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The Spare Room cover art

The Spare Room

Written by: Andrea Bartz
Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
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Publisher's Summary

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

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Elle, PopSugar, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, CrimeReads

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).

©2023 Andrea Bartz (P)2023 Random House Audio

What the critics say

“The novel is delightfully salacious and rampant with suspense and sex, and there’s a reason why Bartz is known as a hitmaker in the field.”Shondaland

“Andrea Bartz has returned to deliver. This suspense story set in a Virginia mansion features some eyebrow-raising twists, especially when protagonist Kelly finds herself charmed by her hosts—and welcomed into their bed.”Elle

“Bartz’s latest showstopper kept me up all night turning pages. Propulsive and sexy, The Spare Room left me gasping for air as I followed its main character into the fiery heart of a dark, complicated romance. Kelly Doyle must contend not only with two new lovers but her own expectations surrounding relationships and sexuality. This is one visit you won’t want to end.”—Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines

What listeners say about The Spare Room

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Too many similes

This one was just okay. I got tired of the endless, repetitive descriptions of colour and texture and emotions. It felt like the author was leaning too much on them and lacking in making the characters likeable and believable. The twist wasn’t mind blowing and I didn’t really care what happened to anyone in the book.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Hard to get through

I really wanted to like this book but it was such a struggle to get through. The main character is very unlikable and the story is extremely slow.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Uninteresting twist of events

Unfortunately, the build up to the story and how it ended was not rewarding. Unlike other thrillers, the characters and the plot twist in this book felt random and poorly written.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Enough Already

Frustrating character in Kelly. The storyline far too long.
Fabulous voice performance from the narrator.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Wasted credits make me sad☹️

Quite simply this was not good! It had potential and started off strong but then it just fell apart and I mean tatters on the floor level of fell apart! It just got repetitive, the main character was as a complete idiot, it was predictable and I thought it would have been more atmospheric if different POV’s were present. Also, I can deal with far fetched in fiction but this was just too far gone and not well executed. I think Andrea Bartz and I just don’t click so that will be the end for me. So sorry I wasted a credit!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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So so good

Haven’t listened to a thriller this good in ages. Kept me on my toes the entire time and so many twists and turns. Brittany Presley is my fave so I was thrilled she read this book!

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One of the worst books I’ve ever listened to!

I never leave reviews for books, but for the agonizingly bad “Spare Room” I had to.

Kelly is the most infuriatingly stupid protagonist who flip flops her feelings on a dime. In the thousands of thrillers I’ve read she is the worst character I’ve ever come across. Many times throughout this book I wanted to chuck my phone out of frustration.

This story tries to be sexy, but far more cringy than anything. The “twists” are far fetched and don’t fit with the narrative.

I truly wish I never downloaded this book. The only good part was the cat Virgo. Even then, what a stupid name for a cat. Many times through this book I was going to give up and stop listening and if I could go back and time I would. This is 11 hours of my life that I will never get back.

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