This started off promising, but quickly devolved into an absolute mess. I would have DNF'd if I hadn't received an ARC, and honestly I skimmed the second half of the book. It was that bad.

One of my biggest reading pet peeves is a protagonist without critical thinking skills, and hoo boy the main character in this one is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Most of her actions (and the actions of the couple she stays with) make no sense even in the context of the novel. The most intriguing character is the cat.

The author tries to include a few hints and red herrings, but they are all as subtle as a sledgehammer. It doesn't much matter, because you won't be invested in any of the characters enough to care what happens to them (except for the cat - I was very worried about the cat).

Some spoilers:
There is ZERO justification in the plot for why Sabrina would stay with Kelly after Nathan's death. Kelly just wasn't written as engaging enough for that, and there's no indication that the thrupple set up is anything more than a relationship of convenience.
I would rather have read a book about Elizabeth, the one character whose actions aren't impulsive and short-sighted.

Finally, on a shallow note- I immediately disliked the main three characters. Kelly, for answering her phone in the quiet car (selfish, obnoxious), and Nathan and Sabrina for moving out of the best neighborhood in DC for what seems to be Loudoun County for a frankly stupid reason (if the Obamas can find a secure place to live in the city I'm sure a romance novelist can).

Thank you Random House-Ballantine for the ARC!

A twisty slow burn but not what I consider a thriller.

With the world on lockdown and her long-term relationship on life support, Kelly goes to live with a high school friend and her husband. Sexual tension mounts, and before long, the three enter territory beyond the platonic, becoming a "throuple." When Kelly discovers that the last woman who held the space she now occupies is missing, she begins questioning everything—from what she knows about herself to how much she can trust her new partners.

The Spare Room is pitched as a thriller but is domestic suspense at best. I wanted the novel to do more with the "throuple" situation and explore the potential pitfalls of that relationship dynamic, but it only skims the surface. It felt like a missed opportunity. I had trouble connecting to any of the characters, which made it difficult to care. Even the POV character, Kelly, comes across as needy and not very likable.

This novel will be enjoyable for some readers but not for those expecting a thriller.

One of my all time favorite authors! Love every second of this book! Never disappointed when I’m able to read a new book! You will be up all night reading this one!

What a page turner! Andrea Bartz is one of my favorites. Kelly was a great character and I love finding a book with a story all of its own and that’s exactly what Andrea has written.

While more of a domestic drama than the thriller I expected, this was a really creative and twisty story. It was a slow burn, but the last 30% was a wild ride. I thought I knew exactly where this story was going, and part of me wonders if I would’ve enjoyed it more if it was more predictable, but I have to give props for a unique story. It is really a time capsule of peak pandemic times, which was a bit triggering but definitely worked for the story and the references to it didn’t feel gratuitous for the most part. The one issue I had (spoilers ahead) was how quickly Kelly became obsessed with Sabrina and Nathan and expected to be treated as coequal in their relationship after only a few days/weeks. I get that it spoke to Kelly’s own insecurities and issues but it came off as totally unhinged and made it tough to root for her at times.

I will certainly recommend this one to others as it was such a creative story

No one writes a domestic thriller like Andrea Bartz!! The Spare Room takes place during the start of the pandemic when Kelly and her fiancé are forced to postpone their wedding and then decide that they may need to postpone their relationship indefinitely. Kelly is lucky to have recently started up a budding friendship with Sabrina who she knew in high school but later rediscovered on Instagram. As Kelly moves into Sabrina and her husband Nathan’s spare room she quickly discovers that sometimes instagram mirrors reality and sometimes it’s just smoke and mirrors. Add a little bit of spice and you have the perfect domestic thriller.

Kelly is in the midst of some relationship issues with her fiancé and takes up an offer from an old high school friend and her husband to stay at their house while she works through her problems, and Kelly moves into The Spare Room . The living arrangements seem fine at first, but Kelly quickly develops feelings for both her hosts, which soon turns romantic for all involved. The book slowly allows the reader to get immersed in the relationship, until things turn sinister with the acknowledgment that the hosts’ “ex” recently disappeared under mysterious circumstances. What follows is a suspenseful, topsy-turvy tale full of surprises as the plot takes off, and the slow beginning is quickly forgotten by the reader as things escalate in the prurient household. The book is a welcome change from your normal thriller, and we’ll worth a read. I received an arc of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Andrea Bartz has been a must-read suspense author for me since "The Herd", and "The Spare Room" is no exception. She flawlessly writes tension and adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

First off I doubt very much anyone would do as the woman did and move into a house with a couple like this.
But that's just me, even if I had no place to go, this idea gives me the willies. Of course you have to go with the flow and that is the thriller your hopefully going to read. I kept having to remember it's the pandemic also so choices were nil or little. I do think I would stay away from the couple she has moved in with but that's what makes it interesting. She falls for each of them! Yes! Attraction happens pretty quick and what you expect turns the next corner! Thanks to the Publishers as it's worth the read folks!

Wow!! This novel blew me away. I think this was the first book I’ve read set in the beginning of the pandemic and it brought back a lot of feelings. This book definitely pushed boundaries, but it worked! It kept me guessing and I read the second half of the book in lightening speed! Will definitely recommend!

Yikes, this one was a miss! If I hadn't received an ARC, I would have definitely DNF-ed. Instead, I found myself skimming through. The first 2/3 is steamy throuple romance, and the last 1/3 is a haphazard thriller-esque wannabe. I found it difficult to relate to or care about any of the characters, and the plot itself to be just a bit too...wildly unrealistic? Relatable for the majority of readers? By the time the drama came around at the end, I hadn't formed any connections to the characters to be drawn in to the plot.

I'll admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of "We Were Never Here," and I do think I struggled a bit with this one when it came to the characters. I didn't particularly like any of them - I think it's compelling for characters to have flaws or by morally gray, however I wanted to see some more redeeming qualities! I think what worked for me here though, was the suspense aspects. So often, I'm able to guess the ending long before the 50% mark, but The Spare Room kept me guessing until literally the very end. Every twist was a complete surprise and just when I thought I had it all figured out, another turn came along! This rare quality is what allowed me to enjoy the book and by the time I hit the last 30%, I simply could not put it down!

This book was pretty good. At first it made me kind of anxious because the couple Kelly was staying with was almost gaslighting her. Then it just seemed like Kelly was this week woman who goes with whatever people are giving her love at that moment say. She seemed weak and almost pitiful the way she was so determined to make everyone happy, except herself. There was a couple times in the book that I was confused as to whether the main character was extremely untrusting or had the best instincts and should run asap. Getting beyond that, the story line was good and interesting, but kind of jarring with all the messy thoughts within the main character's head. At one point you think man this woman is kind of crazy or really crazy and I kind of don't like her. I do recommend this book though because it definitely has good writing, good character development and a good plot that has a good twist here and a good twist there..

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review.

Kelly just moved to Philly with her fiancé. She hates it. Their relationship is having problems and he wants to postpone the wedding. She recently connected with her friend, Sabrina. Sabrina is a best selling author and invites Kelly to their mansion just outside of DC where she lives with her husband, Nathan. Everyone hits it off immediately, but Kelly soon discovers lots of secrets.

Well, I thought this book would be better. I liked how the author incorporates the pandemic, lockdown, and quarantine into the story. The rest? Not for me. I didn't like anyone in this book, and Kelly needed to be more aware of what was going on. She was so clueless and everything was right in front of her. Also, the story dragged on and the ending did not make up for it.

So I really enjoyed Andrea Bartz's The Herd, and her subsequent books, and this one was enthralling and engaging.

Knowing it's a thriller, you go into the book with one suspicion, but it isn't long before the plot and author turn that on its head. The book features the pandemic and some other current topics, and the story is pretty enthralling. I found it a quick read because I was so immersed in the characters.

Definitely put this on your TBR list.

"The Spare Room" was interesting as a pandemic read. I would recommend for fans of Andrea Bartz and/or fans of romance mysteries. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Absolutely genius. This book had absolutely everything I love: spice, betrayal, secrets, murder, & a cat. From the beginning to the end-it had twists & turns. I found myself gasping out loud multiple times. I really enjoyed this one.

Honestly this is my favorite Andrea Bart’s book yet.

I love that she writes in two different tones. Not just flipping characters in the epilogue but she has two different tones for the main character. The weaker version at the beginning and the stronger version at the end.

I have enjoyed seeing her writing develop over the 4 books of hers that I’ve read.

As always advanced reader copy from NetGallery in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of Spare Room in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

The first novel I read by Andrea Bartz was last year when I read We Were Never Here. I was not a huge fan of that novel. However, I usually have a 3-strike policy with authors as long as I saw promise that I might like other works, so I thought Bartz’s new novel The Spare Room would be a great opportunity for me to give her another shot!

This story centers around Kelly who is living in an apartment with her fiancé who just called off their wedding. She has no friends & no job and is just hating life at the moment. She then rekindles her friendship with an old childhood friend who is uber rich & famous now. Her friend, Sabrina, also has a gorgeous husband and a huge remote mansion. Sabrina & her husband offer Kelly their “Spare Room” to live in while she gets her life back in order. Everything is going great, but then Kelly begins having feelings for both Mr. & Mrs. Sabrina at which point they open their marriage up to her and they all three begin having relations. Everything is wonderful until stories start to change and not add up. Turns out there was a woman before Kelly and she is now missing. Will Kelly figure it all out before she becomes a victim as well?

Oy Vey! Sadly, I can’t say that Bartz gained any ground with me on this one. I am still willing to give her one more shot.

The pacing was SOOOOOOOO slow. It took me forever to finish this book and I almost DNF’d it. When I say forever, I mean that I can normally finish a book in 24-48 hours. This one took me a couple of weeks reading off & on. And the pacing was not the only problem for me, unfortunately. The characters, especially Kelly, were insufferable. I hated every single one of them and just wished some new, amazing character would come in and do away with them all. Then there is the pandemic. I’m a bit over the pandemic, so I wish this part had just been left out, but that’s just me.

I HATE giving bad reviews – like absolutely hate it, because so much of a review is based on personal opinion. I know that while I didn’t like it, others likely will.

I will not be discouraging anyone from reading it, but I will not be recommending it either. I’m sorry!

2.5 Stars from me. I actually liked We Were Never Here better & I didn’t like that one either.

Goshhhh I loved Andrea’s book “We Were Never Here” so I was thrilled to get an ARC of Spare Room!

Setting/atmosphere: okay so a BIG reason why I couldn’t connect with this book is that it’s taking place during the height of the COVID pandemic. (My brain is trying to block those memories I swear)

Characters: I didn’t find myself connected or rooting for a single character :(

Lesson/life changing: nope

Plot: it had A TON of potential but I wasn’t a fan of the dialogue or the main characters internal dialogue. Also… the whole covid thing.