Hoooooo boy. Where do I start? Nothing....mysterious happens until the last third of the book. The most thrilling things that happens in the book is sex. Lots and Lots of sex. Which is fine. But I also did not sign up for a knock-off Fifty Shades when I picked up a book promising me a thriller-mystery.

I loved Bartz's We Were Never Here. It's one of my all-time favorite thrillers. So I was super excited to get the chance to read The Spare Room. I have to, though, The Spare Room was completely different from We Were Never Here. I didn't love this one. I found it not to be super thrilling and I didn't find it particularly suspenseful. I found the plot rather plot; I didn't like any of the characters; and, the ending didn't land for me. It was a fast-read though, and I can see why so many people will love this book.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the eARC! This novel is highly intriguing and downright addicting for the first 70%, with so many twists and turns and questions, it’s nearly impossible to stop reading. In the final fourth of the novel it begins to trudge onward and a sense of “What is left to say?” looms, however while there is resolution some things weren’t entirely satisfying. 3.5/5 stars!

This book was so fun and chaotic-I couldn’t stop reading because I had to find out what came next. I loved this authors previous book which drew me to this one and it had the same twisty vibes with much more sultry vibes. I was guessing right up to the end and read it in 24 hours. I highly recommend this one!

Desperate to get away from her boyfriend, maybe ex, for a bit, Kelly accepts an offer from a high acquaintance to live in her spare room. Sabrina and her husband, Nathan, live in a remote part of Virginia, but it is the escape Kelly needs. Soon, she finds herself drawn into a relationship with them. However, she discovers she is not the first woman invited into their relationship. Moreover, the previous woman disappeared under mysterious circumstances. As Kelly navigates this new world for herself, she has to try to figure out if she can trust her new partners.

This book had ups and downs for me. Pre-relationship, I was super in. Then I was more tepid on the middle third. The last third ramped it back up again. I’d say if romantic suspense isn’t your jam, probably avoid this. It gave me Verity vibes more than a classic thriller.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my, I don't even know where to start. I went into this not knowing much about it, which I highly recommend. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Let me start out by saying I didn't find any of the characters likable at all, which normally is very off putting for me, but it worked in this case. I think it actually made me enjoy the book more. With that said though, I found Kelly, the main character, rather annoying and I could have done with less of her internal dialogue but it didn't distract too much from the plot.

Just a heads up, it is more romance with a little bit of suspense for the first 85% of the book, then it turns more into a thriller. I wasn't expecting that, but I honestly enjoyed it. If I would have known that prior, I might not have read it, but I am glad I did! Definitely not your typical thriller, it was different which was a nice change. Most definitely a unique plot! I thought the pandemic plot was done well, which I feel like most aren't.

Overall, a gripping, quick read with lots of twists. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. Definitely kept me guessing which I love!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved all of Bartz books and this one did not disappoint! I normally steer away from books that have the pandemic as part of this plot but I'm glad I made an exception for this one. Highly recommend if you are a fan of Bartz's other books or thrillers.

Another banger from Andrea Bartz! She really excels at putting her characters into settings where all their emotional issues will crop up, with frightening and tense consequences! I really liked how the pandemic was used in this book to create unease from the very beginning of the book, and the setting outside of DC was perfect to capture that early pandemic lockdown vibe. I'm a big fan, and I liked this one just as much as We Were Never Here!

Wow! What a whirlwind of a book . A thriller that kept me wanting more and trying to figure out what truly happened in the plot!
Highly recommend !

This was an interesting book. I wouldn’t call it a thriller but more of a romance. Kelly begins talking to an old high school friend. When Kelly and her fiancée decide to take a break. Kelly goes to stay at her high school friends house. She is married ,rich, and successful. I thought the main character was somewhat flat. I found the book hard to get into and keep my interest. Definitely more romance than a thriller

This book centers around Kelly, whose life is in turmoil. She is living with Mike, her fiancé, who decides they should put their wedding on hold. She is shocked and doesn’t know what to do. She reaches out to an old high school acquaintance, Sabrina, who is a successful author. The two message back and forth and talk and soon Sabrina invites Kelly to come stay with her and her husband, Nathan for a while. Kelly does just that and rather quickly, gets into a romantic relationship with both Sabrina and Nathan. Kelly is swept up in this passionate new relationship and comes to learn that Sabrina and Nathan had a previous thrupple partner who went missing. The story is engaging and well written. The main character is interesting and I really wanted to like her but her actions were just a bit rash and ill-advised for an adult in her 30’s. Maybe this was symbolic of life in the beginning of the pandemic and people didn’t cope well. Anyway, I found her a bit annoying. I still enjoyed the book and it was a quick, fun read. I would give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It is due for publication in June, 2023.

This was a book that I found myself not wanting to put down…until it did. This was the first book I think I’ve read that was set during Covid and I think it was presented well. I did not expect the premise to be what it was when I originally requested it from NetGalley. However, I have never read a book with a throuple so I was intrigued, but then it got weird. I don’t mind how sexual it was until the hot tub scene. I think that was when I lost interest. Kelly was not my favorite character and she seemed to be super heartbroken to super infatuated with being in this throuple in the blink of an eye. I think readers will enjoy this as a mindless sexy thriller, but be prepared to be surprised.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All the opinions above are my own.

I was so shocked by parts of this book, but in a good way. This page turner will have you on the edge of your seat. You will devour it! Such a great read. Highly recommend

Another one that you won't be able to put down. The Spare Room dares to peek inside the life of a couple who open their room for a guest. Beware the twists and turns will keep you reading long into the night!

I couldn’t put it down! The characters were complicated and interesting, and the twists, turns, and surprises were compelling and fun. The ending was a little confounding but you know what? People do confounding things! It’s a fun ride, recommend.

Thank you so much to Andrea Bartz, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the eARC of The Spare Room!

Kelly and her fiancée, Mike, have decided to take a break from their relationship. Kelly decides to move in with Sabrina, someone she hasn’t seen since high school, and her husband Nathan. Things get steamy, and tensions get high…

This book was so different than your typical thriller, which I loved! I enjoyed the romance aspect while also having some mystery involved. Overall, would recommend!

This book sounded really good & I was excited to start it but, unfortunately that was short lived. It wasn’t what I expected at all. I think it could have been a good story line but the characters in this book were not interesting at all. The setting was during the pandemic & I think people are over that. I wouldn’t call this book a thriller, 90% of the book were erotica & the ending was not thrilling at all, there weren’t really any twists or turns. I was bored with it most of the time. I love reading a good book & getting to post a raving review,; that was my hope with this book. I hate writing a bad review but I just did not connect with this book at all.

The Spare Room is a thriller full of twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the final page.

This book was okay. It was kind of extreme in terms of believability but it's a thriller so I'm willing to suspend disbelief. I felt like the writing wasn't really fully formed and I had to use my imagination to fill in a lot of the gaps. The characters weren't particularly interesting or likeable, but I was curious to know how the story would end.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was surprised by this spicy thriller, but in the best way possible. An auto buy author of mine, I was far from disappointed.
Taking place during lock down, down on her luck Kelly accepts her friend’s offer to hunker down in her spare room with her and her husband. Kelly finds herself attracted to both her friend and her friend’s husband. The attractions are mutual and Kelly embraces her new relationships, until she finds that their last partner recently went missing. Could she be next?

The Spare Room is a spicy thriller that kept me turning pages. I enjoyed the chemistry between all of the characters. I never saw the end coming but do think things ended up a little too tidy considering the situation. But most definitely worth the read.