The Book in Room 316 by ReShonda Tate Billingsley Review

 Title: The Book in Room 316 

Author: ReShonda Tate Billingsley 

Age Group: Adult 

Genre: Fiction/Christian Fiction 

Series: Standalone 

Star Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars 

I won this book through the Goodreads First Reads program, and I was sent an advance readers’ copy by the publisher, Gallery Books; thank you so much. 

In honor of Black History Month, I was digging through my personal library and came across this book. As I’ve been reading a lot of nonfiction recently, I decided I wanted to switch it up a bit so my mind wouldn’t end up fatigued. I wanted to like this book, and I did like parts of it, but I did not like the religious aspect of the book at all; even the title is a reference to The Bible. I liked the characters and the way they were all intertwined because of the hotel room, but I am not a religious or ‘godly’ person in the slightest, and frankly that aspect of the book really threw me off. I liked the growth of all of the characters, but the spiritual part of it was one I did not care for. Nonetheless, Tate Billingsley is a great writer, and I really enjoyed all of the characters and how their stories interlinked. Savannah, Ollie, Anna, and Trey were all so distinct and well-drawn; the pacing was breakneck. I finished this book in a little over two days. It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t mind-blowing either; it just sat in the middle of the spectrum. 

Savannah Graham, Anna Rodriguez, Ollie Moss, and Trey Ruffin all have one thing in common: Room 316 in the historic and storied Markham hotel. Savannah is recovering from her husband cheating on her and is fixated on revenge, Ollie is desperate for peace after his wife and best friend, Elizabeth, passed away. When his kids all bombard him with being put in an assisted living facility, he plans to make an irreversible decision. Anna is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, trying to make ends meet and get her oldest son, Paco, off the streets and away from the gang trying to recruit him. Trey Ruffin has nobody, except his little brother; he is fully aware that he is the last line of defense for the boy. Forced to commit an awful crime, Trey wonders if he is worthy of forgiveness... 

I wanted to love this book, and I really enjoyed the fiction parts of the book, but the spiritual and religious aspect really threw me for a loop; I didn’t like it at all. I usually read fiction in order to escape and this book hit a little too close to home. It was honestly distracting from the main storyline. I enjoyed all of the characters and their struggles; that part of the book felt real and made sense to me, but the faith and religion part felt really forced at times, like the author was trying to shove it down the reader’s throat. I really liked the fictional part, but the spirituality in the book really got in the way for me. A well-written book, but nonetheless not my favorite. The bottom line: Full of detail, spirituality, and God, I wanted to love The Book in Room 316, but I just wasn’t really a fan. Next on deck: The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell!