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!

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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!

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.

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!

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.

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

The Spare Room starts out as an opportunity to reconnect with a childhood friend, and takes you on a roller coaster ride. After her engagement to Mike hits a rough patch, Kelly takes Sabrina up on her offer to spend some time away at her remote mansion in Virginia. While Kelly gets to know Sabrina and her husband Nathan better, she begins to question a lot about herself, her relationships, and that nagging instinct we all feel. I found this book to be gripping in the sense that I couldn't put it down, frustrating because the characters are often wildly unpredictable, and intriguing because I often did not see certain aspects of the storyline coming. I enjoyed the ride Andrea Bartz took me on as a reader and would gladly read more from her. Thank you to Net Galley, and Random House Publishing, Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

This was a very twisty thriller! It was compulsively readable and I found myself drawn into the story and reading it as fast as I possibly could. Andrea Bartz's writing style is so easy to read and stays present with Kelly's emotions and thoughts. It was easy to get swept into the world.

The book felt relevant. A woman is invited to isolate with her friend and her friend's husband. She soon forms a relationship, a triad with the married couple, becoming their "third."

The Spare Room explores the topic of toxic/unhealthy relationships of all kinds: heteronormative, queer, and polyamorous, making the distinction between what true attraction and love is versus new relationship energy, those early butterflies that may make a person ignore their instincts. The book did a good job of exploring the nuance in this while also being an entertaining page-turner. I admire Bartz's bold voice and her ability to explore topics, which some may find taboo.

This started paced reasonably fast and picked up even more at the halfway point, not letting the pedal off the gas until the last page. Do go into this one with an open mind, and know that—as with many thrillers—a little bit of suspension of disbelief will allow you to enjoy the reading experience even more.

If you like fast-paced, super twisty, action-packed thrillers...read this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House / Ballantine Books for my advance reader copy!

My eyes rolled so much, I had to switch to an audio book to give them a rest! 🙄

The premise sounded promising and I enjoyed this author's 2021 novel, We Were Never Here. I love a "inviting a stranger into the home" trope, so was hoping for a thrilling story.

If I had known about the sexual leaning scenerio, I never would have picked it up. This wasn't even a thriller until the last 25% (which seemed like an afterthought).

Kelly was insufferable and deserves an award for the most frustrating character. She also wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

If you enjoy this type of "wild romance", maybe it will work. The writing did keep me interested until I figured out where it was going. I had to skim quite a bit to get through some scenes. I dislike writing a negative review, but there wasn't much I enjoyed.

I'm just not the right audience and came close to dnfing it several times.

Andrea Bartz weaves an intricate tale of passion and deceit in this love/hate triangle tale of a woman that forms an unusual friendship with a couple that welcome her into their home. But this is no casual relationship, for she might lose her life if she is not careful. Loved it!

Dude! (Or dudette😆), rarely a book completely pulls the rug out from under me but I this book is super surprising. Also, the best use of pandemic-backdrop I’ve yet encountered. It’s a great read! Though I’m heterosexual & monogamous, reading of others’ behavior, of a different lifestyle, is interesting. It’s a fictional thriller & very entertaining!! 4 high stars!!