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 !

This book started off strong, but then I thought it became over the top and didn’t want to finish it. I began to hate some characters and was kind of disappointed on the ending.

This was a novel I both loved and hated.

Loved: it’s fun. It’s surprisingly sexy (I did not expect a major subplot to appear) and it’s punchy. It takes a major event in all of our lives and makes you almost nostalgic for a time when we were all hiding from each other..

Hate: the protagonist, Kelly, is an idiot. While there is reference to a pandemic, there’s no mention of COVID-19 specifically, and it makes me wonder how well this novel is going to age—it’s pulpy fun that’s meant for present consumption only, I guess. Most importantly, Nathan: the man works a super top secret job and yet the house had only ONE camera? I expected multiple across their mansion and their property. The ending was astounding and unbelievable to the point it made no sense. I really thought the big reveal was that Kelly was actually unhinged and she sleepwalks or something, then accidental killed Elizabeth.

It was enjoyable about 75% of the way through before it took a bad turn. In summary, a good beach read that doesn’t demand too much thought.

Thank you to Random House Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy.

This was difficult to rate; some of the twists were surprising, and the polyamory angle was interesting, and yet many of the characters felt vapid and annoying. Sabrina and Nathan both felt much more alive in Kelly's thoughts and musings than in actual scenes in which they appeared, which took away from the overall feel of the story.

I found Kelly to be very frustrating and had the emotional intelligence of a 14 year old. She thinks of herself as the emotional regulator in her relationship with Mike but has little handle on life for being 35. I think she should have been younger in the book or thinking about a divorce and going through a major change. I just didn’t believe it. The twist and suspense bored me. I even feel asleep. I think she should have fully embraced the smut and gone more open door sex scenes with some
Thrills. I read a lot of smut and sure 3 way is exciting but the writing mostly mentions kissing and oh they had sex like pretty vague. Needed more back story for Kelly. Without the cat I would have definitely lost interest in this book. I loved we were never here and have recommended it to 4 people who have also enioyed it. This one was a flop for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC! WOW, this one was a wild ride. I went into this one completely blind and I’m so glad I did. I had no idea where this book was going at any point in the story, in a good way! There were so many twists I did NOT see coming. I wouldn’t say this is 100% a thriller, it does have romance involved but it will keep you on the edge of your seat!

This was my first read but this author, but I need more!

I felt like this book was very boring and predictable. I finished it but it took awhile. I just didn’t feel like picking it up and reading because I didn’t feel a connection to the story or any of the characters. Nobody was particularly likeable. The whole plot was kind of cheesy and the writing just fair. I’m not likely to read more by this author in the future. 2.5/5 stars.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I’m leaving my honest review.

I *DEVOURED* this. Tense and sexy with an undercurrent of pandemic paranoia. Andrea Bartz really knows how to write a thriller, and this was no exception.

I enjoy a good mystery or thriller but this one was more erotica than I would have liked. Now I do not mind those type of books but when I'm expecting a thriller and I get more smut than anything else it makes it hard to read for me. The book overall was not horrible but I feel like it missed the mark on what I was expecting from it. Thank you Netgalley for the advance readers copy.

This was a fun, spicy thriller! I was never sure what was going to happen next and I was along for the ride. I enjoyed the authors writing and the pacing of the story. The twists and turns got me towards the end!

Wow! What a twisty book. Every time I thought I knew where it was headed, it swerved the other way. I very much enjoyed reading this because of all the twists. It went from what I thought to be predictable to totally unfathomable!