Andrea Bartz does it again! This thriller, set during lockdown, is such a ride. I had no idea where it was going at any given time, and I honestly did not guess the big twist at the end. Bartz is so good at writing contemporary stories, and knows how to reel a reader in with the promise of weird and sinister things lying just beneath surfaces you would never guess.

Kelly, our heroine, gets dumped in summer of 2020 and so she heads to stay with a friend from high school who she recently reconnected with on Instagram. This friend, Sabrina, is rich and a famous romance writer, living in DC (far from Kelly's home in Philly). In the house, Kelly forms a pod with just Sabrina and her husband Nathan, but as her visit turns into a longer temporary stay, things start to get weird and questions begin to arise in Kelly's mind.

Bartz is so good at writing a page-turner, and I read this in one day over the weekend while in bed with a cold. I HAD to know what was going to happen next and unlike other novels set during lockdown, I didn't mind going back to that time because it helps the story in such fun and unexpected ways. The second book from a Bartz sister that I loved this year, I just want them to keep coming!

As a huge fan of We Were Never Here I squealed when I got an early review copy of The Spare Room. I have struggled with some anxiety lately and have made a more conscious effort to read less thrillers that cause it to spike- especially around bedtime. This one was a slow burn and just what I needed. I thought the character development was extremely well done and as a 34-year-old while on different paths from the main character I felt very attached and connected to her. This started off as a bit of a romance at first, but I thought the setting and atmosphere worked well for me that it didn't bother me at all. I thought the author did an excellent job of using her platform to incorporate an LGBTQ theme in this genre that you do not find often enough. The ending of this cleaned up a bit nicely but I also felt like it left a few things open ended which I appreciated. I've quickly jumped onto her sisters' debut arc The Writing Retreat, so I think it's safe to say I am team anything the Bartz sisters write.
4.5 stars

Kelly gets dumped by her long time fiance. She is able to find a connection with her old friend Sabrina who is a x rated romance novelist and who is married to a sexy man. There is a threesome and all of the craziness ensues- who knew?? The woman they dallied with previously is now missing and that woman was staying at the same mansion that kelly is now staying at. The book was delicious- a bit slow at the end as it wound up the real juiciness. Really enjoyed how it revved up and especially how it ended.

DNF at 28%
This is not the book for me. I was expecting more thriller and less 50 Shades. I’m not interested in that kind of story. The main character was insufferable. So whiny. So desperate to win over everyone.
The writing style was very difficult to read. There were so many metaphors and similes that it distracted me from the plot. The dialogue was cringy. I’ve read this author’s work before (and really enjoyed it!) so I was surprised by how cheesy and unreadable I found this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher of this book for the advanced copy.

Man this book takes you on a wild ride. I went into this book blind and loved how the story unfolded completely clueless what was about to happen. I was so captivated on the story and couldn’t put it down. I was constantly asking myself — who do you trust? Who do you believe? It seems like everyone was lying. I didn’t know where the story was going to lead to next or what little bit of information would be revealed that seemed to change the story line. I really loved the main characters and how their personalities fit their role in the story. Kelly, Nathan, and Sabrina were so vividly described and detailed for their personalities it was hard to know which one to trust. There’s a sweet loveable cat named Virgo that everyone will love! Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was a slow starter for me. Kelly is on the rocks with her fiancé and gets an offer to hunker down with her old friend Sabrina and Sabrina’s husband Nathan during the pandemic. She discovers they had a previous houseguest, which stirs up some drama and paranoia. It took about 25% for me to get going with the story. The chapters are short, which I like for being able to take breaks, but it also made it easy for me to put down. Things heat up mid-way, and I was honestly shocked at how the events unfolded. But ultimately, I didn’t love the story. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a wild ride that kept getting crazier and crazier with each twist. I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down!

Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this one. This one was just not for me. About 95% of it reads like Fifty Shades of Gray and 5% thriller / suspense. Very disappointed in this one.

Kelly chooses to leave her job and friends to follow her fiancé to Philadelphia where he then tells her he wants to call off the wedding. A rekindled childhood friendship with Sabrina, now a bestselling author, leads to an opportunity to stay in the spare room of their remote Virginia mansion while she figures out what to do. Kelly is instantly enamored by Sabrina and her husband leading to a sexual relationship between the three of them. Kelly is happier than she has ever been until she finds out that she is not their first partner and that woman has gone missing.

The Spare Room is a domestic thriller in which the isolation of the pandemic leads to opportunities for murder. The novel was an interesting concept on the recently growing pandemic thrillers however this one took a long time to really get interesting. The novel focuses primarily on Kelly's life being in disarray and her relationship with her hosts for about 60% of the novel before the thriller/mystery aspect really picks up. Despite being a bit of a slow start the novel was well written and entertaining...the perfect weekend read!

Finished this one in days, and it probably ranks as a second favorite of all the Andrea Bartz novels I've read (following We Were Never Here). Got through this quick as I enjoyed the narrator, her voice and her insecurities and the story line and setting were very interesting. I loved the unusual element of a "throuple" relationship.

The narrator, Kelly Doyle's relationship with fiance / ex-fiance Mike is on the rocks. Their small apartment in Philadelphia starts to feel more and more cramped as they are in the middle of COVID lock down. When childhood acquaintance turned successful author influencer Sabrina Lamont invites her to stay with her and her husband Nathan in their mansion called Tanglewood Estates, Kelly jumps at this opportunity to get some space from Mike and meet her author girl crush. Kelly quickly falls for both Sabrina and Nathan, and realizes the feeling is mutual. Everything is going dreamily well until she discovers some disturbing secrets about the last girl in her position, and is left wondering what happened to her...

A solid 4 for the twists and turns. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC of The Spare Room.

I'm conflicted on this one. I very much disliked We Were Never Here, so I wan't really expecting much, but to my surprise, this one was so much better. I enjoyed this and didn't see the twist coming (which I love and appreciate), BUT...there were some things that just kind of ruined it for me. The whole mask thing had me rolling my eyes every time I read it. I don't care to be reminded of the pandemic over and over in literature. I also thought some parts were repetitive and language I didn't care for. Because of those, it wasn't my cup of tea, but if you are a fan of Bartz I'm sure you'll enjoy.

The Spare Room is about a woman named Kelly who realizes that the life she’s living isn’t what she wants anymore. A friend from high school asks her to come stay with her and from there, it’s a wild ride! I love when stories like this have a plot twist at the end and something happens that I definitely didn’t expect. I rated this book 4/5 stars, I really enjoy Andrea Bartz’ work!

Thank you netgalley and RandomHouse for the complimentary ACR.

I've been a fan of Andrea Bartz since her first book and was so excited to receive this book. I give it 3.5 stars.

I read this in a matter of hours so it definitely grabbed me. Kelly stays with an old childhood school mate and husband for a few weeks to deal with her own relationship problems. There are a lot of books about a single woman moving in with a couple and I was worried it would be a similar storyline. This has a few twists and is very different from the other "women upstairs" books.

Andrea did a great job of building intensity - I assumed I knew the direction the book was going, but was surprised by the outcome. It does have some sex scenes- nothing lewd and a few twists at the end.

Overall, I enjoyed it but it wasn't my favorite of hers. 3.5 stars and can't wait to read the next!

Wow! This book is an adventure I didn't see coming. I was entertained the whole way through. Mystery, suspense, and a fresh spin on complicated relationships. 

Kelly goes to stay with a high school friend she's recently reconnected with via Instagram (as one does), in a home that seems akin to a glamorous fortress, and begins to fall for both her friend and her friend's husband romantically. The relationship between the three feels very safe, comforting, and thrilling, but over time, doubting thoughts begin entering Kelly's mind. Once she starts to pull on those threads, it leads her down a much different road than she anticipated.

One of the best parts was exploring Kelly’s anxiety/paranoia based on her past hurts and traumas. Revisiting these at different points in the book made her feel more authentic. I thought the novel was well-paced; I easily finished it in two days much like other books by this author. 

It's a story you have to go all in on and let take you where it does. I was a little surprised (and slightly disappointed) by the ending but goodness if this didn't take me for a ride.

I’m not sure why this book is marketed as a thriller. The “thrilling” part didn’t even happen until the last 20% of the book and by then I just wanted the book to be over. I usually don’t read books about the pandemic, but this one really didn’t go into depth about covid which I did like. Kelly the protagonist was annoying and clingy and risked a 5 year relationship with people she barely even knew.

The pandemic was a crazy time. After losing her job and having difficulties with her fiancé, Kelly was happy to be invited to spend some time with a high school friend who happens to be a best selling author. Sabrina and her husband Nathan Lamont live in a mansion in an exclusive gated community in Virginia. Nathan has a top secret job for the Department of Defense and the couple explain to Kelly that they are very private people. Kelly is delighted at living in the expansive home with the swimming pool and hot tub and enjoys spending evenings drinking wine and hanging out with the glamorous couple. It isn't long before the three of them begin a sexual affair and Kelly falls in love with both Sabrina and Nathan. The only thing that bothers her is when she finds some photographs of another young blond woman and she too appeared to be a partner of the couple.

Sabrina tells Kelly the woman who was named Beth, disappeared from the house and from the life of the couple and hasn't been seen since. Yet Kelly is enjoying the sex and seduction too much to ask too many questions even when she meets some residents of the town and they tell her to steer clear of Sabrina and Nathan. The novel is mostly a romantic tale with some twinges of warning until the last third of the novel when a murder happens and Kelly becomes confused and scared. I found Kelly to be kind of unlikable in that she left behind her fiancé and seemed to think she could just live free of charge with this couple and even insist on a permanent place in their lives. There was a big twist I didn't see coming and I don't think it was needed but I did like the wrap up of the story. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

Andrea Bart’s has put out yet another unputdownable thriller. Kelly finds herself living with a happy couple and getting a little too close. What the reader doesn’t know is if she should trust them. With turns around Avery corner and chapters that keep you reading, readers will love this one. Loved the ending.

this was the most bizarre mish mosh of genres I’ve read in a long time - and I was digging it! (for the most part)

after my letdown of WE WERE NEVER HERE, andrea returns with another cast of completely unlikable idiotic characters that you can’t help but love to hate! for me, however, it was definitely a higher emphasis on hate rather than love 😅😅

kelly has recently separated from her husband and moves in with a husband wife duo in their mansion …. what could go wrong right? 😶 a mystery ensues but not before kelly joins the couple in their romantic relationship, which leads to a dance of sexy scenes?? I kinda liked it

[and for everyone comparing this book to fifty shades or other spicy books, you’ve clearly never read them .. this was not even close to open door]

kelly’s character definitely needed a reality check. the way that she constantly battled herself in her own mind if she was being paranoid or not gave me a headache. like girl, if something feels off, IT PROBABLY IS RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

I do think this one falls victim to the mis-marketed genre - it’s definitely more of a mystery than a thriller 🥴 and I’m sad to say that I stayed up wayyyy too late reading this one!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: argentina malbec

This book was amazing! I couldn’t put it down. Absolutely terrifying and thrilling at the same time. One of my favorite books!!

This book just wasn’t for me, I found the narrator, Kelly, to have no depth. She was clingy & desperate & far too eager to please. The entire throuple/pandemic/quarantine angle was not fun reading. Honestly, I felt icky most of the time. And reading about the pandemic & “strict quarantine protocols” three years later is quite frankly exhausting. The final scene between Mike and Kelly was anti-climatic and weak, which led to my final eye roll - Sabrina & Kelly breaking up after Kelly realized Mike was actually the murderer, sparking her to “go find herself,” while Sabrina moved on as a swinger. No thank you.