soooo, this one was quite literally a dumpster fire…but I enjoy train wrecks so i just had to see how this one would play out. the author attempted to make this a “sexy” or “erotic” thriller (closed door) but everything felt cringy. the pandemic also played a role in this book but that timeline became confusing. the ending felt very messy and all in all the book was not for me. this book was NOT sexy and also NOT very thrilling.

This novel was pure chaos and I absolutely loved it.

Pros:
- Fast paced plot, easy to read, engaging characters, and you just want to know what happens next. Where is it all going???
- The layers here are really great, and lots of twists and turns that you don't necessarily see coming.
- Bartz provides a great general setting.
- I was here for the spice! Also, I really liked Nathan a lot, which I wasn't expecting.

Other Thoughts:
- The pandemic as a plot device kind of made me think this would be eventually pretty dated, however, it works at the moment.

*Note to publisher: I did post this review online on my Instagram Stories (@bookslibrariestea) and will post a static post to my grid at a later date.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Spare Room is not at all what I was expecting. I truly don’t know how to elaborate on this without giving too much away.

It is set during the earlier days of the pandemic. Kelly is going through some tough times with her fiancé Mike and their wedding has been indefinitely postponed. Kelly goes to stay with an old high school friend and her husband during lockdown after they reconnected via social media.

Things get weird. The relationship amongst the three of them changes. They may or may not be responsible for a young woman’s disappearance. Kelly makes several poor choices. You’ll question everyone and everything. It is very difficult to know who to root for, if anyone.

To give credit where credit is due, this is absolutely a page turner, and there’s a nice FYI at the beginning that nothing happens to the cat. I also appreciate the departure from the “unreliable female narrator” that’s so overdone in thrillers.

3 stars, I liked it.

Read from March 12-14, 2023.

Wow! This novel is a wild ride; it’s been a while since a book made me gasp quite like this one. I don’t think I was able to relax once during the entire story, and I loved it! The characters and story line are unique and will immediately pull you in; make sure you set aside time for this one, once you stop you won’t be able to stop.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the e-galley!

It's hard to describe my reaction to this novel.

The novel kept my attention--I read it in two days--but I can't say I'd recommend it. The protagonist was a major ditz, and by age 35, you'd think she'd know more. Moving in with strangers (she knew Sabrina in high school) during a pandemic? O-kay..... we all have our quirks.

The main characters are all drop-dead gorgeous but empty-headed. Not my favorite type of characters. The polyamory theme was fine, but never really developed other than showing the sex scenes. It would have worked better if the characters had had some depth.

I liked her last book, We Were Never Here, and looked forward to the this one and am sorry I didn't like it. I did love Virgo, the cat--my favorite character.

I debated over rating it. Is it three stars, or two, or two point five? Authors work hard and for that they deserve three stars at least. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

(posted on my Goodreads page)

This book was wild! I enjoyed the unique storyline and the questionable characters/unreliable narrator. It was very much a “can’t trust anyone” storyline. I wanted more thrill as I was reading- many parts were a bit for me. Still, it is not a story that I will soon forget!

I gave this book a few tries to get into, but unfortunately, it just didn't click with me. I've enjoyed other books by this author before, so I had my hopes up. Overall, I wasn't really feeling the storyline. I was expecting a true thriller, but instead it turned out to be a bit of a weird romance from the start, which didn't quite vibe with me. On top of that, the writing felt a bit confusing and choppy at times, making it hard for me to get into the flow. I'm sure there's an audience out there who would love this book, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Oh man this book was firey. The last quarter was absolutely wild. I see some reviews say the start was slow, and I totally disagree -- it was different, but interesting.

Kelly is totally unmoored after getting dumped in a new city during COVID. She reconnects with an old friend on Instagram and is soon living at her fancy house with her husband. The three start a relationship but Kelly can tell something is off, and she isn't sure who she can trust.

I thought the characters were interesting and the premise was fun. I will say -- I'm still just not enjoying when a book is set during pre-vaccine COVID. It's too soon! Or maybe I'll never be ready.

The Spare Room is a fun, quick, refreshing read perfect for the beach or by the pool. The mystery was just twisted enough, adult themed enough to set it apart from other books in this genre. Readers who enjoy mysteries will a little spice will really like this. Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for the eARC - I enjoyed it! 3.5/5 stars.

This book was full of twist and turns. It constantly made me think I knew what was going on and then I was proved wrong. It was a little wild at times but I didn’t want to stop reading. Very unique storyline!

Before reading The Spare Room, I had only heard about Andrea Bartz because I had recently purchased “We Were Never Here”, her third book, on a whim. I never got around to that book but when I read the description for “The Spare Room”, I immediately dove in and I was not disappointed at all.

I love a good thriller and this book one hundred percent held my attention. I had a hard time putting it down. So many plot twists where I verbally started swearing out loud. The ending was something that I did not see coming.

It’s been a couple of days since I finished this book and I’m still wowed by what I just read. Andrea Bartz is definitely on my author to read list going forward. I’m going back to not only read “We Were Never Here” but to pick up her first two books as well. She’s sold me as a new fan!

While some people thrived during the pandemic and lockdown, so many barely survived. What didn't was Kelly and Mikes relationship. Kelly flees their Philadelphia apartment to get some clarity after Mike suggests that they postpone their wedding. She does what every millennial does, finds solace on Instagram and connects with an old high school acquaintance , Sabrina Lamont. Sabrina agrees to let her stay in her mansion outside of D.C. with her husband Nathan in their spare bedroom. When Kelly starts picking up romantic and sexual vibes from both Nathan and Sabrina, she finds herself comfortably in a relationship with her hosts. The only problem, she soon finds out that this is not a first for the Lamont's, and their last partner is noted to be a missing person. Is life in the Lamont mansion all that it is cracked up to be?

I went in to this book completely blind, didn't even know the premise. It was compelling storytelling, but I absolutely despised Kelly the main character and narrator. Truly a cringeworthy adult, who obviously has some relationship and commitment issues that need to be worked out. That being said, the ride was wild and it was fun to read. I felt like some parts of the story dragged on so much because we focused more on Kelly's feelings about Mike and being in a new relationship and her jealousy issues. I wish at times the plot was more the focus than those, and that's saying a lot because I love a deep character building novel. While it was a fun read, I'm not sure it was the best thriller I've read this year. Would be perfect to read by the pool in the summer though.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

This is a sexy, fun thriller that is not like any other thriller that you have read before. The MC moves in with a couple during COVID after she breaks up with her fiancé. The house is a gorgeous mansion where she can write. But soon, she gets involved in a sexy thruple and becomes too deeply involved in whatever secrets the couple is keeping. Go in blind.

Andrea Bartz does it again! This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Just when you think you have the plot figured out the page is turned. Great dynamics of characters and backstory

Unfortunately this story was not for me. I went in hoping for a fast paced thriller, but The Spare Room just fell flat with its predictability and forced shock factor. I strongly disliked the main character Kelly, to the point where it made the story unenjoyable. I understand that the intention was to make Kelly an unreliable character, but it seemed to go too far where I lost all interest in what she felt and seemed to impact my investment in the story.

Listen, many people will enjoy this story and be surprised by the twists, but I had a hard time enjoying this one and just wanted it to end.

🏡Book Review🏡
*
Summary: Kelly’s new life in Philadelphia has turned into a nightmare: She’s friendless and jobless, and the lockdown has her trapped in a tiny apartment with the man she gave up everything for, who’s just called off their wedding. The only bright spot is her newly rekindled friendship with her childhood friend Sabrina—now a glamorous bestselling author with a handsome, high-powered husband.

When Sabrina and Nathan offer Kelly an escape hatch, volunteering the spare room of their remote Virginia mansion, she jumps at the chance to run away from her old life. There, Kelly secretly finds herself falling for bother enchanting hosts—until one night, a wild and unexpected threesome leads the couple to open their marriage for her.

At first, Kelly loves being part of this risqué new world. But when she discovers that the last woman they invited into their marriage is missing, she starts to wonder if they could be dangerous . . . and if she might be next.
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
*
My thoughts: This is absolutely the most bizarre book I have read this year 😂I still don’t know if I liked it but it was… something 😂I’m not going to reveal much in my review, I would recommend going in blind to this one because I did and it was just insane 😂definitely a very unique read it came out two weeks ago. Maybe go read it if you’re down for a wild and weird ride?

After a tough breakup, Kelly decides to move in with her high school friend Sabrina and her husband, Nathan for some time to move on. Kelly and Sabrina have recently reconnected, but easily fall back into an easy friendship, and eventually into a throuple. At first things seem perfect, but then Kelly learns the last woman invited into this couple has been missing since shortly before Kelly arrived.

This was my first book by this author. I liked it, but the ending was completely strange and I really needed to suspend my disbelief for that. There is endless gates, but an easily climbable tree? Really? I also felt like Kelly would have been a believable if she were 25, but as a 35 year old she came off as a bit of a dolt. Why would she keep trusting everything when there were SO MANY red flags? Especially when she kept saying how much bad she overlooked in previous relationships.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Didn’t totally love the first buck, but thought this was a great second I would recommend this! the plot kept me guessing and I thought the characters were pretty interesting I would recommend

This book was amazing! I never saw anything coming and couldn't wait to find out how it was going to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel. This is my first by Andrea Bartz. While I did not absolutely love this novel, I will try another book from this author.

I love locked room thrillers and I thought this was a really unique take on that since it was set during the pandemic. I thought that the author did a great job talking about the anxiety and isolation that the pandemic caused and how that could make relationships more challenging.

I wanted this to be more of a "thriller" than it was. It really wasn't too much of a thriller until the last third or so of the book which I read very quickly. I also found the main character, Kelly, to be very tiresome and very gullible. I was often times very frustrated with her.

Overall, it was a quick and entertaining read but not my favorite of this genre.