I think someone who went into this book expecting a typical thriller would be disappointed, which might account for some of the reviews here. It is a slow burn with the first 70% focusing on romance development. Most of the twists occur in the last portions of the book. Overall, I enjoyed the full story which seems be a perfect mix of two popular genres right now: steamy romance and thrillers.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC is exchange for my honest feedback.

Thanks to Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this psychological thriller.

Although this novel is a mystery and a psychological thriller, it also chronicles the emotional growth of the main character Kelly. We begin the story as Kelly is navigating her way out a conventional monogamous relationship, and into an very untraditional polygamous relationship (with a married couple).

This novel is well-written and relatively engaging (at more than 300 pages it has to be) however, although I was neither offended nor intrigued I wasn't by the "experimentation" in this novel I disliked the main character as she left emotional (and physical) wreckage in her path as she ended each relationship at the stage when most people would have just attained the "deeply committed" stage.

I feel a need to address a rather uncomfortable subject before completing my review, this is something I have never encountered before when reading a novel, but perhaps by addressing it I will be able to spare those of you with similarly delicate constitutions. I found the author's frequent detailed descriptions of bodily functions off- putting (such as when a character leans into a mirror to remove an "eye booger" or when a man confessing to a crime who has a "shiny trail of snot similar to a snail trail under his nose", among other mucous-related scenarios mentioned throughout the pages of this novel.

Authors, please remember, your dear readers are seeking a temporary REPRIEVE from reality, and I cannot IMAGINE a scenario where the inclusion of this type of graphic description would contribute to a reader's enjoyment of the story.

It is like picking up a book and being forced to suffer through detailed descriptions of a character's bouts of constipation or diarrhea, yes, human beings are forced to deal with such maladies on occasion, but THIS reader (and I think the vast majority of readers will agree with me) chooses NOT to read about such indignities while seeking an interesting bit of escapism by reading a novel.

That said, this story will be an excellent fit for just the right type of reader looking for a particular type of unique intelligent psychological domestic thriller.

Until next time, keep your nose clean and firmly buried in a book (if you are like me odds are your choice will be another yet another addictive psychological thriller)!

After a break up, Kelly goes to stay with an old childhood friend and her husband in ritzy Virginia, outside of DC. As she settles in, she gets involved intimately with both her hosts. It may be an odd arrangement, but they are happy.. until she begins to look into their romantic past.

This was different than I was expecting. It’s more of a mystery than a thriller for most of the book but the ending unravels quickly and becomes surprising. I can definitely say I was not expecting a few twists. I think it could have had a little more steam to it, considering the plot and action, but I think the way it is will likely appeal to a wider audience.

“If everyone knew how good they could feel, the world would be a different place.”

The Spare Room comes out 6/20.

Okay. To start this review, I have to say one thing: if you suspend all logic and everything you know about people/the world, then this is quite an entertaining book. Now we can begin…

The synopsis gives us a lot: Mid-Covid, Kelly and her fiancé, Mike, get into an altercation and he says he wants to postpone their wedding. He needs space. Kelly had recently been talking online to an old acquaintance from high school, and was given an invitation to her house to isolate with this woman and her husband. Kelly took the chance and headed out of the city to gain some perspective.

Sabrina, now a successful sex-positive romance author, and Nathan, who has a secretive job with the Department of Defense, turn out to be great people. Kelly was worried it would be awkward to be in a house 24/7 with a woman she hadn’t seen in 20 years and her husband, but they were as excited as she was to see a new face.

The threesome are getting along swimmingly, and eventually, Sabrina and Nathan ask Kelly to enter their marriage. Though she’s a conservative person who’s never considered kissing or doing more with a woman, she finds herself diving into the relationship. Could this be her new life - living in a mansion with two people she adores?

Soon though, she realizes she’s not the first person to share a bed with this married couple. This opens up everything, and around the 75% mark, the suspense really ratchets up. I think the ending was a little drawn out, but there were plenty of twists to make up for it!

Overall, this book is overly dramatic and unrealistic, but also entertaining and somewhat of a page-turner. I couldn’t stand Kelly … so many times you’ll want to shake her, because she’s so naive and moronic. None of the characters were very likable, but I still enjoyed this. It’s better than a three-star book, so I’m giving it a 3.5, rounded up.

(Thank you to Random House - Ballantine, Andrea Bartz, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on June 20, 2023.)

I couldn’t put down this book and finished it in less than 24 hours. Kelly Doyle is on the outs with her fiancé Mike and decides to go stay with her high school friend Sabrina and her husband Nathan. Kelly ends up under their spell and they end up in a relationship. She learns about a woman from their past that is missing and then becomes skeptical. Is she being paranoid? Or do they have something to hide?

Andrea Bartz does it again! She really defines whodunnit with her books. I'm constantly second-guessing myself. I truly believed I had this one figured out until I didn't t. It was a fast-paced read that had me feeling like I was the third wheel in the relationship. I was so invested. The tension is there from the beginning whether it is sexual or because you might be living with a murderer but who is it...You'll have to read it to find out.

Kelly Doyle’s new life in Philadelphia has turned into a nightmare: She’s friendless and jobless, and the lockdown has her trapped in a tiny apartment with the man she gave up everything for, who’s just called off their wedding. The only bright spot in her life is her newly rekindled friendship with her childhood friend, Sabrina—now a glamorous bestselling author with a handsome, high-powered husband.

When they offer Kelly an escape hatch, volunteering the spare room of their remote Virginia mansion, she jumps at the chance to run away from her old life. There, she finds she loves living with them . . . and, much to her surprise, that she’s falling for both her enchanting hosts. Even more shocking: They say they share Kelly’s feelings and want to open up their marriage for her.

At first, the arrangement is blissful. But as their relationship deepens, Kelly begins to notice the cracks. The stories about their romantic past keep changing, and the more details she uncovers, the more things don’t add up. It’s only a matter of time before Kelly discovers the terrifying truth: They’ve done all this before . . . and the last woman is missing.

I liked Bartz’s last book but felt it didn’t come together at the end in a satisfying way. I feel similarly about this one. It is enjoyable and has more than one twist but it still didn’t totally work for me. Perhaps I’ve never experienced the kind of lifestyle turnaround that Kell Bell does but that whole change felt very quick and unrealistic to me. Or maybe I’m just too old to understand this kind of life altering experience. I wasn’t a fan of how much of a cipher Kelly is. She really came across to me as such a go along with what’s in front of you type as well as pretty jump to conclusion jealous. It felt like the ending went on way too long as well. That said, I would recommend this to anyone looking for an interesting read and I’ll be looking forward to Bartz’s next one.

I would gave to give this book four stars. I enjoyed the plot and steamy sex scenes. I can attest to having to quit reading this one in a public place due to the way it made my heart race and body heat up. There are plenty of twists in this book to keep you engaged though a lot of it was repetitive in my opinion. I would condense the parts that seem to be a recurrent theme or mention in the book and use some of those pages to build on the backstory with Mike pre- pandemic with subtle hints to Mikes jealousy and fixation on Kelly. I felt it was thrown in at the end with no real build up. It would make a lot more sense with even a two page chapter on Mikes personality including a brief peak into his actual thoughts. Nothing too obvious but something that sits in the back of the readers mind only making total sense and coming full circle at the end. This book was an.easy one to fly through and I recommend it to anyone looking for a sexy thriller.

This book was wild. Everything went in directions that I never expected and the deeper we went the crazier it all became. At the same time it all felt so gritty, toxic, and real while it was happening. I actually really enjoyed how different and insane this story was. This is an edge-of-your-seat read and you will absolutely be hooked into the depravity of it all. I devoured this in like two days. I highly recommend it. It’s not your typical domestic thriller, it’s so much more. Let go of all your expectations and let the madness sweep you up under its thrall. Brace yourself and enjoy this deranged experience.

This story is centered around Kelly Doyle, whose fiancé just called off the wedding and has lost her job. There is one friend from school that she’s recently rekindled a friendship with. This friend, Sabrina, invited Kelly to stay with her for a while. It’s also during the pandemic so when Kelly goes to live with Sabrina they are stuck at home together. As Kelly stays with them, she uncovers some secrets that make her question the couple she is staying with.

When reading this it starts off more like a romance than a thriller and really doesn’t begin to be “thrilling” until the end. I wish it was more so a thriller through out and didn’t focus so much on the romance. I also think the main Character Kelly is somewhat annoying and guilible. Some of the things she does, like going to stay with a random couple during a pandemic, seems unrealistic unless the character is just supposed to be that naive. I did enjoy the book and if you like a romance with a touch of thriller then this book is for you!

I had previously read Bartz's "We Were Never Here" and I think this work is much better. The intricate plotline made this an interesting read, although the remaining 50 or so pages did drag on a bit. Overall, a unique look at relationships, jealousy, and what lockdown can make people capable of.

I was almost at the verge of DNFing this book :(
The aspect of this book that I lacked connection to was the fluidity between the plot and the characters. This was not really a mystery/thriller and the main reason why I was intrigued in this book was because of the cover. The book dragged a bit as well but the thriller showed up at the end. One major thing I dislike about a book is when the plot is about the pandemic but I have to say that this book didn't have a in depth content about pandemic or keep pointing it out which I liked. If you are planning to read this, then do not think this is a mystery thriller book because only partially its mystery thriller.

This was not a good book. To covid heavy for me and very predictable. It had me for the first few chapters and then it all went down hill for me. Thank you Netgally for the ARC.

A story whose setting is during/post COVID pandemic, this book looks at a woman, Kelly, at a critical moment in her relationship with her fiance. She is invited to spend some time isolated with an old school friend, Sabrina, and Sabrina's husband, Nathan.

Their house is amazing, and soon, Sabrina and Nathan entice Kelly into a relationship with them. But Kelly soon discovers they have done this before, and that woman is missing. She starts to mistrust everything around her.

I did not really enjoy this story. I have read Bartz before, and I like her books, but this one just irritated me. She is good at writing people you just don't like. I didn't enjoy any of the characters in this novel. I found Nathan and Sabrina to be too shiny and perfect (which I'm sure was the intent). Kelly had totally poor judgment in character and was so whiny and paranoid.

The ending also made me really angry. The twist was so out of left field and ridiculous.

I enjoyed the depictions of a pandemic world and an unconventional relationship, but that was really all.

Every time I thought I figured it out, something happened and it was all different. Enjoyed the writing and story. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read The Spare Room. Unfortunately, this book was not a fit for me and I ended up DNF’ing it. I was hoping for a thrilling book, but after a while of reading I wasn’t connecting with the story and had to put this down.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Spare Room
Wickedly delicious novel with interesting characters and full of spice, lies and sex!

Bartz will have your head spinning till the last page.

3.5 stars

Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of The Spare Room.. I really wanted to like this book as I am a fan of Andrea Bartz however this one just didn’t do it for me. DNF, I didn’t connect with the character’s or the story line.. sigh!

“The Spare Room” by Andrea Bartz takes place during the pandemic. Kelly’s boyfriend has just called off their wedding, so she travels to stay with and friend and her husband. They all end up having a romantic connection and decide to open their marriage to include Kelly. As their relationship progresses, Kelly finds out that this isn’t the first time they have opened their marriage to include another woman, and that woman has since gone missing.

This story was definitely unique. I went in blindly and was not expecting the amount of steam that is in this book, and to be honest the topic isn’t for me! But that has nothing to do with the author’s writing style, which is phenomenal. I found this book to be less of a thriller and more of a romantic mystery, as a huge portion of the book was focused on the romantic scenes.

Thank you so much to publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! While this book topic wasn’t for me, I will definitely continue to read more of this author’s books.

You might need to take a cold shower after reading this!

It's 2020 and Kelly hasn't been living in Philadelphia very long. She moved there for her fiancé who just put the brakes on their wedding planning. She's stuck in lockdown with him, no job or friends, isolated in every possible way.

The one bright spot in her life is her newly rekindled friendship online with an old friend, Sabrina. She offers Kelly the opportunity to stay with her and her husband in their mansion in Virginia. Kelly jumps at the chance to get some space from her situation and think about what she wants.

Once she arrives, Kelly is in awe of their mansion and their relationship. She wants to be liked and accepted by them and slowly starts to also feel an attraction to both of them. What surprises Kelly is that they both like her too. Here's where things really get spicy!

They open their marriage to Kelly and she's with both of them equally. To me, that's not the spicy aspect. There's nothing risqué about polyamory. However, a big portion of this book revolves around the sex Kelly has with them together and separately. I don't think that's something you would expect in a suspense/thriller novel unless you're specifically looking for that in what you want to read. I'm not bothered by it, just giving a heads up to those who might be.

Their relationship is off to a good start, Kelly feels like a new person and is high on the new love feelings. Then she discovers they've done all this before and the woman before her disappeared. Before her fresh start, Kelly was an insecure and paranoid person. So she falls back into her old ways of thinking once she doubts everything she thought she knew about them. She slowly spirals as she investigates, afraid she's living with a murderer. Or are they both killers?

The Spare Room is a unique, steamy, suspenseful ride. The very end was especially chilling.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC.