Thanks to Netgalley for the free ebook to review!

I enjoyed this creepy psychological thriller! I loved the creepy apartment setting. I was wondering how the whole book was going to tie in all together, but I was not expecting the whole psychology aspect and all the weird people who were totally okay watching and experimenting on people.

This one was such a fast and easy read read!

Another great read from KL Slater and the story had me gripped from the start although the ending was a bit of an anti climax, I had all this ideas of who the narrator was and I liked that part of the book as it added to the intrique of the story. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own views and are completely unbiased.

With a stunning cover and interesting blurb, I was excited to receive an eARC of The Apartment. After her estranged husband dies, Freya is on the verge of losing everything. Struggling with the severity of the decisions she must make in order to take care of her five year old daughter, Skye, a chance encounter at a cafe puts her directly in line for an opportunity that seems too good to be true. Dr. Marsden offers her a beautiful apartment in a beautiful house in a beautiful neighborhod--well out of range of what she's able to afford--with the ability to move in less than a week. Strapped and stressed, she agrees, and things get weird.

As a literary subject, I'm a big fan of behavioral experiments as plot devices. Done well, they'll stick with you for years. And while Slater's writing was engaging and effortless, I had a difficult time buying into the narrative frame. The premise of the story relies entirely on her accepting this room, and I still can't see why anyone in her position would ever choose to do so. She doesn't vet Dr. Marsden or the house. She doesn't ask questions. She doesn't consider why someone would strike up a conversation with her and offer a too-good-to-be-true housing situation. She has at least six months' financial ability to find a decent place in the same district before she'd need to consider finding a job, and still she accepts this strange offer without a day to contemplate the irrationality of it. I never got the sense that the stakes were as dire as we were supposed to believe. It's a plot point I just could not get past.

None of the characters were particularly likeable, not something I need in order to enjoy a text, but the responses rubbed me the wrong way. For example, the mother of Skye's best friend completely rips her a new one for not informing her of their plans--in spite the common knowledge of her husband's death and the need to move, this is a HUGE surprise--and refuses to let the daughters associate any longer. I just...what? I'm living in the kindergarten world right now, and while mom circles are tricky to navigate, I cannot even fathom this level of pettiness.

*spoilers* I also had a difficult time with Freya's decisions and lack of common sense to push the plot forward. She acts completely oblivious about the identity of the sender of the mysterious, expensive presents, when pages before--and after--she reflects on the expensive and strange gifts from the Marsdens. For the purpose of introducing doubt alone, she neglects the Very Obvious Thing in front of her in favor of an outlandish connection we had no investment in or any interest in pursuing. This was a misstep for me, because the subplot felt underdeveloped and unnecessary. Additionally, she ignores her gut when several events in the apartment and house warrant suspicion. The one trustworthy voice in the entire plot is an underdeveloped side character who feels more like a device to get to a happy ending.

I didn't give up on the story, though. I was still intrigued by the idea of what the experiment was. *semi spoilers*
Revealed in a series of old journal entries and a strangely-flat culminating confrontation, the experiment is a focus on fear stimuli, stemming from Pavlov's bell. I could be off-base here, but this seemed more common sense to me: that if you introduce something that terrifies a subject, repeatedly and consistently, that subject will undoubtedly develop a Pavolovian response to said stimulus. From countless stories of abuse and PTSD, this didn't at all seem as outrageous as I think we as the audience were supposed to find it, and because of that, I was not left with the "OMG" shock I expected at the beginning.

Overall, this was a quick read with enjoyable writing, but relatively flat characters and conclusion. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a simple thriller with accessible conflict, but I'm not sure I would re-read this again myself.

Amazing story that kept me up reading when I should have been sleeping. Good storyline that kept me interested

If it seems too good to be true... then it probably is...

Freya finds herself as a young widow along with her five year old daughter Skye, facing an uncertain future. As the thought of couch-surfing in her best friend's house looms over her, Freya desperately tries to find a place where she and her daughter can live but even out of work, that isn't an easy task.

She finds herself being approached by a gentleman in a coffee shop whonis conveniently looking for a new tenant in his luxurious apartment building. Freya, thinking there is no way she can afford this is given an offer she simply, cannot refuse...

I devoured this book! I found it to be gripping and suspenseful. I loved the idea behind it and I found myself trying to guess what was going to happen throughout it. This is a great example of a really good suspenseful psychological thriller - they can become so "cut & paste" after you read a lot of them but this was different & it was gloriously nail-biting.

However, it doesn't come without faults. I found it rushed towards the end, it could have benefited being longer - it certainly was pacey enough. Some plot lines were left unexplored and unexplained. How did her husband actually die? Was there more to it? Some of the smaller twists were a little... ridiculous but ok, it's fiction, I'll just go with it. The ending though was what really bothered me, for such a great suspenseful book, why did the ending do me dirty like that?! Plus, I guessed the plot twist (which doesn't really bother me anyway nor take away the enjoyment of the whole book) but honestly, it was the ending that I felt duped by. It was so rushed - this book could easily be a five star book if it wasn't for how it was wrapped up. It was incredibly disappointing.

Saying all of that, I would still highly recommend this book! If you're looking for a quick read which is pacey and gripping then this is the book you're looking for.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When something seems too good to be true…it usually is! Such is the case in The Apartment by K.L. Slater who introduces us to Freya and her young daughter Skye.⁣ Freya is totally down on her luck so when she happens to meet a kind man who offers her a luxury apartment for cheap, she cannot believe it! Things are looking up.⁣

Suddenly Freya is living in a posh place in a beautiful area of town. She is excited for a fresh start after the death of her husband and this place is going to be perfect! ⁣Except…things are starting to seem weird. And the people act kind of bizarre. What’s with the sounds coming from the other side of the apartment? And when she hears rumors of a young woman dying in this very same apartment, Freya begins to wonder if maybe this isn’t the best place for her and Skye.⁣

Take a look here:

Freya Miller needs a miracle. In the fallout of her husband’s betrayal, she’s about to lose her family home, and with it the security she craves for her five-year-old daughter, Skye. Adrift and alone, she’s on the verge of despair until a chance meeting with the charismatic Dr Marsden changes everything. He’s seeking a new tenant for a shockingly affordable flat in a fashionable area of London.

Adder House sounds too good to be true… But Freya really can’t afford to be cynical, and Dr Marsden is adamant she and Skye will be a perfect fit with the other residents.

But Adder House has secrets. Even behind a locked front door, Freya feels as if she’s being watched: objects moving, unfamiliar smells, the blinking light of a concealed camera… and it’s not long before she begins to suspect that her dream home is hiding a nightmarish reality. Was it really chance that led her here—or something unthinkably dark?

As the truth about Adder House starts to unravel, can Freya and Skye get out—or will they be locked in forever?

I was totally hooked from the beginning pages and liked the authors writing style. This is the second book I’ve read by her and will definitely be reading more.⁣ Highly recommend, this book is due out on April 28 but she has loads of suspense to choose from in the meantime!⁣

This is my first book of author K.L.slater and certainly won't be my last.
Easily 4 stars.
Freya is a recent widower, and mother of a 5year old girl, Skye. She is struggling financially and emotionally, when, one day, while sitting in a Starbucks, she is approached by Dr. Marsden, who gave her an offer to rent his luxurious apartment for a small price. As expected, the offer is holding hidden mysteries.
I don't know for the other readers but for me, I will categorize it as a cozy thriller. The plot is well written but the ending was a little plain for me.
I will definitely check the other novels by the author.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, for my advance copy to read and give an honest review.

K.L.Slater is one of my favourite authors and to this day I have not read one of her books that I have not loved up until now.
Sadly The Apartment was very slow paced for me and I could not connect with the characters.
I felt this book was not as enticing and thrilling as her previous books and although I have not raced through the book in eagerness I do recommend it as a read.

This is the first book by K L Slater that I have picked up and to be honest, I found it not to my liking. While I did finish the book, I struggled. I wasn't really a fan of the characters, though I envisioned the setting (and loved the sound of "the Palace"). Not my cup of tea. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Okay story, characters are a bit unrealistic and plot stretches the imagination. I did finish it, however, and enjoyed the satisfying ending. Overall a bit too much to swallow so can only award this two stars.

This is the first book I read from the author but I must say that it let me down. I was expecting a lot from this but it's just okay to me. The flow of the story is good. I am so curious as to what really happens in the apartment and that's what help me to push through and read more about it. I also don't like how the author just include a really out of this place Point of View of the past. It definitely confuse me as to who is this Point of View. It's one of the reason the book was off to me.

I also don't like the fact that everything is explained in the end. All at once. I am not really into stories like that because it leaves me unsatisfied. I like plots that slowly explains the situation but still leave a huge revelation at the ending of the book. The ending is meh for me. I am not a huge fan.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer/Amazon Publishing UK

Full review coming soon on my blog https://www.inkly.in

Pretty decent, fast paced, creep inducing dread of a read. Freya and her daughter Skye are desperately seeking a place to live shortly after her POS husband who left her for an older woman dies unexpectedly, which is never actually explained in the book. She receives a too good to be true offer to live in a really posh house for a fraction of what she'd pay elsewhere as she would "be a good fit" according to her new landlord, Dr. Marsden. She slowly begins to think she's losing her mind from there as she hears things, sees flies in her daughter's bedroom, and just feels off in her own home, things moved around, etc. A lot of the story felt implausible, but it still made for a good, scary read.

I’m afraid I struggled with this one,normally I’m a fast reader but it took me quite a while to read it as it just couldn’t keep my attention and I kept breaking off to read other things. It was quite flat and the story never really got going for me unfortunately

I love a good K.L Slater book but this one fell flat for me. I was bored from about 10% in until the end. I wanted to love it because a story about a creepy apartment usually rocks my world.
The characters were so unlikable and I was actually getting so annoyed with Freya. I think the author could have made this MUCH creepier and thrilling.
I wish the author nothing but success and I apologize that this book wasn't for me.

I enjoyed the book but I have read better ones by this author. I felt that the parts where the book went back in time could have been highlighted better and I found the story slightly silly but I do like this author's writing style.

"I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"

Freya Miller needs a miracle. In the fallout of her husband’s betrayal, she’s about to lose her family home, and with it the security she craves for her five-year-old daughter, Skye. Adrift and alone, she’s on the verge of despair until a chance meeting with the charismatic Dr Marsden changes everything. He’s seeking a new tenant for a shockingly affordable flat in a fashionable area of London.
Adder House sounds too good to be true… But Freya really can’t afford to be cynical, and Dr Marsden is adamant she and Skye will be a perfect fit with the other residents.
But Adder House has secrets. Even behind a locked front door, Freya feels as if she’s being watched: objects moving, unfamiliar smells, the blinking light of a concealed camera… and it’s not long before she begins to suspect that her dream home is hiding a nightmarish reality. Was it really chance that led her here—or something unthinkably dark?

Okay, I will start with the things I like about this book. Right from the very start it was a suspenseful read and that didn't stop throughout the book. I also found it to be a very quick read and I didn't see the end coming until about the 90% mark and I liked how it ended.

The main issue I had with it was it was too small and because of that it felt key bits happened way to quickly or not described enough. I will go into a couple of spoilers in a second so if you don't want to see them stop reading here.

I am putting a couple of spoilers only so people know what I mean with what I wrote above. One of the issues I noticed is that Skye was having issues at her school but at the end nothing was mentioned about it at all. Another was her "friendship" with Mark came out of the blue and she seemed to trust him way off the bat. I would of loved if the book was a little longer so these issues could of been fixed and they didn't feel so rushed.

I ended up rating it 3.5 stars because I did enjoy it but the issues I mentioned just put a bit of a damper on the whole thing. It would of been a perfect read if things didn't happen so quickly and more detail was put in because the story itself was great.

#TheApartment #NetGalley

Thank you to the Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC, I received in exchange for a fair review.

The Apartment, has a really great story premise behind it. Freya is a single mother, who is getting over both her husband leaving, her for another women, and his sudden death. She is facing finance challenges at this difficult time. Forced to sell their home and find somewhere affordable to live, in London.

When by Chance, she is offered a unbelievable apartment in Kensington , at an affordable price. Something that would normally be out of her range. The owner of the building seems more concerned that the tenants fit in. A chance of a new start.

Strange things start to happen in the apartment. Little things at first, that she cannot put her finger on. With Freya recovering from some pretty significant life events, she is looking for her "safe space". It is believable that she would be willing to over look some misgivings about the apartment. It rings so true.

Freya is likable, and you are routing for her to come good. Your gut tells you there is something wrong, but everything as she experiences is difficult to define. It could go ether way. Is she just suffering from stress or is this actually something that is off. This is what makes this book so great.

Amazing, a really page turner, I read it across two nights. A thriller with a great sense of suspense. It keep's pushing your forward. The plot is gripping. The ending is a climax and surprise. A Complete gem. 4 1/2 Stars.

I love this author all the books are amazing including this one. Will definitely look out for the next book

I just finished this book and loved it. A classic page turner with great characters riding many twists and turns. The story begins with Freya and her daughter, Skye at a crossroads. Her ex husband has died and they have to move. She meets a man in a coffee shop who is looking for a tenant. Long story short they move to a fabulous place called the Adder House. He puts them there rent free and creepy things begin to happen with the tennants, school, the owners. Thank you #netgalley for the Advanced read.

This was a quick read with a cool premise that didn't fully live up to expectations. It centers around Freya, a recently widowed woman raising her 5 year old daughter and struggling financially. She meets the rich and somewhat creepy Dr. Marsden in a coffee shop and he sells her on moving into an apartment in his building for whatever she can afford, even though that area should be far out of her reach of affordability. Once she arrives, creepy things start to happen and she sees that there is a weird dynamic between the tenants of the house. Also, there are tie-backs to a psychological conditioning experiment that happened decades ago, leaving the reader to try to figure out who is pulling out the reference to this experiment and what it has to do with Freya.

I had 2 issues with the execution of the book. One was around Freya's actions in general. How gullible could she be to move into the house in the first place without doing any real research, or question why they were giving her such a great rate. She also apparently couldn't find any history of the house or it's previous inhabitants online, nor could she figure out what was going on with her daughter at school. I was frustrated with her for most of the book. My other issue is that the eventual tie-in of Freya's story to the psychological experiment of the past seemed not only like a stretch, but a loosely woven one at that. It didn't ring true to me and I couldn't figure out why the villain was even doing what they were doing, or how they made the connection to the earlier experiment. The potential was there but that was supposed to be the culmination of the story and it just wasn't clear or well done.

Overall, it was a fast read that had potential but just didn't go where it could have gone with that potential. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.