The Spare Room is a tale set during the pandemic. A young woman, Kelly, fresh from a separation from her fiancé is invited to occupy the spare room in a high school friends mansion. Kelly is a bit of a problem for me as a reader. Her reasoning and decision making defy logic. Things that she discovers would have had me running for the nearest exit, but she rationalizes the suspicion away. The married couple are shady in certain ways and she enters into a three way intimate relationship with them. A missing ex-partner of theirs, her abusive ex, and hostile neighbors create a tale that is complicated. I rated this at 3 stars because while it was interesting enough that I finished the book, it’s not one that I would revisit. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the title. My review is my opinion only and is given freely in the hope it is helpful to other readers.

I received an ARC of this book from Random House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I am not really sure how to categorize or rate this - definite mixed feelings. I thought it was going to be a psychological thriller, but the action described in the synopsis really doesn't occur until close to the end. Until then, it is a pandemic romance I suppose?

My absolute favorite part was the note at the beginning that Virgo is always OK. Made no sense till I started reading, but we then learn Virgo is Kelly's cat. I can't handle books with cruelty to animals so I loved this detail!

It did keep my interest - the author did a good job with building suspense and characterization, though in my opinion, all 3 main characters are very unlikable! Kelly is so wishy-washy and desperate for attention. Sabrina seems fake and suspicious, and Nathan is a bit creepy.

Considering this book is about a "throuple," it's not super explicit. I actually really liked how the author handled the sex parts, leaving most everything to the imagination.

The conclusion definitely came as a surprise which I appreciated. But I did not understand the epilogue! Someone help!

3.5 stars rounded down but I would still read more of Ms. Bartz' work.

This one took me way too long to get through. It wasn't bad, but it didn't hold my attention long enough. After struggling through the mid section I started skim reading so I could sprint to the end and I was just not into the ending. It was just ok.

#TheSpareRoom #NetGalley
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz. It is well worth reading and I would defiantly recommend to my customers.

The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz gave me some complicated feelings.

Kelly’s life has started to fall apart. After moving with her fiancée to Philadelphia, he wants to pump the brakes on their wedding. Her only reprieve is reconnecting with Sabrina, an old friend from high school. Sabrina offers up a space for Kelly to stay, and Kelly can’t resist. She finds herself falling door both Sabrina and her husband Nathan, and one night, they make the decision to open up their marriage. Soon though, Kelly learns though that she’s not the first person they’ve opened their marriage up to…and that person is missing.

I think the concept for this story was very intriguing! The pacing is great and definitely had me racing to the end of the book. The plot twist did have me questioning the story I’d just read and the epilogue had me questioning it again! The author did a great job in setting the scene I can see why Kelly would be drawn in.

I’m not sure I would call this book a true thriller as most of the action doesn’t surface until later into the third act of the book. While I liked the supporting players, I was annoyed by Kelly. Her choices were frustrating and she felt a bit too naive. It killed a bit of the momentum for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first half of the book there’s a satisfying build up until around the time Kelly asks to go to a hotel. The momentum is lost and it takes some time to build back up. Around that time there seems to be a lot of wasted time or busy work but the climax (pun intended) is so quick.

I appreciate Bartz’s commentary on nonmonogamy at the end. It’s important to me that readers don’t make this form of relationship ugly. Polyamory was not the crime. There were and are elements of beauty and emotional intelligence in polyamory. The salacious nature of the book will draw you in but the moral of the story is trust, consent, honesty, and it’s really a commentary on any relationship.

Kelly has a sort of devil on her shoulder who she refers to as a gremlin, which I think could be better named. Especially when it isn’t always encouraging her to be bad, but to see the truth and piece things together.

Overall, a slow burn with a fast flame-out, similarly to Andrea Bartz’s other novel, We Were Never Here. Although Bartz’s novels are usually tied up nicely, she always leaves one element of the story missing until the very end. I found myself speed reading the last 10% or so just to get through it and discover the last plot twist.

This is my 3rd read by this author and I think I had the same feelings about all three. Amazing plotline, but the execution lacked for me. I would have liked to read more about the main character, Kelly's, back story and what led her to need a break from her current situation to go live with basically strangers during a pandemic. Or more of how her online connection with the Serena came to fruition. Maybe it would have been more believable if we understood what was driving her to take such a huge leap. A large portion of the story moved so slow, but around 65-70% it picked up and was hard to put down. Definitely didn't anticipate the ending, which is always fun for me.

During the pandemic Kelly’s fiancé tells her they need a break, so she flees to Virginia to stay with a friend from high school who she recently reconnected with. Sabrina and Nate are a beautiful, successful married couple living in an equally beautiful home in an exclusive gated community. Kelly is immediately enamored with them, so much so that she begins to find herself becoming attracted to them. When she finds out they feel the same, they all enter into a relationship together. They tell Kelly they’ve only done this once before, with another woman but that relationship ended amicably. Oh and by the way, that woman just happens to have gone missing.

•

Sexy, twisty and full of suspense. I tore through this in 2 sittings. MC Kelly is insanely flawed and so desperate for Sabrina and Nathan’s love to the point where it’s slightly pathetic and cringey. Luckily, this helps with the development of the throuple storyline, but she still irked me. Sabrina and Nathan’s interest in Kelly seemed shady to me from the jump, so I always thought they had an ulterior motive. The last 20% of the book gets hella wild, I did not expect the twist at the end which makes for a good read for me.

A woman is left by her husband, leaving her without a job or place to live. An old school friend offers her a room in an old house - very creepy.
The friend and her husband initiate a three-way sexual relationship. However, it seems that the last woman who filled this role disappeared and now it seems that the third wheel may be in danger.

steamy.

This book unfortunately did not hit all the right spots for me. Thanks for a copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the publishers for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Kelly and her man need a break. But there’s a lockdown. So she befriends someone on Instagram. I think they went to school together as kids. Dunno. But it’s weird.

Most of the book annoyed me, made me roll my eyes, and cringe. It was much too long and the spicy scenes took up too much room. Kelly was obnoxious. The twist toward the end really helped the book. It’s what bumped it up a star. But it just took so long to get there.

If wasn’t a bad book at all. I just don’t think this author is one that works for me.

𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘵, 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵— 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤é 𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺.

𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢, 𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺’𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯. 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘚𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘝𝘪𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴. 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩.

It’s no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Andi! When I read the synopsis I knew I was in for a treat. I will say, after reading this book that takes place during lockdown and afterward, It was a good reminder to appreciate where we are now.

"𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒆, 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌, 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚."

I thrive when I am trying to unravel a thriller, especially with the domestic suspense elements. AND BOY, OH BOY, I was working overtime with this one. I genuinely thought I knew exactly what was going on, who was responsible for what, and it ALL BLEW UP IN MY FACE. I was eating it up! Those are some of my favorite bookish moments, and I’ll be chasing that rush for a while.

"𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏."

I loved this plot. Andi’s writing style speaks to my soul, and it was paced perfectly. There wasn’t one instance where I wanted to put this book down or reach for my phone. Above that, though, Kelly’s character growth was absolutely fantastic. Finding out who you are and what realizing your worth is a tumultuous journey under any circumstance, but especially for Kellys situation. I was SO PROUD of her!

"𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇."

The third act was absolute chaos, in the best way. I was literally pacing at one point as I read! I couldn’t believe my eyeballs, and I am still shook as I write this. I cannot wait to buy a physical copy to reread and add to my collection!

Also worth noting… this is definitely a steamy thriller! As if I didn’t love it already… I loved that those elements were threaded in.

If I haven’t been plain enough… FIVE STARS!

Thank you to Net Galley, Ballentine Books, and the author for the ARC!

Definitely kept me turning the pages but not a very believable plot line. Did not expect the twist at the end which is always a plus!

This book was very steamy. I dont think I realized how much so until I found myself skimming a lot. I did feel so bad for the MC kelly, but also, I wish she had been a tad brighter! It sounded like the perfect thing for her when she got the chance to get away but then she starts to wondering if it was really to good to be true! It was a bit of a slow burn but the ending was a quick paced read.

Bartz has penned some of my recent thriller faves, and this one is just as twisty and spooky but also WAY sexier... which I liked! You'll plow through it. Smart, fun, and surprising. Love her.

This book was fine. Not great, not terrible, just fine. It was about 100 pages too long and meandered a bit through the middle and near the end. At times there was too much going on (too much drama with every single character) and at other times, not enough (the Nathan-Sabrina-Kelly storyline/romance got a little *yawn* after the first 200 pages). Ultimately, I think this book just needs a little more editing and fine-tuning.

This was a really good read. I think it had a romantic mystery vibe to it and I really liked that. I read this at a good pace which is always good. For readers that like Spice in their books, you will enjoy this read. It will start off with a slow-burn but It does pick up. This was a first read for me by the author and I will be reading more of her books.





Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

Started off strong but ultimately dragged on. There were a few surprising twists at the end but my interest in the story had waned by then.

Sexy, scandalous, and suspenseful! Andrea Bartz hooked me from the start. This novel is a bit of a departure from her last one, but no less entertaining. Atmospheric and haunting. Come into this one with an open mind and you won't be disappointed!

This book was much different than I was expecting. The story was interesting and I appreciated the final twist at the end but for me I could not stand these characters. Especially the main character, Kelly. I get the whole flawed character complex but this was a whole other level. I did appreciate the writing and look forward to reading Andrea's other books in the future.