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.

I had to see what happened next in this thriller! A couple great twists and turns made it hard to put down. It takes place during the pandemic where a woman goes to stay with a married couple and ends up in a relationship with them. At about the halfway point, things get a little crazy!

Kelly is going through a major low in life - she is having relationship issues with her fiance and she has recently lost her job. On top of that the pandemic lockdown is making it worse. Her old friend, Sabrina's invite to her mansion in Virginia could not have come at a better time. Kelly takes up the offer and decides to spend some time with Sabrina and her husband Nathan, to get away from her old life. Little did she know the turn this decision would take and finds herself in a dreamy relationship with the couple. Things seems too good to be true and soon they get worse, lots of lies, secrets and deception.

I haven never read anything like this before and it was a fun ride, I did not know what to expect, but the book did not disappoint! Didn't expect it to be as steamy as it got when I went into this book, it was a fun surprise! Were some parts over-the-top and predictable? Sure. But did it take away the fun of reading this book with all it's toxic characters? Hell no!
I throughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to thriller lovers!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the plot and there were some very steamy scenes, but I felt like there were also some holes in the story. It was still good, though, and I wasn’t expecting the twisty ending.

Book : The Spare Room
Author : Andrea Bartz
Pub Date : 20 June 2023

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group — Ballantine & the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I ate up this book. I am a sucker for a good thriller and this book sounded like quite the summer thriller. The cover screamed summer and mystery. I couldn’t wait to get into this book. I had never read a book by Andrea before and I can say that I will be keeping my eye on their books because YES! I ended this book having to pick my jaw off the floor because there were lots of twists and turns in this book.

I literally tried guessing what was going to happen in this book turn by turn and I never once figured it out. I was iffy about reading a book that takes place during COVID because COVID is a huge trigger for me but it wasn’t what I thought. I have already recommended this book to a handful of friends who I told that they need to put this on their TBR. If you haven’t already put this on your TBR, you need to do that now. You will not be disappointed.

Easy 4 stars for me.

3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the E-ARC. To be honest I was done with this book at 80% it would of been a good ending. It started off really strong and was super consistent. Then I feel like it just went downhill and tried to pick up momentum but it was just not vibing with me. But then the ending was in true Bartz fashion as was really good.

During the pandemic, Kelly is living in a new city with her fiance Mike, without friends or a job, when he says he wants to postpone their wedding. Coincidentally, Kelly has reconnected with a former high school friend, Sabrina, who invites her to quarantine with her and her husband at their mansion in the country. This was billed as a thriller, but that didn't happen until near the end of the book. Instead, it was more of a "50 Shades..." story, and I started skimming once I realized that was the case, in order to get to the thriller part. I've heard great things about this author's previous book, but this one was not for me. Thank-you to NetGalley, Ms. Bartz, and Ballantine Books for the ARC of this title.

The Spare Room is a very suspenseful, steamy thriller. Kelly and her fiancé decide to take a break so Kelly leaves Philly to go stay with an old high school friend and her husband, Sabrina and Nathan Lamont, outside of DC. They live in a mansion that is gated, locked securely and next to an old cemetery. This also is occurring during the pandemic so they need to isolate once she gets there. Once Kelly is there she starts to have romantic feelings for both of them and the feelings are reciprocated. What should she do? She also finds out that they have done this in the past and now the other woman is missing. Kelly really needs to leave but she is enjoying the feelings, for now. This was a good read and entertaining. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and give my opinions.

Anytime someone says they have a spare room you won’t be able to not think of this book. It had me on the edge of seat the whole time and couldn’t stop thinking what was going to happen next!

This book was certainly different. I wouldn’t necessarily label it a thriller or romance.

Kelly seems to have a perfect life until one day her fiancé tells her he wants to take a step back. She moves in with a “friend” from high school & quickly finds herself in a polyamorous relationship with her & her husband. Kelly cries..A LOT..like almost too much to the point where she is so unlikeable. She also can’t make decisions for herself & finds herself trusting everyone she comes in contact with..literally. This book also takes place during Covid so if that’s not your thing, steer clear. Overall, this book wasn’t necessarily bad but it definitely wasn’t my favorite. The twist at the end was good & one I didn’t see coming. That’s the only reason it’s getting three stars.

I read about 15% of this one and had to DNF. I feel that it's not fair to give it a rating since I didn't read the whole thing, but I've decided to give it 3 stars. I read "We Were Never Here" by Andrea Bartz and struggled to get through that book... I should have known I might have had the same situation with this one. I decided to give her another chance but I really could not get into the writing style, I just kept falling asleep whenever I picked up the book. I didn't love the COVID/pandemic setting, I thought the concept was highly unrealistic. I just don't think this author is for me sadly, nothing against her at all. May try picking this back up in the future -- could've been a "me" problem/wrong time to read.

Okay, I am very thankful to Ballantine/Random House Publishing Group, Netgalley, Andrea Bartz, and PRH Audio for granting me access to this twisty/turning thriller, but I do have to say, this one was not for me. I couldn't really keep up with the audio, and it just wasn't for me, but I'm eager to see what other people think.