Oh my sweet Goddess! This book has my attention from the get go. I read it all night. I had to know what happen. Such a delicious escape.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not at all what I was expecting! It’s about a woman who’s reevaluating her life and upcoming marriage to her fiancé and decides to go stay with an old friend from high school and her husband in their spare room. It takes so many different twists and was really difficult at time to figure out who to believe. I did fine it very entertaining and even sexy at times. If you’re into psychological thrillers, you might consider checking it out!

Quite the page turner. So much is a slow reveal, that it kept me guessing. What is Sabrina's angle? What did Kelly do back in Philly to make Mike want to postpone the wedding? Nathan is skethcy, right? Who is that in the polaroids? What is really going on here? Well, it all gets answered with one twist after another. It's a fun, fast read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy.

Kelly is devastated when she tells Mike she may go spend time with the friend in Virginia and he says that sounds like a good idea. So she leaves and goes stays with Sabrina and Nathan. It seems her and Mike have had some type of falling out one because she’s done something to upset him and to because he didn’t want to set the date for the wedding. So all she goes to Virginia and Sabrina and Nathan‘s home they’re quite welcoming and seem so super excited to have her there. Kelly and Sabrina were high school friends and Sabrina has turned out to be a great romance writer who Kelly is a big fan of. As time goes by Kelly starts getting creepy feelings and finds dead animals at the gate thinks she hears footsteps in the words but ultimately balls all of this off. She soon starts a relationship with Sabrina and Nathan and they soon become a throttle either being all together or Kelly being with one or the other. When Michael tells her he regrets everything that happened and wants her back Sabrina convinces her that is a bad idea and Kelly goes along with it. She soon finds out there was another girl before her and she went missing… Something else Kelly blows off but soon to find things that she cannot blow off but will it be too late for Kelly? They were many things I didn’t like about the book for one how do I know there was a throuple situation I wouldn’t of read the book number two the way Kelly treated Michael after being so desperate to get back with him made me think even less of her. Number three it seems every time she got a fine she just blew it off and kept going and almost made me feel she deserved whatever happened to her. Usually at the end of the book I am rooting for someone and hope another character gets they are comeuppance the best book I thought I had no one to root for it so the ending Aldo surprising wasn’t as satisfying as I hoped it would be. I’m sure there are many people who would love this book and I really enjoyed her first book whose name I forget but this one not so much. Not only because Kelly wasn’t that bright but also because of all of the sexual escapades I was just not into that but I digress. I received this book from NetGalley in the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review

Oh my gosh I loved this one! I despised the main character, but I think that was intended. This book is full of twists and will keep you guessing until the end!

This was fine.

My first pandemic novel and while the premise sounded fun, it missed the mark for me. The ending seemed thrown together and felt rushed and then the epilogue didn’t really make much sense to me?

It was good in parts, but I couldn’t find myself keeping engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of “The Spare Room.” The plot was all over the place in this book and Kelly was an unlikeable protagonist. I was confused about the use of Covid in the story because it seemed to be there so that these characters could be quarantined together, however they went out to coffee shops, dinner, and hotels where it didn’t seem to be an issue. Several chapters were devoted to Kelly’s doubts about everything in her life so that by page 200 I was about to give up. The plot twist was unexpected and I did enjoy how this thriller was completely different from others I have read.

I fast paced story to keep you on your toes! Kelly's fiance Mike wants to postpone their wedding date so Kelly decides to take her high school acquaintance Sabrina's invitation to come stay a while with her and her husband Nate in Washington, DC. They have a huge house that is the perfect thing for isolating during lockdown. Kelly gets swept up in Sabrina and Nate's life. She likes the allure of it all. Sabrina is an author of erotic books and Nate works for the DOD. Their lives make Kelly feel electrically charged, but there are secrets in every corner. They invite Kelly into their lives and start a relationship between the three. But soon Kelly starts to wonder who is this mysterious girlfriend Sabrina and Nate had, who has disappeared? Kelly finds dead animals outside of the mansion's locked gate and she doesn't know where they are coming from. Kelly's new friend Megan is also so insistent on getting inside the mansion for unknown reasons. And why are Sabrina and Nate so insist on keeping everything so secret? A great beach read to keep you guessing to the very end! Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

This was a sexy little number!

So, this book was a BIT opposite of what’s typical when I read a thriller. I couldn’t put it down for the first 70% or so, and then the last 30% was just ok. I feel like anymore, thrillers feel like they have to have soooo many twists at the end they start early and then just keep going, and going, and going— anyone else feel that way? It really drags out the ending sometimes.

That said, overall I really did enjoy this read and I think it’s a great pick if you enjoy summer thrillers. I like that more COVID books are coming out that are more focused on ‘what if this was your crazy quarantine experience’ more than just everything bad that happening during that time.

This isn’t for everyone. It’s pretty sex-centered so if that isn’t up your alley I’d say skip it. But if that sounds fun to you, then buckle up!

And can we talk about this cover?! It screams summer thriller, right?

This story wasn’t that thrilling. Had more romance in it than thrills. I guessed whodunnit before the twist and the epilogue fell flat as well. Wouldn’t recommend to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I knew I had to read this book after reading we were never here by the same author last year. I was excited to be approved to read it on NetGalley, and I also had an advanced listening copy from @PRHaudio. This one did not disappoint. This author knows how to grab your attention and keep it throughout the book. Her topics and style are so unique I cannot really compare it to other works. This one does have a mystery in it and it’s a thriller, but overall it’s more of a drama, coming of age, somewhat shocking story about a young woman who is going through a lot of changes in her life. On another note I loved the setting of northern Virginia/Washington DC as that is my old stomping grounds.

Synopsis:

Kelly’s new life in Philadelphia has turned into a nightmare: She’s friendless and jobless, and the lockdown has her trapped in a tiny apartment with the man she gave up everything for, who’s just called off their wedding. The only bright spot is her newly rekindled friendship with her childhood friend Sabrina—now a glamorous bestselling author with a handsome, high-powered husband.

When Sabrina and Nathan offer Kelly an escape hatch, volunteering the spare room of their remote Virginia mansion, she jumps at the chance to run away from her old life. There, Kelly secretly finds herself falling for both her enchanting hosts—until one night, a wild and unexpected threesome leads the couple to open their marriage for her.

At first, Kelly loves being part of this risqué new world. But when she discovers that the last woman they invited into their marriage is missing, she starts to wonder if they could be dangerous . . . and if she might be next.

I was disappointed in this book. I was expecting a pandemic locked room mystery but this book was more a romance drama. I did not find the premise realistic. Hopefully others will find something I did not.

I enjoyed this book. It seemed to grab me right from the beginning. I thought the whole storyline was super compelling and kept my attention. However I couldn’t stand the main character (Kelly) and how unreliable she was. She made up excuses for her partners actions throughout the whole book which was extremely frustrating. She looked at every red flag and just thought “oh, that’s a pretty flag” instead of running the other way. I did fly through it, and Andi’s writing is great. But the main character made it hard for me to love it.

I found this book to be a little longer than it needed to be. It had an ending that I didn’t see coming so that made up for it. It bit of a stretch but I found it entertaining.

Wow. I knew this was going to be a story about a throuple, but still…could they have been more wrong in their approach to polyamory? While I very much appreciate a mainstream novel about this alternative lifestyle, I wish the author delved a little more into ethical nonmonogamy rather than exclusively focusing on the sex. Please, don’t stop with the hot scenes, just a little more balance would be nice. But being quarantined during the pandemic made people crave intimacy and touch, so I do get it.

Kelly was basically living in a fantasy world while staying at Sabrina and Nathan’s gorgeous mansion. Reality didn’t exist. Kelly was running from her serious problems at the beginning of the pandemic and was invited by Sabrina, an old high school pal, to be in a lavish pod with her and her husband Nathan. Kelly impulsively says yes, which is just the beginning of her impulsive actions for the rest of the book. Her snooping pays off though as it turns out that Sabrina and Nathan have a dramatic and potentially sinister past that could quickly turn into Kelly’s present if she doesn’t act fast.

I read Andrea Bartz’s previous book We Were Never Here, and I liked it fine but wasn’t really invested in any characters. The same goes for this book, I wasn’t really rooting for anybody. Kelly was pretty self-centered and erratic. However, I was very interested in the plot and got the chills at the first twist. And man, I really would like to spend a couple drama free weeks in that house! I recommend this book as an easy summer read. 3.5 stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for kindly providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What would you do if your fiancée dumped you during the pandemic? Kelly looks up an old high school friend and gets an invitation to her house. Kelly heads off to Sabrina and Nathan’s house with a one-way ticket.

Sabrina is a successful author of romance novels. Nathan has some government job that is never entirely explained. Kelly feels like she hits it off quite well with Sabrina and Nathan. So well, the house situation soon mirrors Sabrina’s books with a threesome. This might be my first book with that spicy situation.

There’s more going on than just romance. Kelly finds evidence of someone else who stayed in the guest room recently. What happened to this woman? Is Kelly safe with these two?

There are a few unexpected twists in this one and I did like the premise. It didn’t play out quite as I expected, and it had more spice than I care for in my books. It was more of a mystery than a thriller.

Reading Between the Wines book review #72/115 for 2023:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: The Spare Room
Author: Andrea Bartz
Available now! Released on June 20, 2023!!!

Sipping thoughts: Wow this book took me on a ride and I was not buckled in so I definitely was thrown around. There are parts that are slow but even within those moments, there is so much suspense and unease. I really liked that even post-pandemic (we are right?) I could picture what it would have felt like to be Kelly, staying with a “friend” and her husband on locked down. Reading this you will not know who or what to believe and you will probably guess and guess again, incorrectly, like I did. I am happy I was given the opportunity to read this book early and I can foresee it being a read of the summer.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @RandomHousePublishingGroup for an advanced copy of @TheSpareRoom. Another thank you to @Goodreads for my giveaway win!
#TheSpareRoom #AndreaBartz #RandomHousePublishingGroup #GoodReadsGiveaway #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

This book was interesting and did hold my attention throughout the whole story. Some of the twists and turns were a little hard to follow and I found myself saying "wait, what?" a number of times. Overall the story was good as long as you are ok reading about some degree of deviant behavior.

Andrea Bartz writes amazing thrillers that I will read every time! This one had my attention from the beginning with a plot twist that I couldn't have guessed. I loved it!

Many thanks to Random House Ballantine Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Andrea Bartz - 4 stars!

Kelly is feeling trapped - it's during the pandemic and she uprooted her life to move from Chicago to Philadelphia with her fiancé, Mike. She has no friends there, no job, and now there's trouble between her and Mike. She reconnects with a high school acquaintance, Sabrina, over social media. Sabrina is now a successful romance author and her husband, Nathan, is a high-powered executive with the government. Sabrina invites Kelly to come to stay in their gated mansion in Virginia for a break. But Kelly wasn't prepared for the threesome relationship that unfolded, especially when she discovers that their last partner is now missing.

I'm a big fan of Andrea Bartz's thrillers but don't go into it expecting a constant thrill ride. This is mostly a slow burn, relationship/character heavy book, with drips of mystery folded in. I wasn't completely enamored with the throuple relationship aspect, but I loved the way I couldn't trust anyone in this book and the end twist was a complete surprise. I liked the pandemic setting and especially the thought that it caused us to be afraid of others, when we need each other so much. Bartz's writing steals the show as always and I enjoyed this one!