3.5/5

Freya Miller is approached by a mysterious stranger at her local Starbucks with an offer she can't refuse. Put her terrible past behind her, and start fresh in a new apartment with her daughter Skye at 1/3 the price of its usual rent. Pretty quickly strange happenings begin occurring though: Skye thinks she sees people, Freya hears noises, and the neighbors aren't exactly normal. Freya swiftly learns the apartment of her dreams might actually be the stuff of her nightmares.

A fast paced thriller that explores the depths of desperate optimism and fear I devoured this read. The characters of Freya and Skye are incredibly likable and you root for them throughout. Their deep and troubled background keeps you guessing with lots of twists and turns. Slater clearly spent a lot of time creating fully realized characters to place in the world.

However I did have a few issues with the book. There are several subplots that seem like they are just thrown into the pot for no reason. The ending also felt a bit rushed, but the main issue I had with the book were the character's reaction to the situations occurring. You know the saying when life hands you lemons you make lemonade? Well when life hands you a rent controlled apartment you make excuses apparently, which is what Freya does. Throughout the book Freya must make decisions that simply do not make sense to advance the story which can be a bit maddening at times since the character's backgrounds are so painstakingly crafted.

Overall if you're a fan of thrillers with a psychological bent this is right up your alley. It's also an extremely fun and breezy read that I would recommend for a late night thrill. Very similar to Ruth Ware and Gillian Flynn style mysteries. Special thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and K.L. Slater for my copy!

If you like really creepy psychological thrillers, "The Apartment" is the book for you. Freya and her daughter Skye are in desperate need of housing after her husband left them for her best friend and then died, leaving only a small insurance policy, which is going to run out before too many months have passed. A "chance" meeting in a coffee house with Dr. Michael Marsden results in an offer to rent, at a much reduced rate, the top floor apartment of Adder House, which he owns; an apartment she could not possibly afford at market value. After seeing Adder House and the apartment, Freya accepts Mr. Marsden's offer, taking it as a sign that her luck has changed. However, Adder House is not what it seems, with Mr. and Mrs. Marsden's behavior overly generous and at times overly controlling, other tenants that are strange, and a variety of strange happenings. The only seemingly "normal" tenant is Lily Brockley, an elderly woman who bonds with Skye over their mutual interest in birds. Freya has her concerns, but the Marsdens always have an explanation or change the subject when she tries to get more information; moreover, she is overwhelmed by issues involving her daughter and the strange things seemingly happening in her apartment.

Interspersed in the modern day story are passages from a journal in 1920 by a woman who works as a wet nurse at a hospital and has an infant child, Albert. She is pressured into letting Professor Watson, a pre-eminent psychologist, study her son, which involves a social conditioning experiment expanding on the work of Pavlov. There are also recordings from Professor Watson of the sessions with Little Albert and the results of the experiment. The reader gets the impression that something similar is happening to Freya and Skye, but it is unclear exactly who is the perpetrator. In the end, it turns out the situation is even more complex and twisted than the reader likely expects. Well worth the read.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This book is the epitome of “when something sounds to good to be true it usually is.” Freya Miller, a recently widowed, single mother facing some financial difficulties jumps at an offer of an apartment in a upscale neighborhood of London. She brings with her some baggage in the form of anxiety and other metal issues which are only made worse by the living conditions she encounters at The Apartment. Coupled with her daughter, Skye’s, adjustment problems at her new school, Freya Miller’s life spins out of control. The author has done an excellent job of building suspense, giving the read a thrilling ride and delivering a surprising conclusion to this story.

After her husband's untimely passing, Freya Miller is now facing life as a single mother of a five-year-old girl. She has to sell her home to paid for their debts and now is in desperate need of a new cheap accomodation. (Un)Fortunately, enters Dr. Marsden who turns out has a really affordable new apartment for rent in the majestic Adder House. Rent won´t be a problem for this struggling single mother, when rent is established accordingly to your meager means.

Freya and her daughter Skye move to the apartment in Adder House, looking forward to start their new life and meet the other tenants, but strange things start to happen. First, the constant feeling of being watched, the weird noises and missing toys, then the strange behavior of the Adder House's residents everything keeps pilling up until Freya starts to doubt even her own mind.

This is a physchological thriller that you can read in one sitting, points for that. It has some spooky moments, but for me the start of the book gave to much away and the unease of each event didn't last enough for my taste. The ending left me wanting for more, almost didn't like some characters arcs resolutions.

This book was a quick read...not a lot of intense depth to it. It is a psychological thriller following a woman who has moved into a new apartment. Following the move strange things begin to happen. I easily guessed who the bad guy was. I felt like the story was a bit weak in some places, but was a pleasant and easy read if you don’t want anything real intense.

Things I’ve learned from reading #suspensebooks : If the apartment seems too good to be true - probably best to avoid it entirely 🙈

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I don’t want to give away too much, but I will say that I loved this one and finished it in one night - the main plot premise was somewhat typical, but the underlying theme of scientific experiments and the cruelty of the living beings we use to test our theories was really compelling and gave this an added, deeper boost in terms of your typical suspense/thriller

This book was a super fast and engaging read. I felt like the characters could be developed a little more, but come on, is that what you are really looking for in a thriller? I would have liked more answers to the ex-husband's death for sure. Overall, an enjoyable book.

After the loss of her husband, Freya Miller needs a new start for her and her daughter. While browsing ads for apartments in a coffee shop, Freya meets Dr. Marsden who offers her an opportunity that is too good to be true. An apartment called Added House in a fashionable neighborhood in London. Freya can't believe her luck especially because Dr. Marsden is asking for way below what the apartment is worth, but after her and Skye move in, strange things start happening. Freya thinks maybe she's going crazy especially when furniture starts moving and she starts hearing weird noises and seeing strange things. Is it all in her head due to the stress of starting over or is there more to what goes on behind closed doors at Adder House?

I really enjoyed this book. It moved at a quick pace and held my interest the entire way through. One thing I find with a lot of mysteries is that I can figure them out early on, but I could not figure out what was going on at all in this book. The whole cast of characters was mysterious and I couldn't tell who was behind the strange things happening in Freya's apartment. I liked Freya as the protagonist because she had her issues, but cared very much for her daughter and wanted to give her a better life. Although there were times she made me want to scream, I just wanted her and Skye to be okay.

There were some chapters of this book which flashback to a psychologist doing experiments on a young child. Throughout the book I could not figure out what they had to do with Freya and Skye. It does come together at the end, but in my opinion they made the book feel a little disjointed. Also, the ending of the book moved very quickly so make sure you pay extra careful attention or you could get confused. I wish the Epilogue had been longer, but overall I would recommend this book to mystery readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect of this book as have never read anything from this author but I was very pleasantly surprised.
Right from the start , there was a very creepy feel about Adder House and that atmosphere was built up and up.
Really did enjoy it, and looking forward to reading more books from this author.

This was a quick read that I finished in less than 24 hours. I keep seeing comparisons to Lock Every Door by Riley Sager, which it did remind me of, but Sager's title is much more fleshed out. Sometimes the trouble with shorter books is that they leave much to be desired. I wish I knew how the husband died, as it featured prominently in the story. I wish Freya's childhood had been explored a little more. The climax in general was abrupt and then concluded. Overall I enjoyed the story and wish there had been more to read. I hardly ever think a book is too short, so that's saying a lot.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for providing an advanced reading copy.

The Apartment is a quick read, less than 300 pages and I was able to devour this one in two sittings. I’ve never read any K.L. Slater but I’d seen so many of my fellow bookstagrammers talking about it, so I had to check it out.

This one has a lot of Lock Every Door by Riley Sager vibes, however they are completely different stories. I think it’s best to go into this one without knowing too much. All I will say is that if you have any background in psychology like I do, you probably will appreciate this story but also be able to see where it’s going. I know this is vague but I can’t share any more without giving away a major plot point.

This one starts off slow but picks up in the last half. While I enjoyed the ending and thought it was clever, I was hoping for something darker and more sinister. This story plays on something we all learn in Psychology 101 and it was interesting to see how something I learned about while studying my undergrad was executed in fiction.

I recommend The Apartment for those interested in psychological thrillers with a basis on real life history. Also for fans of Lock Every Door, you get similar vibes reading about this apartment building where things just seem off. Obviously Lock Every Door reigns supreme 🤷🏼‍♀️ but this is still an enjoyable read.

3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I really enjoyed this book! The entire book has such a creepy vibe and it kept me totally on the edge of my seat! The writing was incredibly atmospheric....it definitely allowed me to put myself right into the story and feel the fear and anxiety that the main character was feeling.

The ending tied up a little too neatly in my opinion (in regard to how the characters connected, etc) and the main character definitely made some “WTH is she thinking” decisions, but other than that I absolutely loved the story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!

In The Apartment, struggling mother Freya Miller is coping with the loss of her husband and the loss of the house they shared together with their daughter, Skye. After meeting charismatic Dr. Marsden in a coffeeshop, he extends a lease offer to Freya for her and her daughter to move into Adder house at a price that is too good to refuse. Freya can’t believe her luck – but after they move into Adder house, strange occurrences make Freya question her good fortune. Hidden cameras, moving furniture, and inexplicable noises make Freya start questioning her sanity and her daughter’s safety.

This book was just okay for me. I felt that most of the characters were too flat. There was one character (Mark) that was introduced too late in the book and had a single, obvious sole purpose. Other characters served to scare Freya and mold back into the shadows. There were other tropes explored in the book such as the struggling single mother, the creepy house, and the suspicious landlord, but none of the tropes were presented in a way that was fresh and exciting.

However, I do read a lot of suspense novels and at this point, I’m hard to surprise and shock. I think this book would still be enjoyable for someone who isn’t a diehard fan of the genre and is looking for a nice, solid, suspense novel.

Wow what a book. Was a bit unsure to start with as they've been similar stories written, but had me gripped from the first page and not wanting it to end.
Was Freya simply in the right place at the right time? When something seems too good to be true it generally is!
This book is well written and would definitely recommend.

This was a great read! I enjoyed the quick pace of the story and felt that I fell into the world pretty quickly. It sometimes takes me a few chapters before I really get into the story - but not here! The story is captivating and makes you want to keep reading to figure out what is going on. I couldn’t put it down - and liked the ending too. I would definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed this book, great storyline, easy to read, and keeps you gripped, wanting to keep reading on. I finished this book in a very quick time for me, just showing how good a book it was.
Thoroughly recommend

This is a difficult twice to write as I didn’t love this book. It’s a psychological thriller so right up my street but I just didn’t quite buy the story and found the subject a bit unsettling. Freya is looking for somewhere new to live and finds somewhere to good to be true - and it is. But there’s so many alarm bells that I just didn’t quite buy that she’d have gone along with it. I know KL slater is so popular so it’s maybe just the style that’s not for me. If you’ve read it let me know your thoughts!

Freya is still reeling from the death of her husband and trying to help her 5-year-old daughter, Skye, accept their loss. Freya can no long afford to stay in their house and needs to rent a place. When she is perusing ads at a Starbucks, a man who introduces himself as Dr. Michael Marsden shows her a flyer he is getting ready to post on the board. He is the landlord for a place called Adder House. He explains that prospective renters are interviewed and if approved, the rent they pay is based upon what they can afford. Thinking it almost too good to be true, she and her daughter tour the place. It is beautiful with a lovely garden.

Soon, Freya finds Marsden and other residents to be strange. In addition, things happen in the apartment that she cannot explain and make her feel unsafe. What is going on here and does she need to go somewhere else?

I had so many questions as I read this book and felt that it just didn’t grab me as a thriller should. It left me disappointed in some ways and found the plot to be weak and just not a book that I enjoyed. I had read and enjoyed another book by this author and hope her next books will be much better.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have read several of K.L Slater’s books, so I actually did a dance for joy when I got the opportunity to review this. I am a huge fan!!

Freya Miller is approached by Dr Michael Marston in a coffee shop, he just so happens to be looking for the “right type of tenant” for his luxury apartment Adder House. Freya coincidently happens to be looking for a place to live with her daughter Skye, as they are losing their family home after the death of her husband. Surely this is too good to be true!!!

When Freya moves in, strange things start to occur and the Marsdons seem to be taking too much of an interest in Freya’s life.

Loved the creepiness of it all. Poor Freya is feeling vulnerable and is not in the right frame of mind to at first see what is happening, but she soon starts to investigate the history of her apartment. You can trust a Dr can’t you?

I read this practically in one sitting. I found myself wanting to shake Freya to wise up!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review

The Apartment

K.L.Slater

★★★

Freya needs a saviour. She is about to lose her family home and she is desperate for some security in her life and more importantly that of her five-year-old daughter, Skye. Her saviour comes in the form of Dr. Marsden, who is offering her a shockingly affordable flat. Weird things begin to happen and Freya is becoming increasingly concerned. As she begins to discover the truth all she can think about is whether she and Skye will be able to make it out.

Another thriller to get lost in! The nature of the twist in this story excited me and gave me a moment to geek out - if you have studied psychology you will like this! I would recommend this book if you are into thrillers. However, I did find that there were a few moments when my attention waned and I felt that the end was slightly rushed - still the overall storyline was interesting!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @AmazonPublishingUK for giving me access to this arc!

Pub date: 28 April 2020 - go and check it out!