I adore Bartz's books and this one grabbed me by the throat and shook me around until the end! Protagonist Kelly leaves her boyfriend, Mike when they have a fight and he postpones the wedding. Moving in with high school friend, Sabrina and husband Nathan, she is delighted at first when they are so welcoming and quickly they become a threesome which is unusual for Kelly but she's intrigued and loves it. Is it too good to be true? So many things happen at break-neck speed that my head was spinning like a scene from The Exorcist! And we don't know the real villain until the bitter end! No adulting here...just carve out a big chunk of time because you won't want to put it down!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Wow! Another great read by Andrea Bartz! This took creepy to a whole new level. And yes I was banging my head at the main character. This gave me lots to think about. Tense and twisty
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

What a wild ride! I thought they handled the pandemic well, although I did find it odd they were going out to eat in June 2020. I liked all of the characters, I would have liked to have seen a little more character development of the couple, We know the wife had been mousy and forgettable in school when they met, what prompted that change? The main character was a little immature and prone to a lot of bad similies. Mentions were made twice to darkness falling like a stage curtain. That was odd.

The final twist was perhaps unneeded but did tie up all of the loose ends.

I swear the glittering electricity that pulsated my body when I was asked to read The Spare Room as an early reader was real...

Andrea Bartz has taken the internet by storm since her debut novel, The Lost Night. Having said this, The Lost Night captivated my soul and had been in the number one spot for thrillers since 2019. That is, until The Spare Room, fell into my lap.

Bartz is a natural born story teller. Her writing style will grab your attention early on and suck you in without release until the very last word in the book.

Every time a twist reveals itself you will feel as though you were gut punched! Catch your breath quickly, the next twist will be in your face within seconds.

As always, Andrea Bartz delivers. The Spare Room is sure to be a hit amongst readers.

Five Stars

Teaser :

Kelly Doyle’s new life in Philadelphia has turned into a nightmare: She’s friendless and jobless, and the lockdown has her trapped in a tiny apartment with the man she gave up everything for, who’s just called off their wedding. The only bright spot in her life is her newly rekindled friendship with her childhood friend, Sabrina—now a glamorous bestselling author with a handsome, high-powered husband.

When they offer Kelly an escape hatch, volunteering the spare room of their remote Virginia mansion, she jumps at the chance to run away from her old life. There, she finds she loves living with them . . . and, much to her surprise, that she’s falling for both her enchanting hosts. Even more shocking: They say they share Kelly’s feelings and want to open up their marriage for her.

At first, the arrangement is blissful. But as their relationship deepens, Kelly begins to notice the cracks. The stories about their romantic past keep changing, and the more details she uncovers, the more things don’t add up. It’s only a matter of time before Kelly discovers the terrifying truth: They’ve done all this before . . . and the last woman is missing.

Cut off from the world and in way over her head, Kelly must risk everything to uncover the couple’s secrets—before she becomes their next guest to disappear.

Due out June 20, 2023, I strongly recommend every thrill seeker to pre-order this stunner.

This was a unique and interesting read, with some good surprises. The story centers on Kelly, who reconnects with a woman she barely knew from grade school who invites her to come stay in her mansion in VA after Kelly falls out with her fiancé. Kelly is desperate and lonely and decides to take the risk. Once in VA, she becomes enamored with her new host and her husband and they with her, but it’s clear they are hiding something and she isn’t sure if everything is adding up.

This story was interesting because it seemed really predictable and I was prepared for it to not be that memorable but it turns out things aren’t as they seem at all. I love a story with unreliable characters where the author deliberately leads you to thinking you figured things out before switching it up on you. I did think that Kelly herself was a rather annoying character and that the book spent too long on her internal dialogue, but I still liked the story overall. There is a romance aspect to this book, which I generally go out of my way to avoid, but I actually thought the threesome angle was fascinating and found that I ended up enjoying it.

Overall, I thought the story was unique and I loved the twists towards the end that had me rethinking what I initially thought were forgone conclusions. I’d recommend to those who enjoy domestic suspense books. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for a preview of this book. This book held my interest and was quite captivating but In the end I may have been the wrong audience for this Throuple angle. It was a lot to process. However the characters were well developed and it did have some good twists, just overall wasn't my favorite storyline personally.

Phenomenal!! I loved this domestic thriller and It's one of Andrea Bartz best books yet! Unreliable characters, a mansion, a writer, a houseguest and creepy shenanigans! Count me in for unputdownable goodness and a ending that leaves you with a perfect book hangover! Bravo!

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. Will recommend it to everyone I know!

Big Thanks to Netgally and Random House Publishing Group for a free E-book Copy of The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz.


Well for starters you had me at throuple, this book was Spicy, mysterious, and thrilling!
Kelly is engaged to be married she’s dealing with a bit of trust issue with her finance so they both agree to a small break apart, this is all happening amidst the pandemic. She’s invited to stay with an old school mate(Sabrina) and her husband(Nathan). Little does she know these two are hungry for a 3rd lover, and this is not there first time opening up their marriage.

This hooked me, Kelly’s suspicions and Paranoia rub off on me, she had valid hunches and sometimes I wanted to shake and slap her lol but this was an enjoyable read.
Howeverrrrrrr the ending could’ve been better imo, but Imma leave it at that.


3.5 ✨ rounded up

So many twists and turns!! I am used to guessing the ending to many books, but that definitely didn’t happen here! As soon as I thought I knew what was happening, something would come in and blow up that hypothesis! What a fun book to read!

Solid 3.5 stars. It took until near the end of the book to be a thriller...it hinted at things, but I guess I just hadn't read a book like this before. Until half way I thought I'd gotten a romance, then the hinting got a lot stronger. I'm glad I kept reading, and am super happy that the author tied up loose strings at the end. I love knowing the how's and why's of the behind scenes action or thoughts of the characters. Great job!
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this ARC.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A woman in a standstill relationship that has hit a major rift. A friend from high school who invites her to stay with her and her husband in a beautiful large private and secluded mansion. Too good to be true? And the pages keep turning in anticipation from there. And I gotta say I thought I had it figured out in the end. I absolutely did not. Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

THE SPARE ROOM WILL LIVE RENT FREE IN MY HEAD. PERIOD.
Oh, my God. Okay. Wow. I liked the cover. I’ve never read this author before, skipped the blurb and I went into this book totally blind. Now, my eyes are wide open and my mind is blown. I feel like a cartoon character with my jaw on the floor, shock and surprise dumping out everywhere.

This is a HOT, steamy haunted house. Sexy. Provocative. DIFFERENT. 3 people brought together, a pod, in lockdown… unthinkable things happen. Kelly leaves her predictable, mundane monogamous relationship for something else entirely. You couldn’t guess the outcome if you tried... but you can hop on and enjoy the ride. Then, right when you think you know where you’re going, it’ll flip you on your head. 5 stars. Can I give more than that? I would.

I was reluctant when I realized that this book takes place during Covid times. Before this, I hadn’t been able to read anything about the virus because it was too fresh, too soon. I pushed on and boy, am I glad I did. I have a sense that this is going to go down as one of my best books of the year. A delicious escape. Fresh. New. Nothing like anything else that I’ve read before (I’ve read MANY thrillers, eventually the usual song and dance loses its touch and just isn’t as thrilling) this will reinvigorate your love for the genre. Bartz put her isolation to good use and gave us a WILD RIDE, a perfect escape. Read this, everyone. Hopefully you’ve bought the book before you even get this far.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I got a free copy of the book via NetGalley. I found the story to be unpredictable but in a good way. It feel like it was a little repetitive but perhaps it was more to highlight the character flaw of the various protagonists. Great read for when you are looking for an easy thriller

The author is quite fluent in her descriptions of characters..However, I felt the plot was too long and drawn out to keep my attention engaged. I finished the book but was glad the storyline finally came to an end.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the copy of The Spare Room. The writing was hypnotic and drew me in even when the story slowed down. The story had promise, but got bogged down with the shallow relationship of the main characters. Kelly was annoyingly needy, and fell for Sabrina and Nathan’s superficial compliments. We never really learn much about the other characters, probably because everything is from Kelly’s POV. If you like a twist that comes out of nowhere, you will love this book. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because I loved the writing.

Kelly Doyle is is on the outs with her boyfriend Mike. She decides they need a break and moves in with her friends Sabrina and Nathan Lamont. They live in a mansion on Tanglewood Estates overlooking a creepy cemetery. She starts up an affair with the couple and learns of another girl’s disappearance that was involved with them.
She finds things around the mansion that creeps her out and uncovers disturbing secrets and lies.
This book was a great read full of twists and turns and left me gobsmacked by the ending.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this ARC that will be released June 20, 2023!

The Spare Room was dark and seductive and kept me on the edge of my seat!

Taking some time away from her fiancé after the pandemic cancels their wedding, Kelly moves in with her former high school friend and her husband. The three soon begin a romantic relationship, but Kelly feels they’re not being entirely open with her. She discovers they had former partner before her, another woman, one who just happens to be missing. Not one to let things lie, Kelly begins searching for answers.

The pandemic provided the perfect, realistic setting for this thriller. We all experienced the life changing event of quarantine, which led many to reevaluate their life choices (the great resignation) and make different choices and big decisions for their futures; just like Kelly does when she decides to live with Sabrina and Nathan.

One of the things I appreciated most in the novel was the exploration of Kelly’s fears and intrusive negative thoughts, dubbed “the gremlin.” These constant thoughts and worries are so often overlooked by others who don’t experience them. I am grateful to Bartz for giving voice to these types of obsessive thoughts and anxiety.

The Spare Room was full of suspense and kept me engaged with every twist and turn. Like Kelly, I too needed to uncover all of Sabrina’s and Nathan’s secrets. A great follow up to We Were Never Here!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random
House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Andrea Bartz has written another twisty thriller that I read in less than 3 days (and as a mom, that's saying something!). Main character Kelly has left her fiancé as she realizes he's not entirely certain he wants to be with her in the backdrop of the pandemic. She's recently reconnected with an old high school friend, who's invited her to stay with she and her husband. Kelly arrives and is relieved to feel completely welcomed by these people who are SO nice--maybe too nice? She grows closer to them, and soon, they become a throuple. She all but forgets her ex (yes, she broke up with him!) as she starts this new life where she feels more complete. But soon it's revealed that this couple has history that includes a missing (dead!?) woman as their last partner. Kelly can't help but dig deeper as twist after twist and reveal after reveal happen. This was an excellent book and follow-up to her last one!

This is definitely a more slow burn character driven story than I was expecting going into it going into it - it takes about 70% into the book for anything ‘thrilling’ to really happen, most of it is spent on a romantic plot between Kelly and the married couple she is staying with and I found myself skimming through a lot of it.

Kelly was an irritatingly frustrating narrator to follow, her naïve and emotionally driven decisions throughout the book made me physically angry at times (maybe this was Bartz’s intention), but i can’t say i enjoyed it. I don’t mind an unlikeable narrator but Kelly was just insufferable.

The story definitely picks up once we finally make it to the more thrilling parts but by that point i was already pretty disconnected from the story.