Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Bartz's newest thriller. Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me since I couldn't get into it :(

I went into The Spare Room really optimistic I would really like it. I loved We Were Never Here, and while I haven't read The Herd, I do have it waiting for me on my Kindle. Unfortunately, The Spare Room was not at all what I was expecting). The book grabbed me early on with Kelly leaving her life behind during the pandemic and heading to a DC suburb to stay with an old friend and husband. She leaves behind her fiance after he put the brakes on their wedding.

At first, it feels like this is going to be more of a drama, with the exception of the opening pages which is really the only place that even mentions a murder. As it goes on, it's more of a story of sexual exploration and polyamory. Needless to say, the story was more about the relationship and less mystery pretty much until the 60-65% mark.

The thriller aspect picks up for the last 25-30% of the book, and at times then it's still not necessarily an "edge-of-your-seat" thriller.

In the end, I'd say it was a solid 3 for me. The writing was good, the story fell flat and I just didn't love it. I'll still absolutely read more from Andrea Bartz though!

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

This book was very strange, but also I couldn’t put it down. I went in blind, but I wish I had known it was set in 2020 because I’m honestly not ready for pandemic books. The pandemic aspect was just used to start the story line and isolate the characters. The characters were all unreliable and it left me needing answers. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to mystery/suspense readers.

I was so excited to read this steamy thriller. While it was interesting, it didn't have enough "steam" for my liking!

This book was so unexpected. It quickly grabbed my attention and this was not an easy book to put down. And while I thought I knew how it would end, I was totally wrong. Definitely a great read.

This is one of those books that is completely forgettable. When I think thriller I think of a book that pulls me in from the first page and all the way to the end, but unfortunately I didn't find this very thrilling. Yes, it was entertaining and there were things about this book that I did like, but its definitely not a favorite of mine!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The pandemic setting will have a resonating effect on everyone & just adds to the tension of this new novel! This sexy thriller will keep you guessing right up until the end!

Description
Staying with a friend and her husband is sexier—and deadlier—than anyone could have imagined, in this “delightfully salacious” (Shondaland) domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club pick We Were Never Here.

“A fresh and sexy ride, perfect for reading poolside.”—People (Best New Book)

“Sexy, atmospheric, deliciously creepy, and ingeniously plotted: the best kind of up-all-night page-turner.”—Lucy Foley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Apartment and The Guest List

Kelly’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 is her newly rekindled friendship with her childhood friend Sabrina—now a glamorous bestselling author with a handsome, high-powered husband.

When Sabrina and Nathan 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, Kelly secretly finds herself falling for both her enchanting hosts—until one night, a wild and unexpected threesome leads the couple to open their marriage for her.

At first, Kelly loves being part of this risqué new world. But when she discovers that the last woman they invited into their marriage is missing, she starts to wonder if they could be dangerous . . . and if she might be next.

Packed with Andrea Bartz’s signature tension, twists, and toxic relationships, The Spare Room marks an edgy, boundary-pushing new direction from the “master of the ‘feminist thriller’” (Los Angeles Times).

2.5 stars

This book just unfortunately really did not work for me. It took about 60% before we really started to see much action, and even then, it tapered off pretty quickly. The internal monologue of our MC felt overly repetitive and that didn't help the pacing issues. Also - while Covid wasn't a *main* storyline per se, it still was mentioned far too much for my personal tastes. I guess I'm still not ready to read about a post-2020 world quite yet! The setting was atmospheric and the polyamorous relationship was a unique premise, but unfortunately, this one just did not work for me.

I was so excited to read this one. I don't know if I was missing something, but these characters felt off. Underdeveloped and not bright at all. I honestly didn't care if they all died or lived. The twists weren't too twisty and I figured it out far too early into the story. This one definitely left me wanting more. 😩

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of Spare Room. This was my first Andrea Bartz book and I was excited for a pandemic thriller. Unfortunately, it went in an unexpected direction and it was difficult to finish the book. I found it to be unbelievable and juvenile which prevented me from liking the main character. Maybe others will like it more.

Special thanks to Random Publishing Group, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I really liked We Were Never Here so I had a hard time liking this "thriller" if it can even be.called that.

I would describe this book not as a thriller about the scary aspect of inviting a stranger into your "spare room" , but more along the lines of sexual misbehavior.

The character Kelly was so dumb I just couldn't stand her character. If this were the thriller it was touted to be, I would've been a LOT .ore I terested.

This was a disaster and I did not like this at all which is a bummer because I liked We W ere Never Here by this same author. This book however, there was not one redeemable thing about any of the characters. They were all horrible and annoying. I was also not a fan of the storyline.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc

This was ok. The twists kept coming and we’re a lot of fun, but I didn’t especially like that the whole thing hinges on a threesome. The

Usually if covid is involved, I’m out. This book used Covid to create a tasteful suspenseful novel. Kelly moves in with an old friend, Sabrina, and her husband, Nathan. Thing move quickly, and they become a throuple, but Kelly starts to get suspicious when she realizes that the last woman involved in their relationship is still missing.

First half was a little slow, but kept me just intrigued enough to keep going. The second half had me turning page after page, unwilling to put it down.

Overall, it’s twisty, creepy, and well written. A little predictable, but still wrapped up nicely.

3⭐
Publication date ~ June 20, 2023
Page Count ~ 341
Audio length ~ 11 hours 39 minutes
Narrator ~ Brittany Pressley
POV ~ single 1st
Featuring ~ cheating (maybe, since they're in an open marriage I guess it's not considered cheating and she was on a break, but wanted to add it just in case), murder, locked mansion atmosphere, pandemic talk

Kelly and fiance, Mike, are taking a break, so she goes to stay with a school friend, Sabrina and her husband, Nathan. They have an attraction and become a trouple. It's not Sabrina and Nathan's first time with this dynamic, but their previous lady is now missing....hmm.

Well I'm not too sure about this one, so I'm plopping it in the middle. To each their own with their marriage and what they do in it, but I'm not super big on romance in my thrillers, however it was a slow burn and not really a thriller, but there were some exciting moments after quite a while, though. Kelly made some questionable choices after she makes revelation after revelation after revelation that had me rolling my eyes. I was surprised about the zinger at the end, though.

I absolutely hate pandemic talk in my books and there are many references to it, blah.

I was able to listen to a copy as well.
Narration notes ~ I've listened to Brittany many times and she did a lovely job as usual. She was properly frantic when necessary.

I was actually so excited about this one. I’d just gotten done with We We’re Never Here and ready to jump into a new story by this author. However, threesomes just aren’t enjoyable for me to read. It’s one of the themes I just refuse to so unfortunately I had to DNF.

I really don’t want to say too much with this one because it’s best to go in blind but this is a spicy psychological thriller that kept me guessing. The pandemic definitely provided an interesting backdrop to this too. I’m still a bit unsure how I feel about reading about the pandemic but I think it really works for this one!

.
Thank you #randomhouse and #NetGalley for and advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one - on one hand, it was intriguing, sexy, spicy, and very unique, but on the other hand, it just felt like TOO much at times. It felt too unrealistic and just far fetched. I tried to suspend my disbelief but even the dialogue didn't feel genuine or relatable. I did find the final 2 twists to be pretty juicy and surprising. I also thought the epilogue was fitting and really enjoyed that. Overall, this wasn't quite my cup of tea but I can definitely see why it would resonate with other readers. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz
⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 341 / Genre: Domestic Thriller
Narrator: Brittany Pressley

Ahhh. I was not a fan of this one. Kelly, the main character is exactly the kind that I can’t stand. She gets inside her head way too much and you’re stuck listening to her inner ramblings until she convinces herself to make one bad decision after another. And then what kind of story about a three-way couple has ZERO spice in it?? It was also a murder mystery, which gave me the one hope that Kelly would get whacked next. I would have DNFed this one but I received it as a NetGalley ARC so I waited for the audiobook to come out on my Libby app, set it on 1.5 speed, and powered through. NEXT!

Thank you @netgalley for this advanced copy but why oh why couldn’t you have given me Zero Days by Ruth Ware instead?