This is some combination of a cozy, a mystery, and a thriller. Some moments make me want to live in the world of this book — others leave me utterly creeped out (in a fun, welcome way). I recommend this book if you like a strong narrator, a slow twist of mysteries to unravel, and more than one secret. I’ll be buying a hard copy of this particular book for my shelf!

Really liked this thriller, it was so hard to put down! Great story that kept me guessing until the end! Would definitely recommend!

I was immediately hooked by the premise of The Apartment – it struck me as an original, creepy setup that set itself apart from many of the thrillers that I’ve been picking up recently. I was looking forward to a refreshing change of pace, a unique, suspense-filled plot, and compelling characters with a mysterious background. Unfortunately, this book fell short of my expectations in every single one of these categories.

The overall tone of the book was… bland. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect a thriller to be thrilling, but apparently that was too much to ask for this one. There was no air of suspense, and there were so many missed opportunities to introduce compelling characters and twists and turns that would have kept me more engaged. Overall, the tale dragged and was severely lacking in scenes that made my palms sweat and my heart pound. This was due, at least in part, to the glacial pace of the plot.

There were very few tangible plot points throughout the book, and they were separated by pages upon pages of fluff. Had the extraneous detail and unnecessary scenes been eliminated, the same story easily could have been conveyed in the form of a 50 page novella or short story. Consequently, the book read like a few disjointed scenes that were half-heartedly thrown together amidst an excessive amount of filler.

The twists and turns ranged from lackluster to nonexistent. Those that were present were easily predictable, and I foresaw every single one of them with alarming accuracy chapters before they actually occurred. The author had a habit of spoon-feeding readers information, dropping overtly obvious hints to which she continually drew attention. These hints may as well have been written in blinking, neon signs the size of a billboard. This type of reveal within thrillers aggravates me to no end – I prefer more subtle and ambiguous clues that prompt more questions than answers and allow me to arrive at my own conclusions.

Furthermore, the final reveal felt cheap, clunky, and forced. Not all of the puzzle pieces fit together perfectly, resulting in quite a few plot holes that were never addressed. Additionally, genome sequencing played a role in the concluding twist. Two weeks from now, I’ll be receiving my undergraduate degree in genetics, and I couldn’t ignore the glaring genetics inaccuracies (to avoid spoilers, I’ll keep this intentionally vague). These blunders readily could’ve been avoided with some surface-level research, and it’s disappointing that the author didn’t take the time to look into this further or consult an expert in the field.

To compound matters, I felt no investment in the characters or their backstories, which made it even more challenging to continue reading. The protagonist was frustratingly gullible, naive, and oblivious to the incessant warning signs and clues that barraged her from the outset of the book. In one sentence, she was claiming that it took a lot to unnerve her. In the next, she was flustered and beside herself over an odd note being dropped off at her daughter’s school. She failed to use her brain throughout much of the book, then proceeded to act offended when other characters called her out on this.

Ultimately, The Apartment wasn’t for me. Amidst plot holes, yawn-worthy reveals, and countless character inconsistencies, I couldn’t engage with the book. What started as an intriguing premise quickly devolved into a lackluster, trope-ridden disappointment. I was very close to DNFing this book on multiple occasions and struggled to reach the end point. In good conscience, I couldn’t recommend this to thriller aficionados or individuals who are just starting to pick up books within the genre. There are so many incredible thrillers out there, and The Apartment simply can’t compare!

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this captivating thriller! The thought of change can be scary enough, but having to uproot your whole life after the death of a loved one is unimaginable to me. This is how we meet Freya, a newly widowed mother who is struggling to make ends meet for Skye, her daughter. All hope seems lost as she flounders for stability, and the tension is palpable within just a few pages of the novel. Slater does an amazing job at making us care about Freya and Skye right off the bat, and we are as overjoyed as she is when a mysterious landlord finds her and offers her a place at Adder House. Things have a creepy feel to them from the moment Freya sets foot into the beautiful building, and we the readers know there is some type of ulterior motive from the expert way Slater cuts between Freya and a mystery bystander's point of view.

From this bystander we get a taste of the history of some type of experiment that ends up tying into the main story in such a cool and unexpected way. It also adds an extra air of mystery that will keep you up reading just to see how all these little building blocks fit together. I will say that I did not expect the reveal at all; there were many red herrings that were not obviously a ruse, and the varied horrific happenings sprinkled through were so seemingly unconnected that my mind was left swimming in a sea of question marks. You can feel Freya's mind slowly unwind as she not only tries to find out the dark history of Adder house, but also simultaneously keeping on a mask of control as to not worry her daughter or her friends, Brenna and Viv. Selfishly, I have to say I was so excited to see my name in a novel, as it isn't one that pops up much in American literature. I did a dance every time she was mentioned!

All in all, this was the epitome of a psychological thriller. I was questioning my own sanity along with Freya's as I flipped pages (electronically) back and forth to try and see if we were being gaslighted or not by the other characters! The events flowed so seamlessly, and in this time of feeling more secluded from others than ever, the subtle but quick isolation of Freya from everyone and everything she knew and loved was felt as strong as a ton of bricks. You truly root for this woman to succeed while every force around her attempts to drag her down. What a great read just before Mother's Day as it accurately describes the lengths a mom will go to in order to protect her child, mentally and physically. I wholeheartedly recommend this fast-paced read!

Talk about too good to be true!

Offered an apartment way out of her league, Freya has no choice but to accept. I mean, who wouldn’t? I would certainly accept it, especially given the circumstances she was facing.

Once settled in, things seem to take a turn for the strange or is it just Freya’s imagination? Who can she trust with this?

Her best friend seems to be hiding secrets as well but are they detrimental to Freya’s wellbeing?

That’s all I’m going to say about this book. I feel I may have given away too much already.
Grab this book and dive in! You won’t surface until you’ve finished!

Having read previous titles by this author I was looking forward to The Apartment - however, it took a really long time to get into this book and I felt that that setting of the scene versus the main storyline was a little skewed. Its definitely a unique story line but I’m not entirely convinced that it works. I did enjoy the last 10% more than the rest of the book just because I felt the speed of the story ramped up. More could have been done with the love interest as that just seemed to appear and happen.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I wouldn’t read it again and I’m not sure I’d go as far as to recommend it just on the basis that too much seems out of place for me... who was the subject of the experiment? Why did Skye suddenly change behaviour so extremely? Why does Mark know about surveillance? How did Lily take down Mark? How did Lewis die?

Loved this book, great story with an added twist. Easy to read, fast paced and a likeable, if a little naive main character. Woukd recommend.

Received this from Net Gallery! "The Apartment" is a fast paced story of a failed marriage, a child and starting over! You have different characters that you don't know whether to trust or no? Having to protect her child and having no where else to go what happens now? Very emotional story and you have drama and is someone watching me? K.L. Slater ,I have never read before and she did a good job on this one,will look for more of her stories! Wait till you get to the end!

It immediately drew me in. As I read further in, my mind was whirling at what was going to happen next. It’s been a while that I have read a book that I couldn’t put down. The suspense was intriguing and exciting as the story went on. Highly recommend it.

This is obviously not my first Slater book. I have read several and all of them have a few things in common. They are quick reads that flow along nicely and you want to get to the end to find out what happens. I have read a few books were the "enemy" appears to be a the house or in this case the apartment. I always hope that going in that is not actually the case because I'm not truly into books about ghosts or haunting. Right away I felt for Freya. Her husband was a cheating jerk who ended up dying. She didn't have a lot of options for cheaper housing. As a mother, I could totally empathize with her wanting to provide for her daughter. When she met Dr. Marsden at the coffee shop it was too good to be true and of course it was. I hated how absolutely ridiculous Skye's friend's mother behaved and wanted to cut off their friendship completely because they found out at school that she was moving schools. Once at Adder house all kinds of crazy things started happening and you heard about the past residents. Also you were creeped out by the Marsden family. In the end I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 because I figured the ending out pretty easily. I will continue to look for all of Slaters books as I enjoy them a lot.

I really liked this book. Being offered an almost too true apartment for cheap rent in a affluent area doesnt ring any alarm bells to start with until creepy things start to happen in the apartment .
Thinking it is Dr Marsden and his strange sister she starts to dig a little and unearths the secrets of the house.
A relatively easy read and enjoyable storyline.

The Apartment by K.L. Slater is a true psychological thriller set in London. Freya Miller id down on her luck after the death if her estranged husband. She is forced to sell her beloved family home and without a job, she has no idea where she and her 5 year old daughter Skye will live. That is until Dr. Michael Marsden sees her browsing a bulletin board looking for a rental that she can afford. Dr. Marsden tells Freya about how the beautiful Adder House has a vacancy . . . for just the perfect tenant. He is even willing to charge her rent based upon what she is able to pay. This is seems like the perfect opportunity, so Freya and Skye happily move into Adder House and are excited for their life to get better. But, things don't go quite as planned. Freya feels like she is being watched all the time and things begin to move in the apartment. Is Freya still struggling from the death of her husband and the move or is Adder House hiding dark secrets?

Overall, this book was entertaining. It was a very easy and quick read. I really that there is a very real psychological aspect to this novel. I've always found psychology, in particular behavioral conditioning, a fascinating topic so I loved this read!

The Apartment
K L Slater
I absolutely love this author and was looking forward to reading this one (thank you to NetGalley). It did not disappoint, despite being a little unbelievable inasmuch of the gullibility of the main character Freya. The storyline is very dark and tense, it actually reminded me of the book and film Rosemary’s Baby and I became totally caught up in how things were going to conclude. Wow. Didn’t see the twist at the end. A fabulous read.

Wow. What a creepy book. I really felt for Freya, the mother. However I did feel some of her actions were not true to real life. This is a very interesting book and I definitely recommend it

It was OK!

Defiantly not one of her best!

Found it all a bit odd if i'm honest., not as engaging as other books I have read by the same author!

I am a big fan of K L Slater, and although I enjoyed this book I don't feel it is one of her better ones. That said I will continue to read all of her upcoming books.

32 year old Freya's life is at its worse. She lost her husband twice: once because he cheated on her with her best friend and second because he died. Now she has to sell her family home and crash at her friends' house until she can find something decent for her and her daughter Skye to live on. Seriously, take away the husband and the daughter and I feel like I have been in Freya's situation far too many times. One day at a coffeehouse Freya meets a handsome stranger, Dr. Mardsen, who offers Freya a great deal on the most Luxurious apartment complex in London, The Adder House. The price? Whatever she can afford. Why? Because Freya and her daughter are a perfect fit for The Adder House.

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller. It was easy to read and kept me invested throughout the story.
The Apartment gave me all the Rosemary’s Baby vibes with a more modern touch and I was here for it. As an apartment resident myself I love reading about luxurious apartment complexes with a side of sinister: Strange neighbors spying on you, noises on the empty room next door, and objects mysteriously moving around.

As an education major I really enjoyed the psychological part of it *wink*

When I say I like psychological thrillers, I didn’t intend it as literal as this book took it. I felt like I was reading content for one of my Neuroscience/Psychology classes in university. This book was extremely short, but nothing pivotal happened until about 85% in. I think that this book could have done without the prologue so at least the author could have used it to her advantage as a plot twist as I was only shocked by one of the plot twists (but it was extremely minor in the grand scheme of things). I had such high expectations for this book, but I was left so disappointed. If you’re really into literal Psychology you might enjoy this rather than reading a textbook, but other than that I don’t really recommend.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I gave it three stars, but if I could give half stars it would probably get a 2.5. This felt like a really rushed book with big jumps/holes. Kind of feel like it could have benefited from some more editing/revision work.

This book struggled to hold my attention and interest. I think that the premise of the book is good, but the storyline is sometimes difficult to follow. Moreover, this was a slow build, which I can appreciate, but it caused me to lose focus and motivation to continue reading. It's not the worst book that I have read, but it is far from being one of the best. I LIKED it, I just didn't LOVE it.