I was impressed with this psychological thriller.

When Freya and her daughter Skye are desperate to find a new apartment, she happens to meet Dr Marsden who offers her the opportunity to rent a very nice apartment at a low rent. Warning bells should already be ringing for Freya, but she decides not to look a gift horse in the mouth, and she moves in.

The descriptions of Adder House and its inhabitants are well done, and the tension builds steadily as you know something is going to happen, but not what that something is. The house gives off a very creepy vibe, as do the Dr and Mrs Marsden and several other residents.

Freya starts to feel like she is losing control of her life as the Marsden's continue to get very involved in her day to day activities, and those of Skye. Freya starts hearing things in the apartment, seeing things, getting the sense of being watched.

The novel gripped me from the first few pages, and I read it in a day. The ending did wrap up quite quickly, but it was satisfying. I did get some sense of deja vue as I had read J.P. Delaney's "The Girl Before" last year - and there are certainly some parallels to this work, although the main plot points are different.

I would recommend this book to anyone enjoying psychological thrillers.

I'm grateful for Netgalley for sharing this ARC in return for an honest review.

The Apartment by K.L. Slater is a psychological thriller that from the very first page let's us know there is something sinister afoot. Dr. Michael Marsden is in the coffee shop patiently waiting for Freya to show up so he can accidentally meet her and let her see him post on the bulletin board the apartment for rent in his building eeriely named The Adder House, just like the deadly snake.

He knows Freya is in a vulnerable state what with her almost divorced ex husband suddenly dying and forcing her to sell their house to pay off his debts leaving her and her 5 year old daughter virtually homeless.

I read this quick story in a few hours as the first few pages hooked my thriller loving brain immediately. There where so many red flags that Freya ignored when moving into this perfect apartment from the low rent to the creepy neighbors. I forgave her blindspots as she was a single mom trying to provide for her daughter. However, as the story progresses some plot holes I could not forgive.

Intertwined in the story we are introduced to a journal written in 1902 that later comes together with the current events of the Adder House. However, we never find out the full story of the writer of the journal and I felt cheated by this omission. Also, most thriller fans will figure out the ending before they get to the last page.

The author has an an uncanny ability to creep the reader out even while you get the lane the story is heading down. It is that sort of uncomfortable foreboding when you watch a movie like Rosemary's Baby or the more recent Get Out.

I enjoyed the writing style of this thriller I just wished the details were more fleshed out. I will be reading more from this author.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I’m a big fan of K L Slater, and I thought this was a compelling diversion from her usual themes. More spooky and creepy than a twisty complex thriller, although Lucy’s revelation was an astonishing twist towards the end. Alarm bells rang loudly for me when Freya was tempted to move into an opulent apartment for a peppercorn rent, but she was in an invidious situation of potential destitution with a young child to nurture. Beggars can’t be choosy, but I was surprised she didn’t show any concern about the doctor stalking her and the grandiose offer. Perhaps desperation makes you less wary. It was a slow-burning novel not in a derogatory fashion as tension and suspicion build up. Inexplicably strange things start to occur, which spooked me. In her position, I would have run for the hills. It’s the ‘extra’s’ in the novel that intrigued me. For example, experimental psychology. I was never enamoured by the Behaviourist psychological models with their flawed theories. What was so admirably pinpointed was how dangerous such experiments can be if put in the wrong hands. Freya’s fear of insects matched mine. I don’t mind ladybirds or spiders as long as they keep away from me, but I detest most crawlies. I’m terrified of bees and wasps. My antennae detect them up from miles away. One summer, we had flying ants, and I went on lockdown. I was also interested in Skye’s integration into school. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book is a good mystery, with a sympathetic heroine, and a number of twists and turns to keep it interesting until the culmination. The author has a straight-forward writing style that keeps the story moving without extra turns of phrase. I enjoyed the story and think it will satisfy as a good beach read this summer!

K.L. Slater is another author on my go to list that I don’t even bother with a synopsis anymore as I know I will easily become engaged in whatever new story she has penned. And thankfully The Apartment lived right up to my expectations and was another solid psychological thriller.

Freya Miller is a young newly single mother who has gone through quite a bit in her recent past. Not only did her husband cheat on her and leave her but shortly afterwards before they could divorce he passed away leaving her completely alone in raising their daughter.

Freya hasn’t found work yet and only has a little savings to find herself and her daughter a new place to live. Out of nowhere Freya meets a man who has an apartment for rent in a lovely building in a great neighborhood that all seems way too good to be true. When given a quote on an incredibly low rent Freya can’t pass the opportunity up but after moving in Freya begins to see the opportunity may not have been as good as she thought.

Now I am one that completely enjoys and fast pace thrill ride but dare I say with The Apartment I almost felt as if this one was a little too fast. I couldn’t help but wish the book had been a little bit longer to fully dive into the ominous nature of the story but instead felt as if it were all a bit too rushed into. This was still a great read though that enjoyed and will still be a huge fan of this author.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

When someone is offered something to good to be true, they should listen to their instincts. This is what Freya had to learn the hard way. This book was definitely spooky in a suspense way. I finished this book in one sitting. That is how I know a book is well written when I cannot put it down.

I received a free copy of The Apartment by K. L. Slater from NetGalley for my honest review.

I found The Apartment to be very comparable to other recent thrillers I have read recently. Lately, I've been in somewhat of a book "slump" for lack of a better word, and really needed something to draw me out of that. Honestly, the characters' relationships were a bit rushed for me. Freya was just a little too quick to share her personal life story with perfect strangers and just lacked a lot of common sense, which aggravated me. The atmosphere was very creepy, which I usually enjoy. This book was a lot like Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. I give this book 3 stars.

I had finished this book awhile ago. I needed time to process my thoughts as they were mixed once I had finished. I was torn between feeling like I didn’t really like the book to this book is interesting. It can be both I guess. Let’s move on to why I thought it was interesting. I felt the twist was interesting. The whole reason at the end on why certain actions were done made sense and added to the creep factor. I can respect madness. Okay, on to why I didn’t like it. The story felt like a whole build up and then didn’t quite deliver that whole suspense punch. While I thought the twist was interesting, it just didn’t deliver or have the intended effect I think the author was going for. None of the characters were very likable. Save for maybe one and they were barely in the story. As a whole, this book is an okay read. I will continue to read the author’s work but sadly this one just didn’t do it for me. I give this 3 stars.

The prologue gave away too much. It might have been more entertaining if it were a movie, but as a book, it was boring and predictable. The best part of the book was the main character's relationship with her daughter.
It reminded me of Lock Every Door by Riley Sager, so if you liked that, then you might like this.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was interesting and moved along at a good pace so I did not lose interest. This is the story of Freya and her daughter Skye, they have to find a new place to live and are given the opportunity to live at an upscale residence called Adder House for a fraction of the usual rent. As soon as they move in odd things begin happening and the story begins to unfold. There were a few things about the story that I found very unbelievable which is why I had to rate it 4 stars instead of 5. Without giving too much away there's a point in the story where Freya learns some very upsetting information and then decides to leave her daughter with a neighbor that she's known for maybe a month so that she can relax. I didn't find this believable so it annoyed me. While I did really enjoy the story I did feel that it was a little rushed, there were some parts of the story that I wish had been embellished more. I think this was a missed opportunity by the author to give the story more depth.
However I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good psychological suspense story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was excellent! There were so many twists and turns that you can't put it down! I thought I had it all figured out but I was surprised in the end.

The Apartment by K.L. Slater Reviewed April 27, 2020 ~ 4 Dark & Creepy stars


I like psychological thrillers and the setting of the ‘Adder House’ Apartments sounds perfect!
When I read the description it reminded me a bit of [author: Riley Sager] novel [book: Lock Every Door] totally my kind of dark and creepy novel so was ready for another unrealistic apartment situation.

Freya Miller is a young mother of 5 year -old Skye. Her husband Lewis recently died. Bitter/sweet situation as Lewis was about to leave her. She does have the house and now has some money from the life insurance policy but not nearly enough so has to sell the house and move in with friends.
While getting ready to view the bulletin board for possible rentals a local coffee house, Dr. Marsden sits at her table with rental fliers. Since he noticed she was looking at the bulletin asked if she might want to view the apartment he has for rent, despite it being a place she could never afford. He assures her he is looking for the right tenant and can make adjustments on the rent.
She and her daughter make the visit and cannot believe their eyes. The apartment is on the third floor of ‘Adder House’, a stately mansion located in a fashionable and expensive area in London.
Freya and Skye love the apartment and move in immediately.
Hmmm soon enough strange things are happening (as we knew they would).

Dr. Marsden and his wife seem to be very involved in Freya and Skye’s lives.
Soon a mystery with twists and turns that we psychological thriller fans love!!

My first Kim Slater novel, I look forward to her next one!!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for this ARC granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Publishing Release Date tomorrow April 28, 2020

‘The Apartment’ by K.L. Slater is a fast-paced, suspenseful thriller which I found to be quite a quick read for me. It follows Freya and her daughter Skye as they move into the Adder House after having to leave their family home.

The storyline flits between Freya and Skye in the present and Beatrice and her son back in 1920. In Beatrice’s timeline, Professor John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner are conducting the ‘Little Albert’ experiment. This is a psychological experiment on classical conditioning, which actually took place in real life. I found this to be interesting and thought it was very unique that this real experiment was used as part of the plot.

There are a lot of different plot twists throughout ‘The Apartment’ and I think quite a few were red herrings designed to throw the reader off. I was expecting certain things to happen and thought I had figured it all out but it turned out to be unpredictable and there were a lot of moments where I found myself gasping at the truth.

I didn’t LOVE the ending as it was quite abrupt considering there was so much build up throughout the book. However, I’d definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller. I also recommend ‘The Apartment’ if you enjoyed ‘Lock Every Door’ by Riley Sager.

This book is definitely one of the creepiest books Ive read. It is a cautionary tale that proves if something is too good to be true it probably is. The story revolves around a young mother Freya. Down on her luck she needs to find more affordable quarters. Being approached in a coffee shop with an offer to live in a mansion apartment for a lowered amount seems to be a windfall but things are not as they should be. Everybody that lives there is odd but one older lady who befriends Freya and her small daughter. What follows is a spine tingling tale that will stay with the reader long after the book is finished. K.L Slater has another hit read.

The Apartment by K.L. Slater is a well written psychological thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. We follow Freya, a down-on-her-luck mother who is in desperate need of a new place to live when an apartment in a decadent mansion is suddenly presented to her. The mansion's owners are more concerned with having the right people living there instead of money so even though it seems too good to be true, Freya moves her and her daughter in immediately. It's a beautiful house but soon Freya is hearing things, her daughter seems unhappy, and the other residents of the house are strange.
This is a definite thriller with you wondering what's going to happen next and all but screaming at the main character to take her daughter and run. The only reason I took off one star is that I felt Freya acted a little unrealistically at first to make the plot work. It quickly got better though and I didn't see that ending coming!

Another great story from K L Slater. Gripping, creepy and claustrophobic. I did think the ending was a bit rushed but still a great book that I highly recommend

Thanks to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC copy. I love psychological thrillers and the premise of this sounded really good. I felt that the story line was just trying to achieve too many things and all over the place. Between all of the character relationships there was also the back and forth dialogue between past and present characters and the concept of behavioral programming. I was committed to finishing it but I found myself just wanting to get through it.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book. It captured me and I quickly read it in 2 days. While I did enjoy it, I did feel that there could have been a bit more character development. Bits and pieces of the main character were added in sporadically. We never did find out how the husband died, even though it was non-relavant to the story line it still would have been nice to know. Past reflection on the villian's back story was strong. The ending was a bit choppy and could have flowed better. The ending was also no big surprise. Would have preferred "more thriller" in a psychological thriller.

I liked this! This book gave me MAJOR Lock Every Door vibes (by Riley Sager). Very similar plotline with the creepy apartment and creepy tenants - this one just follows a mother and daughter instead of a 20-something-year-old girl. This had a great suspenseful atmosphere, mysterious characters, and a compelling mystery of what was to come. Parts of the ending definitely surprised me, though it did feel rushed. 50 more pages on the back end I think would have helped a lot, but overall I enjoyed the ride that this book took me on.

This is a creepy thriller about historical and current psychological experiments. I enjoyed it and was keen to read on. The first approach was so unlikely that I was reading on to find out why the approach was made.
I found it a little farfetched, the main character agreeing to the original proposal and the relationship/trust with the builder which developed so quickly, were difficult to believe, even in fiction.
In spite of this I enjoyed reading the story and there was a twist at the end - although I was already suspicious of the only apparently normal character!