I was really excited to read The Woman in Room 13 – from the blurb it sounded like an atmospheric locked room thriller, perfect for dark, cold nights curled up with a book.

Kerry has been employed as a caretaker for a remote and closed motel over winter. However, when a dead body appears (and subsequently disappears!) from the snow outside her room, she starts to suspect she may not be as alone as first suspected.

The narrative of The Woman in Room 13 skips between perspective and timelines –Kerry in the present and another caretaker in the past. This worked nicely to keep the tension fresh and to drip-feed information to the reader about what has been happening at the motel. However, both of the character’s personalities and narrative voices are very, very similar, which led to some initial confusion as I was reading. I also found that I didn’t really empathise with either of them, which is a shame. Kerry has some substance issues and some mental health problems, which lead her to become an unreliable narrator as we get further into understanding her past. It also leads to her making some very questionable decisions which causes frustration for the reader.

Sadly, this book didn’t grip me as much as I expected it would, and I kept looking for excuses to put it down. The story felt slow and dragged out in the middle and other than the nice twist at the very last chapter, the plot was actually quite simplistic looking back at it in hindsight. I certainly predicted quite a few of the twists far before they arrived.

Overall, The Woman in Room 13 is a slow-burn thriller - but with two main characters who sounded the same and I didn’t care for, it didn’t leave me as gripped as I would have liked. Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Random House – Michael Joseph for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is said to be a feminist retelling of the Shining but it's much more than that! Very creepy and horror filled, this has to be read with no food as you might be sick and read in the day time! Very atmospheric. VERY atmospheric .

Sadly I did not enjoy this book. I was excited to read it after the description, but found the reality different. It was very slow going, quite soporific in places, and I just couldn’t get to grips with it. I found the constant switching of narration confusing and had to keep backtracking so see who was narrating that particular section. It did not have the suspense that I anticipated. I did not enjoy the S&M references which I found unnecessary. On the whole a big disappointment.

This book was confusing at times flitting between 2 different peoples points of view. But in the end it actually shocked me who the unaliver was! I wouldn't highly recommend it but its worth a read if you want a quick thriller.

The winter caretaker job at the Twilite Motel seems like the ideal opportunity for Kerry to focus on her writing and take a break from the mess her life has become.

However, when she arrives, her room is in disarray, and the previous caretaker’s luggage is still there. Taking a different room, Kerry decides it must be a mistake.

However, the next morning, she sees a woman’s body in the snow… The locals don’t believe her and when the police arrive the body has disappeared.

Trapped in the snow Kerry realises she might not be as alone as she thinks. What happened to the previous woman in room 13 and can Kerry figure it out before it’s too late?

An ok thriller which gradually comes together with some clever twists (but nothing like The Shining).

Left alone to manage an abandoned motel in the middle of nowhere- what could possibly go wrong for Kelly? Unfortunately for her, the motel's not as empty as she was promised, and sinister spooky things start to happen.
A good premise but I wasnt sold on the story-telling Im afraid and was waiting for the story to end.

This was a bit of a slow read for me and felt very drawn out. I don't mind when there are multiple POVs however if was very hard to separate the two characters and if the author couldn't make them sound different, they should have stuck to one POV. I just didn't gel with the writing or characters and ultimately dnf'd

Recovering alcoholic Kerry takes a job as a caretaker at a remote motel that is closed for the winter. She hopes the isolated location, away from distractions, will keep her off the booze and focused on completing the manuscript of her novel. However, things go wrong immediately. When she arrives and follows the written welcome instructions, she discovers her allocated room littered with a woman’s belongings and the debris from a seemingly wild party. And then, outside, she spots a hand with painted fingernails poking out of the snow. Let’s just say her writing takes a backseat to the small matter of getting out alive. And as for remaining sober, well… can you blame her?
Ideal for fans of slow-burn, straightforward storytelling with plenty of twists.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

Upon publication, I will post this review on my blog and on GoodReads.

This was a sort of modern-day take on Stephen King's The Shining, which was referenced a few times throughout.
Kerry has been hired to stay at a roadside motel to take care of the place while it was closed during winter. It's also supposed to give her time away to write her novel. She's supposed to be the only person there. However, she quickly finds a room filled with someone else's belongings and what looks like the aftermath of a booze and drug fuelled party. Soon after, she finds the body of a woman in the snow. Now she's stuck in the middle of nowhere, snowed in, with a dead body that keeps disappearing.

The synopsis sounded great, and I had high hopes for this one, but I struggled. It took me the better part of two days to get through it, with me continuously finding myself becoming distracted with other things just so I was doing something other than reading. Usually, if I'm super into a book, nothing distracts me. I just kept finding every reason not to pick it back up again.
The story itself was great, with plenty of twists that keep the reader guessing throughout. However, it was the pace of the story that I struggled with. It was incredibly slow, and I just kept waiting for something, anything to happen.
I am glad I stuck with it, as the twists kept me from giving up, but I found myself skimming some of the more dull parts.

First time I read this author, but I really enjoyed The Woman in Room 13. It was a slow starter but kept me on the edge of my seat. I found the plot exciting with lots of twists and turns and unpredictable happenings. Enjoyed the dual timelines as they fitted perfectly

The characters were alittle dry but non the less, I found this story very good.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books

I stopped reading this book at 50% so please understand that this book could have got better and therefore should be taken into consideration with my rating. I didn’t like how this book was written, I didn’t connect with the characters.

The Woman in Room 13 by Leah Konen
☆☆☆Publication date 30th January 2025
This book is brilliant 👏
An isolated motel.
A body in the snow.
A killer is lying in wait...
I love a good isolated location thriller, and this is one of the most sinister I've read. Plenty of shocks, twists, and turns, I loved every moment. The perfect cosy mystery to curl up with ☕️🔥❄️
Thanks @leahkonen @netgalley and @randomhouse for my arc. Highly recommended xx

I was looking forward to reading this book, and I thought it started out promisingly ,but then nothing much happened, and I got a bit bored .For me it never really clicked again and I found it to be quite slow. So it was a bit of a disappointment for me.

It is such a shame as I was looking forward to this book from its description. Please bare in mind this is entirely my opinion based on what I've read , this review in no way should be taken as "don't read this book". Everyone has their own tastes,

This book intricately weaves together the stories of two characters as it delves into the enigmatic motel. One timeline captures Kerry's unsettling journey upon her arrival, revealing her discoveries and the eerie atmosphere surrounding her. The other timeline immerses readers in the experiences of the previous caretaker, chronicling the haunting events that unfolded in the month leading up to Kerry's visit. Together, these narratives unveil the motel's secrets and the connections between its past and present.
There were a lot of different thriller tropes, and it did start becoming a little predictable. However, some of my guesses became red herrings, which was nice considering how predictable it was becoming. It took me about 40% of the book to get in, but once I got up in the morning, I ended up finishing the last 60% in just about one sitting.

My challenge with the story was that its pacing felt like a slow burn, making it hard for me to stay invested. I found myself longing for a pivotal moment to occur earlier, something to capture my attention and ignite my interest, drawing me deeper into the narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy of this.in exchange for my honest feedback

This book is a bit hit & miss for me. Is it the best book I’ve read? No. Is it the worst? Again, No.
It’s an easy read, but whilst reading it, it felt a bit familiar. It felt like I’d read it before.
The plot line was a bit basic and the characters could maybe have had a bit more to them. The writing style was relatively slow paced, so at times it felt like you’d been reading for a while yet the story itself was no further along.
I’d recommend anyone read it, as we all have differing thoughts and opinions and I know for a fact, this will appeal to others, it just wasn’t for me I’m afraid.

Whilst getting off to a slow start, this turned into a very easy read.

The storyline keeps you interested the entire time, and the characters are well developed and likeable.
I'm definitely looking forward to more from this author.

Oh wow...what a waste of time. I found this book to be strange, totally unbelieveable, unrealistic and, well, awful.
The plot was laughable. The characters were 2 dimensional. The writing, simplistic.
Give it a miss.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. After a slow start I ended up really enjoying this book and found it to be a great who done it mystery. I thought all the characters had a strange vibe about them which resulted in a greater sense of mystery. I did question a few times if the plot was the result of an over active imagination but I’ll leave it to you to decide. Overall an enjoyable book. 4 stars

The Woman in Room 13
By Leah Konen
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Slow start but got there! Very creepy storyline …. Kerry is a recovering alcoholic and the author makes you wonder what’s in Kerry’s mind and what’s reality ….

Hooked at some parts of this book and definitely creeped me out at times!

Edge of your seat thriller once it gets there - if you’re thing is isolated creepiness then this one is for you!

#psychologicalthriller #thriller #motel #creepymotel #leahkonen #gifted #busymum #catmum

Okay so for me this was a slow burner but once it got going I couldn’t put it down. Full of mystery and intrigue and I couldn’t work out what was going to happen. The main character is this I loved, they were super interesting and very well written. First book by this author but I would read again.