Kelly, our narrator, is a people pleaser. She's also dumb as dirt and becomes obsessed with sex. She insists she is in love with her ex, over and over and over again. But then is fine to break up with him because she's now in love with the essentially random strangers she moved in with.

Yeah that's the plot. It is overwritten and the characters are insufferable. Set in the backdrop of COVID, it tries to explain that's why people can't go out. But by the summer of 2020, people were meeting up outside. Not in this book! It was just weird to use it as a plot device when convenient.

There isn't really a ton of mystery/thriller and what is there leaves you just kind of baffled by the whole thing. There's too much focus on the sex and not enough backstory to make you believe any of what is actually happening.

In the midst of the lockdown, Kelly goes to stay with her friend Sabrina and her husband in their well off gated community. The physical tension rises and Kelly enters into a throuple with her hosts. But Kelly is not the first woman to be invited into Sabrina's marriage, and the last woman has gone missing. Kelly has questions and isn't getting answers but the truth comes out in a very twisty way. I like Bartz's We Were Never Here a lot and while the writing of the Spare Room is just as good, the story wasn't my absolute favorite. But it was still a good read.

I read this book on vacation and while it was not the best book I've read it did keep me coming back for more. It was honestly wild and feels like those who love an unhinged Freida McFadden book would also love this.

First of all, I think this book was written for me. One of the main characters has the same name as me, and I can't lie... that may have been a deciding factor in wanting to read this book.

But, better than that, the book was a super fun and fast-paced mystery. The twist was something that I could not see coming. I love it when I am surprised by an ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

A tense, atmospheric psychological thriller about blurred lines between friendship, love, and danger. Sharp, smart, and emotionally charged. Bartz builds dread masterfully while keeping the story grounded in character.

This was a solid thriller. It was definitely different than other thrillers I've read, and it had twists I didn't anticipate. Thank you Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC!

Andrea Bartz never misses. This book is no exception. It's suspenseful, original, and addictive. She is a master of this form and it shows.

Andrea Bartz's The Spare Room was a significant disappointment. The premise, a woman escaping a bad breakup by crashing with an old friend and her seemingly perfect husband, held some promise, but the execution was severely lacking.
My absolute loathing for the main character, Kelly, was a major factor in my dislike of this book. Her incessant insecurity was beyond tiresome; it was actively irritating. Every thought, every action, was steeped in self-doubt and comparison, rendering her utterly unlikable. It wasn't relatable vulnerability; it was an exhausting, whiny internal monologue that never ceased.
The book's genre identity crisis was another significant flaw. It attempted to straddle the lines of romantic drama and psychological thriller, but succeeded at neither. The "romance" was tepid and unconvincing, and the "thrills" were predictable and devoid of genuine suspense. The pacing was erratic, and the plot twists were contrived and lacked any sense of organic development.
In the end, The Spare Room felt like a half-hearted attempt at two genres, resulting in a narrative that was neither engaging nor memorable. It barely warrants a single star, but I'll add a half star for the occasional sentence that wasn't completely cringeworthy.

Great book! Definitely lots of plot twists. This was a book I thought I had figured out, but it definitely surprised me. The suspense is A+. This is a book that will keep you wanting to know more. Highly recommend!

A twisty, seductive read! Overall I enjoyed Andrea Bartz's writing style and the dark, sexy drama she created. This book is takes place during the pandemic and I found I wasn't quite ready for that setting...it takes me out of the story too much. A fun read but not necessarily my favorite Bartz book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballentine Books for this ARC.

It’s a DNF for me bc I cannot stand to read or hear about the stupid pandemic in any form. Maybe in a few more years that will change.

Kudos to this author for some twists! This was a wild book and I still can’t tell exactly my thoughts land. I hadn’t seen a premise like this one before. I found it super intriguing. I am interested to find more from this author.

This was so good! I loved the writing style and was hooked from page one. I couldn't put it down! There were so many twists and I audibly gasped a few times. I will definitely read more from Andrea in the future.

Wow! I wish I had not waited so long to read this because it was really fun. Juicy. Sexy without being cringy. Scary. Thought-provoking!

This may be my first domestic thriller featuring a potential throuple, and in the wrong hands that type of storyline could be eye-rolling or too romancey for me. But Bartz's approach was spot on and intriguing. I'm a thriller reader through and through, and this book satisfied my thriller itch while giving me some fun other content to explore.

Kelly, fresh off a long term relationship with a typical dude, is looking for something a little different. But she doesn't really know HOW different an experience she's about to get. It's the beginning of the pandemic and she goes to stay with a gorgeous and sexy former high school friend... who also has a gorgeous and sexy husband. Sparks fly...in every direction. What's a formerly somewhat conservative, straight girl to do? Everything is exciting and great after that...Until she finds out their previous throuple partner went missing.

I loved the suspense and thrilled most of all, but I also really liked the feminist commentary about straight relationships, ethical nonmonogamy, and bisexuality. It's also a coming out story. If you aren't interested in or at least open to those ideas, this book probably won't appeal to you. For me though, it was both a thrilling and a refreshing read. I've always enjoyed Bartz but this takes her to the next level of must-read authors for me/ can't wait to read what she puts out next! 4.5 stars.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I enjoyed this thriller a lot, the plot was interesting and unique and kept me hooked to the end. 4 stars!

I love Bartz' combination of gonzo-thriller storytelling and interpersonal drama. It is like delicious, delicious candy to me!

Bartz is truly one of the greatest thriller writers of 21st century and I will not accept criticism of that statement. Her latest seductive thriller is provocative, bold, and enthralling. It's propulsive and twisted and it was a struggle to put it down.

The Spare Room’s premise was intriguing to me and I was excited to get into the story. Set during the early pandemic, the story follows Kelly, who postpones her wedding to Mike due to serious issues. Reconnecting with an old high school friend on social media, she stays with them during lockdown.

I have to give Bartz credit for two surprising twists. The first twist is well done and feels believable due to the setup. However, the second twist is so unexpected and lacks any hints that it’s hard to fully appreciate. It seems a bit implausible, making it difficult to fully accept.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance digital copy.

Kelly and fiance, Mike, are taking a break, so she goes to stay with a school friend, Sabrina and her husband, Nathan. They have an attraction and become a trouple. It's not Sabrina and Nathan's first time with this dynamic, but their previous lady is now missing....hmm.

Well I'm not too sure about this one, so I'm plopping it in the middle. To each their own with their marriage and what they do in it, but I'm not super big on romance in my thrillers, however it was a slow burn and not really a thriller, but there were some exciting moments after quite a while, though. Kelly made some questionable choices after she makes revelation after revelation after revelation that had me rolling my eyes. I was surprised about the zinger at the end, though.

I absolutely hate pandemic talk in my books and there are many references to it, blah.

I was able to listen to a copy as well.
Narration notes ~ I've listened to Brittany many times and she did a lovely job as usual. She was properly frantic when necessary.

I just....what on Earth did I just read? I don't even want to call this a thriller. I don't know WHAT this book would be considered but I know I was not the target audience for it.