.
The character of Garrett, the budding sociopath that sexually assaults a male classmate, where does he go? So much time in the first half of the novel was spent talking about him, what he does and how he terrifies Evan but is then almost completely out of the ending. I understand Garrett, along with most of Sayers friends abandon him, but as a reader it left me unsatisfied.
And Evan, sweet Evan, I know he was a vessel to show Sayers' better side but their friendship never felt genuine or real.
Once I read the authors note I was more frustrated then what I finished the final chapter. It was pretty clear that the author wanted to show what trauma does and how it affects many aspects of someone's life, but the execution was poorly written. Once I read the authors note I then had to think about the book under a new lens. Which is why, despite finishing the book days ago, it's taken me this long to give feedback. Had the note come at the beginning and I understood what the author was trying to achieve, I probably wouldn't have spent the last half of the quarter of the book frustrated. As a rule, I do not DNF books when I'm asked by an author to read it. Had I not been, this is a book I would have put down and then would have never learned about the authors nephew and her inspiration for this novel.
Overall, the novel had a promising theme but the execution was not all there for me. I also think it could have been culled down significantly and achieved the same story.
As always, thank you to NetGalley, author Robin Roe and Harper Teen for allowing me access to an eARC in exchange for feedback.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2022
This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I loved this book! When I pick up a book, I always hope for it to make me feel something. Well, this book made me feel so many things. There were times that the book made me uncomfortable because the scenes felt so real. This says a lot about the quality of the writing because I really felt like I was there watching these things happen and it was hard. I went into the book blindly, as I usually try to do, which I would recommend other readers try to do because I think that some events in the book will have a bigger impact if you don’t know they are coming. I am so glad that I picked up this book.
The characters in this book go through some very serious traumatic experiences. This is not a light read because the things that happen in this book are truly horrible. I thought that the author did a fantastic job of illustrating just how these characters might have reacted and dealt with the things that were out of their control. The characters change in various ways over the course of the story and I wanted more than anything to see them come out okay.
I would highly recommend this book to others. This was a powerful story that I will not soon forget. I went through a wide range of emotions while reading this book and found it impossible to put down. I actually ended up reading the bulk of the book during 4 hours period where I didn’t let the book leave my hands. The author definitely knows her stuff and I appreciated the author’s note at the end of the book. I will definitely plan to read more of this author’s work in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from HarperTeen.
Initial Thoughts
This was fantastic! There were times when I almost had a hard time reading this book because it made it uncomfortable. This says a lot about the quality of the writing because I really felt like I was there watching these things happen and it was hard. The story took a different turn than I expected which I appreciated. I ended up reading the last 60% of the book in a single sitting because I was so invested in these characters. This is a book that I don't think I will be forgetting anytime soon.
I loved this book! When I pick up a book, I always hope for it to make me feel something. Well, this book made me feel so many things. There were times that the book made me uncomfortable because the scenes felt so real. This says a lot about the quality of the writing because I really felt like I was there watching these things happen and it was hard. I went into the book blindly, as I usually try to do, which I would recommend other readers try to do because I think that some events in the book will have a bigger impact if you don’t know they are coming. I am so glad that I picked up this book.
The characters in this book go through some very serious traumatic experiences. This is not a light read because the things that happen in this book are truly horrible. I thought that the author did a fantastic job of illustrating just how these characters might have reacted and dealt with the things that were out of their control. The characters change in various ways over the course of the story and I wanted more than anything to see them come out okay.
I would highly recommend this book to others. This was a powerful story that I will not soon forget. I went through a wide range of emotions while reading this book and found it impossible to put down. I actually ended up reading the bulk of the book during 4 hours period where I didn’t let the book leave my hands. The author definitely knows her stuff and I appreciated the author’s note at the end of the book. I will definitely plan to read more of this author’s work in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from HarperTeen.
Initial Thoughts
This was fantastic! There were times when I almost had a hard time reading this book because it made it uncomfortable. This says a lot about the quality of the writing because I really felt like I was there watching these things happen and it was hard. The story took a different turn than I expected which I appreciated. I ended up reading the last 60% of the book in a single sitting because I was so invested in these characters. This is a book that I don't think I will be forgetting anytime soon.
January 9, 2025
if you’re looking for a book that aches, and yet you can’t seem to put it down, then look no further. this is it, this is the book.
the plot can be divided into three sections:
sayers as an average, white, rich teenage boy. everything he wants, he has in the palm of his hand, the kicker of it all being, of course, that because he has such easy access to the world, he doesn’t actually /want/ or appreciate any of it. let’s be honest: he’s a bit of a jerk, and he’s friends with assholes, too.
then sayers is faced with an unspeakable trauma. he’s kidnapped and trapped inside a windowless room with no way out, and eventually, not even the hope of escaping one day to carry him through. he develops a complicated relationship with his kidnapper, and with himself.
[spoiler] most books might end here, but what makes dark room etiquette truly special is part three: what happens afterward. when faced with horrible tragedy, how do we move on? how do the people around us experience it? how does it change who we are as people? and if we are broken, can we ever truly heal?
i have a confession: i /loved/ robin roe’s first book, a list of cages. it left such an impression on me that i decided to start keeping track of my favorite books after i read it, so i could remember. five years later, i posted about it on instagram, and robin roe commented her thanks, and mentioned that she had another book coming out soon. i was SO excited. i’d been wishing for more of her work for /years/. she even sent me a handwritten card in thanks for my appreciation!! i pre-ordered the book right away…and then i let it sit on my shelf. for three years.
some days, i looked at it and thought: wow, i should really read this soon! sometimes i forgot about it entirely. i faced the concept of reading it with two emotions: part pure excitement at the idea of potentially getting to read my new favorite book, and part fear - what if her second book wasn’t as good? i tend towards anxiety, but as it turns out, there was no reason to worry. i loved this book SO MUCH. it felt genuinely frustrating to have to put it down and go to work, resume the real world. nothing felt as important as sayers and finding out what happened next. and not just because the concept was thrilling, but because this book was beautiful. i felt everything, an entire range of emotions, and came out on the other side feeling like a Changed Person, as all of the best books do to you. this book is 500 pages long which seems like a Lot but by the time i reached page 480 i was feeling upset that there wasn’t more of it, which i feel like says a lot.
what else can i really say other than: read it!! (but do check the trigger warnings first, as many dark topics are touched upon and explored at length.)
the plot can be divided into three sections:
sayers as an average, white, rich teenage boy. everything he wants, he has in the palm of his hand, the kicker of it all being, of course, that because he has such easy access to the world, he doesn’t actually /want/ or appreciate any of it. let’s be honest: he’s a bit of a jerk, and he’s friends with assholes, too.
then sayers is faced with an unspeakable trauma. he’s kidnapped and trapped inside a windowless room with no way out, and eventually, not even the hope of escaping one day to carry him through. he develops a complicated relationship with his kidnapper, and with himself.
[spoiler] most books might end here, but what makes dark room etiquette truly special is part three: what happens afterward. when faced with horrible tragedy, how do we move on? how do the people around us experience it? how does it change who we are as people? and if we are broken, can we ever truly heal?
i have a confession: i /loved/ robin roe’s first book, a list of cages. it left such an impression on me that i decided to start keeping track of my favorite books after i read it, so i could remember. five years later, i posted about it on instagram, and robin roe commented her thanks, and mentioned that she had another book coming out soon. i was SO excited. i’d been wishing for more of her work for /years/. she even sent me a handwritten card in thanks for my appreciation!! i pre-ordered the book right away…and then i let it sit on my shelf. for three years.
some days, i looked at it and thought: wow, i should really read this soon! sometimes i forgot about it entirely. i faced the concept of reading it with two emotions: part pure excitement at the idea of potentially getting to read my new favorite book, and part fear - what if her second book wasn’t as good? i tend towards anxiety, but as it turns out, there was no reason to worry. i loved this book SO MUCH. it felt genuinely frustrating to have to put it down and go to work, resume the real world. nothing felt as important as sayers and finding out what happened next. and not just because the concept was thrilling, but because this book was beautiful. i felt everything, an entire range of emotions, and came out on the other side feeling like a Changed Person, as all of the best books do to you. this book is 500 pages long which seems like a Lot but by the time i reached page 480 i was feeling upset that there wasn’t more of it, which i feel like says a lot.
what else can i really say other than: read it!! (but do check the trigger warnings first, as many dark topics are touched upon and explored at length.)
October 15, 2022
REVIEW
Dark Room Etiquette
By Robin Roe
512 pages
Audiobook:
Narrated by Andrew J. Anderson
12 hours 16 mins
Out now!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💫 • 4.5/5 stars
YA Thrillers aren't typically a genre I read. But when my friend Maren came to me with her thoughts on this one, I knew I needed to read it for myself so we could discuss it. I binged it in a single day thanks to the audiobook and the outstanding narrator, Andrew J. Anderson. 👏
16-year-old Sayers Wayte seemingly has it all: good looks, popularity, wealth, and oodles of privilege.... Until one day, it's all stripped away when he's kidnapped by a madman who believes Say is his long lost son, Daniel, who went missing when he was ten years old.
Say is forced to play the role of Daniel in an effort to stay alive. But after months of living this lie, he begins losing parts of himself and his true identity. Sayers is slowly disappearing. Will Sayers be able to keep a grasp on reality? Or will he lose himself for good?
What a book!!! I really enjoyed this!! I loved the exploration of Stockholm syndrome and brainwashing, and how quickly the human mind can assimilate to a new reality for the sake of survival. I also really loved the friendship aspect of this (I won't expand for fear of spoilers). I docked half a star because there was a religious component that was completely unnecessary and even a bit out-of-pocket for standard YA lit. The religious aspect didn't necessarily advance the story, and it would have been equally good without it. It doesn't personally bother me, but I don't think it was a good move to include it, as it limits the audience. Non-Christians may be a bit put-off or even uncomfortable by it, so for that reason I felt it pertinent to mention it (and you'll see more thoughts on this in Maren's review, as she's the one who originally brought this to my attention).
Overall, I do still highly recommend this book, especially in audiobook format. This would make a great family listen on a road trip or long car ride. It's a thriller but not overly gruesome or violent.
Thanks, Maren, for influencing me to read this one. It made for a great discussion. ☺️😘
Dark Room Etiquette
By Robin Roe
512 pages
Audiobook:
Narrated by Andrew J. Anderson
12 hours 16 mins
Out now!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💫 • 4.5/5 stars
YA Thrillers aren't typically a genre I read. But when my friend Maren came to me with her thoughts on this one, I knew I needed to read it for myself so we could discuss it. I binged it in a single day thanks to the audiobook and the outstanding narrator, Andrew J. Anderson. 👏
16-year-old Sayers Wayte seemingly has it all: good looks, popularity, wealth, and oodles of privilege.... Until one day, it's all stripped away when he's kidnapped by a madman who believes Say is his long lost son, Daniel, who went missing when he was ten years old.
Say is forced to play the role of Daniel in an effort to stay alive. But after months of living this lie, he begins losing parts of himself and his true identity. Sayers is slowly disappearing. Will Sayers be able to keep a grasp on reality? Or will he lose himself for good?
What a book!!! I really enjoyed this!! I loved the exploration of Stockholm syndrome and brainwashing, and how quickly the human mind can assimilate to a new reality for the sake of survival. I also really loved the friendship aspect of this (I won't expand for fear of spoilers). I docked half a star because there was a religious component that was completely unnecessary and even a bit out-of-pocket for standard YA lit. The religious aspect didn't necessarily advance the story, and it would have been equally good without it. It doesn't personally bother me, but I don't think it was a good move to include it, as it limits the audience. Non-Christians may be a bit put-off or even uncomfortable by it, so for that reason I felt it pertinent to mention it (and you'll see more thoughts on this in Maren's review, as she's the one who originally brought this to my attention).
Overall, I do still highly recommend this book, especially in audiobook format. This would make a great family listen on a road trip or long car ride. It's a thriller but not overly gruesome or violent.
Thanks, Maren, for influencing me to read this one. It made for a great discussion. ☺️😘
November 18, 2022
Dark Room Etiquette by Robin Roe (audiobook review)
Narrated by Andrew J. Anderson (12 hours 16 minutes).
Young Adult - Psychological thriller
Monthly book club pick @bookster.madi, #bookstermadisbookclub
(Book rating 4⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Audiobook rating 4⭐⭐⭐⭐)
What did I think?
Dark Room Etiquette is a gritty and mind-bending story. The novel explores the aftermath of traumatic events and the process of healing. The author does an excellent job of putting the reader at the center of the story. I'm glad I listened to the audio and couldn't help feeling emotionally invested in the intensity of the plot. It immediately grabs your heart.
This audiobook is brilliant, but tense. It is not a light or generally uplifting novel. Although it could have been condensed, I found it to be extremely well written and easy to understand. Andrew J. Anderson provides wonderful and realistic narration. This novel reminds me in some ways of Room by Emma Donoghue, but it's darker.
Warning: As a result of its emotional content, I do not think it is suitable for all audiences.
Synopsis:
Sayer Wayte, sixteen, has nothing to worry about. His parents are wealthy, he's popular, well-educated, and good-looking. A man kidnaps Sayer and tells him the upper-class life he's been living is a farce.
Sayers is imprisoned in a windowless room with no idea why he was kidnapped. He must play the game his abductor created for him in order to survive. Will Sayer return to his family?
#DarkRoomEtiquette #Audiobooks #netgalleyreviewer #bookworm #bookishcommunity #bookstagramcommunity #readingcommunity #Books #bookfriends #booksbooksbooks #booksta #bookstagram #newtobookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #instabookstagram #bookish #bookishielife #newtobookstagram #newtoinsta #newtoinstagra #Bookishcom #trending #bestsellingbooks
Narrated by Andrew J. Anderson (12 hours 16 minutes).
Young Adult - Psychological thriller
Monthly book club pick @bookster.madi, #bookstermadisbookclub
(Book rating 4⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Audiobook rating 4⭐⭐⭐⭐)
What did I think?
Dark Room Etiquette is a gritty and mind-bending story. The novel explores the aftermath of traumatic events and the process of healing. The author does an excellent job of putting the reader at the center of the story. I'm glad I listened to the audio and couldn't help feeling emotionally invested in the intensity of the plot. It immediately grabs your heart.
This audiobook is brilliant, but tense. It is not a light or generally uplifting novel. Although it could have been condensed, I found it to be extremely well written and easy to understand. Andrew J. Anderson provides wonderful and realistic narration. This novel reminds me in some ways of Room by Emma Donoghue, but it's darker.
Warning: As a result of its emotional content, I do not think it is suitable for all audiences.
Synopsis:
Sayer Wayte, sixteen, has nothing to worry about. His parents are wealthy, he's popular, well-educated, and good-looking. A man kidnaps Sayer and tells him the upper-class life he's been living is a farce.
Sayers is imprisoned in a windowless room with no idea why he was kidnapped. He must play the game his abductor created for him in order to survive. Will Sayer return to his family?
#DarkRoomEtiquette #Audiobooks #netgalleyreviewer #bookworm #bookishcommunity #bookstagramcommunity #readingcommunity #Books #bookfriends #booksbooksbooks #booksta #bookstagram #newtobookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #instabookstagram #bookish #bookishielife #newtobookstagram #newtoinsta #newtoinstagra #Bookishcom #trending #bestsellingbooks
October 6, 2022
Read this book. I couldn't put it down. Spectacularly written.
October 14, 2022
I have some thoughts but it’s going to take me a minute to process them. Full review soon.
May 23, 2023
4 1/2 stars. YA is not usually my go-to genre, although I have really loved YA dystopian novels - will link a few of those to this review when I’m at my computer. However, this novel applies to people of all ages. It is universal in its sense of how each individual deals with agonizing grief, or unbearable trauma.
It’s lovely in the fact that it doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable realities. The kid least likely to get kidnapped at age 16 - if Saye Wayte, an incredibly overprivileged and arrogant asshole by anyone’s standards - isn’t safe with all the safety his family’s wealth can buy, then what kid really is? It also helped that an extremely unlikeable MC was experiencing this trauma.
The first 100 pages or so you get to see just how cruel Saye can be, openly mocking a waitress from his high school in front of his friends for not only working at the “restaurant” (it has no name, is simply called “Restaurant”) for not knowing if they served anything other than deep-fried foods, then mocking her “cheap perfume” and saying how disgusting she is and how she makes him want to vomit. All of this is overheard by the girl who, it turns out, has a crush on him.
This girl will also come to play a very pivotal role in his experience - whether that’s before, during, or after his traumatic experience - well, that’s for you to find out. But essentially even after many of the horrible things he did before he was kidnapped by a deranged serial killer, you still end up feeling heartbroken for him after you realize the experience truly has profoundly changed him.
An example? A kid he used to pick on before the incident happened later befriends him and shows him enough acts of kindness that truly help to aid in his recovery. The kid’s best friend, however, is a different story. He knows how much Saye and his friends have tormented his longtime friend, and unlike this friend, he doesn’t believe a person can change so dramatically. Yet when he challenges him on this:
”I sink to my knees.
And everything goes quiet.
My hands to my sides, I lift my head.
‘I’m sorry, Blair.’
...‘I’m sorry’ I say again. ‘Please let me fix this.’
‘You can’t fix it. Are you crazy or something?’
Now the cafeteria’s roaring with laughter. Blair glances around some more, then he singes me with a glare and whips around, shoving through the crowd of onlookers, so I’m left looking up at nothing.
My eyes drop to the floor, feeling hundreds of stares hot against my cheeks.”
The author acknowledges in the end that it’s all about trauma and how that trauma will define you, only it’s up to you whether you let it make you a better person, or whether you succumb to the hopelessness of it all. For instance, Saye gets “stuck” in the middle of his room with his friend there, and when his friend attempts to speak to him:
But I can’t answer him.
My whole body has turned to ice, and I have to stay perfectly still - or I’ll shatter.
It’s pretty amazing that Saye has the people he does in his life to help him in the ways that they do; especially after one of his “before abduction” friends tormented one of these “after abduction” friends in a way that made the victim tell Saye:
“He’s one of those people, you know?”
“One of what people?”
”The kind that likes to break things just to see them in pieces.”
I guess everyone is dealing with some kind of trauma in their own way. It’s a pretty fantastic and ultimately uplifting book, but it did stretch on a bit unnecessarily. There were also some weird contradictions when Saye was with Caleb that didn’t make sense, but not so much so that you couldn’t overlook them.
I really didn’t like knowing either that Caleb was just a madman the whole time. I think it would have made for a lot more interesting read if the audience had been just as confused/in the dark as to whether or not Caleb was a good or bad guy, like Saye was. If we had no idea whether his motives and his story were actually true (not just in the abstract, but in Saye’s particular ordeal).
If the book had been shortened by about 100 pages (even though it reads in super short chapters with double spacing) and we had to struggle with Saye’s true identity the way Saye and Caleb did, this likely would have been a 5 star book. But still, it’s definitely worth a read for the concentration on the survival and after effects of trauma alone (since most stories of this kind just concentrate on the thrilling aspects, then end abruptly). This book was one of the few to really concentrate on an often largely neglected topic in today’s fiction, and it did so in an amazingly loving yet realistic manner.
It’s lovely in the fact that it doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable realities. The kid least likely to get kidnapped at age 16 - if Saye Wayte, an incredibly overprivileged and arrogant asshole by anyone’s standards - isn’t safe with all the safety his family’s wealth can buy, then what kid really is? It also helped that an extremely unlikeable MC was experiencing this trauma.
The first 100 pages or so you get to see just how cruel Saye can be, openly mocking a waitress from his high school in front of his friends for not only working at the “restaurant” (it has no name, is simply called “Restaurant”) for not knowing if they served anything other than deep-fried foods, then mocking her “cheap perfume” and saying how disgusting she is and how she makes him want to vomit. All of this is overheard by the girl who, it turns out, has a crush on him.
This girl will also come to play a very pivotal role in his experience - whether that’s before, during, or after his traumatic experience - well, that’s for you to find out. But essentially even after many of the horrible things he did before he was kidnapped by a deranged serial killer, you still end up feeling heartbroken for him after you realize the experience truly has profoundly changed him.
An example? A kid he used to pick on before the incident happened later befriends him and shows him enough acts of kindness that truly help to aid in his recovery. The kid’s best friend, however, is a different story. He knows how much Saye and his friends have tormented his longtime friend, and unlike this friend, he doesn’t believe a person can change so dramatically. Yet when he challenges him on this:
”I sink to my knees.
And everything goes quiet.
My hands to my sides, I lift my head.
‘I’m sorry, Blair.’
...‘I’m sorry’ I say again. ‘Please let me fix this.’
‘You can’t fix it. Are you crazy or something?’
Now the cafeteria’s roaring with laughter. Blair glances around some more, then he singes me with a glare and whips around, shoving through the crowd of onlookers, so I’m left looking up at nothing.
My eyes drop to the floor, feeling hundreds of stares hot against my cheeks.”
The author acknowledges in the end that it’s all about trauma and how that trauma will define you, only it’s up to you whether you let it make you a better person, or whether you succumb to the hopelessness of it all. For instance, Saye gets “stuck” in the middle of his room with his friend there, and when his friend attempts to speak to him:
But I can’t answer him.
My whole body has turned to ice, and I have to stay perfectly still - or I’ll shatter.
It’s pretty amazing that Saye has the people he does in his life to help him in the ways that they do; especially after one of his “before abduction” friends tormented one of these “after abduction” friends in a way that made the victim tell Saye:
“He’s one of those people, you know?”
“One of what people?”
”The kind that likes to break things just to see them in pieces.”
I guess everyone is dealing with some kind of trauma in their own way. It’s a pretty fantastic and ultimately uplifting book, but it did stretch on a bit unnecessarily. There were also some weird contradictions when Saye was with Caleb that didn’t make sense, but not so much so that you couldn’t overlook them.
I really didn’t like knowing either that Caleb was just a madman the whole time. I think it would have made for a lot more interesting read if the audience had been just as confused/in the dark as to whether or not Caleb was a good or bad guy, like Saye was. If we had no idea whether his motives and his story were actually true (not just in the abstract, but in Saye’s particular ordeal).
If the book had been shortened by about 100 pages (even though it reads in super short chapters with double spacing) and we had to struggle with Saye’s true identity the way Saye and Caleb did, this likely would have been a 5 star book. But still, it’s definitely worth a read for the concentration on the survival and after effects of trauma alone (since most stories of this kind just concentrate on the thrilling aspects, then end abruptly). This book was one of the few to really concentrate on an often largely neglected topic in today’s fiction, and it did so in an amazingly loving yet realistic manner.
October 6, 2022
Sayers "Saye" Wayte has everything he could imagine. He lives in a ridiculously nice house, has a hefty inheritance waiting for him, is the most popular kid in school, and can get away with anything. While he and some of his less-than-stellar friends tend to use that to their advantage, everyone else sees Saye as a pretty good kid. After a night that quickly gets out of control, Saye decides to skip school and go on the art field trip with his friend Luke. However, on his way home, he ends up having car trouble. A strange man helps him out and leaves when Saye asks him to. However, he returns moments later and kidnaps Saye.
Saye is trapped in a small house and is confined to his room and the living room, neither of which seem to have aged in years. During his time, he must learn what it takes to survive, even if he forgets parts of himself along the way.
I loved every moment of A List of Cages, and I was so excited when I was given an ARC of this one. Roe's first book was heavy, and I knew that this one would be no different. I knew a bit about this one going in, but I was going in blind for the most part. Dark Room Etiquette is harrowing yet gripping, and it refused to let me go. There were moments when I had to put the book down for a bit and come back, but I still wanted to know what happened in the end.
If you even consider reading this, please check out the trigger warnings under the spoiler tab at the end of this review. I am happy to discuss any of them in more detail. Dark Room Etiquette releases October 11th!
TW:
Saye is trapped in a small house and is confined to his room and the living room, neither of which seem to have aged in years. During his time, he must learn what it takes to survive, even if he forgets parts of himself along the way.
I loved every moment of A List of Cages, and I was so excited when I was given an ARC of this one. Roe's first book was heavy, and I knew that this one would be no different. I knew a bit about this one going in, but I was going in blind for the most part. Dark Room Etiquette is harrowing yet gripping, and it refused to let me go. There were moments when I had to put the book down for a bit and come back, but I still wanted to know what happened in the end.
If you even consider reading this, please check out the trigger warnings under the spoiler tab at the end of this review. I am happy to discuss any of them in more detail. Dark Room Etiquette releases October 11th!
TW:
July 14, 2024
This book was very gripping. It sucked me in and I read it in one sitting.
But it was also disturbing, traumatizing and quite hard to read. And while I expected Sayers to be extremely tortured or something, that wasn't what happened. The mental brainwashing was the worst. And very well written.
I don't think I can read this again. Even though it was very good.
But it was also disturbing, traumatizing and quite hard to read. And while I expected Sayers to be extremely tortured or something, that wasn't what happened. The mental brainwashing was the worst. And very well written.
I don't think I can read this again. Even though it was very good.
October 4, 2022
AALL THE STARS!!!!
OMG! Prepare yourself for a long and probably disorganized review because I am BURSTING with so many thoughts right now! #sorrynotsorry
To give you an idea, I took 19 pages of notes while reading… 19!
That story gave me so many thoughts and feelings I needed to write them. Also I literally couldn’t stop reading once Sayers had been abducted. I finished my read in the evening, heart thudding, shoulders aching for having been tense all the time and looking like a sad panda as I had bawled like a baby the last 30% of the book!
That story was INTENSE!
OK let’s backtrack now that this is out of my chest.
I had read A List of Cages, Robin’s first novel, years ago, influenced by so many of you and it made it to my “best books of the year”.
I then waited to see what Robin Roe would publish next. And waited. And waited…
Until one day Robin reached out to me and asked if I was interested in getting an ARC of her next book.
I was stunned that she remembered me, flattered, humbled but above all else, very enthusiastic!
I dove into Dark Room Etiquette head first and nearly blind.
I knew it was about kidnapping and survival of course but I had NO IDEA of what awaited me!
First, the prologue was excellent. We get a whiff of what is awaiting Sayers and it instantly gives a dread feel to the book.
Then the first chapters give us an idea of who Sayers is before being kidnapped.
And let me tell you that at first glance, Sayers was NOT the kind of hero that I usually love!
It’s not that he was intrinsically bad but more that he was so oblivious of his actions or non-actions that were hurting people that I was…flummoxed and outraged! I simply thought that Sayers was a little pr!ck.
Yet, knowing this was Robin’s story, I couldn’t help thinking, or maybe hoping, that he would have a hell of a growth.
And it wasn’t as if people didn’t try to show the way to Sayers, like his friend Luke or Mr. Rivas, his Latin teacher, telling him wisely : ““What I’m trying to say is having money doesn’t mean you should do nothing—it means you can do anything.”
But I think Sayers was so wealthy he was bored. And he had such freedom from his parents that he felt adrift, present yet not. And when teenagers are bored, they make bad decisions or make bad friends.
And then, one day, the kidnapping happens.
That’s where I stop with the plot as I don’t want to spoil anything.
From that moment on, Sayers’s transformation is chilling!
What follows is a hell of a psychological thriller dissecting all that you would do or rather what your mind would do to survive! It had me on pins and needles, horrified more than once!
I can’t count the time I thought: “Oh no Robin, don’t do this, don’t do this, don’t do this to me!” Yet she did. Never did she shy away from a difficult scene to hit us in the chest with the feelings, the dread, the tension, the horror but also… the hope.
Robin did an amazing job showing us mind manipulation and all the strong and mixed feelings someone can have for his captor.
If she showed us the victim’s POV in “A List of Cages”, we will now see through the criminal’s eyes. And having a peek at his past, at his ordeals make it hard to totally hate him. Because at the end of the day, even the worse criminals have a past, a story. And if it will never excuse what they did, it will create some empathy with them as fellow flawed human beings, hence generating conflicted emotions, just like what happened to Sayers.
I could truly go on and on about that story (19 pages of notes remember?) but I’d just like to say that Robin crushed my heart, ground it in a fine powder, sent my blood pressure through the roof and had me depleting my provision of tissues. I left that story exhausted and dazed. I also couldn’t help but hope for Sayers.
If you are a fan of very intense psychological thrillers, or even a fan of “A List of Cages” go for it! I promise you will thank me!
Just be aware that there are many triggers and sensitive topics in that book!
Also, I would like to thank Robin, from the bottom of my heart, not only for offering me that early copy (and I promise it had no influence on this review) but also for being my buddy reader, even if she didn’t plan for it!
I told you I needed to write my thoughts while reading well, I couldn’t help message Robin all along with my reactions because I NEEDED to vent! And she gamely and very patiently listened to all of my rambling 😉
Also, a last thank you Robin for accepting to be interviewed! I am leaving the link to the interview here: https://www.bewareofthereader.com/sco...
And to conclude (I know, I know, this is loooong) I will leave you with this excerpt from Robin’s notes at the end of the story:
“And it means reminding ourselves that no matter what’s happened to us, we still have the capacity for so much joy—because there is always a way out of a dark room.”
PS: Robin, I would love a big epilogue one day… maybe like a Christmas gift??
Thanks for reading!
OMG! Prepare yourself for a long and probably disorganized review because I am BURSTING with so many thoughts right now! #sorrynotsorry
To give you an idea, I took 19 pages of notes while reading… 19!
That story gave me so many thoughts and feelings I needed to write them. Also I literally couldn’t stop reading once Sayers had been abducted. I finished my read in the evening, heart thudding, shoulders aching for having been tense all the time and looking like a sad panda as I had bawled like a baby the last 30% of the book!
That story was INTENSE!
OK let’s backtrack now that this is out of my chest.
I had read A List of Cages, Robin’s first novel, years ago, influenced by so many of you and it made it to my “best books of the year”.
I then waited to see what Robin Roe would publish next. And waited. And waited…
Until one day Robin reached out to me and asked if I was interested in getting an ARC of her next book.
I was stunned that she remembered me, flattered, humbled but above all else, very enthusiastic!
I dove into Dark Room Etiquette head first and nearly blind.
I knew it was about kidnapping and survival of course but I had NO IDEA of what awaited me!
First, the prologue was excellent. We get a whiff of what is awaiting Sayers and it instantly gives a dread feel to the book.
Then the first chapters give us an idea of who Sayers is before being kidnapped.
And let me tell you that at first glance, Sayers was NOT the kind of hero that I usually love!
It’s not that he was intrinsically bad but more that he was so oblivious of his actions or non-actions that were hurting people that I was…flummoxed and outraged! I simply thought that Sayers was a little pr!ck.
Yet, knowing this was Robin’s story, I couldn’t help thinking, or maybe hoping, that he would have a hell of a growth.
And it wasn’t as if people didn’t try to show the way to Sayers, like his friend Luke or Mr. Rivas, his Latin teacher, telling him wisely : ““What I’m trying to say is having money doesn’t mean you should do nothing—it means you can do anything.”
But I think Sayers was so wealthy he was bored. And he had such freedom from his parents that he felt adrift, present yet not. And when teenagers are bored, they make bad decisions or make bad friends.
And then, one day, the kidnapping happens.
That’s where I stop with the plot as I don’t want to spoil anything.
From that moment on, Sayers’s transformation is chilling!
What follows is a hell of a psychological thriller dissecting all that you would do or rather what your mind would do to survive! It had me on pins and needles, horrified more than once!
I can’t count the time I thought: “Oh no Robin, don’t do this, don’t do this, don’t do this to me!” Yet she did. Never did she shy away from a difficult scene to hit us in the chest with the feelings, the dread, the tension, the horror but also… the hope.
Robin did an amazing job showing us mind manipulation and all the strong and mixed feelings someone can have for his captor.
If she showed us the victim’s POV in “A List of Cages”, we will now see through the criminal’s eyes. And having a peek at his past, at his ordeals make it hard to totally hate him. Because at the end of the day, even the worse criminals have a past, a story. And if it will never excuse what they did, it will create some empathy with them as fellow flawed human beings, hence generating conflicted emotions, just like what happened to Sayers.
I could truly go on and on about that story (19 pages of notes remember?) but I’d just like to say that Robin crushed my heart, ground it in a fine powder, sent my blood pressure through the roof and had me depleting my provision of tissues. I left that story exhausted and dazed. I also couldn’t help but hope for Sayers.
If you are a fan of very intense psychological thrillers, or even a fan of “A List of Cages” go for it! I promise you will thank me!
Just be aware that there are many triggers and sensitive topics in that book!
Also, I would like to thank Robin, from the bottom of my heart, not only for offering me that early copy (and I promise it had no influence on this review) but also for being my buddy reader, even if she didn’t plan for it!
I told you I needed to write my thoughts while reading well, I couldn’t help message Robin all along with my reactions because I NEEDED to vent! And she gamely and very patiently listened to all of my rambling 😉
Also, a last thank you Robin for accepting to be interviewed! I am leaving the link to the interview here: https://www.bewareofthereader.com/sco...
And to conclude (I know, I know, this is loooong) I will leave you with this excerpt from Robin’s notes at the end of the story:
“And it means reminding ourselves that no matter what’s happened to us, we still have the capacity for so much joy—because there is always a way out of a dark room.”
PS: Robin, I would love a big epilogue one day… maybe like a Christmas gift??
Thanks for reading!
February 26, 2023
4 Stars
Good original thriller. The story centers on abduction and bullying.
Seyers was a popular 16 year old with some friends who liked to bullying. He'd just look on but not say anything until he gets abducted.
He's kept in a dark room most of the time experiencing Stockholm syndrome.
A gripping thriller that gives main character a different outlook on life.
Worth a read
Good original thriller. The story centers on abduction and bullying.
Seyers was a popular 16 year old with some friends who liked to bullying. He'd just look on but not say anything until he gets abducted.
He's kept in a dark room most of the time experiencing Stockholm syndrome.
A gripping thriller that gives main character a different outlook on life.
Worth a read
September 18, 2022
Thank you to Robin Roe, Netgalley and the publishers for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
4.5 stars, rounded down
Wow, this book does NOT mess around. Robin Roe has no problem exploring the disgusting and raw side of humanity, but shows us the beauty and goodness too.
Sayers Wayte is an extremely rich, extremely privileged teenager. Things are going his way - he’s popular, has a girlfriend, and is about to be homecoming prince. Only problem is that he is insufferable. He’s the epitome of apathy and does nothing when his friends bully other kids in school. After a fit of rage and an altercation with his friends, he drives off on a deserted road and gets kidnapped, resulting in loads of mental and physical trauma.
The first third of this book is written so well that while reading, I had this overwhelming sense of dread. You just know something is about to happen, like the moment before a jump scare. Afterwards, it becomes an extremely fast paced read that I didn’t even notice it was 500 pages long. You become so close to Sayers that you feel his confusion and pain immensely.
Overall, this is a wonderful look into humanity, redemption and healing. I’m so glad I read it and I know I’ll be thinking about this for a long time.
Rounded down to 4 stars only because there were a few elements that didn’t work for me. (See in spoilers below)
4.5 stars, rounded down
Wow, this book does NOT mess around. Robin Roe has no problem exploring the disgusting and raw side of humanity, but shows us the beauty and goodness too.
Sayers Wayte is an extremely rich, extremely privileged teenager. Things are going his way - he’s popular, has a girlfriend, and is about to be homecoming prince. Only problem is that he is insufferable. He’s the epitome of apathy and does nothing when his friends bully other kids in school. After a fit of rage and an altercation with his friends, he drives off on a deserted road and gets kidnapped, resulting in loads of mental and physical trauma.
The first third of this book is written so well that while reading, I had this overwhelming sense of dread. You just know something is about to happen, like the moment before a jump scare. Afterwards, it becomes an extremely fast paced read that I didn’t even notice it was 500 pages long. You become so close to Sayers that you feel his confusion and pain immensely.
Overall, this is a wonderful look into humanity, redemption and healing. I’m so glad I read it and I know I’ll be thinking about this for a long time.
Rounded down to 4 stars only because there were a few elements that didn’t work for me. (See in spoilers below)
June 29, 2022
*I am a public librarian and received an e-arc from Edelweiss to review*
Very rarely does a book grip me so completely as DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE did - but I read the whole thing in two days straight, and when I was at work or not reading it I kept thinking about it. The sheer tension of the plot (particularly while Sayers is held prisoner) wouldn't let me go. (The last time I was so gripped by a book was when I read the wonderful Prove Yourself A Hero by K.M. Peyton, another kidnapping thriller that deals with the event and the aftermath in a similar way. Highly recommend that one too!)
Robin Roe has a real gift for making you care about a main character and feel completely invested in their wellbeing and recovery. Sayers was so broken and so real that even the surreal situation he found himself in felt real. I loved what the author did with time, confusing me at the same time as Sayers with how much time had passed, having one day last pages and pages then months go by in a paragraph, it was very clever.
One to read in one greedy gulp because the tension won't let you go, then to reread later and savour. I will definitely be getting a copy for our library's Teen section, and putting it in the hands of many readers.
Very rarely does a book grip me so completely as DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE did - but I read the whole thing in two days straight, and when I was at work or not reading it I kept thinking about it. The sheer tension of the plot (particularly while Sayers is held prisoner) wouldn't let me go. (The last time I was so gripped by a book was when I read the wonderful Prove Yourself A Hero by K.M. Peyton, another kidnapping thriller that deals with the event and the aftermath in a similar way. Highly recommend that one too!)
Robin Roe has a real gift for making you care about a main character and feel completely invested in their wellbeing and recovery. Sayers was so broken and so real that even the surreal situation he found himself in felt real. I loved what the author did with time, confusing me at the same time as Sayers with how much time had passed, having one day last pages and pages then months go by in a paragraph, it was very clever.
One to read in one greedy gulp because the tension won't let you go, then to reread later and savour. I will definitely be getting a copy for our library's Teen section, and putting it in the hands of many readers.
October 12, 2022
I just finished this book and my mind is still reeling. I was sucked into this story after just a few chapters and I genuinely had no idea how it would end. I felt for Sayers and the hell that he had been through but I absolutely hated him at the beginning of the book.
I felt that the middle of the book could’ve been condensed a bit. Some of the chapters felt like the same thing over and over… but maybe that was also part of the point.
The ending of the book had me confused. I felt like the ending was so rushed and there were so many loose ends that we never got answers to! It left me a bit frustrated not having the answers.
This was a good book, it’s an easy read and despite being a longer book it felt like a quick read.
Thank you to the author #robinroe, #netgalley and #harperteen for the #gifted copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I felt that the middle of the book could’ve been condensed a bit. Some of the chapters felt like the same thing over and over… but maybe that was also part of the point.
The ending of the book had me confused. I felt like the ending was so rushed and there were so many loose ends that we never got answers to! It left me a bit frustrated not having the answers.
This was a good book, it’s an easy read and despite being a longer book it felt like a quick read.
Thank you to the author #robinroe, #netgalley and #harperteen for the #gifted copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
April 6, 2022
I loved this book so much, that I jumped at the chance to offer an official blurb! Here it is:
Haunting, beautiful, and impossible to put down, DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE is nothing short of a masterpiece. Expertly paced with unforgettable characters and addictive, gorgeous writing, Robin Roe offers up a story that is as deeply thrilling as it is profound.
P.S. Add to your TBR today!
Haunting, beautiful, and impossible to put down, DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE is nothing short of a masterpiece. Expertly paced with unforgettable characters and addictive, gorgeous writing, Robin Roe offers up a story that is as deeply thrilling as it is profound.
P.S. Add to your TBR today!
November 21, 2022
Wow! This was such an intense book.
Dark Room Etiquette took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I didn’t see anything coming. I didn’t know who was the bad guy, what was real, or if the entire book was set inside of the Matrix. 🤯 The author did a masterful job of showing what it’s like to be a captive, live and breath and survive while being kidnapped, and most importantly, how to portray someone who has Stockholm Syndrome.
Sayers is 16 year old rich kid, who hasn’t had to work for anything in his life, and hangs with a horrible group of guys. After a traumatic experience, where he stood by and did nothing, he is kidnapped by a man who believes that he’s his son Daniel who was kidnapped at the age of 10 from a park. Slowly over time, he starts to believe him. He has memories of being Daniel, of being kidnapped, of his “father”…
After a while, I honestly started believing it was true. And that, for me, is great writing!
I wish we could have left out the God and Church portions. I can understand trying to find something to believe in after a traumatic experience, but for some reason, the minute they started praying, it took me out of the story. 🤷🏻♂️
Dark Room Etiquette took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I didn’t see anything coming. I didn’t know who was the bad guy, what was real, or if the entire book was set inside of the Matrix. 🤯 The author did a masterful job of showing what it’s like to be a captive, live and breath and survive while being kidnapped, and most importantly, how to portray someone who has Stockholm Syndrome.
Sayers is 16 year old rich kid, who hasn’t had to work for anything in his life, and hangs with a horrible group of guys. After a traumatic experience, where he stood by and did nothing, he is kidnapped by a man who believes that he’s his son Daniel who was kidnapped at the age of 10 from a park. Slowly over time, he starts to believe him. He has memories of being Daniel, of being kidnapped, of his “father”…
After a while, I honestly started believing it was true. And that, for me, is great writing!
I wish we could have left out the God and Church portions. I can understand trying to find something to believe in after a traumatic experience, but for some reason, the minute they started praying, it took me out of the story. 🤷🏻♂️
October 15, 2022
The nitty-gritty: A psychological thriller that explores trauma and recovery, Dark Room Etiquette is an edge-of-your-seat read that delivers both thrills and emotion.
“The bad things are going to change you no matter what, and they can make you angry and bitter—or they can make you better.”
I’m not the biggest fan of YA fiction, but once in a while I come across one that’s exceptional. Dark Room Etiquette has plenty of rave reviews, and after reading it I can see why. Robin Roe takes readers on an emotional journey, following a teen’s experience with trauma and his attempts to heal from it afterwards. This is a story with some upsetting subject matter, but it’s told in such a way as to be accessible to teens without being graphically violent or explicit. For a 500+ page book, I was able to fly through it in only a few days, it was that riveting.
Sayers Wayte is a spoiled rich kid, a junior in high school who can basically get away with anything. Failed a test? No problem. Stopped for speeding in his Aston Martin? Hey, he’s a Wayte, so the cops always look the other way. Sayers’ best friends are a group of bullies who torment kids like Evan Zamara, and although Sayers might not do the bullying himself, he doesn’t do anything to stop it either.
But everything changes when Sayers decides to crash a school field trip and finds himself the victim of a kidnapping. After a series of events involving a broken GPS and an empty gas tank, Sayers wakes up in a small, windowless room, chained to a bed. A man who calls himself Caleb tells Sayers that he’s his long lost son Daniel, and that everything Sayers knows to be true is a lie. So begins Sayers’ nightmarish time spent in Caleb’s house, as he cycles through various emotional states, including anger, confusion, despair and ultimately, acceptance.
The story is roughly divided into three sections: before the kidnapping, during the kidnapping and after the kidnapping, and I loved the way Roe takes her time to really dig into each phase of Sayers’ experience. Many stories like this end with the protagonist being rescued or escaping the clutches of their kidnapper, but Roe takes her story one step further by showing what happens to Sayers once he’s back home. She covers a lot of ground, and I thought it was all very well done. In the beginning, I loathed Sayers and his friends, entitled jerks who think they can get away with anything. And I think that’s the point: to paint Sayers as an asshole who deserves what’s coming to him. But once he’s kidnapped, it’s hard not to feel sorry for him. Sayers has lost his power, and it’s heartbreaking to see how he reacts to it.
The time Sayers spends in captivity is tense and scary. This is the psychological thriller portion of the story, and I thought the author did a great job of keeping the reader in the dark (so to speak). Caleb is a terrifying man, and yet by the end of Sayers’ time with him, he’s become brainwashed into thinking Caleb cares for him in some twisted way. Watching Sayers change from a confident, happy kid into one who doesn’t even know what day it is was heartbreaking. And I loved the way time seems to stretch during this section. Sayers doesn’t have his phone, there aren’t any clocks, and Caleb convinces Sayers that it’s Christmas—over and over again. I lost track of time right along with Sayers, and it wasn’t until he’s rescued that you finally understand how much time has passed.
Surprisingly, my favorite part of the story was watching Sayers go through the recovery process after he’s rescued. And Roe doesn’t make it easy for him. He has very little support from his mother, who is also traumatized because her son was kidnapped (think about that one, parents!) and she just doesn’t know how to help him. His friends at school expect him to bounce back and be the “old” Sayers they used to know (and are surprised when they see that he isn’t that person anymore). He ends up making a new friend who helps the most with his recovery, and I really enjoyed that unexpected friendship.
As for negatives, there were some religious elements that didn’t really work for me. I’m not opposed to religion in fiction as long as it’s not “preachy,” but in this case that’s how it came across. There’s a character named Penny who plays a pivotal role in the story (I won’t go into detail due to spoilers), and she comes from a religious family who prays before every meal, etc. I didn’t mind that at all, because it felt authentic to Penny’s character. But when that religion started to spread to other characters, it just felt forced. Luckily, these parts are not the focus of the story, so don’t let that stop you from picking up this book.
I will admit I guessed the ending, and in fact I even knew what the last line would be (it’s telegraphed pretty heavily). But still, it was an absolutely perfect way to end the story. Fans of YA will love this tense, emotional thriller, and I’m betting that adult readers will also find a lot to love about Sayers’ traumatic experience and his journey of recovery.
Big thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy.
“The bad things are going to change you no matter what, and they can make you angry and bitter—or they can make you better.”
I’m not the biggest fan of YA fiction, but once in a while I come across one that’s exceptional. Dark Room Etiquette has plenty of rave reviews, and after reading it I can see why. Robin Roe takes readers on an emotional journey, following a teen’s experience with trauma and his attempts to heal from it afterwards. This is a story with some upsetting subject matter, but it’s told in such a way as to be accessible to teens without being graphically violent or explicit. For a 500+ page book, I was able to fly through it in only a few days, it was that riveting.
Sayers Wayte is a spoiled rich kid, a junior in high school who can basically get away with anything. Failed a test? No problem. Stopped for speeding in his Aston Martin? Hey, he’s a Wayte, so the cops always look the other way. Sayers’ best friends are a group of bullies who torment kids like Evan Zamara, and although Sayers might not do the bullying himself, he doesn’t do anything to stop it either.
But everything changes when Sayers decides to crash a school field trip and finds himself the victim of a kidnapping. After a series of events involving a broken GPS and an empty gas tank, Sayers wakes up in a small, windowless room, chained to a bed. A man who calls himself Caleb tells Sayers that he’s his long lost son Daniel, and that everything Sayers knows to be true is a lie. So begins Sayers’ nightmarish time spent in Caleb’s house, as he cycles through various emotional states, including anger, confusion, despair and ultimately, acceptance.
The story is roughly divided into three sections: before the kidnapping, during the kidnapping and after the kidnapping, and I loved the way Roe takes her time to really dig into each phase of Sayers’ experience. Many stories like this end with the protagonist being rescued or escaping the clutches of their kidnapper, but Roe takes her story one step further by showing what happens to Sayers once he’s back home. She covers a lot of ground, and I thought it was all very well done. In the beginning, I loathed Sayers and his friends, entitled jerks who think they can get away with anything. And I think that’s the point: to paint Sayers as an asshole who deserves what’s coming to him. But once he’s kidnapped, it’s hard not to feel sorry for him. Sayers has lost his power, and it’s heartbreaking to see how he reacts to it.
The time Sayers spends in captivity is tense and scary. This is the psychological thriller portion of the story, and I thought the author did a great job of keeping the reader in the dark (so to speak). Caleb is a terrifying man, and yet by the end of Sayers’ time with him, he’s become brainwashed into thinking Caleb cares for him in some twisted way. Watching Sayers change from a confident, happy kid into one who doesn’t even know what day it is was heartbreaking. And I loved the way time seems to stretch during this section. Sayers doesn’t have his phone, there aren’t any clocks, and Caleb convinces Sayers that it’s Christmas—over and over again. I lost track of time right along with Sayers, and it wasn’t until he’s rescued that you finally understand how much time has passed.
Surprisingly, my favorite part of the story was watching Sayers go through the recovery process after he’s rescued. And Roe doesn’t make it easy for him. He has very little support from his mother, who is also traumatized because her son was kidnapped (think about that one, parents!) and she just doesn’t know how to help him. His friends at school expect him to bounce back and be the “old” Sayers they used to know (and are surprised when they see that he isn’t that person anymore). He ends up making a new friend who helps the most with his recovery, and I really enjoyed that unexpected friendship.
As for negatives, there were some religious elements that didn’t really work for me. I’m not opposed to religion in fiction as long as it’s not “preachy,” but in this case that’s how it came across. There’s a character named Penny who plays a pivotal role in the story (I won’t go into detail due to spoilers), and she comes from a religious family who prays before every meal, etc. I didn’t mind that at all, because it felt authentic to Penny’s character. But when that religion started to spread to other characters, it just felt forced. Luckily, these parts are not the focus of the story, so don’t let that stop you from picking up this book.
I will admit I guessed the ending, and in fact I even knew what the last line would be (it’s telegraphed pretty heavily). But still, it was an absolutely perfect way to end the story. Fans of YA will love this tense, emotional thriller, and I’m betting that adult readers will also find a lot to love about Sayers’ traumatic experience and his journey of recovery.
Big thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy.
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