Love a good female toxic friendship. And this one takes the cake. This novel really dives into the definition of unhinged.

The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz

My rating:
3/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kelly and her Fiancé Mike decide to post pone their wedding and take a break. When Kelly needs somewhere to go, an old friend from high school suggests she stay in her spare room.
When Kelly moves in, she realizes her old life might not be what she wants going forward.

I had no idea what this book was about when I requested it on Netgalley. Overall it was good, but it felt like it was two different books after about 60% of the book. I was so intrigued with what was going to happen but it was not what I expected. I think that it had a lot of promise but the overall vibe of the book changed from the beginning and I felt like there was an extra 100 pages honestly. I don’t know if I would recommend this one, but it was entertaining! If you like a sexy thriller, give this one a read.

Thanks netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC! You can read this one now!

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, it just fell flat for me. In part, I think having a book about a pandemic after a real-life pandemic just missed the mark. I found the couples unlikable even though the author tried to hit upon topics that are relevant to today (break ups during a pandemic, throuples, etc.) Maybe read it if you are waiting for something else, however I would pass.

I really wanted to like this book. I will admit that a part of why I struggled to get into it may be that I’m not sure the pandemic is something I need to revisit yet (maybe ever?). I also found all of the characters in this book pretty un-likable and uninteresting. I didn’t find the plot particularly interesting either although I thought the idea was really good and there was potential for a good thriller here. I thought the ending was pretty bizarre and I have to say that these characters are who I would want to know if I murdered someone. Kelly and her fiancé are having problems so when her friend from high school Sabrina offers to let her stay with her and her husband Nathan in their “pod” she jumps on the chance. (This also felt weird. When everything shut down the last thing I would have done is move in with anyone I hadn’t seen since high school). She’s instantly feeling at home but there are secrets in every home and the more she learns about this home the more she fears she needs to know. The writing wasn’t bad and like I said there were good ideas. I just really struggled to get into this one and really had to push myself to get through it.

Do you enjoy a twisty tale?

Do you enjoy a plot that makes you go back and forth with your theory?

Do you enjoy unreliable characters?

Then Andrea Bartz is for you!

I read her debut novel last year (We Were Never Here), and it fit the bill as well.

Our narrator is not necessarily unreliable but does tend to easily go along with what others say and believe them. In this story, the other characters seem to be the unreliable ones. Nothing is as it seems, or is it? You will go back and forth throughout the story, debating with yourself, "Is what they are saying true?", or "Are they just covering their tracks?"

This story will also have you wondering about the extra characters we meet along the way. Are they just thrown in as red herrings, or are they part of the twistiness?

For me, the pandemic setting fell flat. It seemed integral to the explanation of Kelly staying with a newly reconnected high school friend for an extended period of time, but it just didn't work for me.

I was also not into the polyamory aspect. A random threesome, sure, but not an outright relationship. I'm not going to yuck on someone else's yum, but it's not for me.

The twist at the end was pretty elaborate for the story thus far, and it was a nice twist, but I still just felt like I needed a different path for this story.

The mysteries I have read recently just haven't hit that 5 star mark for me. Guess I am in a mystery slump 🤷‍♀️

I enjoyed the juiciness of this book. It’s less thriller than I expected. I had a harder time connecting with the characters, but enjoyed a different type of thriller.

The Spare Room was a bingeable read and I really liked that. It kept my attention from start to finish. The author's previous book was another one I loved. Can't wait to see what she comes with next.

The Must Read Thriller Books of Summer 2023

The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz

I appreciate a thriller that actually acknowledges the COVID-19 pandemic because there’s the built-in universally suspenseful experience of global lockdown, as we waited to find out if and when we’d be able to reenter the world. In Andrea Bartz’s latest, Kelly’s fiancé calls off their wedding after she crosses a line, the break (or is it break-up?) propelling her to reach out to her childhood friend Sabrina, whose lockdown life seems much more glamorous.

When Sabrina offers to have Kelly stay with her and her husband Nathan in their palatial Virginia home until she gets back on her feet, it’s the kind of arrangement that would only have made sense during the uncertain haze of a pandemic. And while Kelly starts out in the spare room, she quickly finds herself getting seduced by Nathan and Sabrina, as well as seeing their remote mansion as less of a temporary arrangement and more of an inspiration to blow up her life. Until she finds out that she’s not the first houseguest-turned-paramour… and that her predecessor is still missing.

This book is one of my all time favorites! I was hooked throughout and the twists were amazing and the story itself was wild!

Andrea Bartz does it again! This is probably one of my favorite books of hers, and yes I’ve read them all. This sexy messy thriller kept me on my toes and was deliciously queer and feminist.

Woooo! I was not prepared for the STEAMY in this book! Not my usual style, but it worked because of all the twists I did not see coming! Great , fast read!

The premise of The Spare Room sounded very interesting - during the COVID19 pandemic, Kelly reconnects with a high school friend, Sabrina. While deciding whether or not to call off her wedding, Kelly is invited to move into Sabrina and her husband's spare room in northern Virginia. Kelly jumps at the offer and quickly moves in. Things soon escalate, including attractions between Sabrina, Kelly, and Nathan, Sabrina's husband, and they form a "throuple" with each couple having their own dynamic. But Kelly soon finds that Sabrina and Nathan are keeping secrets from her, such as the disappearance of their "ex" shortly before Kelly came down from Philadelphia.

I thought the pacing and the writing were generally fine, but once the story picked up, it moved far too quickly and had a little too much going on, including one too many twists and turns. I also struggled with finding any of the characters particularly likeable, especially Kelly, and it felt like the author was trying to hit on all the buzziest trends/fads.

Overall, this was an okay book, but not one I'd necessarily recommend to all my friends as the next thriller they should pick up.

Andrea Bartz is the queen of writing about dysfunctional and toxic relationships, and it is just as obvious in The Spare Room as it was in We Were Never Here.. Which is what I'm coming to love about her books and her voice within them. I was more impressed than I expected to. be with The Spare Room, especially since it was set during the Covid lockdowns.

Kelly, a 35-year-old woman, finds herself dumped by her long-time fiancé. Thankfully, she reconnects with her old school friend Sabrina, who is married to a powerful and seductive man. Seeking solace after her breakup, Kelly accepts Sabrina's invitation to stay in the spare room of their stunning Virginia mansion. (REALLY?!)
Little does she know, this leads to a steamy threesome with the enticing couple in the midst of a pandemic. Kelly must navigate her new reality in the face of these life-altering circumstances.... (okay, but like holy cow, this is HOT!)
Without spoiling it TOO much, this is no ordinary thriller. It delves into scandalous topics, derails expectations, and presents a plethora of triggering subjects, jaw-dropping incidents, and mind-blowing twists. (I went into this not knowing much, & I am truly blown away!

I love a locked room mystery, and was so excited to read this! It was definitely a binge read for me, and I completely lost track of time while I was reading, which is the best feeling as a reader.

There was plenty of juicy scandal woven through the story, which made for an entertaining read!

*many thanks to PRH/ Ballantine and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

"The Spare Room" by Andrea Bartz is a novel that falls somewhere in the middle when it comes to psychological thrillers. While it has its moments of intrigue and suspense, it also has some shortcomings that prevent it from standing out in a crowded genre.

Bartz's writing is generally solid but not particularly outstanding. The pacing of the story is somewhat inconsistent, with moments of tension and anticipation followed by slower and less engaging segments. This uneven pacing can make it challenging for readers to maintain a high level of investment throughout the book.

The characters in "The Spare Room" are decently developed, but they lack the depth and complexity that could make them truly compelling. The dual narrative structure provides some insight into their thoughts and motivations, but the characters themselves often come across as somewhat one-dimensional. It can be challenging to fully connect with or care about their fates.

The plot, while featuring a web of secrets and revelations, doesn't always deliver the level of suspense one might hope for in a psychological thriller. The twists and turns are present, but they don't always have the impact or shock value that similar novels in the genre can achieve.

Overall, "The Spare Room" is a middling entry in the psychological thriller genre. While it has its moments and offers a decent level of intrigue, it doesn't manage to rise above the competition. Readers seeking a more gripping and emotionally resonant thriller may find this book falling short of their expectations.

Reading the description of this book I thought it would be 100% up my alley and although it was good, and kept my attention, I feel like it was a little too long. I also wish there was more steamy scenes, but that might just be a me thing, since this is a thriller and not a romance. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I figured out the twists long before they were revealed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the sense of never really knowing who to trust and believe. The mistrust of all of the characters made you second guess every ones motives. At times I felt it dragged a little but overall it was good.

Set against the backdrop of the pandemic, we are introduced to Kelly, who finds herself in a rut in Philadelphia after relocating with her fiancé, Mike, only to see everything unravel - no friends, no job, and ultimately, no Mike. The opportunity arises for her to move into her high school friend Sabrina's sprawling Virginia mansion, and she eagerly seizes it as a much-needed respite. Kelly's arrival is met with warmth from Sabrina and her husband, and the three of them form an increasingly intimate bond. However, as the dynamic between them deepens, Kelly unearths unsettling secrets - namely, that a woman was there before her, and that woman is now missing.

Trapped within the opulent mansion, Kelly seemingly has everything she could desire, but a lingering sense of unease prevails. The couple remains tight-lipped about the missing woman, leaving Kelly to piece together a puzzle from the fragments and clues she stumbles upon. I relish stories featuring unreliable characters, and this one skillfully lured me into thinking I had it all figured out before tossing a curveball my way. It was a pleasant surprise to find a level of sensuality in the narrative that added depth to the story.

While I found Kelly herself to be somewhat annoying, and the book occasionally delved excessively into her internal musings, I still appreciated the overall narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley & Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book just wasn't for me. I was interested enough in the thriller/mystery part of to see it through so I could see how it ended. But overall, I think I was just disappointed.

It has an interesting plot - set during Covid (very prominent so if you aren't ready for a Covid book, steer clear - I was interested in the setting), this is about Kelly who is going through a break up and reconnects with an old acquaintance on Instagram during the pandemic. Her and her husband have a spare room and invite her to stay with them in their own little pod. Super interesting to see the dynamic of getting to know people in this situation and of course the secrets they are hiding.

But then the book becomes basically about them becoming a thruple? And Kelly finding out they had a previous relationship with a house guest who has now gone missing. I just couldn't get into it. And the characters really were unlikeable in my opinion which I don't mind - but the main character just unfortunately bothered me with her choices and mindset.

The whole thruple thing jut threw me off and the main character falling madly in love with this couple after such a short time and just basically explaining away every lie or secret they told just grated on me and I had a hard time getting past that. And the reveal at the end of what was really happening left me just going MEH.

I am sure this book will work for other people - it just wasn't for me. I do think the author had interesting ideas and I have another one of her books so I want to give her another try because I think it was just really the relationship aspect and main character that weren't for me.