Where to begin with this one? For starters, a few chapters into the book, I was convinced I was reading the wrong genre. I'm not a romance reader, so some unexpected R-rated scenes took me by surprise in this one. Apparently, I don't read book descriptions very thoroughly either haha---as a mystery/thriller lover, I like to be surprised. If nothing else, this book definitely delivered on the shock value. I had to give this one two stars; not because it wasn't a quick, compulsive read; but because the genre crossover was much too stark. A little bit of romance in a thriller is okay, but this felt way out of my comfort zone. I also felt like the goal of this book was to be somewhat of a social commentary, which I don't generally appreciate in fiction.

I'm scared to give a description of this novel for fear of immediately spoiling the entire plot. Here's the TLDR of the story in case you're curious. Kelly thinks she has a perfect life planned out with fiancé, Mike. Surprise, surprise---there's a chink in their relationship armor and he suggests they slow things down. Kelly reconnects with an old friend from high school who invites her to stay with her and her husband at their mansion in the suburbs of Virginia. What could go wrong? Read (if you dare) to find out. Also worth noting, this book takes place during the pandemic--- it's an underlying theme, but not an overt part of the plot.

Overall, this wasn't what I was expecting from Bartz. I really liked We Were Never Here, but this one was way too risqué and out there for me. I would not recommend it to anyone I know. Friends, please "spare" yourselves from The Spare Room.

Thank you so much to Ballantine Books, Andrea Bartz, and NetGalley for the ARC of The Spare Room.

This book had a great twist at the end that i did not see coming. That was the best part of the book. The main character was not very likeable. She was too gullible and i only kept reading just to find out the ending.

I Liked It. There were a lot of interesting things in this story to keep you going. Different and unexpected. Not a huge fan of the ending which seemed to come out of no where by providing new information. A decent read.

One of the parts of this storyline I liked best is how it incorporated the pandemic as part of the plot. Kept me turning pages until the very end.

Kelly needs a place to stay while taking a break from her fiancée during the pandemic. An ideal situation arises when a former classmate and her husband have a room available for her to have in their house. How close is too close? How well does she really know her friend? Who can truly be trusted? This is the premise of this thriller. It did not disappoint.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

The character’s plot like was quite the journey - finding herself in love with a married couple after leaving her fiancé during the pandemic, then to have their ex return. It was a lot, but at the same time I couldn’t walk away! I felt suspicious of the main characters most of the time, what their intent was, where their relationship would head and how it would implode. This book definitely kept me on edge but I got to the end faster than I wanted to! Andrea Bartz spins quite the story and you won’t want to put it down!

Suuuuper chilling take on a domestic thriller. Might be one of the best I’ve read so far in 2023! The twist was A+ writing.

Fabulously sexy, delightfully creepy, while also being a story about growth brought on by the collective trauma we all experienced during the pandemic, THE SPARE ROOM is a great read, with elegant prose and an electrifying plot. I tore through it in a day. Well done, Andi Bartz. This is my favorite of her novels. Thanks to net galley, the publisher and the author for the eARC!

Book Title: The Spare Room
Author: Andrea Bartz
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: June 20, 2023
My Rating: 2 Stars ~ I really wanted to round up because of the great cover

Kelly Doyle and her boyfriend Mike decide they need a break. (Loved that Mike really hoped Kelly would leave their cat Virgo with him.)
Kelly’s childhood friend Sabrina invites her to spend her ”break” with her and her husband Nathan Lamont. They live in a mansion on Tanglewood Estates and have plenty of room.
Kelly moves in but soon finds secrets. There was another girl who was involved with them and she has disappeared. Plus finding a camera in the spare room’s closet is creepy.
In fact, I thought oops I didn’t do my homework on this story.
Have to admit the cover is great however it did lead down the wrong path as it gave me the wrong idea.
I love a story with twists and turns but it really didn’t work for me. However, doesn’t mean it is a bad book. I know it will find the right audience who will enjoy it.


Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 20, 2023

This book was alright. I think Andrea Bartz’s writing just isn’t for me. I felt like there were some holes in the book and they never were resolved. I felt like there was a lot of potential though.

Okay, wow I didn't not expect.

Like wow, this was a roller coaster, I really thought he was guilty, although I found all the characters a little annoying.

The writing was easy to read, the plot was okay.

This is set during the pandemic, the FMC goes to live with her friend and her husband, she hasn't met long time, and soon they start a relationship and then she discovered their ex had disappeared before she come to live with her. The plot twist was wow, I didn't expect it at all, like I thought that person was not even important to the story.



Thank you to netgalley and the author for a eARC.

My thanks to Net Galley and Random House/Ballantine for allowing me to review this book. Unfortunately this was not what I expected this to be,could not connect to.the characters and could not finish this. I liked how the pandemic was written into it,and woman taking a break from fiancee to stay with friends, but it was more erotica then what i was expecting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this pulse POUNDING thriller that I just could not put down!!! It was hot and sexy and Andrea Bartz surprised me with her writing in the BEST way!

The story follows Kelly whose fiancé decides they need a break mid 2020 in the thick of the Covid pandemic. Kelly has been following one of her old classmates in social media, reading her raunchy romance novels, and when she reaches out to her she gets invited to join them in quarantine (them meaning her husband too).

Their relationship is a roller coaster that will literally make your heart skip a beat - the sex, the twists, and what about that ex that she finds intimate photos of?! Oh.. she’s missing! I can’t spoil the rest but you won’t be disappointed! Incredible 5 star read!

This is my second novel by Andrea Bartz and while I know this book is not for everyone, from the perspective of the writing, character development and twists the Spare Room is a well-written novel and I preferred it to We Were Never Here. When 34 year-old Kelly finds herself at odds with her fiance (and unemployed during the pandemic), she takes her high school friend's offer to wait out the pandemic in her Mansion in the DC suburbs. Sabrina, a best-selling writer, has made quite a name for herself since their days in high-school. When Kelly arrives from Philly, broken-hearted and down-trodden, she's immediately charmed by both Sabrina...and her husband. Soon, they open their relationship to her and what begins is a bizarre version of cat-and-mouse. Kelly finds out she's not the first woman they've had as a partner and that that woman is missing. Things are not adding up and Kelly realizes she may be in the fight for her life. There are more than a few twists that will keep readers engaged. This book is part general fiction and part psychological mystery but altogether a fun ride.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book in 3 words: Cunning. Unreliable. Inventive. 

The Spare Room is a thriller that reinforces my confidence in the genre; "out" is the cliché storyline and "in" is a plot, spun on its head, with unexpected twists and turns. I don't want to spoil a single thing, so here's what you can expect from this deliciously dark book:

1. Slow burn and lots of tension
2. Character driven with quite the cast. I loved some of them right off the bat, was unsure of a few, and I knew of the duds the first time my eyes read their names. 
3. Things aren't what they seem but not in the way you think. Truly one of the most memorable twisty reads I've picked up in a while. 
4. Some spice and sexual awakening
5. A great lens on perception -- from face to face to online presence. 
6. The. Ending. I can't even believe it. 

A plot easy to devour with sharp writing, The Spare Room, is an exciting and haunting ride. 

I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Spare Room gives the reader a slow burn, domestic thriller that more focuses on relationships. The book starts with Kelly and her fiancé having agreed to take a break. Kelly has recently connected with a high school friend who has graciously offered her a room to stay with her and her husband to get away. Once Kelly gets there, she is taken with the couple and progresses quickly into a polyamorous relationship. However, she learns she is not the only woman they’ve brought into their marriage and now that woman is now missing. This is the thriller part of the book, but Kelly is so wishy washy, one minute she ignores any red flags then the next demands to know all about this woman but gives up quickly. As a result, I wish we had gotten more of a suspense “did they, didn’t they” because I wasn’t at all wondering what happened to the missing girl. I will read more of Andrea Bartz’s novels as I liked the premise of this book and her writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wow, I am speechless! The whole time while reading this I literally couldn’t figure out who was guilty who wasn’t and even til the last page I was stunned. At first the spiciness was throwing me off a little and I was hoping it wasn’t just going to be about that, then about less then halfway through, things started to unravel and it just kept going. My one con was the whole covid talk, it was in the book way too much and there were some extra details that didn’t need to be in there but overall a great read.

Wow this book wasn’t what I expected but in a good way! Kelly escapes from her life in Philadelphia during Covid lockdown once her boyfriend decides to put their engagement on pause. Invited to stay with an old school friend and her husband in a sprawling Virginia mansion. She soon finds herself falling in love with them and it only gets crazier from there. Exciting story and ending, fun read!

THE SPARE ROOM is a thrill ride from start to finish. Readers will love the erotica angle and the characters are twisty and surprising. Some readers will not relate to the unlikable Kelly, who seems immature and can be frustrating at times, but overall the plot moves along nicely and the conclusion is satisfying. A nice addition to Andrea Bartz's catalogue and perfect for this summer's reading.

This was a good and twisty novel. Parts were a little slow but overall I still think this is a worthy read, add it to your list !