I just finished the ARC of Noelle West Ihli's novel Room for Rent. Even though I thought I had it figured out, the twists kept coming. I may have figured out a portion of the story early on, but I was not ready for what was to come. Plus, the surprise extra at the very end was worth it. Quick read and the fast paced thriller that I expect from Noelle Ihli!

Nya grew up sheltered until she met Jade. With Jade finishing college early and Nya only having a semester to go, Nya found the cheapest place to live for the last few months. Her roommate, Sidney, is not who she thought they were. Then the stories she hears from the nice guy, Curtis, about the place she is living, Nya is confident that she made the worst possible choice of where to live! But she can survive anything for a few months, right?

If you liked Run on Red, this book is a must read!

SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP, & READ this book! Oh my goodness what a wild ride. I was hooked from the very first page. Ihli had a way of really making the characters relatable, believable, and overall just entertaining. The twist had me completely thrown for a loop, let alone the whole story just really kept me on my toes. I also loved the short story added in to the end to give you more insight on an event that happened in the book. I wouldn’t be mad if there was a sequel to this honestly. I can’t wait to read more from Miss Noelle! This book comes out on 10/13/2023 - make sure to add it to your TBR!

I enjoyed reading previous books by the author, mainly The Thicket so I was excited to read this thriller, it definitely kept me gripped.

I was excited to get approved for this ARC on NetGalley as I enjoyed reading Run on Red and Ask for Andrea by the same author. I enjoyed this read very much as well! It kept me guessing for quite a while and I formed a quick attachment to the main character and her struggles. If you love a good thriller, this is definitely a book for you to try!

What do you get when you mix together a dilapidated house, a creepy housemate, and the feeling like you're being watched? A pretty messed up story.

I really liked the main character, Nya, and how her family's past played into the choices she made. Even though some of the choices she made weren't the best. I also understood her fight to finish college while trying to spend as little money as possible.

This book was pretty predictable for me. I guessed parts of what was going on, but I still enjoyed it. The chapters were fast paced and they kept me interested. I wanted to know what was going on with her creepy housemate who seemed to be getting more angry/sick while Nya was getting more scared.

I don't want to include any spoilers, but I wish the author would have included more back story on Sid and his previous housemate. She did write a short story about their issues, but it's not included in the book. If it were, I could have understood the twists better.

This book was just ok for me. Yes i understand the main character was financially desperate but her choices stopped making sense, ie the need to get out right away vs staying. And if she did, there would have been no story. This was a fast read , others will probably like it but not for me

Nya is a final year college student. Her childhood and upbringing, making her student experience very different to that of her peers. She was brought up in the Blood of the Lamb Church. A welcoming, non judgemental church, believing in equality for women; please note the sarcasm in that last sentence.
This unusual upbringing, so insulated from societal norms, means Nya’s instincts and decision making is extremely impaired. So when she finds the predatory Sid is to be her roommate for her final term, she tries to rationalise her thoughts, as opposed to trusting her gut, and turning on her heels.

What follows is a tension filled read, The book evokes a feeling of dread, skin tingling fear, the writing had a real atmosphere to it. The thought of not being safe in your home, a sense of being watched, is every woman’s worst nightmare.

I’m afraid I guessed the storyline fairly early on, I kept reading hoping that I would be proved wrong, that there would be a twist; sadly there wasn’t. I was right about the plot, and I can’t have been the only one to see it.

I’m sure many readers will love this tension filled read, but guessing the plot so early is a deal breaker for me. Just 3.5⭐️

Thank you, NetGalley and Dynamite Books for the copy of Room For Rent by Noelle West Ihli. After seeing all the buzz online about other books by this author I thought I would give this one a try. I understand the hype now-this is a fast read and probably appeals to readers that read thrillers for that surprise ending, or ‘twist’ as they call it. Most of the ending was predictable though, and I never felt any empathy for Nya, who should have trusted her gut and never moved in after she met her roommate. This was an okay read, but I probably won’t remember anything about it tomorrow.

Another gripping thriller from Noelle Ihli, this book is excellent!
Poor college student Nya is finishing her final semester of college, but she has little money to spend on housing. Responding to an online ad for a room to rent, within her meager budget, she rents it sight unseen.
Upon arrival, she discovers a house in very bad condition and a drugged out roommate- a man, not a woman as she expected. Despite being quite dubious about the accommodations, and with no other housing available, she moves her stuff in, and tried to feel at home. Little does she know that the rental has bad history, and she feels like her roommate is a threat.
After meeting and befriending a nice guy in the university library, she settles down her fears and suspicions.
With Noelle Ihli writing, nothing is ever as it seems.
By the end of this book, the reader is clenching hands and breathing heavily! There is an enormous twist and tense scene at the end.
This was a very fast read, full of tense moments.

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso books for the ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I totally read this in 2 1/2 hours in one sitting…

I discovered that being forced to live with a creep may be a big fear of mine 😳

This is my second read by Noelle W. Ihli and it’s my favorite of hers! My first book of hers was Run on Red.

I’m noticing that Noelle has fast-paced reads based on very big fears of mine 🎠 🚗

Thank you NetGalley and Dynamite Books for letting me read this before October 13th!

Highly recommend it!!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DynamiteBooks for the ARC #RoomForRent by #NoelleIhli. I am a huge fan of Noelles books and this one is ranked right up there with her other books. It had suspense, secrets and a plot I never would have imagined. I give it a ten out of five!!!!

3.75 stars. Pretty solid. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, I received this as an ebook ARC. Though I basically guessed the ending by 59%, I thought it was still entertaining overall. Super quick, page turner, unique plot, and a fun read. I liked it better than Run on Red. Also there’s a hidden short story free to download after reading involving the characters which was kind of cool.

Room for Rent follows a college student named Nya. She decides to rent a room and her roommate is not who she had expected but she ends up staying even with the red flags. This book was a fairly quick read and literally had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end! There was so many times I wanted to tell the main character Nya to listen to her instincts and to leave!! Thank you so much for the chance to read Room for Rent early!

I cannot get over how creepy this book was. The author did an excellent job with the atmospheric setting. Be prepared to sleep with all the lights on!

I was drawn in from the beginning. Did I mention how this book has major creepy vibes? Nya was very naive and ignored many red flags which can be overdone in a book. The author gives us the context of Nya growing up in seclusion in a religious cult which makes the nativity more plausible and less eye roll. I do appreciate this about the storyline.
The clues were a bit obvious making the story predictable, however I still enjoyed reading it!

Thanks to Netgalley and Dynamite Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was great! I figured out the twist about halfway through but it was still creepy and captivating enough to finish. This is a newer author for me but I’ve enjoyed both the books I’ve read by her!

I'm a little mixed with this one because there were things I liked a lot, and then some things that could of been done better. First and foremost, the story as a whole was great with a lurking creepiness with not just the roommate but the whole atmosphere of the book. There were actually a few times throughout this that I was dreading what was going to happen next, so the intensity of the story and the suspense was well done. However, I don't know if it was done intentionally but I knew immediately what was going on the whole time so it held no mystery for me. Which is fine if that's what was intended. The only thing that really bothered me was not the naivety of the protagonist, but the sheer stupidity. Being inexperienced with the real world and certain things can only get you so far, especially when it involves common sense. Overall, I still enjoyed this more than I thought I would and give this three and a half stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dynamite Books for this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley & Dynamite Books for an eARC of Room For Rent by Noelle West Ihli. I absolutely love Ask for Andrea, so had to pick this one up as soon as I saw this author coming out with a new twisty read!

I binged this one in a day - Great, atmospheric writing and characters I could truly visualize (especially Sid...eek). That being said, I guessed the ending of this one pretty early on, but still enjoyed it! I really enjoy the MC's relationship with her best friend and her family dynamics with her best friend's family.

This book follows MC Nya - She's stuck renting a room in a rundown house as she is limited on funds, support and options. She simply can't afford to live anywhere else, and just needs to finish her final semester of nursing school. But is she safe there? Someone is stealing her food. Someone is coming into her room in the night. Someone is going through her belongings. I felt myself eagerly turning the pages on this one and was creeped out to read it in the dark.

As always, I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!

3.5 stars rounded up!

I enjoyed this book but didn't love it. I knew very early on what was happening and why. The clues were way too obvious. I would have liked to have at least some sort of shock value. The tension and fear factor were on point though and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. And Sid!! I would have taken one look at that creepy dude and hightailed it out of there. Nothing would be worth sacrificing for me to live with him. I couldn't connect to Nya's character due to her sheer stupidity. I understand that her naivety and sheltered life played a part in her decision making but come on! There are some things that you just can't "suck up". It was an entertaining thriller that I blew through in a few hours, but it's definitely my least favorite of Ihli's books.

Thank you to the author, Dynamite Books and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars.
I liked this book for the fact of giving creepy vibes, you can feel the terror and disgust that the protagonist suffers. The way she is described makes you pity her and put yourself in her place, but not share her bad decisions anyway. While the story is quite predictable, it is still entertaining to read and generates feelings of nervousness and claustrophobia.

‘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.