Member Reviews
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and K.L. Slater for this ARC!!**
This was another enjoyable quick read from K.L. Slater! Freya and her daughter Skye are given an enticing offer by a mysterious stranger to move into a beautiful apartment for a remarkably low price,, but did they actually get a bargain...or more than they bargained for? As always, Slater’s characters feel really real and I loved her adorable daughter Skye! The Adder House gave the whole book a creepy Victorian house of horrors feel, and Freya has to quickly discover the secrets it holds before it’s too late! This is a fun-to-read mystery that I could easily see having a prequel. Looking forward to my next read from K.L. Slater!
I started this book and did not put it down until I finished it. It was an interesting premise and it hooked me from the beginning. I give this a solid four stars for gripping me from the beginning and keeping me interested until the final resolution.
I enjoyed this book, have never read anything by this author before but will look out for other books by same author. I was gripped straightaway in this book, and found it easy reading and couldn’t wait to keep reading
It was a little interesting the first 5 chapters. After that it just became boring. Then the end felt rushed.
This book would get more than 5 stars if that was an option. I was on the edge of my seat toward the end of it and my heart rate was up. I rarely get that invested in the books I read, but I couldn't put it down. You fall in love with the characters and really feel their pain and feel pride for them. I highly recommend this suspense book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 ⠀
⠀
Thank you @netgalley for my gifted copy of this novel. 👏🏼
Freya wants a fresh start. After her horrific year of her husband passing and everything else her and her daughter Skye have been through, all she wants is a chance to start anew. Cue Dr. Marsden, a man who happens to have the dream apartment in Kensington, the perfect neighborhood in the building he owns, Adder House. Everything just seems too good to be true, but for once Freya wants to enjoy this luxury that has happened upon her by chance and immediately moves in. As Freya and her daughter become more settled, discoveries are made about their scarce neighbors in Adder House and strange things start happening in the apartment, such as toys being moved, things going missing, and weird noises coming from next door. At the same time, someone has been following them and keeping a journal regarding a certain experiment...I really enjoyed the concept of this novel and the psychology behind it, however I wish the characters and the backstory of the Marsdens was more developed as when things escalated, I didn’t feel invested enough in the characters to really be surprised. To sum it up: thriller, spooky haunting parts, probably wouldn’t recommend to a friend, not too “thrilling”, deception and family, cute mommy/daughter relationship
Thank you to K. L. Slater, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for this ARC.
I really wanted to like this book. Freya's character is a bit annoying and aggravating, and the story line felt rushed. I ended up guessing the plot twist midway through the book.
A decent story, but definitely my least favorite KL Slater book.
I love thrillers and mysteries so this one sounded perfect. I would give it a solid 3 stars. The plot was interesting and there were some good tense moments. Freya wasn't fully developed as a character though; her background and personality didn't fit together. Some of the other character reactions were a little over the top - for example, the neighbor/friend who finds out about the move. But I would recommend!
Thanks NetGalley for the copy!
I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of K.L. Slater's new book. The Apartment was a good read but the ending didn't really resonate with me. Freya is a single mum of a little girl named Skye. Fallen upon hard times after her husband dies (it would have been nice to have known how), Freya doesn't realize she is about to make a really bad decision. A man, a doctor named Dr. Marsden, has been stalking Freya. He approaches her with what sounds like the offer of a lifetime. To live at Adder House, a beautifully restored house that has had its rooms made into individual apartments. The book in its entirety has a whole creepy vibe to it. And that's even before you learn that Dr. Marsden wants to install cameras to which Freya promptly insists no. The problem is Dr. and Mrs. Marsden seem so eager to help Freya. And Freya needs all the help she can get. This book was well thought out with a few chapters that were unclear as to how they fit in with the rest of the book. These chapters were easily understood once the whole story came together though. A good book but I was left wanting a bit more at the end.
Thank you to Netgalley, K.L. Slater, and Amazon Publishing UK for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this psychological thriller and the setting of the creepy, atmospheric Adder House Apartments.
Oh dear... I do not like when authors write silly women to fulfill plot devices, and that's how this one felt to me. This is ostensibly a book about a women who survived a terrible childhood in foster care, yet she falls for every line every person who presents nicely hands her throughout the story. It's unlikely in the extreme, as are the decisions she makes throughout - decisions that can only be described as representing blatant disregard for her own safety and that of her child. It made it very tough to connect with her - or empathize, when things turned out the way the inevitably did.
Yet for all that, I kept reading. Slater has written an oddly entertaining tale, despite its unlikelihood, its disagreeable and unbelievable characters, and its rather ridiculous revelations. I never put it down, despite feeling like it was ridiculous quite often - which is unusual for me, particularly in the "silly women" genre. I was intrigued enough to see how she would (attempt to) tie it all together to keep going, and that is worth something. If you don't mind suspending disbelief fairly far, and don't mind foolish women, this one does offer an entertaining couple of hours of twisty glimpses into a series of lives that intertwine through a series of unfortunate events...
I usually enjoy books from this author. I DNF because the setup to the action kinda dragged on. Might revisit but for now I'm moving on.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was initially so excited to read this book and in the beginning few chapters I was intrigued, and came up with a few exciting theories. However, as I read on I quickly lost interest. I didn't sympathise with any of the characters, and none of the characters felt fully fleshed out. I was particularly unimpressed with the 'villains' of the story and the end was unsatisfying. While it is an easy read, I definitely rushed to finish it so I could start another book.
A single mother desperate to find a new home jumps at the chance to live in a high-end apartment. Afterward, however, unexplained circumstances make her second-guess her decision. Author K.L. Slater tries to dial up the mystery but misses the mark in The Apartment.
Freya Miller needs a new house. Her husband’s infidelity and then sudden death leave her on a tight budget, and she knows she’ll have to move out of the only home her five-year-old daughter, Skye, has ever known. It seems like the worst position to be in: not being able to afford a new place within a reasonable distance to Skye’s school but also not being able to stay.
When she meets the charming Dr. Michael Marsden in a coffee shop holding fliers for a flat for rent, she thinks it might be a solution. Dr. Marsden insists she and Skye will be the perfect fit for Adder House, but Freya’s worried about the cost. The building sits in one of London’s swanky neighborhoods, the kind of place she doesn’t even see on her daily commute.
When Dr. Marsden tells her how much she’ll actually pay, she knows she can’t let go of the opportunity. After all, as Dr. Marsden explains in an apologetic tone, no telling how many people will vie for the place. Better to sign the lease immediately.
Freya visits the flat and agrees. Within a week, she and Skye are set to move across town. Skye is skeptical, but Freya believes this is the fresh start she’s needed since her husband’s betrayal. Once they arrive at Adder House, though, Freya begins to understand Skye’s skepticism.
Her moving expenses are paid for, Skye is showered with expensive gifts, and the tedious commute to Skye’s old school means moving to the new one in the neighborhood. It’s one of the best in the city, and before Freya can blink the Marsdens get Skye admitted. It’s one thing to be showered with so much unexpected kindness, but Freya is having a hard time understanding why the Marsdens would go out of their way for her.
Then there are the other happenings. Skye insists she heard a child crying, even though Dr. Marsden says Skye is the only child in the building. Freya walks into the flat to discover that a security camera has been installed without her consent. And the other tenants either aren’t around or give Freya goosebumps.
Freya begins to wonder whether the stress of her life is making her go mad. At the same time, Skye’s spirit is waning and the Marsdens are acting even weirder. Now, the dream apartment that Freya couldn’t turn down looks like the place she can’t escape.
Author K.L. Slater does an admirable job of building the mood of the book. Adder House sounds elegant and well built—just the kind of place that forebodes disaster. Within the genre, an upscale London neighborhood is practically begging for creepy affairs.
Slater gives Freya some agency, a welcome change. When asked about allowing a security camera in her apartment, Freya declines. When it shows up anyway, she doesn’t hesitate to take it down and complain about it. Unlike other books where the protagonist just shrugs and accepts strange twists in his/her life, Freya fights back when circumstances don’t make sense.
Unfortunately her disturbed emotional state clouds her judgment. While it’s understandable, the bad choices Freya makes allow for the book to tread predictable paths. If readers can’t guess some plot points, they won’t necessarily be surprised either.
Slater tries to give readers clues through the diary of a secondary character, but the introduction of the diary and that character’s back story come so late in the book that they don’t have the intended impact. The climax and resolution, then, just sound a little off-the-wall. Two characters who seem to have been plotting against Freya suddenly fawn all over her, and readers will find it hard to buy their about-face.
Still, the book is entertaining. Anyone looking for a fast read might like this one. I recommend readers Borrow The Apartment.
I have read almost all the books from this author but didn't enjoy this one as others I have read.
Disappointed that we never found out what happened to Freyas husband and the ending was a bit poor.
Be careful who you rent to. A scary attention grabbing book. Love it, read it in 2 days. Thank you for my copy.
I loved this book, the twist at the end really surprised me. I kept thinking I had guessed what was going on and then was completely blind sighted by the different twists and turns.
I've not read any of the authors books before but I am definitely going to check them out.
A great story which keeps you guessing what is really going on, followed in with some good twists to keep you on your toes.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was really disappointing. The premise of this book sounded so fascinating and unique, and I had such high hopes for it. But, the execution just fell flat; the characters were dull and uninteresting, there were a tonne of plot holes, it just didn't have the creepiness that I was expecting, and I found myself rushing through it just to get to end.
This book had me gripped from the start. Freya and her daughter Skye are offered a seemingly too good to be true apartment in a stunning building. What uncovers is a plot twist you wouldn't imagine. Great writing that had me wanting more.