I’m so disappointed I didn’t like this book! I loved this author’s first book. This was so boring I couldn’t get hooked no matter how many times I tried.

This is a book that is so ridiculous, silly and has some smut but was also the summer popcorn thriller I wanted. Bartz must love writing naive women - I struggled with her MC in We Were Never Here and had similar issues with this one in Kelly but ultimately decided this was way more fun. I switched between the audio and ebook and I need to say that I find Brittany Pressley’s voice so soothing. I need to find more audiobooks by her!

This was a such a unique premise for a thriller. After a break up, the main character moves in with a couple she just met during COVID. This was such an interesting taking on a mystery that it felt really fresh.

There was way more spice in this than I’ve ever seen in a mystery. I’m always down for some spice so this add antihero fresh and interesting layer to the story. I also liked how unexpected the twists were. There were several times I thought I had the story figured out and was surprised!

My main complaint is how naive and annoying the main character, Kelly is. She came off as a whiny teenager instead of an adult. She had no backbone, didn’t trust her instincts, and made so many bad decisions. I’m all for an unlikable main character, but Kelly was an extreme that read like a bad horror movie heroine at times.

Overall, this was a fast paced and unique story that I would recommend to people looking for something fresh and different.

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

Welcome to polyamory done very, very wrong by Andrea Bartz.

I struggled with the rating for this book. It was entertaining enough that I can’t say I wouldn’t recommend it to the right person, so rating it below three stars wasn’t an option. It wasn’t so poorly written that I felt rating it three stars was justifiable, but it wasn’t well-written or enjoyable enough to warrant four stars. So 3.5 it is.

I don’t want to get into the plot. If I did, we’d be here all night. Here’s the thing (and Bartz actually has one of the characters point this out at some point in the book): During the pandemic, when we were all snug in our quarantine pods and being oh-so-careful about everything under the sun, we all went a little crazy. I know I did. I went into COVID a total extrovert who loved to go out and loved crowded places. I came out of COVID a horribly anxious person who tries to avoid leaving the house at all costs and has anxiety and/or panic attacks when too many people are around. So much of the plot of this book is centered around being trapped and about different kinds of isolation and the notion of what it means to escape that I’m afraid I would just end up jibber-jabbering.

We can talk about our main character, Kelly, though. I was continuously disappointed by Kelly at almost every crossroads in this book. She’s not a particularly good person, although she claims to be and other people tell her she is. I didn’t view Kelly as good–I viewed Kelly as self-centered and passive-aggressive. Her constant insecurity and need for reassurance was exhausting, and it was almost like Bartz wrote her to always make the wrong decision or to be an absolute doormat. I like my female characters strong, not willing to be stomped on and willingly gaslit.

I also do not vibe well with Bartz’s writing style. Maybe she needs to read more erotic thrillers to get down the vocabulary of what goes into writing a sexy, summertime suspense novel like this, because the word “gooey” isn’t sexy. Her sentence composition lacks maturity, as does her word choices. She often chooses to make up adverbs that sound horrible when read out loud instead of simply composing a better sentence and a few times even used words that aren’t actually words, which is annoying.

Even though I didn’t guess whodunit, I was very disappointed by who did, because it simply didn’t make any sense to me. It was out of left field with not even the tiniest breadcrumb trail to accompany it. I felt it was simply there for shock factor and not because it did anything for the plot resolution or for the themes in the book.

I hesitantly recommend this if you’re just looking for something diverting to read this summer. It’s not terribly long (it could be shorter) and it’s not terrible. It’s just not great. Oh, do yourself a favor and skip the epilogue. It shouldn’t even be there.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All opinions, thoughts, ideas, and views expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: LGBTQ Fiction/Psychological Fiction/Psychological Thriller/Suspense Thriller/Thriller/Women’s Fiction

This was a great thriller. I love that I did not anticipate the ending. Also I loved that it took place during COVID, making it a knot h more believable. Overall the storyline was gripping and made me read this in 36 hours. Highly recommend.

A dark domestic thriller with some spice; a different approach from the author's other books- a genre bending page turner. Sexy, suspenseful, and unnerving. An evenly paced and well written story.

Thank you Netgalley , author Andrea Bartz & Ballantine Books for sharing the ARC in exchange for honest review.
Book is already out now , released 6/20/2023.
This domestic thriller is like a juicy gossip you can’t stop listening / knowing more about . Having plot point like threesome which is taboo for many , it does not shy away from describing the dynamics of such a relationship and is the key plot that drives the remainder of the story . Nearly 60% of the first half , is about the characters, their emotions and slow build up of mystery . The author established how the main character gets into agreement to be in such a relationship and her processing the situation and her past . The remaining 40% of the story is where the missing previous partner of the couple and other action thriller aspect of the story takes place .
While this book reels you in and makes you want to keep reading it , this wasn’t my cup of tea , there was too many unbelievable twists at the very end and the ending did not keep up with the whole build up of the story imo.
It’s a 3/5 star read for me .

This is definitely a steamy, sensual story, and I think it effectively communicates the ways we can lose and learn about ourselves in times of crisis, especially when personal crises overlap with worldwide ones. I will admit that this isn't my favorite book by the author, and I'll chalk that up in part to maybe not being ready to read books that are set fully within the early-ish parts of the pandemic, especially when the characters are making choices that I would have disagreed with at the time. Everyone's personal readiness and experiences mean that mileage may vary on this one.

I loved Andrea Bartz's debut novel We Were Never Here so I was delighted to have received an advanced copy of her follow-up, The Spare Room, for review. Unfortunately this fell flat for me - I think in We Were Never Here, the action and tension was direct between two friends in intense situations. In The Spare Room, I was not engaged in the conflict between the three characters and mostly uninterested in the drama that unfolded. While basing a thriller around not only a COVID lockdown pod, but also a THROUPLE, combined two kind of fun, current tropes, I was bored and skimmed through the last 2/3rds of the book. I will definitely be reading whatever Ms. Bartz puts out next but unfortunately this was just not for me.

2 stars. Some people will like this and I desperately wanted to be one of them. But it felt so insta-lovey and dramatic and little thrilling aspects to it. There wasn't a single point that I genuinely wondered what was going on. It is a quick read, though.

Bartz's latest thriller was my favorite novel from this author to date! A mix of steamy and suspenseful, I enjoyed the way this played out and couldn't stop turning the pages to see what was coming.

Thank you to Random House for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

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!