The Vacancy in Room 10 is a gripping thriller that kept me on glued to the pages from start to finish! I loved the dual point of views which helped drive the interconnecting mysteries. The characters are well crafted, you really get to see their motivations, flaws and evolving relationships. In addition to our main and supporting characters which I loved, Seraphina Nova Glass painted the apartment complex, the Sycamores, and surrounding city skillfully and really helped me be transported into the novel.. I felt like a fly on the wall, watching everything unfold in front of me. The multiple plot twists make it a definite page-turner!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grayson House for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Coming in at just over 300 pages, this is a very quick, very fun, thrilling popcorn read. This story alternates between two different POV’s: Cass and Anna.

Cass, thrown out of the house she shares with her long-term boyfriend, has nobody else to turn to and nowhere else to go. There’s a vacancy at the Sycamores—a beat up motel-turned-apartment complex—that includes free rent in exchange for some maintenance work. She takes it. What other choice does she have?

Anna, whose husband was renting an apartment at the Sycamores as an art studio, takes up residency there to find out what really happened to her husband that night that he called her before his death.

I enjoyed the writing of this book—the characters and the imagery are all very vivid—and I loved the cheap, dirty motel setting. I needed to suspend my belief quite a bit to enjoy it but I did enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for the ARC of this book! If Seraphina Nova Glass has only one fan, it's me. I look forward to every single novel that she writes. This was a fast-paced, interesting book that is focused on two different women - Anna and Cass. I really enjoyed the dual POVs which led to a very interesting wrap-up at the end of the novel. I will be recommending this to my friends who also enjoy thrillers!

Starting with the title, this book seems all sorts of wrong. The vacancy implies it’s a hotel, but it’s not. The room number is not 10. This isn’t even really about a vacancy in any way. For some reason these things bothered me.

The story line was drawn out. I enjoy stories told in dual perspectives. It took a while for us to understand how the two were connected. Once I got into the story, it started to click and the book became harder to put down. But some things that occurred were so incredulous. I did not figure out who the murder was in the end

The book seemed fairly well written. I’ve heard great things about the author. This is the first book I have read from her and I likely wouldn’t read another from this.

Overall: Not the best, not the worst. I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it. If someone is on the fence, I’d encourage it though.

📜The Vacancy In Room 10
✍️Seraphina Nova Glass
📠Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House
📚Domestic Thriller, Fiction
🗓️Pub date: April 9, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨Thank you @NetGalley and @graydonhousebooks for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to @seraphinanovaglass for writing this amazing book!

✨Anna receives a rather strange phone call from her husband, Henry, that he’s done something terrible and needs to end everything. The phone dies after a loud bang, and Henry is left dead as well.

✨Anna is left picking up the pieces to her life, and after moving into the run-down Sycamores motel-turned-apartment that Henry used as his art studio, she looks for answers to his untimely death.

✨ Cass is managing The Sycamores and providing all-inclusive handyman services to the renters in exchange for her free stay. Recently kicked to the curb by her philandering husband, she has a chip on her shoulder, and goes head to head with the eclectic cast of characters the motel has to offer.

✨While Anna is getting threats and tries to dig into the secret life her husband led, and Cass faces bigger problems, they both have to realize the path they’ve chosen is a dangerous one.

✨With laugh-out-loud dark humor, and page-turning suspense, The Vacancy in Room 10 is one to watch out for! This is the second book I’ve read by Seraphina Nova Glass and it certainly won’t be my last!

✨QOTD: How far would you dig for answers if you knew your life was in danger?

#netgalley #thevacancyinroom10 #seraphinanovaglass #graydonhousebooks #thrillerfiction #springreleases #mysteryfiction #watchoutforthisone #advancedreadercopy #arc #bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ivegotbooks #killmewithwords #idratherbereading #readthisbook #domesticthriller #bestbooks #qotd

The first thing I said after finishing this book: “that was dumb.”

It really was. I don’t understand the high praise this book is getting. This was my first book by this author and the thought of a guest unraveling the mystery of a creepy apartment complex was giving me vibes of <i>The Sun Down Motel</i> and I was really excited to pick it up.

Unfortunately, the entire thing was completely ridiculous and over the top. I could not suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy the story and I didn’t like any of the characters except Rosa. I suspected the villain almost instantly and was not happy to be proven right.

The pacing was slow as well. I had high hopes for this one but sadly it didn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Graydon House for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I had read On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass previously and I loved it so much I was excited to read A Vacancy in Room 10 to see if it would capture some of the same elements in the style I so enjoyed. I was not disappointed. A complex thriller focused on two women, Cass and Anna, this book was unique and kept my guessing with a plot that was rich with characters and different drivers. I enjoyed the ‘supporting cast’ as well as the depth brought to Cass and Anna as we explore their lives.

This is not a popcorn thriller with a flat plot, it is a well written book that pulls you into a vivid world and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I recommend this to all readers, fans of thrillers or just good fiction.

Title: The Vacancy in Room 10
Author: Seraphina Nova Glass
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing – Graydon House
Pub Date: April 9, 2024
My Rating: 3 4 Stars
Pages: 336

Cass manages the Sycamores apartment complex that is a ‘dumpster fire’ kind of a place and should be ‘red tagged’.
Page one of this story gives you an idea of the type of area of its located. There is a Shell gas station across the street and the S is hanging off the sign. The name now seems appropriate so no one has fixed it.
Boyfriend Reid kicked Cass her of his apartment as he was now interested in Kimmie Cass knows as Kimmie posts it on Instagram.
Cass is stuck in Shell without the S as she has no job or money. She answers a ‘help wanted ad that offers free rent for light repairs. She gets the job and her free rent is Room 10 well it used to be Room 100 but one of the zeros is missing. (Hmm is there a theme here?)
As mentioned the Sycamores is a mess in need of a lot of repairs. Cass is not really a DIY person but said she was willing to do light repairs. She soon finds out that several of the inhabitants are married men who have a nice place someplace else- which give Cass a money making idea – aka blackmail!

Anna Hartley’s husband Henry is a HS Art Teacher and is renting a room at the Sycamores to use as an art studio. One day he calls Anna and says - "I killed someone!" Now his body was found in shallow water on the banks of the Rio Grande just south of Santa Fe city limits. , Anna is positive his death is not suicide and wants to question Cass,

I am a big thriller fan and cannot remember who recommended this story me but I would not describe this as a thriller true there is a mystery of what really happened to Henry and do find out.
What about Cass and Reid – yes we find out more about them as well.

The Sycamores characters had me reading on.
The Pool Girls - Jackie, Crystal, Rose – Have to admit, At first, I could not imagine a pool at the Sycamores but remembered it was once a motel so it made some sense. However at first I visualized these women sitting about a little plastic blow up pool with the kids running in and out with squirt guns and throwing pool toys at each other.
.
I did enjoy this story!😊

Want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing – Graydon House for this uncorrected text copy.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 9, 2024.

The Vacancy In Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass
My rating:
4/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


After her husband’s sudden death, Anna checks into the Sycamores; a run down motel turned apartment building, and the home of Henry’s art studio.
Anna had many questions about her husband’s death and tries to put the pieces together.

This story was told in dual POVS of both Anna and Cass. There are 2 main stories in this book that all come together at the end and I thought the author wrapped it all up perfectly!

I went into this one completely blind but saw some great reviews for it and I’m so glad I requested! This had lots of twists and turns and in the end all of my theories were incorrect! I love when a book stumps me.

I would definitely give this one a read for a fast paced thriller with great character development! I really enjoyed the bonds the characters made throughout the story.

Thank you netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC! This will be out on April 9th 2024, so add to your TBR now!

I seem to be an outlier here because I don’t have the same rave review of this book that so many others do. I found the first half to be pretty slow and it was hard to get into.

I know that it’s fictional, and that the author takes certain liberties to ensure an exciting and dramatic story, but I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at some of the absolutely stupid things some of the main characters do. Everything is tied up neatly at the end so it all made sense, but it was still just dramatic and silly to me.

I did enjoy the setting: a rundown, shabby former motel turned apartment complex that has seen better days. It reminded me of an apartment I lived in years ago when times were hard and I was down on my luck.

This was a really good read with likable characters that you root for. Especially the pool girls! I’d recommend you pick up this latest read from Glass.

I had heard awesome things about this author so I was ecstatic to check out a book by her on NetGalley. Let me tell you what… I LOVED IT! I felt like I was right there with the characters, enjoying every laugh and feeling every heartbreaking and fearful moment. Seraphina Nova Glass did such a great job writing details and portraying her characters in a way that truly connected you with them. Cass was my favorite, and I already miss this book since I finished it. I am excited to read other works by this author, and I’ve already recommended this book to 3 of my reader friends to add to their TBR just as soon as it’s published! Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Such a fun, easy read! 5 stars!

I seem to be in the minority here but this was only okay for me. I found it to actually be slow paced and I was definitely ready for it to end. I will say though that I didn’t guess the conclusion which is always a plus.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Welcome to the Sycamores apartment complex where the residents keep their friends close, but their enemies closer. This book blew me away. I loved the alternating chapters from Anna and Cass’s POVs. I loved the pool ladies, Babs, Barry, Sinatra, Callum. Everyone was so close and looked out for one another. However, one of them is hiding a dark secret. The Vacancy in Room 10 is my absolute favorite by Seraphina Nova Glass! I flew through this book…it was that good!! The suspense, crazy neighbors, tons of secrets…it’s a must read thriller for 2024!

Every town has an apartment complex like Sycamores. Run down, on the outskirts, rent is cheap. The community of the Sycamores is tightly knit and treats the place more like a dorm than apartments.

Cass has been the superintendent for the last few months. After finding her boyfriend, Reid, with his hand up the skirt of a bartender, she was kicked out of their home and had nowhere else to go. She's handy with tools and has long wanted to have her own handyman service. Cass is desperate for money, so desperate that she will blackmail drunk men for money. She has her system and it's worked until it doesn't.

Anna has moved into the studio apartment her husband used as a painting studio. Her husband was found in the Rio Grande, and the clues around his death are a little suspicious. She slowly integrates herself into the community and soon will need these friends to solve the mystery of Henry's death.

This book is full-speed ahead from page 1. Death, blackmail, alcohol, drug cartels, a black tie event.....any and everything is included. The last 30% of the book...I could NOT put it down.

This is a thriller with a capitol T.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A group of people live in a dilapidated apartment building. Their backstories and the reasons they ended up somewhat marginalized vary, but all the stories are sad. What isn't sad is the sense of family/camaraderie they build in order to make it through their difficulties. Real connections are made along the journey.

Publication date: April 9th, 2024
Page count: arc ~535
Genre: psychological thriller
Setting: The Sycamores Motel, New Mexico
POV: multiple- Anna, Cass
Features: resilient strong women and their journeys

Beautifully woven mystery! Fast paced, with twists and turns that keep you engaged.

I will definitely be reading more of the authors books!

Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass. This is an unpredictable, fast-paced thrill ride that earned Glass a spot on my list of must-read authors.

Cass finds herself in the unusual position of “handy-ma’am” at a rundown apartment complex after her relationship ends. As the barely-legal Kimmy takes over residence in her luxurious house with Reid, Cass is submersed in an environment filled with broken air conditioners, screaming children, and some very undesirable tenants. When Anna moves in to the apartment that her late husband Henry had rented as an art studio, she discovers that he had some secrets buried when he supposedly took his own life. As Anna and Cass find themselves caught up in building drama and a number of mysterious deaths, you won’t know who or what to believe until the very last page.

4.5 stars
This fast paced domestic thriller was very well done! I liked the eerie setting of the apartment complex, especially with the pool girls adding humor throughout the story. The characters were well developed and the author did a great job intertwining their stories. The non stop twists and turns had me racing through the pages.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off… the hype is real!! So well deserved! 👏👏👏 I totally binged this because.. I seriously couldn’t put it down!! Five twisted stars ⭐️…Listen to this…. 😳

That cover … completely NAILS the atmosphere… a creepy run down motel.. I mean just imagine the worst… 🤷‍♀️and there you have it…😳… SO much shady business going on! 🙄 What did I love most??

✅ Creeptastic atmosphere.. The Sycamore Motel… made my skin crawl… I felt uneasy… freaked out.. and I loved every min of it. 😂👏👏

✅ Excellent characters that were so well developed.. again made me freak out a bit. 😳

✅Blackmail 🤨
✅Secrets 🤫
✅Lies 😏
✅MURDER 😳😍🫢
OH HELL YES!! How is that for nailing everything your thriller lover heart ❤️ wants?!!

I couldn’t figure out what secrets these people were hiding… even the dead ☠️ people had secrets!! 😳 Twisted… creepy… I loved it so much.. I really didn’t want it to end. 😂 I don’t say that very often. 🤷‍♀️😍

This was my first book by @seraphinanovaglass .. even though I own four more! 🙄… Let me tell you.. after reading this.. I will be binging her backlist!! Seriously can’t recommend it enough!