Holy moly- college student trying to make a better future for herself while still living in poverty- what will her future hold for her

Finished Reading: October 1st, 2023
Review: October 1st, 2023
Stars: 4/5

Summary:

Nya moves into a rundown rental house, where the price is too good to be true. The rental is not what she expected, but she has nowhere else to go. She just has to get through her last semester of college and then she can leave. With her roommate stealing her food, spying on her, and the bumps in the night, can she really wait that long to leave? Is it safe?

Review:

This novel really drew me in. It is very captivating, and I couldn’t wait to continue reading. There was no filler or wasted chapters, which I love in a book. I wouldn’t say it had jump scares, but it really had that heart pounding suspension that all thrillers need to have! I actually opened my eyes wide as I was reading some parts. It was like watching a scene in a thriller/horror movie. I could clearly picture the scenes in my head. The ending even felt like a movie. Nya is very relatable as a struggling student and young person exploring who they are. Her thoughts can be a tad questionable at times, but I understand her.

The only real downside to the story is that it is extremely predictable. I think if the clues had been more subtle, so the ending was a surprise with a big impact, the book would have been truly great.

Acknowledgements:

Thank you to Noelle W.Ihli and Dynamite Books for giving me the chance to read a free copy on NetGalley. I really enjoyed it!

**This review has been posted on my Goodreads**

Wow! Thank you Netgalley and Dynamite books for this nail biting thriller! Emily seemed to have about the worst of luck when it came to her rental she secured during the last semester of her school. Sid (her roommate) nothing like she imagined … But it was only 4 months then she’d be out of dodge to be with her best friend and start her life. She’s only at the rental to sleep. Things seem to be going smooth until they aren’t. What is going on? Who can she trust? A must read!

This was such a slow burn that I got to 60% of the book and not much had happened yet. For a short book, it didn't need to be that slow. Thank you to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for the e-ARC in exchange for a review.

Book Title: Room for Rent
Author: Noelle West Ihli
Publisher: Xpresso Book Tours- Dynamite Books
Genre: Creepy Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: October 13, 2023
My Rating: 3.2 Stars
Pages: 298

Nya is a college nursing student in her last semester. Her roommate Jade already graduated and Nya is looking forward to graduating in December with the hopes of being employed at the same hospital.as Jade. Nya parents are very religious members of “Blood of the Lamb Church ’and believe a woman’s place is married with children.

Since Nya receives no support from her parents, she is struggling financially; the only room she can afford is in a rundown ‘room for rent” that she saw advertised in the page. She agrees to take it by phone – sight unseen. . Her landlord is Sidney Holcote or maybe it is Holcomb in either case she is surprised to find that Sidney is a creepy guy and not a girl with curly red hair as the Meta profile photo indicated.

It didn’t take long for strange things to start to happen. Each night seems to get more disturbing - someone is stealing her food, rattling her bedroom doorknob, also going through her things.

This is my first read by Noelle Ihli. When I checked reviews most readers had great comments and were return readers.

I am a big thriller fan and although it wasn’t a big Wow for me it was a quick read. I did enjoy the Epilogue. I am curious if you took advantage of the author’s offer of a free short story called “Bottom Feeder? It is mentioned in “Note From the Author”.

About the author. . .
Noelle’s two great passions are murder and horses (separately, never together).

Shei lives in Idaho with her husband, two sons, and two cats. When she's not plotting her next thriller,
she's scaring herself with true-crime documentaries or going for a trail ride in the foothills (with her trusty
pepper spray).

Want to thank NetGalley and Dynamite Books this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 13, 2023.

Wow! Noelle Ihli knocks another one out of the park. Fabulous read that kept me flipping pages long into the night. This was HUGE on the creep factor. And the characters were fantastic! The story just keeps on pulling the reader in and leaves them exhausted. Highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley, Noelle Ihli and Epresso Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this cracker of a book.

3.5 stars. I love Noelle W Ihli's writing! I enjoyed this book too, but I was not as gripped or thrilled by it as I had been with her previous books. I guessed all the twists a few chapters in. That being said, I still enjoyed the atmosphere, the set up and the main character's voice. I continue to look forward to the author's next books! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

The book was a quick read, but the ending was a little predictable. It seemed to get a little repetitive towards the end, but it was still pretty enjoyable.

This book was just ok for me. I didnt feel any real connection to the characters although I do understand the need to finish college and spend as little money as possible. Nya was a likeable character, I would of liked to have read more background on Sid.

This was a fast read, others may like it more than I did. I really wanted to love it but it fell flat for me

25% and I just can’t read it anymore. This book isn’t for me, clearly, and I don’t like Nya to be her bad choices. Sorry, I hate giving bad reviews when DNF…

3.5 stars rounded up. A fun thriller and a fast read. I definitely enjoyed this book more than Run on Red by this author - this book was slightly more believable - even though the main character doesn’t make the best choices.

Nya is a very broke senior nursing student who found a very cheap room for rent. Her roommate, Sydney, isn’t who he seems and they do not get along from the very beginning.. She feels like she’s being watched at night and some of her things go missing but she can’t leave because of her financial situation. The rest of the book is just the story of a roommate from hell.

I definitely enjoyed the book even though there were some parts that were very much over the top. The ending felt VERY rushed. But it was a quick read.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Room for Rent is published on spooky Friday the 13th of October, 2023.

Thanks to Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Room for Rent, it was very well written. It drew me in immediately and had me hooked all the way through.

I loved how real and complex the characters were, especially Nya.
The storyline was twisty and intriguing. I wasn't sure who to trust, which just made it all the more interesting.

This is the first book I've read from Noelle and it definitely won't be the last.

4 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I found this story unbelievable. Nya made bad choices which led to a horrific living situation for her last semester of college. Beginning with the course load, no part of this story worked for me.

Nya has been working her way through college, struggling to make ends meet. With one semester left to go, she believes that the worst is behind her. She's found a cheap place to live and signed the rental agreement online. For such low rent she didn't expect much, but her first reaction when she sees the house and the man she'll be sharing it with is to run. The profile picture made her think that Sidney was a young woman, not the creepy guy in the corner of the drum circle. Then it sinks in that she has no other options. She'll have to sleep in her car or find a way to co-exist with an angry stoner who lives in filth and roams the house in his underwear.

Even as the situation worsens, Nya does everything she can to make her living situation tolerable. If she can just hang on for four more months she'll be able to leave the state and move in with her former roommate's family. Right now, though, she has no one to turn to, no one who can help her. There's nothing for her to do except go to class, study hard, and to avoid Sidney, who is getting worse by the day. The book works so well because Nya is such a likeable protagonist. that I wanted to see her safe. You may see some of the twists coming, but it's definitely a page turner.

Room for Rent
by Noelle West Ihli
Pub Date: 13 Oct 2023

"Room For Rent" is a heart pounding thriller from page 1 until the final page! A must read thrill ride that kept my heart rate up even after I finished the book. I definitely recommend this 5 Star book.

Short Synopsis:
The rundown rental house didn’t seem so bad at first. But now, someone is stealing her food. Rattling her bedroom doorknob. Digging through her belongings.

Each night brings more disturbing incidents. And each night, Nya is more convinced that it’s not an intruder. She suspects the culprit is hiding in plain sight: her peculiar roommate-of-necessity, Sidney.

Nya can’t afford to live anywhere else. The horrible rental is her only option. In a few months, she’ll finish her final semester of college—and get the hell out of dodge. But to her horror, the sinister mind games are just the beginning. Before long, she’s forced to face the possibility that her physical safety may be at risk. Maybe even her life.

The truth is more terrifying than Nya could have guessed. And as the situation spirals out of control, it’s suddenly clear that surviving the night may no longer be an option.

Thank you #RoomforRent and #NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this fantastic book!

Room for Rent
by Noelle West Ihli
This was a bit over the top. Nya should have been out. All her choices were wrong. Just not a believable read.

This book totally stressed me out! Wow! It was so much like driving by an accident scene where you can’t help but not look away. The characters in this book were some of the best. I was just disgusted by one and annoyed with another. The third main character kept me guessing but then I kind of figured him out a little but then things flipped and he was so much more complex than I first thought. I really enjoyed this book. One fun part of the ebook was the bonus story at the end of the book. If you click a link it takes you to a 9 page short story about two of the main characters and it really is cool to hear the backstory. Nice job with this book Noelle.

What a fantastic creepy whirlwind of a ride this book took me on. Got better and better as the book developed more. Makes you scared to even have a roommate. Definitely glad I got this one as an ARC.
Love you get a short story at the end.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. Nya, a college student, needs a cheap place to stay and what she found was a decrepit house with a creepy roomate. Her worst nightmare come true. What happens there could have deadly consequences! Very stressful. I could not stop reading to find out what happens next.

This was a really engaging thriller. The thing that made readable in one day is the main character.

I found Nya to be so relatable, her struggles, everything she goes through, even that mantra, 'Suck it up, buttercup' really hits home. So many of us have to go through these types of hardships, especially when we are young, so Nya really is a character you can root for.

The first 25% of the book didn't reveal much, but it really set the stage for what is to come. The situations she has to face when dealing with Sid are situations you could encounter in day to day life. Forget monsters and vampires. In my opinion, this what makes a thriller unputdownable. Believability. The sense that it is real. It edges on horror. And it is that more horrifying when you know this could happen to you.

This was a five star read for me, and I will definitely be recommending it further to all my friends. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for allowing me to enjoy an eArc of this book. All opinions stated above are my own.