I really enjoyed Andrea Bartz’s previous books THE LOST NIGHT, THE HERD, and most recently WE WERE NEVER HERE. As such, I was excited to get my hands on an ARC of THE SPARE ROOM! When Kelly needs an escape from her life and an old friend she has recently reconnected with offers up the spare room in her and her husband’s palatial Virginia home, she eagerly accepts. In the isolation of the pandemic, Kelly is happy to be spending time with new people in a new place. However, as things progress Kelly begins to doubt that she is as safe as she thought. That’s all I can say without spoiling anything!

Definitely pick this one up when it publishes on June 20, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a unique and twisty thriller that I was not expecting. While I did have to suspend my disbelief to get on board, it was a super fun ride. I loved the soapy drama of it all and thought the author did a great job creating tension and suspense. Would definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and Andrea Bartz for a copy of this ARC!

The Spare Room, by Andrea Bartz, is a mystery/thriller that to me felt more like a domestic drama book. Kelly, the main character, is offered the opportunity to stay with a childhood friend Sabrina, and her husband, Nathan, after her engagement is ended and she has nowhere else to turn. Over time, she starts to fall for both Sabrina and Nathan as they open up their marriage for her. Things start to seem off to Kelly, who starts to uncover cracks in their relationship. Cut off from the rest of the world, Kelly must uncover the secrets of Nathan and Sabrina before it's too late.

While I was able to stay engaged with this story and plot, I found Kelly's character to be extremely frustrating. Overall, this was a slow burn for me and it felt unrealistic at times. I did, however, like how the author incorporated the pandemic and lockdown into this story!

This was my first book by the author and I still plan to read "We Were Never Here" because I have heard such amazing things about her writing.

My rating for this book is a 2.5

I'm not really sure if I would consider this one a thriller, definitely a slow burn. It took until about 70% in for anything twisty to happen. Even still, I really enjoyed this one.
During the pandemic, Kelly moves in with her former high school friend, Sabrina, and her husband, after her fiance cancels their wedding. Kelly quickly develops feelings for both her hosts, and they begin a romantic relationship. Kelly then discovered they had a previous partner who has recently gone missing. Kelly is determined to find answers.
Thank you netgally for the ARC.

I was excited to read this one after reading Andrea Bartz's "We Were Never Here," but this book didn't do it for me.

Kelly's fiance needs space, so Kelly and her cat, Virgo, move to live with an old classmate, Sabrina, and her husband, Nathan. Sabrina and Nathan are practically strangers to Kelly, so I thought that would make for an interesting plot. Sadly, I was mistaken.

I expected a thriller/mystery, but I didn't feel anything thrilling or mysterious until I was already 70-75% done with the book. I rarely DNF a book, but I was close to not finishing this book several times because it wasn't at all what I was expecting.

To make matters worse, I must not have read the description well enough when I requested this book on NetGalley because I missed the information regarding the couple becoming a throuple. If you'd be interested in reading about that type of relationship, then maybe you'd like this book, but I didn't care for it.

Here is a quick list of other things I didn't like about this book:
-I feel like everything happens too fast. I don't know if this book was supposed to be like that because it takes place during the COVID lockdown, and time did move quickly then, but the pacing was odd.
-The frequent reminder of the lockdown, in general, bothered me.
-Kelly did her fiance dirty for no reason. I feel like we barely get any backstory about their relationship, but I had to suffer reading about her complaining about him non-stop. Kelly was annoying in general.
-All of the characters are annoying. The only character I liked was Virgo, the cat.
-I already touched on this one, but this book's mystery/thriller aspects sucked. It was not done well, and I felt nothing when more information was finally shared with readers about the lingering "darkness" in this book.

Again, I wanted this book to be good, and I feel bad leaving such a negative review, but I have to be honest. I would not recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This started off promising, but quickly devolved into an absolute mess. I would have DNF'd if I hadn't received an ARC, and honestly I skimmed the second half of the book. It was that bad.

One of my biggest reading pet peeves is a protagonist without critical thinking skills, and hoo boy the main character in this one is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Most of her actions (and the actions of the couple she stays with) make no sense even in the context of the novel. The most intriguing character is the cat.

The author tries to include a few hints and red herrings, but they are all as subtle as a sledgehammer. It doesn't much matter, because you won't be invested in any of the characters enough to care what happens to them (except for the cat - I was very worried about the cat).

Some spoilers:
There is ZERO justification in the plot for why Sabrina would stay with Kelly after Nathan's death. Kelly just wasn't written as engaging enough for that, and there's no indication that the thrupple set up is anything more than a relationship of convenience.
I would rather have read a book about Elizabeth, the one character whose actions aren't impulsive and short-sighted.

Finally, on a shallow note- I immediately disliked the main three characters. Kelly, for answering her phone in the quiet car (selfish, obnoxious), and Nathan and Sabrina for moving out of the best neighborhood in DC for what seems to be Loudoun County for a frankly stupid reason (if the Obamas can find a secure place to live in the city I'm sure a romance novelist can).

Thank you Random House-Ballantine for the ARC!

A twisty slow burn but not what I consider a thriller.

With the world on lockdown and her long-term relationship on life support, Kelly goes to live with a high school friend and her husband. Sexual tension mounts, and before long, the three enter territory beyond the platonic, becoming a "throuple." When Kelly discovers that the last woman who held the space she now occupies is missing, she begins questioning everything—from what she knows about herself to how much she can trust her new partners.

The Spare Room is pitched as a thriller but is domestic suspense at best. I wanted the novel to do more with the "throuple" situation and explore the potential pitfalls of that relationship dynamic, but it only skims the surface. It felt like a missed opportunity. I had trouble connecting to any of the characters, which made it difficult to care. Even the POV character, Kelly, comes across as needy and not very likable.

This novel will be enjoyable for some readers but not for those expecting a thriller.

One of my all time favorite authors! Love every second of this book! Never disappointed when I’m able to read a new book! You will be up all night reading this one!

What a page turner! Andrea Bartz is one of my favorites. Kelly was a great character and I love finding a book with a story all of its own and that’s exactly what Andrea has written.

While more of a domestic drama than the thriller I expected, this was a really creative and twisty story. It was a slow burn, but the last 30% was a wild ride. I thought I knew exactly where this story was going, and part of me wonders if I would’ve enjoyed it more if it was more predictable, but I have to give props for a unique story. It is really a time capsule of peak pandemic times, which was a bit triggering but definitely worked for the story and the references to it didn’t feel gratuitous for the most part. The one issue I had (spoilers ahead) was how quickly Kelly became obsessed with Sabrina and Nathan and expected to be treated as coequal in their relationship after only a few days/weeks. I get that it spoke to Kelly’s own insecurities and issues but it came off as totally unhinged and made it tough to root for her at times.

I will certainly recommend this one to others as it was such a creative story

No one writes a domestic thriller like Andrea Bartz!! The Spare Room takes place during the start of the pandemic when Kelly and her fiancé are forced to postpone their wedding and then decide that they may need to postpone their relationship indefinitely. Kelly is lucky to have recently started up a budding friendship with Sabrina who she knew in high school but later rediscovered on Instagram. As Kelly moves into Sabrina and her husband Nathan’s spare room she quickly discovers that sometimes instagram mirrors reality and sometimes it’s just smoke and mirrors. Add a little bit of spice and you have the perfect domestic thriller.

Kelly is in the midst of some relationship issues with her fiancé and takes up an offer from an old high school friend and her husband to stay at their house while she works through her problems, and Kelly moves into The Spare Room . The living arrangements seem fine at first, but Kelly quickly develops feelings for both her hosts, which soon turns romantic for all involved. The book slowly allows the reader to get immersed in the relationship, until things turn sinister with the acknowledgment that the hosts’ “ex” recently disappeared under mysterious circumstances. What follows is a suspenseful, topsy-turvy tale full of surprises as the plot takes off, and the slow beginning is quickly forgotten by the reader as things escalate in the prurient household. The book is a welcome change from your normal thriller, and we’ll worth a read. I received an arc of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Andrea Bartz has been a must-read suspense author for me since "The Herd", and "The Spare Room" is no exception. She flawlessly writes tension and adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

First off I doubt very much anyone would do as the woman did and move into a house with a couple like this.
But that's just me, even if I had no place to go, this idea gives me the willies. Of course you have to go with the flow and that is the thriller your hopefully going to read. I kept having to remember it's the pandemic also so choices were nil or little. I do think I would stay away from the couple she has moved in with but that's what makes it interesting. She falls for each of them! Yes! Attraction happens pretty quick and what you expect turns the next corner! Thanks to the Publishers as it's worth the read folks!

Wow!! This novel blew me away. I think this was the first book I’ve read set in the beginning of the pandemic and it brought back a lot of feelings. This book definitely pushed boundaries, but it worked! It kept me guessing and I read the second half of the book in lightening speed! Will definitely recommend!

Yikes, this one was a miss! If I hadn't received an ARC, I would have definitely DNF-ed. Instead, I found myself skimming through. The first 2/3 is steamy throuple romance, and the last 1/3 is a haphazard thriller-esque wannabe. I found it difficult to relate to or care about any of the characters, and the plot itself to be just a bit too...wildly unrealistic? Relatable for the majority of readers? By the time the drama came around at the end, I hadn't formed any connections to the characters to be drawn in to the plot.

This book was pretty good. At first it made me kind of anxious because the couple Kelly was staying with was almost gaslighting her. Then it just seemed like Kelly was this week woman who goes with whatever people are giving her love at that moment say. She seemed weak and almost pitiful the way she was so determined to make everyone happy, except herself. There was a couple times in the book that I was confused as to whether the main character was extremely untrusting or had the best instincts and should run asap. Getting beyond that, the story line was good and interesting, but kind of jarring with all the messy thoughts within the main character's head. At one point you think man this woman is kind of crazy or really crazy and I kind of don't like her. I do recommend this book though because it definitely has good writing, good character development and a good plot that has a good twist here and a good twist there..

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review.

Kelly just moved to Philly with her fiancé. She hates it. Their relationship is having problems and he wants to postpone the wedding. She recently connected with her friend, Sabrina. Sabrina is a best selling author and invites Kelly to their mansion just outside of DC where she lives with her husband, Nathan. Everyone hits it off immediately, but Kelly soon discovers lots of secrets.

Well, I thought this book would be better. I liked how the author incorporates the pandemic, lockdown, and quarantine into the story. The rest? Not for me. I didn't like anyone in this book, and Kelly needed to be more aware of what was going on. She was so clueless and everything was right in front of her. Also, the story dragged on and the ending did not make up for it.

So I really enjoyed Andrea Bartz's The Herd, and her subsequent books, and this one was enthralling and engaging.

Knowing it's a thriller, you go into the book with one suspicion, but it isn't long before the plot and author turn that on its head. The book features the pandemic and some other current topics, and the story is pretty enthralling. I found it a quick read because I was so immersed in the characters.

Definitely put this on your TBR list.

"The Spare Room" was interesting as a pandemic read. I would recommend for fans of Andrea Bartz and/or fans of romance mysteries. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.