This book was so unexpected, but I really enjoyed it! Definitely not your typical romance or thriller. It was all of that combined. You don't generally see a throuple, or poly relationship, in thrillers book, or in most books in general. But as a romance reader fan, I really enjoyed seeing this! I was here for that!!

I also loved the twists that I wasn't expecting. This is my first book by this author and definitely won't be my last!

3.5 stars

The Spare Room, by Andrea Bartz, is an interesting mix of a story: part steamy, 3-way romance novel, part dark murder mystery, and part domestic drama, all overshadowed by the pandemic lockdown.
Kelly and her fiancée Mike live in a dingy apartment in Philadelphia, with their cat, Virgo. Mike wants to “pump the brakes” on their wedding plans, so Kelly goes to stay with former high school buddy Sabrina, a writer of steamy novels, who lives with husband Nathan in a wealthy enclave in Virginia. After a slow start, the story ramps up as Kelly is groomed by her hosts and she learns about the mysterious disappearance of their previous partner.
There is plenty of foreshadowing hinting at dark doings by the couple and even a cemetery next door. The writing is atmospheric and does imbue a continued sense of impending disaster. I grew tired of the hyperbole and overuse of similes, but on the other hand, I did enjoy the clever, contemporary writing style. There are a few excellent twists near the end.
The fact that this story is set in the timeframe of full lock-down Covid-19 pandemic is probably the biggest hurdle for me. It is hard to ignore those times, but I don’t think it added much to the suspense. I enjoyed this author’s previous works and look forward to her next novel.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

This is my favorite book from Andrea Bartz to date! Kelly is the type of flawed main character I love, and I found the premise to be bold and unique. I couldn’t stop turning the pages!

The story is a slow burn and once it starts to pick up it doesn't stop. Once you get to the thrilling points it was addicting. It was more of a romantic suspense book more than a thriller but had similar energy. It was a great book. 3.5 stars!


Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for providing this amazing digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Although I thought the author does a great job of capturing the anxiety of those early days of the pandemic lockdown and the jealous voyeurism that often comes from social media, it was a little too smutty for my taste. Maybe I am just a prude--but, it was not for me. I DNF'd it, but I would give this author's work a second chance, Despite the R-rated content, I did think she had a great voice and was a good storyteller.

Thank you Andrea Bartz, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC e-book. This book packs on the creepy and suspense with a hint of erotic sexiness. Set in the beginning of the pandemic when everyone has been in lockdown and is creating small pods to help get them through the crazy loneliness. This book had me thinking wait is this really happening and how can you trust them and by the end i was scraping my jar off the ground with how it wrapped up. A great psychological thriller

3.5 stars

Kelly is miserable in Philly, where she moved to be with her fiancee for his new job. Unlike her life in Chicago, she doesn't have any friends or a job and the pandemic has her stuck in the apartment so she feels trapped. Then, her fiancee Mike pushes off rescheduling their wedding. The only positive thing she feels she has right now is connecting with Sabrina, an old schoolmate who writes smutty novels. When Sabrina offers to let Kelly come stay with her and her husband Nathan in DC, Kelly jumps at the chance and brings her cat along. Kelly finds herself attracted to both of her hosts and loves the way they make her feel special.

The second half of this book was fantastic, but I did struggle through the first half. Kelly's low self-esteem and paranoia was taxing and I found myself heavy sighing at her a lot. I did like that it was set during the early stages of the pandemic - we all lived through it, but I haven't seen it reflected in fiction until now and the author did a great job of portraying how we felt during that time. I also liked that every time I would think something wasn't right, Kelly would too and start asking questions (although sometimes just to herself) instead of just blindly accepting what she was told (although she did seem to do that too). By the time I was at about 80% of the way through, I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what happened. I even brought my Kindle to dinner and, when I was called out on it, tried to explain the story and it just sounded crazy (first throuple and second throuple will do that). It may have been a bit "extra;" however, I liked the twists and turns that changed what I'd been thinking. My only complaint was that the first half was too slow paced.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for providing this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Oh, Andrea Bartz! What happened here? You had a good set up and then it just got silly. The main character reminds me of a friend I use to have. Her entire personality changed depending on who she was with at the time. I found this completely obnoxious. The throuple was kind of boring and cringy. The ending was disappointing. I will still read the next new book she writes. This was my least favorite.

I personally decided to put this book down because it wasn’t grabbing me at the time, however I have every intention of going back to it! I loved where the story was heading and the mystery around this very odd dynamic (but so relatable in a post-pandemic world!)

BartZ’ writing is easy and beautiful and makes the story go so quickly. I was really enjoying the pace of this one compared to other works were I have caught myself wanting more excitement for longer chunks of the book.

Would totally rec checking this out based on what I read.

Put down at the 30% for now!

This was fun, if a little meandering. It follows Kelly, a 30 something woman who takes off to the Virginia suburbs to stay with a highschool friend Sabrina, and her husband Nathan, after her own fiance, Mike postpones their wedding. Midpandemic, the trio form a tightknit pod, and soon Sabrina and Nathan are including Kelly in their romantic endeavors. But questions arise when Kelly discovers this isn't the first time Sabrina and Nathan included a third in their relationship, and that woman is now missing.

Things I liked: the pandemic setting, the modern gothic mansion, the closed door mystery.
Things I didn't like: there were a lot of plot lines that felt like they didn't feel fully fleshed out or resolved, or like they were introduced and then forgotten about. It led to the whole story feeling just a little disorganized and unresolved.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a top rate thriller with a steamy side. The mix of genres worked really well and made putting this book down, impossible.

I have to admit the enticing cover made me request this book. This is my first book by Andrea Bartz and it had its moments but overall this book just wasn’t for me, The interesting twists were my favorite parts of the book but the almost constant mentioning of masks, pods, quarantine protocols, distancing, etc over 3 years later was too much. I would not have requested had I known it would be mentioned throughout the entire book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reading copy. All opinions are my own.

The Spare Room is Andrea Bartz' pandemic thriller. Kelly is in the throes of relationship woe, so when her glamorous childhood friend offers her an escape to stay in her and her husband's spare room she jumps at the chance. What ensues is a toxic threesome, but what Kelly doesn't know is what happened to the last woman they invited into their marriage. Could she be in danger too?

This book was slow. It was a very slow build, with a lot of sexual tension between Kelly, Sabrina and Nathan. Being in Kelly's head is an acutely uncomfortable experience. There is not a single likeable character in the story. While it is definitely a twisty and very original tale, I could not get into this. It was too slow and uncomfortable.

That being said the author did such a good job at describing how psychologically messed up Kelly was, you truly were uncomfortable with her thoughts. If you can get past truly unlikable characters and a super slow burn of a book, then you will probably love this thriller. It is twisty and deranged.

Overall, I just could not get into this book. I ended up dreading reading it because all the characters were so awful and it was so slow. Nothing really happened until the last ~25% of the book. The toxic relationships were just super over the top and it was not an enjoyable read.

The spare room is a “lock-down” era thriller that captures the zeitgeist of the early pandemic days. Kelly and her fiancé Mike are on the final days of their relationship when kelly decides to move to stay with an acquaintance from high school she reconnected with on social media (who also happens to be a famous romance author) and her husband. Thinking it will be the perfect escape, kelly takes Sabrina up on her offer to visit and stay with them for a week or two. Enthralled by the secluded mansion, kelly thinks it will be a good distraction to clear her head and get a chance of scenery, kelly is instantly attracted to the couple and before long they invite her to join them in bed. Everything seems great at first, but kelly soon senses there is a darkness lurking underneath. The last woman they shared their bed with disappeared and kelly senses they all have something to hide..

The first half of the book is a slow burn and mainly focuses on the sexual nature of the relationships while there is a humming in the background that something isn’t right about the setup. The second half of the book picks up the pace and becomes a locked-room mystery. The second half worked better for me better than the first half of the book. The characters weren’t particularly likable (on purpose) and the dialogue at times doesn’t seem authentic and seems wooden. However, the setting and atmosphere work well and the second half of the book moves at lightening pace with some truly shocking twists.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A twisty thriller that had me until the very end. I've noticed that pandemic themes are popping up everywhere but I like how this book doesn't make it a huge deal rather it is just life as it was, though it is a plot point that allows some of the story to unfold. I will say that NONE of the characters are likable in the least and I wasn't rooting for them , but this did not take from my enjoyment of the book. This is a well-done thriller that got me for sure as I did not guess at all where it was going.

I kept seeing everyone post this one and i knew i had the ARC so i said let me finish this one and i finished it in 2 days i wont lie it picked up a little slow but after 40% in it started getting good.. I did take a star off because of the reveal i was a little disappointed but i am picky with thrillers because ive read alot of them and sometimes i just feel as they are very much the same. In the beginning of this novel i was getting Verity vibes idk if anyone of yall got those same vibes as well. This book follows kelly who during the pandemic is on the rocks with her fiance so she gets offered to stay with a highschool friend and when she moves in she gets herself in a MESS.. I was at times thinking WTF is she doing omg she was a good main character tho. This novel had so much lying and alot going on and i didnt know who to believe and it kept me reading... Secrets, Murder, Betrayal, Scandal, Smut this novel had alot of everything. Kelly starts going through the house and starts finding little things that makes her question her whole situation and the people shes living with and it also didnt help that the neighbors didnt trust her and was also giving her warnings. Overall this was a good thriller and if you like thrillers i think ull enjoy this one.

The Spare Room is romantic suspense set in the peak of the pandemic. The loneliness and uncertainty of lockdown set the tone for this book. Kelly’s life in Philly is turned upside down when her fiancé calls off their wedding. When her extremely wealthy friend from high school and her husband offer to take her into their bubble, Kelly jumps at the chance to escape her tiny apartment. As she gets to know Sabrina and Nathan, the creepy suspense begins looming and then things get WILD when they propose a threesome. It was a little slow to start but really picks up around 65% and then it is twist after twist until the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this ARC!

My Ratings:
✿ Plot ★★★
✿ Reading Experience ★★★★
✿ Characters ★★★
✿ Writing Style ★★★★★

Overall ★★★.75

This is definitely on the slower-side for thrillers, possibly because I really don’t think the thriller part was the main purpose of this book. It was more of a story about a woman in her 30s coming into her own and exploring her sexuality. And I actually found that part of the book really interesting! I kind of wish more of that was shown because, while the feelings/emotional aspects of that journey are documented in great detail, the sex parts were very sanitized. I read that Bartz had to tone it down for publication for some reason, which seemed a weird choice to me. I didn’t necessarily want it to be graphic, but there is a weird dichotomy between how much sex is discussed and how much is actually shown on the page, and it felt jarring when it cut off.

As I said above, it really didn’t feel like the mystery part of this book was the focus. A lot of threads went nowhere or were barely discussed/dropped at the end, and I wished some more of that had been fleshed out. That being said, one of the twists in this book genuinely shocked me, so that alone made it worth the read for me. I just felt like this book didn’t know what it wanted to be, and it suffered a bit from seemingly being two disparate books shoved under the same umbrella. I think I would have enjoyed either a lot more if there was a clear focus.

Overall, I found this book slow, but ultimately enjoyable, even though it felt like two separate stories. I’d be very interested in seeing what others thought because, as you can probably tell, I’m very conflicted.

3.5/5

The tension, the secrets, the chemistry, the something being not quite right, but you can’t put your finger on it. That niggling feeling of unease that keeps you propulsively turning the pages until you uncover the truth, unveil the skeletons in the closet. This one kept me reading late into the night. It also has a lot of slow burn polyamory energy.
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Kelly is hating life in Philadelphia, cramped in her tiny apartment with her fiancé, Mike, during lockdown. Then, Mike calls off their wedding. Kelly reconnects with Sabrina, a childhood friend turned NYT bestselling romance author. Sabrina invites Kelly to lock down with her and her husband in their Virginian mansion. But her home isn’t the only thing Sabrina opens. Kelly learns that the last woman who stayed with the couple disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Is she next? Or are her hosts really as glorious as they appear?
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I started out loving this one and powering through it, but wasn’t a big fan of the resolution. I felt like there were too many big coincidences. Also, the indecisiveness, the nonstop questioning, the wishy-washy back and forthness, the gaslighting, the self gaslighting. It was a lot.
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I ultimately did enjoy this thriller, and it did keep me frantically turning pages to uncover all the secrets.
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Thank you to @netgalley and Ballantine Books for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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The Spare Room - Andrea Bartz
4/5⭐️
Pub Date: 6/20/23

The Spare Room was suspenseful with a dash of rated R. The novel is set during the Covid-19 pandemic and that setting provides the background for our character's isolation as they are at home and minimizing contact with the outside world. There are quite a few twists and this definitely won't be a mainstream send it to all your book club friends type of thriller. It's a bit risque so, not your mother's summer thriller read either.

That said, I binged it quickly and found it a fun yet weird yet intriguing story.

Thank you to Ballantine books and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy.