3.5/5
Quality of writing: 3
Plot development: 3
Pace: 5
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of reading: 4

Freya Miller needs a miracle. When an opportunity to live in Adder House drops in her lap, Freya sees it as a new start for her and her daughter Skye. But Added House sounds too good to be true. House is filled with secrets and odd residents, but is Freya just paranoid or someone's watching her every move?
The Apartment moves fast. Sat down and BOOM I've read 100 pages. That being said I don't know if I'd call this a thriller. It didn't keep me on my toes. The ending seemed a bit rushed, some plot points - forgotten. Don't get me wrong The Apartment isn't bad. I actually really enjoyed it. The plot isn't too complicated, characters didn't make me cringe and short chapters are always a plus.
Great for rainy evenings. All you need is a blanket and a glass of wine.

The Apartment, by K.L. Slater, was a very fast paced book. It was easy to get into and kept my attention the entire time. I had so many thoughts about what was going on, but couldn’t quite connect all the dots until the very end. Throughout the entire book, I had the feeling of someone watching me. I can’t even imagine being in Freya’s position!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this electronic ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Summary:

Freya Miller is approached by a man one afternoon named Dr. Marsden who offers her and her daughter an apartment at the fashionable Adder House in an upper class area in London. Freya was close to losing the home she lived in, so this came at the perfect time.

Freya is happy at first but she begins to feel unsure about the new living situation. She is feeling as if she is being watched and feels as if people had been in her apartment after they get back. Freya has to figure out if she’s just being overly worried or if she needs to fear for their safety!

My Thoughts:

This book was suspenseful, but reminded me so much of Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. It is a little slow, but it gets more intense throughout. I still don’t know if it was ever clarified what happened to Freya’s ex-husband though!

I received a free copy of The Apartment from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars/5 stars

#TheApartment #NetGalley #AmazonPublishingUK

Thank you, NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the opportunity of reading an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

When Freya Miller needs a lucky break, a turn of fortune, suddenly, there in a coffee shop, one arrives.

To be offered an apartment in Kensington, an exclusive part of London after living on a tight budget in Acton, West London seems too good an opportunity to give up. When, on a chance meeting Dr Marsden offers Freya and her daughter Skye, an apartment in Adder House at a rent she can afford, is a fantastic start to a new life she wants for them both.

The previous 18 months has been painful with the loss of her husband, without current employment, is a gift from the gods.

Relocating to the apartment happens so quickly she does not get a chance to go through the typical moving checklist – informing schools, friends etc. That’s when strange, unexpected things start to happen.

Alongside the main story is an account of someone watching her – documenting her, manipulating her moves, while simultaneously reading someone’s journal from 1920.

This book had me on the edge of my seat, full of apprehension to the very last page. One of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time.

4.75 Stars
When I began reading, I instantly feel in love with the writing and style of this book. It was soooo good and had me flying through the pages (electronically, of course). The writing comes off so smooth, yet it's gripping and exciting at the same time. It's the first book I've read written by K.L. Slater, whom I know is a popular author, and I know I'm going to be reading more books by her from now on. This style is definitely what I love when it comes to books and what I seem to be in the reading mood for at the moment and was exactly what I wanted (no, needed!!!) right now. The style was the perfect amount of creepy, psychological and thrilling, all while leaving you wondering if you're over reacting to every little thing, but knowing deep down that you're probably not.

The Apartment, is mainly told through Freya’s perspective, which heightens the mystery and intensity that the book did so well. You don’t know if what she’s experiencing at certain points within the book, is actually happening or if she’s just an unreliable narrator. This is especially so when things are later mentioned or hinted at, regarding her previous history of mental health, leaving you not knowing who to believe. She even starts to question herself. But there’s still that mystery lingering about and it’s that unknown and needing to discover what’s happening that pushed me through this book. I needed to know what was actually happening and whether you could trust any of the characters. And I mean any of the characters, because I knew that I was going to be betrayed and tried not developing friendships and loyalties.

There are some plot hole when it come to some aspects of this book and especially to Freya's character. He characters switches from being described as strong and not trusting anyone, then the next moment, she is so incredibly naïve. This whole plot actually relies on her being this naïve from the first chapter, which just provides this massive plot hole and goes against her character, her past and how she is constantly being described. This is the major negative and the one thing that did have me irritated, as it was completely contradictory. But, we are also told that she is in a bad place, but it wasn't as though she didn't have options and she kept ignoring some obvious warning signs, for somebody who is meant to distrust everybody, especially when added on the fact the protective instinct of a mother!! This adds to the characters untrustworthiness.

You get introduced to a cluster of different characters within this book and who make up Adder house. The further you go in the book the more you get to know about these characters and the more suspect and creepy they become. Each character is easily identifiable and you get a clear reaction every time one of them is on the page, which shows clear concise writing. What else shows good writing is having a book full of characters that you know have bad motives and that you take an instant dislike to, but you still really enjoy the book. Usually a bad character, or more precisely, a badly written character is enough to put me off a book. Even Freya's character flaws didn't ruin this book for me and at least kept me on my toes as I didn't know what she was going to do.

I, of course, developed my own ideas about what I suspected was happening at Adder House, especially with the inclusion of the diary and tape entries. My head was trying to make connections everywhere that eventually I was left over thinking everything and every action by everyone. I was slowly becoming suspicious of every character and questioning their every action. I even became suspicious of Freya herself at one point. So if you like a good book where you don’t know what’s happening or who to trust, then this is perfect. Especially as it’s set up to be pretty straightforward from the offset. I was 70% of the way through this book and I was still double guessing myself and what I was reading.

Even though the ending went a little where I was expecting it to go to, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it. In fact, I probably enjoyed it more so because it all lined up perfectly and it didn’t come as an out of the blue twist, where the author was trying to chuck a load of quick new information at you to make this ending plausible. There were one of two questions I had left at the end of the book, that if I think about I could work out, but it would have been nice to have those answers clarified. Plus, the obvious character plot hole. But again, that didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment of this book and I would even go as far to say that this is one of my favourite reads so far this year!!

Enjoyed this book.
Had me guessing throughout.
One of my favourite authors.
Full of suspense. Guessing at each chapter.
Thank you for the opportunity to read it

"The Apartment" was a very quick and easy read (and very relaxing!). I was expecting a few sinister twists and turns but, sadly, this book lacked any real complexities and unpredictable and/or scary aspects. It could have been so much more than what it is (also with glimpses into the past!).

Pretty one-dimensional characters and very weak end. But - such a fast read! Beware: you might get annoyed with the main character and her lack of comprehension of the world she lives in.

With many thanks to the publisher and @NetGalley for providing this book for free in exchange for a fair review.

I noticed this author's name in the past, and since she has excellent reviews, I decided to try one of her books.

K.L.Slater does a great job setting the mood for this story. From the very beginning, I had a feeling that there was a lot going on that would be revealed, and much of it would be disturbing. I was definitely right about that! The main character seems so easily led astray that I wasn't surprised when she signed up for what really appeared to be to good to true. Slater keeps the books tense atmosphere flowing with the carrot dangling before me that promised more revelations to come.

I definitely would be interested in reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I found this to be a good, quick moving novel. After the death of her soon to be ex husband, Freya and her daughter Skye are in need of a new, more affordable home. A fortuitous meeting with a doctor lands them in a beautiful new apartment near Kensington Palace. But is it all too good to be true?

While I wouldn't necessarily say this book is a thriller, I will say I enjoyed it. I loved that it used a very popular case studied in psychology and used it as an element of history in the novel. I think that was probably my favorite part, and it was well done. It was interesting that the author took that case and made it feel like more than something you read about in a Psychology textbook, but made it about the people.

I was hooked from the beginning; author did a great job developing the characters and the scene. I was able to visualize the people and the area in which it took place. I have read other books with similar storyline, but the twists on the characters at the end is what made this storyline different from the others I read. I did lose interest mid way thru but once I got thru it, I ended up enjoying it and the ending.

Freya thinks she has fallen on her feet when she is offered an upmarket flat to rent In Adder House for a pittance. Her life couldn’t have been worse recently so she decides to grab this opportunity and moves in with her daughter. Who are the mysterious Dr and Audrey Marsden living downstairs and who occupied the apartment where Freya and her daughter now live? An intriguing mystery if not a little unbelievable

The Apartment was kind of what I expected but not in a good way. When you read as much in the thriller genre as I do, there isn't much that I haven't seen, so I had an idea of what I was going to get from this book. That said, I was really hoping for more, and it had the potential to be more. So, yes, it is predictable, but there are so many other things that could've made this story stand out from the crowd - the characters, the creepy vibe, the wow factor in the conclusion. And it comes up short all the way around. I get that Freya needed to be a certain way for the story to work, but she's just unbelievably naive. Considering her background, her actions are contradictory at best, and the story relied on her being way too slow-witted to be believed. Then we have the creepy vibe that could've been there. Sadly, that was completely missing in this one. And the conclusion? Well, I just didn't buy it. None of it. Plus, we have unanswered questions that were just another irritation in a whole book of irritations. In the end, I think it's safe to say that this one definitely was not for me.

What an exciting read! Freya and Skye should consider themselves so lucky to get this opportunity to move into a fancy building in Kensington after the death of husband/father Lewis, who Freya was in the process of divorcing since he cheated on her with one of her good friends.

Freya gets a weird vibe off of the landlords, the tenants, the building and the apartment from the get go but, instead of following her instincts, she blames those feelings on stress and the move. Like I always say: ALWAYS listen to that inner voice!

This book had the perfect combination of ingredients for an exciting psychological thriller: a fancy building, a upscale London neighborhood, mystery, suspense, psychology, psychological experiments, friendship, motherhood. Not a single time did I feel the urge to skip through pages. I kept wanting to find out what was going to happen next.

I highly recommend it! A satisfying and quick summer read.

Thank you so much Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this mystery/psychological thriller novel. It was similar to a novel I read not too long ago, so I thought that was interesting. I had to keep reading to find out what was going on and what was going to happen!

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Although I am a big fan of this authors work there was something missing in this story. The story lacked authenticity and the characters were unrealistic.

The Apartment
by K. L. Slater
Amazon Publishing UK
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 28 Apr 2020 | Archive Date 12 May 2020

Thanks to Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC of this book. I read a lot of thrillers and K.L. Slater did not disappoint in The Apartment. After a failed marriage a mom and her daughter must find shelter... She is offered a shelter... but is she being watched? Read to find out. This book was a page-turner for me and I will recommend it to our patrons.

Okay.. I have sat on my feelings for a few weeks and I am finally writing my review for The Apartment.

This was a fast paced mysterious story that I was very much drawn to from the second I read the synopsis and I am extremely thankful to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Freya is pretty much out of options for her self and her daughter when she comes across a man with the answer to all of her problems.... The opportunity to live in an amazing flat in London, that she should NOT be able to afford but, somehow the rent is achievable. Dr. Marsden assures Freya that she and her daughter, Skye will fit in so well with the current residents and they would be more than happy to have them as their new tenants.

But, is this serendipitous opportunity really what is seems to be? When something feels like it is too good to be true, is it? Strange things start to happen and Freya can't shake the feeling that something is just "off".

Of course, like many other readers have mentioned, this story gave me instant "Lock Every Door" vibes and I loved the instant ominous, broody, tone that was set through the story, Even during the "happy" moments I could practically hear the creepy cinematic music that would be playing as an undercurrent - letting the reader know something bad was coming.

And then I guess thats where I began to feel some inconsistencies... something felt "off" to me as well, or just like there was something missing. There was this extremely ominous feeling the entire time, and there was very little escalation of the happenings until the final climax... which included some characters that seemed to jump their way into the story/relationship extremely quickly and out of nowhere.

Overall this was an extremely quick and entertaining read - but left me feeling a little "meh" toward the end.

Freya has been bounced around the foster care system her whole life. This has caused some major trust issues that she is trying to deal with. When her husband leaves her for one of her friends, Freya and her daughter, Skye, must sell their house and move to a more affordable place.

While looking for apartments on an ad board in her local coffee shop, she starts talking with a man, Dr. Marsden, who has an apartment that sounds perfect for her and Skye. Maybe too perfect. She cannot afford it, but Dr. Marsden tells her that she shouldn’t worry about the price, as they are looking for a tenant who is “just right”, not the money.

After Freya and Skye look at the apartment, they decided that this would be their new home. But after they move in strange things start to Freya. She hears cries coming from her daughter’s room when her daughter is at school; she hears sounds coming from the apartment next to her’s, but no one lives there. The other tenants seem a little off, as do Dr. Marsden and Audrey Marsden - the managers of the apartment complex. Is Freya going crazy or is something evil happening?

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. The POV changed for different parts of the story. This usually doesn’t bother me, but in this novel, it did. The prologue was in the third person; the main story was in first person, and then some parts were written like a Choose Your Own Adventure book (for no better way to explain).

The story of Freya is of a person who grew up in the foster care system. Her husband cheated on her; he moved out of their house with the women he cheated with, did not get a divorce, and then he died. All of this, for anyone, would have built significant trust issues, but not for Freya. She meets a stranger in the coffee shop who tells her of an apartment he has and that she shouldn’t worry about the price as they are looking for someone who is “just right”.

The other part of the trust issue Freya has is that she seems to trust the new people in her apartment complex more than she trusts the friends she has known for years and who her daughter calls Auntie. When strange things start to happen, Freya wants to tell her best friend, Brenna, but then pushes it down and goes on with her life. Not to mention anything that may concern her.

There also seems to be a disconnect concerning the time Freya lives in Adder House. From what I can tell, she has lived at Adder House for less than two months (maybe even less than one). They didn't have most of their boxes unpacked. During this time, maybe four or five unusual things have happened, but nothing to drive someone crazy in such a short time. But for Freya, she is about to lose it.

As I was reading, I could feel Freya get more involved with the people around her, but it was too quick. The connections she made around Adder House (although she questioned them a lot), seemed rushed. The friends she knew, I felt she tossed aside too quickly. A true best friend would be there for you in thick and thin.

With all that said, I thought the book was okay, but parts of the story felt rushed.

DISCLAIMER: I received an advance copy of The Apartment from the publisher through NetGalley for the purposes of writing a review.

#The Apartment #NetGalley

This book draws you in from the onset . Freya has been down on her luck having experienced many things in the past year but things are looking up when she gets an opportunity of a lifetime for her and daughter but at what cost ? Strange things have her wondering if she made the right decision. This book is well written as it has you wanting to know more , while adding a few things to make you jump . It makes you wonder who can you really trust ? 5 star review for me !

Freya and her daughter are now alone and she needs to find a new place to live. But her finances are almost non existant. While out for coffee she meets Dr, Marsden who lets her know of the apartment that is for rent in is building and goes by your income. Well this building is gorgeous ad she thinks there has been a mistake.
As days go on she feels like she is being watched and things either go missing or get moved. For a time she thinks she is losing her mind. Dr. Marsden's wife acts peculiar as well. No one seems normal in this place and she is told someone died in there but all the residents deny it.
I was engrossed in this book from the beginning and was surprised at the end.
I received this from NetGalley for review.