Member Reviews

A Must Read book! 5 stars or more. I am so thankful to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book for the purpose of this review.

I loved all of Bartz's other books and this new one is no exception. It's filled with mystery and thrilling moments. The characters and the story are unique and I haven't been this invested in a book in a long time. Superb spice too!

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I LOVE Andi Bartz’s books but this was definitely an unconventional one.. With thriller templates having the ability to get repetitive, I appreciate the fresh take here, and the path to the reveal took some interesting direction. But the MC was a bit frustrating and the relationships were *a lot*. My fave part was her author’s note that nothing bad would happen to the cat character! I really hate bad things befalling animals so that was amazing. I’d recommend it if you’re in the mood for something totally different and unpredictable.

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Andrea Bartz's WE WERE NEVER HERE was one of my favorite thrillers in recent years. Unable to put it down, I binge-read it in two sittings. So I was excited to see that Bartz had a new thriller out to keep me turning the pages way too late.

THE SPARE ROOM is a bit different from WWNH in that it operates on a smaller canvas—instead of focusing on globetrotting travelers, THE SPARE ROOM effectively uses the paranoid limitations of the pandemic to heighten its rollercoaster of a plot. However, some things are consistent for both books. THE SPARE ROOM is filled with those out-of-left-field twists I've come to associate with Bartz's thrillers. Even better, while WWNH focused on toxic female friendships and THE SPARE ROOM on dark romantic partnerships, her deeper themes remain the same: How well do we really know those we love? More importantly, can we trust them with our lives?

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the throughly enjoyable early read!

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I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It's...complicated. It took quite awhile before this hit "thriller" territory, and I wouldn't even really say it was a thriller, but rather maybe domestic noir??? I wanted to punch our main character in the throat so many times. I couldn't believe how clueless she was and how many warning signs she overlooked or simply preferred to ignore and how many things they all did and got wrong. And please do not let me get started on who the real culprit turned out to be...arggghhhh. One the positive side, needing to know what was going on pulled me right through to the end.

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That book was…interesting. That was one of the spiciest and awkward books I have read in a while. Props to Andrea Bartz for simultaneously making me hot and bothered and excruciatingly uncomfortable. Shout out to Virgo for being the GOAT.

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I loved Andrea Bartz’s We Were Never Here” and was excited for the ARC. This is the first book I’ve read that is about the pandemic. The main character,Kelly, leaves her struggling relationship to join her old high school friend and her husband’s quarantine pod. Sabrina and Nathan are sexy, mysterious and rich. Kelly quickly becomes obsessed with Sabrina and then Nathan. She’s in a relationship with both of them before we know it. It’s all downhill from there.
This is definitely what I would classify as a sort of erotic thriller without being smutty. It’s fairly PG with sex scenes ending with “and when it was over” rather than graphic details.
I thought I knew what was going on and I didn’t. At all. It kept changing all the way to the final pages. The whole story is weird and different and new. The author references this big thing that happens to drive a wedge into Kelly’s relationship with her fiancé. She flashes back to images and descriptions of it. When it is revealed what it was- I thought MURDER- it was lame and super boring- but maybe that was a red herring for the whole plot!
Definitely an interesting read!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

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Thank you to both #NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine/Ballantine Books for providing me an advance copy of Andrea Bartz’s latest thriller, The Spare Room, in exchange for an honest review.

It takes a special sort of writing and story for me to care about (or even consider) the characters in a novel. I am typically more invested in the elements of plot, setting, and writing style. After devouring #TheSpareRoom in a single day, I started to write my review only to realize that the majority of the novel is character-driven. I reached the same conclusion when I attempted to reduce the plot to a single sentence. Did I really just award five stars to a book that focuses on the intricacies of a throuple? Why yes, I did.

#TheSpareRoom gives new meaning to the phrase “romp of a thriller” as the reader is guided by the protagonist’s, Kelly Doyle, lockdown experience with a married couple. Reeling from her fiancé’s request to postpone their wedding, Kelly escapes her dreary life in Philadelphia and accepts an old high school acquaintance’s invitation to take shelter in their gated community mansion outside of DC. What begins as a two-week stint of fresh air and relief, slowly transitions into a summer-long stay that challenges Kelly to explore and expand her views on the meaning of marriage and relationships.

Only there is a catch…

Kelly may be a replacement for the Lamont’s missing ex; a shiny, new play toy to distract them from the hurt and loss of their previous lover who vanished without a trace. Kelly’s past, which is fraught with cheaters and a slew of bad relationships, rears its ugly head in the form of jealousy and shameful behavior when she discovers the old flame looks eerily similar to herself—or in Kelly’s words, “a glow-up version of me.”

Caught up in self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy, it isn’t until the neighbors of Tanglewood Estates start to drop hints (or in some cases, roadkill) that Kelly realizes the Lamonts might not be the cool and sexually liberated couple that they seem.

I adore Andrea Bartz’s writing and was absolutely thrilled to be selected to review this novel. #TheSpareRoom might be her best book yet, and I highly recommend it for readers searching for a suspense novel that is actually filled with plenty of twists.

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While I usually enjoy this author’s writing style, the plot was only ok not my favorite of hers.. would still recommend cause some may enjoy more than me. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

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This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

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I'll admit this premise, a threesome permanent relationship, is unique (definitely not in the mystery genre)! The 'mystery' took some time to reveal itself and the ending was definitely unpredictable. My second Andrea Bartz book and have enjoyed them both.

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Wow. This was totally not what I was expecting. I was a little disturbed during certain parts but it kept me wanting more. It kept me guessing until the very end. It a definite must read. It took me a couple of days to get back into reading. I had a eerie feeling and needed to regroup.

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This book hooked me in with it's throuple set up and gave me that trashy reality TV feel I was looking for in a thriller!

The main character is very naive for her she, but that's whatever I guess. The best parts were her wondering in her head about her lovers and their past...cue Lady Gaga singing Bad Romance.

Then by the end it's total flip flop...cue Miley Cyrus 'Flowers'

Putr popcorn thriller fun.

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Andrea Bartz just keeps getting better and better. I’ve loved all of her books but The Spare Room has to be my favorite. A little racy without being explicit, with enough twists and turns to keep me rapt throughout. I truly did not see that ending coming!

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I’m pleasantly exhausted from finishing The Spare Room by the author of We Were Never Here. When I saw the author of this new novel was Andrea Bartz, I could hardly wait for NetGalley to give me a chance to read and review it. I was sure I was in for a wild ride and, boy, was I right. We’ve all used the expression “couldn’t put the book down” and this was so true today as I read nonstop about Kelly’s nail-biting experiences. My hope is readers will pick up this book and allow themselves to be swept along with the thrilling twists and turns of the plot. Maybe you’ll even find yourself so nervous about what’s happening that you talk out loud to the main character. Have a blast! I did.

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Great read! This was the first book that I have read that revolved around being quarantined during the pandemic. Great story with likable characters-story was fast moving and a quick read. Definitely enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley, Andrea Bartz and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the opportunity to read this ARC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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I spent most of this really disliking old Kell-Bell, and just about every consistent character. The characters are all written rather shallowly - as in there's no real depth to them - the sole of what I got from Kelly was that she wasn't happy not being with her fiancee/boyfriend. She wasn't happy with him, but that didn't seem to matter. And then once she entered into her friends' marriage she focused on that relationship, to the point of cutting out her friends, etc. This is a character with zero defining characteristics - she seems solely to exist only when she’s with someone.

Poorly plotted, the more I read, the less sense this made; wildly unrealistic.


Also, who goes to urgent care for a broken toe??

If you’re looking for a well-plotted, comprehensive domestic thriller/mystery, keep looking. This isn’t it.



Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the DRC!

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Where to start?
1. Full of despicable characters
2. Pandemic paranoia
3.self serving agendas
4. Spicy relationships
5.one hell of a writer:)
Thanks to and the publisher for the Advance copy of The Spare Room.

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So enjoy this author’s writing style. That said, the plot was only ok not my favorite of hers..

With great thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for this e-ARC!

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This is the second novel by Andrea Bartz to cross my path and I'm grateful for it. The book is beautifully written and the plot holds your attention, giving just enough information to keep you reading well into the night, dying to know what happens next. While I did yell a few times, "just get the hell out of there," I'm glad the protagonist stayed. It was a fun and tense ride at times. BIG thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

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This book just wasn’t for me. What I thought looked like an interesting mystery/thriller turned out to be 85% Fifty Shades of Grayish and 15% mystery/thriller.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63222106

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