Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz

11 reviews

jillwedemeier's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

From the New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here comes the domestic suspense novel The Spare Room.

In the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kelly’s fiancé, Mike, has just told her that he wants to pump the brakes on rescheduling their wedding.  During the pandemic, Kelly reconnected with her childhood friend Sabrina, a bestselling romance novelist.  To give Mike some space (and hopefully beg her to come back), Kelly takes the train from Philadelphia to D.C. after Sabrina and her handsome husband, Nathan, invite Kelly to stay in the spare room of their remote Virginia mansion.  There, Kelly finds herself falling for both of her hosts, and an unexpected threesome leads to the couple opening up their marriage for her.  Kelly is excited about her new life, but then she discovers that the last woman they invited into their marriage is missing.  She starts to worry that Sabrina and Nathan might be dangerous, and that she could be next.

I went into this book blind, and everything about it was so unexpected.  It was an entertaining read, but I was expecting more of a thriller than a romance novel, and at times it felt like I was reading “Fifty Shades of Grey.”  The book started off really strong, but it fell off in the second half when the plot seemed to change.  Despite this, it was a wild ride from start to finish.  It was very suspenseful, and I did not see any of the twists coming.  If you like a spicy book, then this is the one for you. 

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