If this domestic thriller were a cocktail it would be heavy on the domestic with a hint of thriller as an aftertaste you almost miss entirely. There was SO much going for it: great isolated setting with a realistic reason for the isolation (pandemic), non-monogamous/non-heteronormative relationship (not the healthiest or most well written but love the representation), and a plot that gives strong thriller vibes (what the hell happened to their last partner?!). Unfortunately, it really fell flat for me. The characters are infuriating, no one communicates and quite frankly Kelly was a bit stupid. Nathan and Sabrina were too if they honestly didn’t pick up on how their words and actions were being interpreted. The plot was very predictable and the one “twist” that wasn’t felt so far out of left field that it didn’t feel like it fit with the rest of the story. And lastly, the pacing was off, it felt slow until roughly 200-250 pages in and by that point even though the story began to pick up there wasn’t enough momentum to make the last third of the book a page turner.

I haven't read Bartz' previous novels but heard good things about them, which is why I was excited to read her newest novel. The blurb sounded very interesting, too. In the end, I think this book mostly fell flat for me because I was expecting something else.
While this is marketed as a thriller, it only really becomes in the last few chapters, basically. More than that it's an exploration of our protagonists needs, relationships, sexuality. Which is all good and well, and the author herself tells us how important and personal of a subject that is for her. I adore stories that focus the often forgotten fact that exploration of oneself, of one's sexuality, does not stop after your teenage years. It's an important conversation to have, it just didn't really work for me in this book. The polyamorous relationship at the center of it never felt organic and at times problematic, though the characters do acknowledge that themselves. While there was sexual chemistry, I didn't feel any romance blossoming there. And then there's the mystery of the missing woman that was the couple's lover just before our protagonist, Kelly, starts her relationship with them. There is very little actually going on with that mystery, and Kelly acts completely moronic most of the time, actively ignoring reveals that would make any person with a brain just leave. Instead, she just shares her discoveries with the clearly lying couple over and over again and lets them tell her whatever they want in order to make her stay. Suspension of disbelief to the max..
When this finally does turn into a thriller, I didn't really care about the big mystery, or this story as a whole, that much anymore. The twists and turns and reveals are okay and exciting enough, though I didn't like the final twist and the solution after the reveal.

So in conclusion, this book is too long and barely a thriller, and because I didn't care about the protagonist I wasn't invested in her personal journey nor her fate. 2,5 stars, rounding up to 3.

This book did keep me entertained as I was able to finish it in just a couple of days. It was full of suspense with many twists and turns. I was definitely not expecting the ending.

I was looking forward to this one because I liked her previous book: We Were Never There. The Spare Room was just a little bit too weird for me. Unfortunately, I stopped reading at chapter 25. I found all characters involved to be unrealistic and boring. I basically didn't really care what happened next. I do like the idea of a story set during the pandemic when everyone was sort of hiding out...this has the potential of being a very atmospheric -creepy setting but this story wasn't it.

Wellllll this book was kind of all over the place! It started a little slow and sad. It started to pick up toward the middle. Everything I thought was going on was wrong! I don’t think I’ve ever had so many wrong theories! There was plenty of mystery and revelations to keep the story going at a decent pace toward the end of the book. This book is definitely one of the strangest books I’ve read. I really enjoyed it and the messages it conveyed. I would recommend giving it a try though, it was definitely a maze of a story!

This is a book that took me by surprise. Trigger warning- very sexual.

Kelly is distraught after things are cutoff with her fiancee. Kelly, recently struck up a relationship with an old childhood friend who invites her to stay with her and her husband Nathan. Kelly happy for the getaway accepts as this occurs during Covid. Kelly, trying to figure things out strikes up an unusual friendship with Nathan AND Sabrina. Kelly starts to become suspicious when she finds out their last partner went missing.

This was not my favorite book by the other, but it had its moments.

DNF'd at 32% due to the content - I was interested in a domestic suspense, not an overly sexualized couples' drama. Disappointing as I loved Bartz's last book!

Kelly’s life is turned upside down when, during the pandemic, her fiancé asks to call off their wedding. Devastated, the only bright spot in her life is the friendship she recently struck up with her former childhood friend Sabrina. When Sabrina and her husband Nathan offer Kelly their spare room in their remote mansion, she jumps at the opportunity to leave her life behind. At their home, Kelly finds herself attracted to both Sabrina and Nathan and their enchanting life. When one night ends in a threesome, the couple asks her to be their partner and she is excited by this new life. At least, until she finds out their last partner went missing - mere days before Kelly moved in. What has she really gotten herself into with these people?

I was not expecting this story at ALL! Lol locked room thrillers are my favorite and on the occasion that I do read romance, forced proximity is my favorite trope. This sort of threw all those things together for a unique read. I found Kelly to be way too trusting with people she hardly knew, yet I was wrapped up in the story wondering just what happened to the girl who lived there before her. Without giving spoilers, the story took a direction entirely different from what I was expecting, which I loved. I definitely did not predict the twists that happened and the fast pacing made this an easy read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Andrea Bartz and Ballantine Books for the ARC! “The Spare Room” releases June 20th! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

Pandemic read about a woman who goes to stay with a high school friend and her husband during the lockdown. Kelly isn’t getting along with her fiancé during the lockdown, the stress of having to postpone their upcoming wedding, and Kelly’s suspicion of her fiancés cheating isn’t helping matters. When Kelly moves in with Sabrina and her husband Nathan, she can’t believe her luck. The house is beautiful and inviting, and she feels incredibly welcome and comfortable with the couple. But as the threesome gets close, extremely close, strange things begin to happen. Kelly learns of a previous friend who came to stay and other mysterious events. Fast paced read.

Wow this was a wild one. At first I wasn’t sure if I was ready to read a pandemic based book. While this wasn’t my first, it started out with the pandemic more front and center than the others. As I read though, it was clear that this was the perfect setting for this thrilling novel. The twists got me good, I have to admit. I did not see them coming. In hindsight, when the characters are so admit no one could get in…someone got in 😂. It is a great summer thriller I look forward to sharing with my followers.

Kelly gave up everything to relocate to a new city for her fiancee and now she's found herself jobless and friendless in the middle of the pandemic and after bizarre behaviors, her fiancee has now "pumped the breaks" on their wedding plans.

The only bright spot for Kelly is her newly rekindled friendship with a former classmate, Sabrina, who has become a successful author. When Sabrina offers for Kelly to come stay in their spare room, Kelly jumps at the opportunity and initially thinks she has made the right decision. Sabrina lives in a beautiful home with her husband with all the luxuries that anyone could want! But, things aren't what they seem! Who was the person living in the spare room before Kelly and what happened to her? When Sabrina and her husband, Nathan, start exhibiting weird behavior, Kelly questions if her life is in danger and how she will escape!!

This is my first book by this author and I hate to say that I didn't enjoy it. The characters were so unlikeable and unbelievable. The whole story was just bizarre and poorly developed. I will likely try another story by Bartz to see if this was just a dud for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I binged this book in one day - I was glued to the pages with this one. I love a good suspenseful thriller, and this did it for me. I was shocked at the spiciness thrown in as well but didn't hate it. I went into this blind and really enjoyed the story overall. I am not usually one for the mention of COVID-19 in a novel, but Andrea made this one flow so well. I was so invested and by the end I was literally jaw dropped. This story was extremely unique from your normal thrillers, I can't wait to read more by this author!

All of Andrea Bartz’s cover art draw me in. This was an interesting read, kept me wanting more and hard to put down!

So let’s start this off by saying, wtf this was weird 😂

This was NOT a thriller and very reminiscent of Flock by Kate Stewart. We have a naive & impressionable main character with her relationship on the rocks. She’s also about to turn 35… ANYWAY she goes to stay with a popular romance novelist/high school acquaintance who she’s been texting frequently since reconnecting via social media, and has been fan girl-ing over online. This woman is married, so she stays with her and the husband in their gorgeous mansion during the COVID-19 lockdown.

They start their own “pod” together, and it rapidly becomes more of a romantic/domestic suspense book. It becomes very erotic & sexual and focuses more on the main character’s relationships and new sexual awakenings than anything even close to being a thriller.

The actual thriller aspect doesn’t happen until close to the end of the book, and even that was tangled in more love affairs/drama. This was a very relationship heavy book in general.

The twist at the end of the book definitely took me by surprise and the author set that up very well. Definitely an extra star for that alone. I didn’t see it coming! The epilogue was also a very nice touch.

✨ The major takeaways I want you guys to leave with after reading my review is ✨:
- this book is set during lockdown (so COVID-19 is mentioned very frequently)
- this is risqué, but not fully open door, some acts are loosely described - it’s a little spicy
- this is mostly romantic drama/suspense
- this has a little touch of murder at the end
- this is definitely a popcorn read

This is my first book by this author and I definitely enjoyed it. It was unique & was a very binge-able read. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys romantic/domestic suspense novels.

Thank you NetGalley, Andrea Bartz, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest option.

I really do not like doing this but this was a DNF for me. The whole beginning of the story Kelly is OBSESSING about her fiancé and how she’s going to do whatever it takes to get him back and she ends up in this weird threesome with her friend and husband. I just cannot get invested in this one. Kelly is annoying, immature and a little nuts.

Andrea Bartz style or writing always pulls you in and literally takes you on a journey that I never seem to figure out the ending. This book was set during the Covid Pandemic following two couples and how they get entangled together. Kelly engaged, runs off to an old friends home to catch a break and rethink her relationship. Nathan and Sabrina are grieving the disappearance of their former lover. It’s full of sexual desires, including exploring threesomes and roll play. When Kelly finds out about the former lover she begins to wonder if she will be next and seeks answers. With tons of twists and turns you’ll never know who to trust or how it will end.

Truly wtf was this read 👀 not in a bad way but like this is not your average thriller. It is scandalous, spicy 🌶, and the perfect pool/beach read. It gave me major HUNTING WIVES vibes.

The story takes place in early 2020 during COVID isolation times (think pandemic bubble, outdoor dining, masks). Kelly has been stuck in her apartment with her fiancé as their relationship slowly disintegrates. When an old high school classmate gets in touch with her on Instagram, Kelly decides to move in with her and her husband to give her relationship some space. That’s when things start to get weird.

I was not expecting the direction this took - which was kind of fun as someone who reads a lot of thrillers. There are lots of twists (and lots of red herrings) that will keep you turning the pages.

Tbh I didn’t love the main character and found a lot of the writing around relationships to be unnecessary (I read thriller for the suspense not an education on how to have an equitable relationship lol).

This book I didn't like at all. It was very sexie. I don't like this kind of book.

Thank you net gallery but I just couldn't read ant further.

3.5⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this book.

This book is set during 2020 pandemic lockdown so if you do not like reading about that this may not be for you.

After Mike said he wanted to postpone their wedding, Kelly decides to take a train to stay with an old friend who she recently connected with to get some space. Kelli, Sabrina and her husband Nathan would stay quarantined together during the pandemic. Kelly becomes romantically interested in them and after a night of drinking the married couple opens up their marriage for Kelly.
Nathan is firm that it can not get out to anyone that Kelly is in a relationship with them.
After Kelly finds sexual Polaroids of another woman with them she finds out they had a previous partner. And that previous partner is missing.

This book is different and is a suspense, romance and thriller type of book. Kelly was infuriating to me with the way she thinks and acts. The book wasn’t that thrilling for me until the last 30%.

2.5 stars
I enjoyed Andrea's last book and was looking forward to this one. However, I was hoping for more "thriller" than we got. It was definitely more sexual than I was expecting! I could not stand the main character but was happy with her growth by the end. I was also surprised by the ending! If you're looking for a bit of a wild and sexual queer domestic read with a lil bit of thrill...maybe this book is for you! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for providing the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.