The Apartment Sitter: A Gripping Psychological Thriller

by Paige Brooks

Genres: Thriller, Suspense

543 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 5, 2026

About the author

Hi, I’m Paige Brooks—and I write psychological thrillers that dig deep into memory, fear, and the secrets we bury.

Thrillers have always been my favorite kind of story—the kind that leave you unsettled, second-guessing reality, and flipping pages late into the night. The Cage Within is the first in a growing collection of twisty, emotionally layered suspense stories that I can’t wait to share with readers who love that slow-burn tension and eerie atmosphere.

I’ve been married to my husband for over 30 years, and we have one incredible son and two slightly spoiled dogs. We recently moved from the West Coast to the East Coast—a change that definitely inspired the quiet unease and creeping tension in my writing.

If you enjoy thrillers with sharp turns, emotional depth, and that feeling that something’s just out of reach… then I think we’re going to get along just fine.

Reviews

[Bob Kleber · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Dazed and Confused”

Still don’t know what crime this woman was committing by staying in a luxurious apartment as a caretaker. What crime was the owner of the apartment committing? I guess I need someone to explain it to me after I wasted my time plowing through this overly dramatic saga.

[Deniece L. Eden · Rating 2 out of 5]

MAYBE NEEDS RE-EDITING

This book started off ok but not even 1/4 of the way through it started to get annoying and tedious because the same information was repeated unnecessarily not once but many many times. Not sure if this was an AI generated book but regardless it could have been 100 pages less if it got rid of the repetitive text.

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a one-star only because I managed to read the whole thing. But if half-stars were possible, it would be that.

If you enjoy being beaten over the head with Marin being a failed actress, but so full of her acting skills that we have to hear every...single...thing, compared to her training or a performance, and to preparing for each scene as a role. It's a cute premise and would've been clever in moderation, but it was anything but moderate.

Also, Marin is a classic main character who does stupid things. I actually yelled "No!" at the book at least twice, which I'm not sure I've ever done, just because she was just being so stupid.

Other notes:

For crying out loud, if you need to show the police proof of Patricia and a recruitment meeting, show them all the videos, pictures, and documents that you stored on your phone!! I kept waiting for this to come out to get her set free, but it never did. Show them the whole laptop!

It was really unclear how exactly the person in charge of this scheme was making money off it. In fact, given the carte blanche that Marin had to spend Gen's money via credit cards, wouldn't this be a loss scheme?

Was everything in Genevieve's wardrobe made of cashmere? Apparently, in one scene, Marin threw on a t-shirt and yoga leggings to go out, then later made an internal comment about how comfortable it was to wear cashmere. Um...yoga pants?

So much identity confusion! Without drawing a diagram to track who was who, when, and where, I got so lost about who was real and who was not that I stopped caring. Not really what the author was going for, I don't think.

I will just gloss over how ridiculous it is that a stranger can pass for someone else after only a month or two so convincingly that it fools a lifelong best friend AND a longtime therapist? I think she went out for coffee with her best friend on the third day. But oh, that's right, Marin was an ACTRESS and brilliantly playing a role. Ugh.

The court scene felt like the author really wanted to take a stab at a legal drama for a minute, but found it too hard or boring to really write about, so it was really flat and unbelievable. No one would win a case against documented, forensic evidence and testimony from the FBI by constantly saying, "Well, that's what you want us to think," or "that's probably what you were wanting it to look like." Um, objection! Speculation? Something? Anyone?

Also, why was Marin's one little unrelated credit card fraud discrepancy from years ago being tried alongside her being the mastermind of a human trafficking and wire fraud operation? They may have brought that up in court as supporting evidence to why she might be involved, but it wouldn't be the same charges and trial. In fact, a good attorney could have gotten that indiscretion to be inadmissible at trial.

Let's talk about the repetitiveness. The first part, maybe 15-20%, had a little, but it was mostly just tiresome. "X costs/is worth more than I make in a week/month/year." Over and over again. There are ways to describe being excited about sudden luxury items without repeating the same comparisons.

Then the repetition got really annoying. The main character acted shocked/nervous/appalled multiple times when being told something she already knew. And then constant rehashing via internal monologue. I swear this paragraph was repeated dozens of times, with slight variations: "Four girls. Four girls are missing or dead. They were all just like me. Will I be next?" Ugh ugh. And the million times I had to reread a paragraph describing the details of the real Patricia was baffling. Did the author think I had forgotten that she had been described the first time, only one or two chapters earlier?

Finally, there were large sections that were literally copy/pasted from earlier in the book. Sometimes, a whole chapter would start with the exact few paragraphs the previous one ended in. There were descriptions of things, like coming home and feeling like someone had been there, that were so obviously copy-pasted that I literally had to check several times whether my Kindle had jumped back or something.

To be honest, by the end, I was so sick of Marin, so sick of the nonstop comparison of everything to acting, and so tired of trying to figure out what was going on, that I just read faster and faster to get to the end finally. But oh... the ending epilogue... it just physically hurt to read. I don't know if it was meant as a setup to a sequel, but it was just so stupid that after everything Marin went through, she was going to...what...just do it all again? Sigh.

Also, what was causing the noises in the office during the first two nights? Was someone in there? Who and why? I guess we'll never know.


I do not recommend.

[Joni T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short Story Stretched to Full Novel

The repetitiveness of this novel is maddening. This was basically a short story stretched out with repeated conversations, plots, and theories. The whole book was a series of short paragraphs containing so many of the same similes it was just laughable. I admit the book held my attention but only because I hoped it would get better. The plot had way too many holes to be even slightly believable. The main character vacillates between being incredibly naive and then becoming a master sleuth figuring out theories that apparently stumped the FBI. This is not character development because it happens over and over even within the same chapter. The book had an interesting premise just very poorly executed.

[Carla O · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Interesting Premise

This story was compelling, although full of holes. The writer used the same vehicle to make her point ad nauseam. It left so many questions and begged to know why the main character did not do the obvious when questioned. It was easy to see that due to her history, she did not have the means or opportunity to commit the crimes she was accused of. Also, when she was hired, she was given specific instructions, which if not followed to the letter, would have consequences.
She almost immediately ignored those instructions and was not reprimanded in any way. The whole purpose of what she was doing was never explained as to how anyone was profiting from the scheme. Just poorlywritten.

[Kellyanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute phenomenon—a genuine page-turner that stands out as truly outstanding fiction. From the moment I started, I was utterly captivated by the intricately woven plot and the sheer momentum of the narrative.

The storyline itself is remarkably clever and immediately drew me into a world of desperation and dangerous opportunity. At the centre is Marin, a talented but down-on-her-luck actress who finds herself facing the very real threat of eviction. In a moment of acute financial crisis, she stumbles upon a suspiciously generous Craigslist ad. The offer is for an apartment sitter, but with an alarming catch: she must completely assume another person’s identity for the duration of the job. For Marin, who was desperately in need of the money to stave off homelessness and secure a place to stay, the offer felt less like a choice and more like a necessary lifeline—a chance she seized with a palpable sense of desperate gratitude.

The entire premise of the novel is ingenious—it immediately begs the question, "What could possibly go wrong?" In Marin’s increasingly nightmarish experience, the answer is a resounding, "Almost everything." The story grabs hold with iron-grip suspense from the very first page, refusing to let up. The author continually builds layers of tension and paranoia, masterfully planting seeds of doubt and fear. The narrative successfully keeps the reader constantly guessing, second-guessing every character and situation, right up until the shocking, satisfying revelation of the very last moment.

Thank you, Ms. Brooks, for delivering an absolutely thrilling, deeply immersive, and unforgettable read that I will be recommending to everyone I know!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 - The concept of this thriller was intriguing. It’s fast paced, filled with suspense, twists, and turns. The main character, Marin, is an actress who has had difficulty landing a job to keep her housed and fed. Her friends have kicked her out of their apartment. That is when she finds an ad for an apartment sitter and she thinks it’s an answer to her prayers. That turns out not to be the case. The thriller takes off from there.

This would be a solid 4.0-4.25 start read except that there are inconsistencies in the narrative. When Marin first arrives at the apartment, she notices the lack of photos yet a few chapters later the narrative treats this as new information. There are lines and paragraphs that are repeated. The same exact description is used to describe coffee shops, right down to telling us about the single-origin beans. One of the most obvious ones is the description of the woman who’s murdered in the apartment. The body is of a woman in her 60s but the victim is later said to be 40s. Also, when Marin is shown a photo of the victim from 3 years prior, she says she’s never seen her yet she was present when the body was found.

[Lizzi C · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the most badly written books I have ever read in my life. Not because the story is bad - the story itself is interesting. But because it reads like someone put multiple prompts into AI, copy pasted them together, and failed to edit them into an actual book. There are massive inconsistencies - everything from the main character’s hair color changing with no explanation throughout, to big reveals that are suddenly totally ignored, then become a big reveal again later. Paragraphs and sentences repeat themselves so many times, and dates, hours and details change at random. At one point the main character was driving away from her apartment for two sentences, only to be back in her apartment with no explanation for where she had gone or when she returned. If you ever consider writing a book with AI, use this as a cautionary tale.

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

The foundation for this story was great. Apartment sitter needed for a busy, wealthy VP for 6 months to keep up a lived in appearance. Kinda twisty, but towards the end there seemed to be some disjointedness in what was actually going to happen to Marin-the sitter. A few inconsistencies I let the author know about, so hopefully you aren't seeing these in the final version. I am generously giving 3.5* as I did enjoy the story line and the players. Side note-I assumed Sloane would be involved in the whole mess due to the fact that I 100% would recognize my best friend, no questions asked and not mistake her for some actress stepping into her life....that was a bit out there for me to believe.

[Tina Lincoln · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living can be Deadly
Marin Hayes has worked hard for years to be a good actress. The only problem with that, is she has not landed a position to keep her housed, fed, and overall living. Instead, she has been kicked out of her apartment that she rented a part of... now what?
She finds an ad to be an apartment sitter... what could be so hard about that?
This story is one that shines a light on how hard just living can be for many people. It also shows a tiny bit of what some people might go to to exploit that.
I kept reading through to find out exactly what happens to Marin.
Thank you, Paige Brooks, for a good story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and this is my honest review.

[Cat B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an intriguing idea, one that grabs the reader almost immediately. What would desperation lead you to do? Marin is desperate, and the solution to her distress is offered to her almost on a silver platter. The story unfolds from there and is almost impossible to put down. For a story that almost seems to be taking place in the "real world", no supernatural goings on etc, I did find that I had to suspend my disbelief more than a few times. Other than that it was an interesting read and it did hold my attention. I did find it a bit long but I enjoyed it for what it is.
I received a copy of this book via the author and I voluntarily leave my opinion of the tale.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Apartment Sitter: A Gripping Psychological Thriller (Twisted Secrets: A Psychological Thriller Collection), my second read from author Paige Brooks, I may have just found a new favorite author. A 543-page psychological thriller. After reading The Island House I was hooked, this book is even better! A domestic thriller, I enjoyed the outstanding suspense story-line. I was given a complementary Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily reading & reviewing it. I'm going back to the first books I got from her and look forward to reading more from this author with The Cage Within and Only One Gets Out already high on my TBR list. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[psych0_4books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the twists and turns of the plot but some parts felt a bit repetitive. I was a bit iffy on the FMC. I understood her desire to be noticed and to finally have nice things but I was so annoyed with her choices.

The romance subplot was not needed and I was annoyed with the MMC.

The intricate way that the villain set everything in motion was fascinating. I guessed the person and motive about halfway through (thanks Law & Order!). Still a great read and I recommend it to those who enjoy psychological thrillers/mysteries.

[Bren]

I couldn't even begin to articulate just how freaking good this book is I couldn't help myself I cast aside everything I should have been doing so I could read this book in its entirety. Immediately I was pulled in by the apartment sitting offer it seemed to good to be true, but when your down on your luck like Marin you'll grab hold of anything like it's a lifeline. If I was allowed to give more than five stars I'd surely give them kudos Ms.Brooks on a thrilling book.

[Angela Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would probably give this 3.5 stars. I liked the premise of the book and thought the idea was interesting. My main issues in the book were there were a couple of times where I am pretty sure the exact same conversation happened in multiple chapters. There were also times that Marin learned things, and then when she heard it again from someone else she acted totally shocked like she had no idea. There were some inconsistencies on what was said was happening to then what actually happened.

[Kenneth Lingenfelter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marin is an out of work actress and is being evicted from her apartment. She answers a craigslist add for an apartment sitter. She is desperate and needs money and a place to stay. The offer is too good to be true. The story line grabs you from the beginning and builds throughout. It kept me wanting to find out what would happen next. This was a page turner for me.

[Suzan Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. It was a very interesting storyline. Hire someone to apartment sit and pretend to be someone else. Ingenious, what could possibly go wrong. For Marin who gratefully accepts this position as she was just evicted, almost everything. This story will have you guessing right up until the end!

[Myra McCulloch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Advance copy provided hy author.

My rating would be 3.5 stars

Basically a good story however some inconsistency with time lines and characters.
Repetive decisions by main character were hard to fathom along with 'best friend' not realising she was engaging with an imposter.

Thank you for the opportunity to read your book

[karin whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this novel from ARC,and this s my review. A actress wannabe, Marin Hayes applies for the House sitter at the right time She gets the job, immediately. The rules are crazy but the pay for six months is too good, never thinking twice. A role of her life time. Fast paced, great characters, a storyline that captivate you!

[Nicole Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marin is offered what she thinks is a great oppurtunity and money she lives in another woman’s place her life she can not break the rules that are in place
friends mistake her and the ex comes

But if it sounds too good it usually is.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a type of book I would normally read … and more pages than I prefer….. once I started reading I could not put it down. This is probably one of the most favorite books I’ve read. Keeps you on your toes with all the twists in it. Def worth reading . So glad I stepped out of my normal genre to read this
You will not be disappointed

[Camie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book kept my interest because I wanted to find out what crime was committed. However, the reader never does find out. The chapters were short; which I appreciated. The suspense was there, but 3/4 of the way in it became repetitive. The main character is taking on someone else’s life, but WHY??

[Carol Gulick · Rating 4 out of 5]

No 5

Parts of this book were amazing. Parts were so bad I almost stopped reading. That was when I thought if I have to hear, rather, read, "cost more than my rent, cost more than...." one more time, I quit! But other parts were awesome, like slot of the anologies, like "smells like bleach and desperation."

[Naveed Ahmed · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird unbelievable (in a bad way) book

I realize that every fiction book requires some level of suspension of disbelief. This one might be the worst in this department. And it ends with too many open questions. It reads like a book my a talented teenager who's just starting out. Why did I give it 2 stars instead of 1? It kept me curious enough to finish the book and didn't go into my DNF pile.

Spoilers ahead ...

How does one take another person's identity and meet their best friend and lover and have them believe it?

If the whole scheme is based on using this identity, how exactly is the schemer making money? This is never answered.

There are other incongruences and unanswered questions.

[Oralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paige Brooks has written a great psychological thriller with the Apartment Sitter.
This well written thriller kept me reading late into the night. With interesting characters and twists that kept me guessing I couldn't wait to pick it up.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend

[Shannon Binegar-Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual Paige has given us a complete mind bending experience. I was immersed immediately. So many twists and turns. What a complete roller coaster ride. Still not sure I fully comprehend exactly what transpired. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book provided by booksprout.

[Kelly Peterson-Cupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this entire book in less than 12 hours. It sucked me in. There were a few inconsistencies but nothing I couldn't get past. I hated that it ended on a cliffhanger. Will there be a follow-up to this particukar story?

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Down and out actress Marin Hayes grabs the wonderful opportunity to apartment sit, but just can't resist trying on the expensive lifestyle.  How dangerous is crossing the line and playing pretend?Gripping.

[Rita A. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent reading

I couldn’t put this book down. I read until all early hours of the morning until I finished it. I must say the ending was a shocker for me. Reading this has gotten me into the psychological filler collections again. This was a very exciting book with many twists.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

Such a good story. I love the way she wrote about performing in our regular lives, trying to be who we are expected to be, who we expect ourselves to be. But not knowing who we really are sometimes. I love the growth in the main character. The end? See for yourself.