I like Andrea Bartz. Her novels are twisty and give unexpected outcomes. This one missed the mark for me. I didn't like the characters and found the story unbelievable enough that I didn't really even buy into the twists. I'm not unhappy that I read it and will continue to read this author.

I swear I thought I had reviewed this book when it was released, but I realized today I didnt!

I am a huge fan of Andrea Bartz and this book was no different. This one was a little more intimate than her other ones but that whole topic was handle with grace.
So as most reviews have said, this book takes place during the pandemic, but it really is only to set the stage.

The gist of the book IS - Kelly and Mike have hit a rough patch so to speak and due to the pandemic, Kelly wants out. So her old childhood friend (who she hasn't spoken to in a while) Sabrina offers her a place to stay, Kelly takes her up on it.

So Kelly makes herself comfortable (in more ways than one)

I feel like Andrea really nailed down some human nature here when the "openness" began in the relationship and how it was approached.
I've loved Andrea's twists in the past and this one had them as well. I would call this book more Twisted than anything else, but I mean that in the best way possible!

Thank you for the arc copy.

This book had a such potential. I had so many unanswered questions to this book. Felt like Covid was just a way to get three horrible people together. I wanted more mystery and character development. .

This was so obvious and not the gut punch I hoped delivered. I wanted so much more. The mirror was a surprise but so passe.

The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz is not your average everyday psychological thriller, some very unexpected twists and a bit out there for my tastes. #TheSpareRoom #NetGalley

Overall I liked this book. This book definitely sucked me in from the beginning and kept me intrigued throughout. It definitely kept me entertained I just struggled with the fact that some of the story felt so unrealistic. I would definitely still recommend this book!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This was another thriller written by the author of The Herd. I enjoyed it overall but not as much as her previous books. I'll read more by Andrea Bartz in the future.

I didn't know it was possible to have such a steamy thriller book. This story had me looking over my shoulder, screaming at the characters, and also questioning parts of my sexuality (in a good way). I couldn't put this one down and recommend it to all my friends!

Clearly I did not read the synopsis of this story well before requesting the book because this is a trope that I actually cannot read. I got into the first chapter and immediately had to put it down. This is not the book or authors fault but a "me" thing.

2 stars!

I read Andrea Bartz's We Were Never Here and liked it so I was excited for her second novel. However, I was really confused when I started reading because this did not feel like a thriller at all and instead focused on the throuple that happens in this book. Because of that, I can't say I really cared much about what happened in this book but I would still read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was hard to get through. It took a while for things to get rolling and then once they did, I was confused. A little unrealistic for me. Sorry!

I raced through The Spare Room almost breathlessly. I've read and loved We Were Never Here and The Lost Night, so I shouldn't be surprised that Bartz can plot a thriller and keep me invested. The Spare Room is perhaps the wildest ride a book took me on in 2023 (and I read two thrillers by Rachel Hawkins!) About two-thirds of the way through, I was convinced it was so far off the rails it couldn't possibly end well. I was wrong. Bartz (again) nails a twisty thriller that had me asking "what is happening?!" through most of it. Looking at reviews, this book is polarizing. I'm in the love camp. I am also partial to novels set during COVID-19, but if you're not, avoid this one.

I've never considered fusing a poly romance with a thriller until this book, and I was very skeptical of how it would work. I was pleasantly surprised! I was also apprehensive going into this because I assumed with it being polyamorous lots of smut would come with it, but all the scenes were closed-door which I really appreciate as to not get in the way of the plot (also I'm not the biggest fan of smut personally). The main character is a bit insufferable because she's so naive it's sometimes ridiculous. This book was a "misdirect" mastermind constantly leading you down paths in the wrong direction. This books has multiple twist so hang on tight! I constantly found myself wanting to pick up and keep reading eager to know what was going to happen next and how everything was going to play out. And I am quite satisfied with the ending which is rare for me haha. 4.75 ⭐s! Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I recently finished reading "The Spare Room." The book started out a bit slow, with a lot of psychological pulls going in different directions, dwelling on the complexities of relationships. Once the main character becomes the house guest of her two companions, the plot gets very racy and some of it was a bit gratuitous. The most interesting part of the book for me was the thriller and mystery parts. After a while, the main character's self-doubt became a turn off.

All in all, I gave The Spare Room three stars because it had some interesting twists to the plot.

The spare room is a book that should be listened rather than read. I liked the plot of the book, another pandemic setting. A woman dumped by her fiancé, and goes out to live in a spare room of a friend she just reconnects with. Romance gets thrown into the mix, and the main character realizes she isn’t the first to join the couple’s relationship. However, it was hard to physically read, but I did finish on audiobook. Grateful for the ARC, but would not read again

I was excited to read this book after hearing the premise, but I don't think it necessarily fit the typical domestic thriller mold and was more of a romance/erotic book than I was anticipating. The main character, Kelly, was not my favorite and definitely wasn't making the wisest choices throughout, so it was hard to get behind her as a protagonist. It definitely was an original story, I think the execution just fell flat and it was more just not a book for me.

👫🧍🏻‍♀️Book Review:
Title: The Spare Room
Author: Andrea Bartz
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3.5 stars

I really did not expect this book to turn out the way that it did! A broken engagement, an acquaintance from school, a spare room, a poly married couple, a missing ex, creepy neighbors, a dead body.....wow. And that's not even all of it!

Kelly Doyle's engagement has pretty much just ended. In a moment of weakness and insecurity, Kelly does something to push her fiancé, Mike, away while scaring him at the same time. They decide that it might be best to take a break. Kelly reaches out to her old acquaintance/friend from school, Sabrina, and she graciously offers Kelly an invitation to stay at her and her husband's (Nathan) home. They have a spare room available!

Kelly ends up getting offered more than a room to stay in. This would be the moment I would run! But Kelly decides to try a different type of lifestyle from what she's used to and opens up a whole new set of problems. Especially when she finds out that their ex, Elizabeth, has recently gone missing. Lots of suspense and a crazy twist ending!

Published: June 20th, 2023

Thank you, @netgalley and @randomhouse, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a crazy story. I don't like the share spouse trope at all, and this was too weird for me. Honestly I tried and it didn't work out. This happens when we read all the time. I will still check out more from this author, but this was not for me.

Tha k you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

This book is characterized as a thriller. While there were some thriller aspects, more towards the end of the book, I would characterize this book more as a twisty, who loves who now romance (kind of) bedroom book. The twist at the end got me I'll admit and that raised the score on this book a little for me.

My trigger warning is that this book is set during the height of the pandemic and she leans in hard. I personally am not ready to go back there yet!

I recommend this book if you want something with light thriller vibes and don't mind some open door scenes.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest review.

I liked the Spare Room better than Andrea Bartz's previous novel, and was kept very involved in the story the whole read! I did not have it figured out right away, and enjoyed seeing where things went. The twists kept me reading and guessing, and I loved finding out more about how far the characters would go to get what they wanted. It was a good thriller that kept me on my toes!