‘She didn’t believe in demons anymore. They were the stuff of bad dreams. They weren’t real, and they couldn’t hurt her.

She couldn’t say the same for nightmares made of flesh and blood.’

I was hooked on this story from the very beginning. The first chapter gave me a shot of adrenaline that peaked my curiosity & definitely spooked me, and it only got better from there.

The introduction to the characters immediately drew me in. Nya was a sweet, timid college student from a very strict religious background, and Sidney was a mysterious - and seemingly very gross - man who was offering a rented room at a suspiciously low rate. One might say that this is the PERFECT combination for a pretty strong thriller!

Reading this book as a woman who is unfortunately no stranger to the behaviour of creepy men, I found that this added layer of realism made this book all the more terrifying. I was nervous from the very first chapter and the story evoked a clear sense of dread.

It can easily become taxing to read stories like this one, where the main character is constantly ignoring red flags; however, the author was very clever when structuring Nya’s character around this trope. Her ultra religious background made her more vulnerable and susceptible to wanting to keep the peace, so it made sense for her to find excuses for the eerie situations occurring in the rental house. We were constantly reminded of how innocent her mind was, and how much she still had to learn, and it broke my heart every time.

The story was unfortunately quite predictable, and I did anticipate how it was going to pan out about halfway through. I also thought that the motivation behind the main antagonist’s actions was rather flimsy. However, I loved both the anticipation of the first half and the action & conclusion of the second half of the book, and it was still a very enjoyable read.

I couldn't stop reading this! It grabbed me from the start and I loved it all!
It creeped me out and I enjoyed the spooky vibes. All the characters felt real to me and I was very invested in this story. I also liked the ending.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Noelle for this
ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I will definitely read her next books!!

3,5 stars.

”Nya tried to open her eyes, but they were too heavy. She tried to roll over in bed, but her muscles refused to obey. Even her tongue felt like it had been glued to her mouth.
Clink, clink.
Adrenaline prickled through her veins. Her heart hammered in her chest, an impossibly fast temp while the rest of her stayed sluggish and slow. Why couldn’t she wake up? Why couldn’t she move? What time was it? She managed to force her eyelids open, but it made no difference. She couldn’t see anything. The bedroom was pitch dark.
Clink, clink.
Oh, god. She knew the sound now. It was her bedroom doorknob, jiggling back and forth.
He was trying to get into her room.
Again.”


With this start to the book, how could you not read it?
The dedication of this book is as follows:


”For anyone who’s survived a roommate from hell. May you never have to label your food again”.


And boy, did this book hit close to home as somebody that spent the first two weeks of her university life in a room in a very creepy, old and moldy ”collective” with questionable roommates, so much so that I, just like Nya in the book, locked my bedroom door and pushed furniture infront of it.


The creeping dread that this book made me feel while reading it put me straight back to those two weeks.
The feeling of helplessness that Nya feels when she realizes that she has nowhere else to go. The musty old house and the noises that all sound sinister.


A great book with good pacing, but perhaps a little predictable plot, but is absolutely worth a read!
I stayed up all night to finish it in one sitting.


If you liked her previous books Run On Read and Ask For Andrea then you’ll like this too. She’s a master of writing thrillers that you need to finish in one sitting!

ROOM FOR RENT was a fast-paced, quick read with an interesting storyline! Really enjoyed the suspenseful and creepy atmosphere throughout the book. The characters were relatable and overall well-written.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for the opportunity to read and review ROOM FOR RENT.

Overall I really liked this but I do wish a little more depth was offered. I felt like I didn’t really get the eeriness of the scenario early on it needed more background.