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.

Absolutely genius. This book had absolutely everything I love: spice, betrayal, secrets, murder, & a cat. From the beginning to the end-it had twists & turns. I found myself gasping out loud multiple times. I really enjoyed this one.

Honestly this is my favorite Andrea Bart’s book yet.

I love that she writes in two different tones. Not just flipping characters in the epilogue but she has two different tones for the main character. The weaker version at the beginning and the stronger version at the end.

I have enjoyed seeing her writing develop over the 4 books of hers that I’ve read.

As always advanced reader copy from NetGallery in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of Spare Room in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

The first novel I read by Andrea Bartz was last year when I read We Were Never Here. I was not a huge fan of that novel. However, I usually have a 3-strike policy with authors as long as I saw promise that I might like other works, so I thought Bartz’s new novel The Spare Room would be a great opportunity for me to give her another shot!

This story centers around Kelly who is living in an apartment with her fiancé who just called off their wedding. She has no friends & no job and is just hating life at the moment. She then rekindles her friendship with an old childhood friend who is uber rich & famous now. Her friend, Sabrina, also has a gorgeous husband and a huge remote mansion. Sabrina & her husband offer Kelly their “Spare Room” to live in while she gets her life back in order. Everything is going great, but then Kelly begins having feelings for both Mr. & Mrs. Sabrina at which point they open their marriage up to her and they all three begin having relations. Everything is wonderful until stories start to change and not add up. Turns out there was a woman before Kelly and she is now missing. Will Kelly figure it all out before she becomes a victim as well?

Oy Vey! Sadly, I can’t say that Bartz gained any ground with me on this one. I am still willing to give her one more shot.

The pacing was SOOOOOOOO slow. It took me forever to finish this book and I almost DNF’d it. When I say forever, I mean that I can normally finish a book in 24-48 hours. This one took me a couple of weeks reading off & on. And the pacing was not the only problem for me, unfortunately. The characters, especially Kelly, were insufferable. I hated every single one of them and just wished some new, amazing character would come in and do away with them all. Then there is the pandemic. I’m a bit over the pandemic, so I wish this part had just been left out, but that’s just me.

I HATE giving bad reviews – like absolutely hate it, because so much of a review is based on personal opinion. I know that while I didn’t like it, others likely will.

I will not be discouraging anyone from reading it, but I will not be recommending it either. I’m sorry!

2.5 Stars from me. I actually liked We Were Never Here better & I didn’t like that one either.

Goshhhh I loved Andrea’s book “We Were Never Here” so I was thrilled to get an ARC of Spare Room!

Setting/atmosphere: okay so a BIG reason why I couldn’t connect with this book is that it’s taking place during the height of the COVID pandemic. (My brain is trying to block those memories I swear)

Characters: I didn’t find myself connected or rooting for a single character :(

Lesson/life changing: nope

Plot: it had A TON of potential but I wasn’t a fan of the dialogue or the main characters internal dialogue. Also… the whole covid thing.

Thank you to Andrea Bartz, Ballantine books, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I think this is the first book I've read that's set in our current pandemic world and that was interesting and a little weird to read! Not quite to where we are now in the pandemic, but sort post initial lockdown. The vocab of the characters felt very online to me as well. Neither of these things are bad, just initial observations I had from the start, I guess I haven't read many new books that include the pandemic so that was new!

Onto the plot. I don't love posting negative reviews, preferring to rant incessantly to my fiance about things I don't like, but here goes. I was disappointed with the book, it felt like there were all these hints and lead up to what could've been a predictable ending but at least the groundwork was there. The twist made sense just fine but how it all unfurled was very anti-climatic, the suspense never really building to what it should've. Possibly due to the main characters reactions. As some reviewers have noted, this felt more like a romantic suspense novel than a thriller and I would agree.

Before I started this book I was mentally going on about how I don't get how people don't like "unlikeable narrators" and how I always love them, and then.....I did not like the main character lol so jokes on me! I found her incredibly delusional and she just bothered me so much. I felt like the book had a lot of loose strings that could've been tied up much better, but ended unraveling in a lackluster story. The epilogue felt a little too little too late, a bit of a throwaway note. Anyway, this just didn't land for me but I'm happy for those who really enjoyed it, I may give Bartz another chance with a different book.

I love Andrea Bartz and her books are always easily 5-Star reads for me. I hate that this one was not, especially coming off of a great page-turner like We Were Never Here. I wavered between 3 and 4 stars before deciding on 4 more out of loyalty to the author and the last quarter or so of the story. This seemed more like a romance novel than a thriller until that point. I struggled to get into the characters at first. The threesome aspect was definitely an interesting and unique plot point and I liked that it wasn't overly sleazy in descriptions. I liked the creepy mansion next to a graveyard vibe and the name Virgo for a cat was great! It just did not feel like the author's previous "can't read fast enough" stories. The last quarter was definitely what I am used to from Ms. Bartz. It's okay, though. All of my favorite authors have one or two just didn't connect with me and I am definitely still looking forward to the next one! I think this would be perfect for the romantic suspense lovers out there who prefer more romance than suspense.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Andrea Bartz and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

I was lucky enough to receive this ARC from the publisher and as a huge fan of Andrea Bartz’s, I was super excited. This book takes place during the pandemic, a period of time I would rather forget. However, it does play an important part for brining the characters together under one roof. When Kelly needs to distance herself from a break-up, she decides to accepts Sabrina’s invitation to quarantine with her and her husband outside D.C. A writer by trade, Sabrina is know for her romance novels and Kelly is intrigued at the opportunity for this change of pace. Upon her arrival, the flirting begins and it’s not long before the concept of the “Throuple” is offered to Kelly. Told through erotic interludes, Kelly finds herself as a willing participant in the newly formed threesome. It’s not long, before Kelly realizes she’s wasn’t the first to join the married couple and she quickly learns the couple last partner is missing. Was she murdered or did she go missing in her own? This book was interesting with some interesting twists. It’s not my favorite by Bartz, but it’s an interesting story that’s sure to thrill fans.

Really enjoyed this author’s previous book “we were never here” and I enjoyed this one just as much. This author has a real talent for twists and turns and I loved this one!

It’s the beginning of the pandemic, and Kelly’s engagement is in trouble. She and her fiancé agree that they need space to think. After reconnecting with Sabrina, who Kelly knows from high school, over the internet, Sabrina offers Kelly their spare room to stay in. Kelly is fascinated by Sabrina’s life as a best selling author with a handsome husband in a mansion, so she decides to quarantine with them. Once she arrives, she discovers that she’s even more enthralled with their lifestyle than she thought. She also discovers that their former partner, who could be her doppelgänger, is missing. During the quiet of the pandemic, anything can happen in their big house.

I will start by saying that this is unlike any other thriller I’ve read before, but I was here for it! I’d almost classify it as a romantic suspense because a large focus of the book is on the building of relationships. However, the last 25% of the book is full of twists and turns and definitely has thrills and suspense. I appreciated the creepy setting of the mansion next to a cemetery. The characters were fascinating and I often suspected each of them of wrongdoing but never guessed the real culprit. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend to those who appreciate a slow burn thriller with character building and romantic relationships.

Thank you to Andrea Bartz, Ballantine books, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Quick synopsis: Kelly and her significant other decide to have a "break" right before they get married. Things just aren't working out as expected so her friend from school who she recently got in touch with invites her to stay for an undetermined amount of time with her and her husband during the pandemic. The idea is they will be in lockdown together and just to give Kelly time to evaluate everything.

Thoughts: This just didn't work for me. I felt it was really drawn out and could have been way shorter based on the plot. Nothing really happens that you don't expect for most of the book. Obviously relationships form during the time frame as they are holed up together and you can certainly see that happening, but then it just kept going. Nothing stood out as a mystery or thriller, just people co-existing. It seemed more of a rinse/repeat telling and then finally around the last quarter it picked up, but there was no build up to it and IMHO the thriller/mystery I wanted came out of left field. I like to try and vet out where a book is going and why but I had nothing to build off of, I just wish more of the mystery was dabbled more into the first part of the book.

For those who are on pandemic overload and just done hearing about it, this will not be for you. However, I will say I live somewhere that had no restrictions so to hear the reiterations of other locations that had more strict lockdowns and "pods" it did give me pause to think how things are handled differently and affected people. Anywho, this just wasn't for me. It just didn't have what I was expecting, however the author is one I will still give a try again, she changes up her style and plots to the point some will work but others may not, but how will you know if you don't give it a try?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I think I'm going to go 2.5 stars on this one, but round up to 3. I think if it was shorter it would be a 3 read.