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Spare Room
Home Is Where The Nightmare Is
Beautiful double room to let to single person
Lisa, a troubled young woman with a past, can’t believe her luck when she finds a beautiful room to rent in a large house. The live-in owners are a kind and welcoming couple. Everything is fine until she finds a suicide note hidden in her room. But when the couple insist this man didn’t exist and that Lisa is their first tenant, Lisa begins to doubt herself.
Compelled to uncover the secrets of the man who lived in the room before her, Lisa is alarmed when increasingly disturbing incidents start to happen. Someone doesn’t want Lisa to find out the truth.
As the four walls of this house and its secrets begin to close in on Lisa, she descends into a hellish hall of mirrors where she’s not sure what’s real and what’s not as she claws her way towards the truth…
This room has already claimed one victim?
Is it about to take another?
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 29, 2019
3347 people are currently reading
11720 people want to read
About the author
Dreda Say Mitchell
46 books521 followersHer Majesty, The Queen appointed Dreda an MBE in her 2020 New Year’s Honours’ List. Dreda scooped the CWA’s John Creasey Dagger in 2004, the first time a Black British author has received this honour. Dreda and Ryan write across the crime and mystery genre – psychological thrillers, gritty gangland crime and fast-paced action books Spare Room, their first psychological thriller was a #1 UK and US Amazon Bestseller. Dreda is one of twelve acclaimed and bestselling international female writers contributing to a new Miss Marple anthology. Dreda is a passionate campaigner and speaker on social issues and the arts. She has been a frequent guest on television and radio including BBC Breakfast,, Celebrity Pointless and Celebrity Eggheads, The Stephen Nolan Show, Front Row and Woman’s Hour. She has presented Radio 4’s flagship books programme, Open Book. Dreda was named one of Britain’s 50 Remarkable Women by Lady Geek in association with Nokia. She was the 2011 chair of the Theakston Harrogate Crime Fiction Festival. Dreda was born and raised in the East End of London where she continues to live. Dreda’s family are from the beautiful Caribbean island of Grenada and her name is pronounced with a long ‘ee’ sound in the middle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,417 reviews
June 28, 2019
**Spoiler Alert**
Okay, I didn't like this story. However, that's not to say it's a bad book and for the most part it was suspenseful...ish, keeping a somewhat tenuous hold on my interest. It's very much a plot-driven story, told from the POV of our protagonist, Lisa, who is the newest tenant of the "Spare Room". A room that somehow connects her past to her present. A past she can only vaguely remember.
Ideally, and in my opinion, a suspenseful thriller must create an atmosphere of impending doom, multiple layers of conflict, a convincing villain, high stakes, sustained suspense, but more importantly, the reader must care about the main protagonist. While most of these elements are present in this book; unfortunately, DS Mitchell missed the most important one.
Why should I care about Lisa, or in her quest for answers? And for that matter, why was there even a quest in the first instance. Quite frankly, the entire premise (and conflict) of the story could have been resolved with one conversation with Lisa's parents and since they really were not culpable or party to the "mystery", all they needed to say was: "you're adopted, and this is why?". I'm not quite sure of their motivation for withholding this life-impacting information. It was inexcusable, made no sense; and even after finishing the book, I still don't buy Mitchell's spin.
Had that conversation happened, Lisa would have
a) Gotten proper psychiatric care
b) Not rented the spare room, ergo, no psychological trauma or impending doom thereby making the premise redundant.
Predominantly, the biggest issues I had with this story were the one-dimensional characters (even Lisa, whom I might consider multi-dimensional, was little more than the archetypal female protagonist that litter this subgenre), likewise the excessive foreshadowing that made the plot twists impalpable.
Ultimately, and even though I think this was mostly generic, I'll definitely read other books by this author.
August 25, 2020
A somewhat anomalous book, a psychological thriller, a little like Alfred Hitchcock’s style, where nothing happens but you have the feeling that something scary will happen. In short, it would seem the real suspense, the dream of every lover of thriller books. Here, however, it lasts a bit too long, in the sense that for 330 pages there is all this expectation and then in the last 20 pages the mystery is solved and we realize that it was not such a big mystery. All the stubbornness of Lisa (the protagonist) that we struggle to understand for much of the book, then turns out to be based on her feeling that in her childhood there was some important and obscure fact. At the end of the book we discover that this feeling was well-founded, but the "twists" that reveal the mystery are quite banal and very exploited in the thriller genre. The mysterious house has nothing paranormal about it; the mysterious garden turns out to be just the cover of a small cannabis grow; the cannabis grower was not a ferocious serial killer, but just a normal asshole; the massacre of Lisa's childhood is due to a story of marital betrayal: in short, a fairly insipid book, which can be read, but it is certainly not one that does not make you detach from the pages, especially because it is written with a style quite heavy, with the protagonist who for pages and pages distresses us with all her paranoia and her confused flashbacks, with long moments of pause, with her nightmares. The idea could have been interesting, there are question marks that stimulate reading to know how it ends, but it is not supported by a narrative style suitable for dramatic moments. The style is sloppy, muddled and the author has exaggerated in digging into Lisa's altered psyche and failed to emphasize the climaxes of the narrative. In a Psychology essay it might have been fine, in a thriller definitely not. I am sorry that a great writer like Lee Child has accepted to write on the back cover that this is "The Scariest, Most Exciting and Best Thriller You Will Read This Year": this book has nothing scary or exciting. Two stars.
February 14, 2019
Stupid
Sorry but what have I just read. This was just awful. Unrealistic and just plain bad...... kept hoping it would get better. It got even worse.
Sorry but what have I just read. This was just awful. Unrealistic and just plain bad...... kept hoping it would get better. It got even worse.
August 30, 2023
Y soy muy generosa con las 2 estrellas.
Qué puto despropósito.
Y predecible hasta decir basta.
Qué puto despropósito.
Y predecible hasta decir basta.
February 12, 2019
It kills me not to finish a book, but I couldn't get past 18%.
It's becoming clear to me that authors don't know how to write women. Either we're crazy, or drunk, or possessive or submissive or complete assholes - as was the case of our main character here. Lisa was rude, entitled and judgemental (I knew I would hate this book when, right on the first pages she bashed tattoos, cigarette smokers and botox).
Nothing made sense in this story: who the hell wants to stay in a house where the landlord (WHO LIVES THERE) corners them in their own room with a clear intent to rape or hurt them? And then he and his all-knowing, enabling wife tell her to leave and she still refuses to go!?
If this was real life and I saw that woman on the street I would throw my Kindle at her face.
I'm sad because I wanted to know what happened in that house, with the suicide guy, but this was pure torture.
It's becoming clear to me that authors don't know how to write women. Either we're crazy, or drunk, or possessive or submissive or complete assholes - as was the case of our main character here. Lisa was rude, entitled and judgemental (I knew I would hate this book when, right on the first pages she bashed tattoos, cigarette smokers and botox).
Nothing made sense in this story: who the hell wants to stay in a house where the landlord (WHO LIVES THERE) corners them in their own room with a clear intent to rape or hurt them? And then he and his all-knowing, enabling wife tell her to leave and she still refuses to go!?
If this was real life and I saw that woman on the street I would throw my Kindle at her face.
I'm sad because I wanted to know what happened in that house, with the suicide guy, but this was pure torture.
November 6, 2023
Otra vez que me la han metido doblada. Que si "la maestra del suspense", "la tensión está por las nubes"...
Pues no voy a decir como tengo la tensión pero...
Nada, ni chicha ni limoná.
Como dice mi hija..."aporta o aparta".
Pues no voy a decir como tengo la tensión pero...
Nada, ni chicha ni limoná.
Como dice mi hija..."aporta o aparta".
July 20, 2019
So I really hated this. Like a lot. I’m fed up of unreliable female narrators and “dramas” that could have been resolved with a few simple conversations.
February 10, 2019
SPARE ROOM by Dreda Say Mitchell is a stand-alone dark psychological thriller that will suck you in right from the beginning. I had to keep on reading to figure out what was going on. I am so glad I read this book, because I had to know what happened! This was a winner!
Beautiful double room in wonderful large house in North London to let to single person.
“Lisa, a troubled young woman with a past, can’t believe her luck when she finds a beautiful room to rent in a large house. The live-in owners are a kind and welcoming couple. Everything is fine until she finds a suicide note hidden in her room. But when the couple insist this man didn’t exist and that Lisa is their first tenant, Lisa begins to doubt herself.”
Lisa is a troubled young woman who suffers from terrible nightmares, has physical body scars and the nightmares cause her to sleep walk, so she ties her leg to the bed post every night.
The live-in owners, Martha and Jack want Lisa to be very happy in their home. Lisa will be living in a place that’s not really her own. A place already occupied by the people who own it: two strangers!
Lisa is determined to uncover the truth…to undercover the secrets of the man who lived in the room before her. Then, disturbing incidents start to happen. Is someone trying to cover up the truth?
To reveal more, would disclose spoilers. Let’s just say things are not what they seem!
If you love psychological thrillers then I highly recommend this novel. You won’t regret it.
Many thanks to Bloodhound Books via NetGalley for my digital copy.
Beautiful double room in wonderful large house in North London to let to single person.
“Lisa, a troubled young woman with a past, can’t believe her luck when she finds a beautiful room to rent in a large house. The live-in owners are a kind and welcoming couple. Everything is fine until she finds a suicide note hidden in her room. But when the couple insist this man didn’t exist and that Lisa is their first tenant, Lisa begins to doubt herself.”
Lisa is a troubled young woman who suffers from terrible nightmares, has physical body scars and the nightmares cause her to sleep walk, so she ties her leg to the bed post every night.
The live-in owners, Martha and Jack want Lisa to be very happy in their home. Lisa will be living in a place that’s not really her own. A place already occupied by the people who own it: two strangers!
Lisa is determined to uncover the truth…to undercover the secrets of the man who lived in the room before her. Then, disturbing incidents start to happen. Is someone trying to cover up the truth?
To reveal more, would disclose spoilers. Let’s just say things are not what they seem!
If you love psychological thrillers then I highly recommend this novel. You won’t regret it.
Many thanks to Bloodhound Books via NetGalley for my digital copy.
January 30, 2019
4.5 ⭐️
Dreda Say Mitchell is one of my favourite gritty crime thriller authors, so I was thrilled to receive a copy of her latest book Spare Room. I must admit I picked up this book with some trepidation as the author has moved away from her normal genre and written a psychological thriller. I’m thrilled to report that not only has the author written a corker of a psychological thriller, it’s one that makes you question everything you read. Mitchell has incorporated all the elements that make for a fabulous read, unreliable narrators, a complex plot that makes you question every characters part in this deliciously, dark creepy tale, that becomes more disturbing with each turn of the page.
“Beautiful single room to let to a single person” an innocent ad, or so you would think, but as any psychological thriller lover will know this doesn’t bode well for a prospective lodger, in this case Lisa who has so many issues a psychologist would rub their hands with glee. I wondered if this book would be similar to Single White Female, but it soon becomes clear that this book is very different in every way. When Lisa takes a room with live-in owners Miranda and Jack, life appears to be good, but when Lisa finds a suicide note hidden in her room from a previous tenant, things take a very disturbing turn, one where appearances can be deceptive, and the adage “trust no one” comes into play.
I love an unreliable narrator and they don’t come more unreliable than Lisa, her story is not one than can be taken at face value, she appears unstable and deluded at times, but it’s this untrustworthiness that makes Spare Room such a twisted read. I really felt for Lisa there’s a sense of malevolence and manipulation from those around her, or is this what she wants us to believe? Only by reading the book will you know. There were other characters in this book I detested for reasons I will not go into here (no spoilers) but they added tension to the overall plot.
Mitchell manipulates the reader at every turn, as I finished each chapter the tone of the book grew darker and yet I needed to read on, to sort the truth from the lies, the good from the bad. Spare Room is full of twists I did not see coming, which always add to my overall enjoyment of a read, there’s nothing worse than guessing correctly the direction a read is taking. Mitchell takes familiar subjects such as deception, manipulation and buried secrets and incorporates them into an assured psychological thriller that’s both compelling and original in its telling. Highly recommended
All my reviews can be found at http://thebookreviewcafe.com
Dreda Say Mitchell is one of my favourite gritty crime thriller authors, so I was thrilled to receive a copy of her latest book Spare Room. I must admit I picked up this book with some trepidation as the author has moved away from her normal genre and written a psychological thriller. I’m thrilled to report that not only has the author written a corker of a psychological thriller, it’s one that makes you question everything you read. Mitchell has incorporated all the elements that make for a fabulous read, unreliable narrators, a complex plot that makes you question every characters part in this deliciously, dark creepy tale, that becomes more disturbing with each turn of the page.
“Beautiful single room to let to a single person” an innocent ad, or so you would think, but as any psychological thriller lover will know this doesn’t bode well for a prospective lodger, in this case Lisa who has so many issues a psychologist would rub their hands with glee. I wondered if this book would be similar to Single White Female, but it soon becomes clear that this book is very different in every way. When Lisa takes a room with live-in owners Miranda and Jack, life appears to be good, but when Lisa finds a suicide note hidden in her room from a previous tenant, things take a very disturbing turn, one where appearances can be deceptive, and the adage “trust no one” comes into play.
I love an unreliable narrator and they don’t come more unreliable than Lisa, her story is not one than can be taken at face value, she appears unstable and deluded at times, but it’s this untrustworthiness that makes Spare Room such a twisted read. I really felt for Lisa there’s a sense of malevolence and manipulation from those around her, or is this what she wants us to believe? Only by reading the book will you know. There were other characters in this book I detested for reasons I will not go into here (no spoilers) but they added tension to the overall plot.
Mitchell manipulates the reader at every turn, as I finished each chapter the tone of the book grew darker and yet I needed to read on, to sort the truth from the lies, the good from the bad. Spare Room is full of twists I did not see coming, which always add to my overall enjoyment of a read, there’s nothing worse than guessing correctly the direction a read is taking. Mitchell takes familiar subjects such as deception, manipulation and buried secrets and incorporates them into an assured psychological thriller that’s both compelling and original in its telling. Highly recommended
All my reviews can be found at http://thebookreviewcafe.com
October 31, 2023
Sin ser una maravilla, engancha bastante. La protagonista cree que se está volviendo loca, sueña con cosas que cree haber vivido pero no recuerda y su estabilidad mental hace aguas. Alquila una habitación en una enorme casa y a partir de aquí todas las piezas encajan.
Libro sencillo pero bastante adictivo, no está mal.
Libro sencillo pero bastante adictivo, no está mal.
July 4, 2025
En junio nos hemos hospedado en La habitación de invitados en el club de lectura Se ha escrito un crimen.
Lo mejor, mis compañeros de piso (y lectura), porque la casera Dreda Say Mitchell nos ofrece un inicio con reminiscencias a otras novelas recientes, un desarrollo que atrapa e invita a seguir pasando páginas con ganas... y un final, que no nos ha terminado de cuadrar. Porque para gustos los colores (aquí un daltónico 🙋🏻♂️😅), pero en este caso no es un tema de gustos... el cierre de la habitación tiene grietas.
Le iba a dar cuatro estrellas porque soy de ponderar el camino por encima de la meta, pero una estrella se me ha caído por esa grieta.
"Porque a mí, se me ha caído una estrella en el jardín" que cantaba Mari Trini cuando yo era un pequeñajo.
Lo mejor, mis compañeros de piso (y lectura), porque la casera Dreda Say Mitchell nos ofrece un inicio con reminiscencias a otras novelas recientes, un desarrollo que atrapa e invita a seguir pasando páginas con ganas... y un final, que no nos ha terminado de cuadrar. Porque para gustos los colores (aquí un daltónico 🙋🏻♂️😅), pero en este caso no es un tema de gustos... el cierre de la habitación tiene grietas.
Le iba a dar cuatro estrellas porque soy de ponderar el camino por encima de la meta, pero una estrella se me ha caído por esa grieta.
"Porque a mí, se me ha caído una estrella en el jardín" que cantaba Mari Trini cuando yo era un pequeñajo.
February 1, 2019
Spare Room is a sinister,enthralling thriller about a very troubled young woman named Lisa. Haunted by terrifying nightmares about a horrific event that happened in her past,an occurrence that left her mentally and physically scarred. Lisa can't believe her luck when she finds a beautiful room to let in a large house. The live in owners Martha and Jack are kind and welcoming and Lisa swiftly moves into their attic room. But sinister things start happening after Lisa finds a suicide note in her room and feels compelled to uncover the secrets of the man who was the room's previous tenant. A person who Martha and Jack insist never existed.
As the four walls of the house and its secrets begin to close in on her. Lisa begins to struggle deciphering what is real and what isn't as she claws her way towards the truth.
A devastating secret that someone is prepared to go to any lengths to stop Lisa uncovering.
Lisa was a likeable protagonist who I couldn't help rooting for as the story unfolded and she struggled with her doubts and anxieties. She really did have some major mental issues but didn't let them or the danger that she knew she was putting herself in stop her in her almost obsessive quest to uncover the truth. It appeared that almost every person in her life seemed to go out of their way to obstruct her search for answers. Sometimes using very devious and unethical methods to stop her. Interspersed throughout the book were chapters that were voiced by the man who was previously in Lisa's room but who was he? And why was Lisa so obsessed with uncovering his identity? My favourite characters were Lisa's ex boyfriend Alex and Patsy,the stubborn but loveable elderly neighbour who.lived next door to Martha and Jack. Many of the vivid characters in this book were untrustworthy,a couple were definitely not who they appeared to be. I was also surprised to find that by the end of the book,I ended up liking a character who I had previously disliked.
Spare Room is a well written,twist packed,page turner,a chilling tale of secrets,lies,deceptions and manipulation that had me hooked in from the very first page,totally enthralled by Lisa's chilling story. There was a genuine jaw dropping,omg moment that almost made me drop my kindle in shock.This is the first book that I have read by this author and it most definitely will not be my last. Very highly recommended by little old me.
Many thanks to Emma Welton (damppebbles) and BloodHound Books for a arc of this book and the opportunity to take part in the Blog Blitz
As the four walls of the house and its secrets begin to close in on her. Lisa begins to struggle deciphering what is real and what isn't as she claws her way towards the truth.
A devastating secret that someone is prepared to go to any lengths to stop Lisa uncovering.
Lisa was a likeable protagonist who I couldn't help rooting for as the story unfolded and she struggled with her doubts and anxieties. She really did have some major mental issues but didn't let them or the danger that she knew she was putting herself in stop her in her almost obsessive quest to uncover the truth. It appeared that almost every person in her life seemed to go out of their way to obstruct her search for answers. Sometimes using very devious and unethical methods to stop her. Interspersed throughout the book were chapters that were voiced by the man who was previously in Lisa's room but who was he? And why was Lisa so obsessed with uncovering his identity? My favourite characters were Lisa's ex boyfriend Alex and Patsy,the stubborn but loveable elderly neighbour who.lived next door to Martha and Jack. Many of the vivid characters in this book were untrustworthy,a couple were definitely not who they appeared to be. I was also surprised to find that by the end of the book,I ended up liking a character who I had previously disliked.
Spare Room is a well written,twist packed,page turner,a chilling tale of secrets,lies,deceptions and manipulation that had me hooked in from the very first page,totally enthralled by Lisa's chilling story. There was a genuine jaw dropping,omg moment that almost made me drop my kindle in shock.This is the first book that I have read by this author and it most definitely will not be my last. Very highly recommended by little old me.
Many thanks to Emma Welton (damppebbles) and BloodHound Books for a arc of this book and the opportunity to take part in the Blog Blitz
July 26, 2024
2.5⭐️
Geriausia knyga, kokią esu skaičiusi baugiai keistų namų ir jų gyventojų tema yra Edwards "Viešnagė". Jau tokia šiurpi, tokia realistiškų, blogų, šlykščių žmonių elgesio persunkta, kad negalėjau nesistebėt autoriaus talentu taip šiurpiai viską popieriuje perteikt. Neslėpsiu, kažko panašaus ir iš šios tikėjausi, bet to panašumo buvo tik krisleliai.
Labiau čia viskas sukasi ne apie creepy namus, nors jo, jų kambario nuomotojai tikrai ne patys šilčiausia žmonės, bet apie nuomininkės praeitį, jos psichologines problemas ir naktinius košmarus. Pagrindinė veikėja Liza tiek pilna problemų, kad nežinia nuo kurios pradėt jas spręst. Kažkas užsimenama apie vaikystės traumą, bendravimas su tėvais - lyg surežisuotas spektaklis, kuriame visi jaučias nejaukiai, jos asmeninis gyvenimas - palaida bala. Išsimuomotas kambarys prabangiame name žada lyg ir naują startą, bet įvelia ją į dar didesnę kebekenę. Ji bando susirankiot paslaptis, kurias nuo jos slepia visi aplinkiniai ir jaučia, kad šitas namas yra raktas.
Kiek čia dramos. Grynai, vieno pokalbio būt užtekę, kad Liza rastų ramybę, bet ne: čia įvykis po įvykio, košmaras po košmaro, bereikalingos isterijos po bereikalingų užsipuolimų. Pradžioj labai sudomino, nes ta keista namo atsmosfera ir jo savininkai lyg iš siaubo filmo, bet vėliau viskas susantabarbariškėjo ir autorė pametė mano susidomėjimą, nes trūko logikos ir brandesnio veikėjų elgesio. Toks "daug triukšmo dėl nieko". Na, gal ne dėl nieko, bet tikrai per daug dramos dėl neišsikalbėjimo.
Geriausia knyga, kokią esu skaičiusi baugiai keistų namų ir jų gyventojų tema yra Edwards "Viešnagė". Jau tokia šiurpi, tokia realistiškų, blogų, šlykščių žmonių elgesio persunkta, kad negalėjau nesistebėt autoriaus talentu taip šiurpiai viską popieriuje perteikt. Neslėpsiu, kažko panašaus ir iš šios tikėjausi, bet to panašumo buvo tik krisleliai.
Labiau čia viskas sukasi ne apie creepy namus, nors jo, jų kambario nuomotojai tikrai ne patys šilčiausia žmonės, bet apie nuomininkės praeitį, jos psichologines problemas ir naktinius košmarus. Pagrindinė veikėja Liza tiek pilna problemų, kad nežinia nuo kurios pradėt jas spręst. Kažkas užsimenama apie vaikystės traumą, bendravimas su tėvais - lyg surežisuotas spektaklis, kuriame visi jaučias nejaukiai, jos asmeninis gyvenimas - palaida bala. Išsimuomotas kambarys prabangiame name žada lyg ir naują startą, bet įvelia ją į dar didesnę kebekenę. Ji bando susirankiot paslaptis, kurias nuo jos slepia visi aplinkiniai ir jaučia, kad šitas namas yra raktas.
Kiek čia dramos. Grynai, vieno pokalbio būt užtekę, kad Liza rastų ramybę, bet ne: čia įvykis po įvykio, košmaras po košmaro, bereikalingos isterijos po bereikalingų užsipuolimų. Pradžioj labai sudomino, nes ta keista namo atsmosfera ir jo savininkai lyg iš siaubo filmo, bet vėliau viskas susantabarbariškėjo ir autorė pametė mano susidomėjimą, nes trūko logikos ir brandesnio veikėjų elgesio. Toks "daug triukšmo dėl nieko". Na, gal ne dėl nieko, bet tikrai per daug dramos dėl neišsikalbėjimo.
September 5, 2020
Okay, this is not a horrible book, but it’s far from a good one.
A ridiculous storyline that could have been settled with one conversation between Lisa and her parents. Plus Lisa is a flat unlikeable character.
A ridiculous storyline that could have been settled with one conversation between Lisa and her parents. Plus Lisa is a flat unlikeable character.
October 27, 2019
What a stupid idiotic story and written so horribly. If there’s some writing on the wall in a language you don’t know, just take a god damned photo next time instead of all the freaking theatrics to sneak a translator into a forbidden place. Ugh. Stupid stupid crap!
I predicted the story halfway through. The so called “clues” were so damn obvious. Still I struggled through it and managed to finish it.
This book makes doctors seem like mobsters. Getting rid of bodies without anyone noticing. Don Corleone here with known undertakers, randomly hiding dead children. Even Don Corleone didn’t do that to Amerigo Bonasera.
I predicted the story halfway through. The so called “clues” were so damn obvious. Still I struggled through it and managed to finish it.
This book makes doctors seem like mobsters. Getting rid of bodies without anyone noticing. Don Corleone here with known undertakers, randomly hiding dead children. Even Don Corleone didn’t do that to Amerigo Bonasera.
February 3, 2019
I am a huge, huge fan of Dreda Say Mitchell as an author, a speaker, a person, the lot. I have loved all her books, interviews I’ve watched on YouTube (I highly recommend the Writer’s Corner interview on Words of Colour and the Writeidea Festival video from 2011, one a fascinating insight into her writing with Tony and as a black author and one a brilliant insight into Dreda’s history and life and being an author) and also debates that she’s had over Brexit. Fanboying over we can get onto this review. Having now written books in the crime genre and the thriller genre, I was very excited to read Spare Room which sees Dreda writing a psychological thriller, and it does not disappoint.
Spare Room is a psychological thriller in every sense of the word and oh my word was it twisted. I always find it hard to summarise what these books are about without spoiling it but it’s essentially the story of Lisa who finds a room to rent in a large house in North London. Upon moving in alarms bells immediately start ringing when the couple who live in the house begin acting strangely, and when Lisa finds a suicide note in her bedroom, the strange happenings continue when the couple insist that she is the first person to have rented a room from them. From there we are treated to a delightfully twisted plot that had me frantically pressing my Kindle screen as I couldn’t read quick enough. Lisa is an incredibly complicated character, one who at times seemed almost unstable but then as the story began to progress, I completely understood why she was the way she was, and why she was so determined to find answers. For the most part I don’t think that she was an unreliable narrator where others have said that she was, she was a fascinating character that I believed in and along the way on her journey I was completely by her side wanting her to find the answers that she wanted so badly.
The other characters are too difficult to talk about without giving away spoilers but the cast here is so well-created that I was caught off guard numerous times as I read. When the story began to near its conclusion I became fixated on something that I thought was going to be a twist but which ultimately didn’t come to fruition. It really is a story where you don’t know who or what to trust. There’s a real undercurrent of fear throughout the whole book, it’s almost a little bit menacing in places and I never knew just what was coming next as I shut out the world and read the closing chapters with no idea of what was going on around me. Spare Room was one of those books that sucked me in and it was only when I finished it that I realised I’d been reading nonstop for the past hour and a half. In terms of believability I found this story to be believable, that is there wasn’t anything too outlandishly ridiculous, if wasn’t one of those over the top psychological thrillers with a silly ending but instead it was an ending absolutely packed full of emotion, I just found myself marvelling at where this story went and what an intricately woven tale it turned out to be at the end. It seems there’s no end to Dreda’s talent as a writer, she is one of my absolute favourite storytellers and I will continue to shout about her books and she remains one of my all-time favourite authors. I hope to one day meet her and I hope to be reading her books for many more years to come. If you are yet to read one of her books then I cannot recommend them enough.
Spare Room is a psychological thriller in every sense of the word and oh my word was it twisted. I always find it hard to summarise what these books are about without spoiling it but it’s essentially the story of Lisa who finds a room to rent in a large house in North London. Upon moving in alarms bells immediately start ringing when the couple who live in the house begin acting strangely, and when Lisa finds a suicide note in her bedroom, the strange happenings continue when the couple insist that she is the first person to have rented a room from them. From there we are treated to a delightfully twisted plot that had me frantically pressing my Kindle screen as I couldn’t read quick enough. Lisa is an incredibly complicated character, one who at times seemed almost unstable but then as the story began to progress, I completely understood why she was the way she was, and why she was so determined to find answers. For the most part I don’t think that she was an unreliable narrator where others have said that she was, she was a fascinating character that I believed in and along the way on her journey I was completely by her side wanting her to find the answers that she wanted so badly.
The other characters are too difficult to talk about without giving away spoilers but the cast here is so well-created that I was caught off guard numerous times as I read. When the story began to near its conclusion I became fixated on something that I thought was going to be a twist but which ultimately didn’t come to fruition. It really is a story where you don’t know who or what to trust. There’s a real undercurrent of fear throughout the whole book, it’s almost a little bit menacing in places and I never knew just what was coming next as I shut out the world and read the closing chapters with no idea of what was going on around me. Spare Room was one of those books that sucked me in and it was only when I finished it that I realised I’d been reading nonstop for the past hour and a half. In terms of believability I found this story to be believable, that is there wasn’t anything too outlandishly ridiculous, if wasn’t one of those over the top psychological thrillers with a silly ending but instead it was an ending absolutely packed full of emotion, I just found myself marvelling at where this story went and what an intricately woven tale it turned out to be at the end. It seems there’s no end to Dreda’s talent as a writer, she is one of my absolute favourite storytellers and I will continue to shout about her books and she remains one of my all-time favourite authors. I hope to one day meet her and I hope to be reading her books for many more years to come. If you are yet to read one of her books then I cannot recommend them enough.
March 18, 2021
4 stars
Not so much a thriller for me. More like a very sad story. A young girl rents a room in house figuring it has something to do with her nightmares and bizarre thoughts.
I first thought ptsd or something along those lines but it turned out entirely different.
Characters were well written as well as the story.
Not so much a thriller for me. More like a very sad story. A young girl rents a room in house figuring it has something to do with her nightmares and bizarre thoughts.
I first thought ptsd or something along those lines but it turned out entirely different.
Characters were well written as well as the story.
April 3, 2019
"We project one thing to the world but inside there's hurt, there's pain, there's memories chasing us that will never go away."
Lisa Kendal has scars. And we're not just talking about the ones on the outside that everyone can see though she keeps her body completely covered. She's got some serious emotional and psych issues, a past "incident" that was likely a suicide attempt, and many questions about her past. When she can't get straight, honest answers from her parents (Edward and Barbara), she takes matters into her own hands and rents a room in a beautiful house in North London. Despite the near constant nightmares and the crazy rules that the home owners hold her to, she feels drawn to the place. When she finds a handwritten letter at the back of a bedside cabinet, the urge to find out more about its author intensifies leading to quite the roller coaster ride of a story! NO SPOILERS.
I read this in one sitting in a couple of hours because I had to find out all the secrets. I felt the synopsis was a bit misleading, but probably necessary to avoid giving away the real plot. In order to appreciate this crazy tale, you're probably going to have to use every ounce of effort to suspend disbelief and just go along with the spins and twists. A pet peeve of mine is when I am forced to read about a character's dreams, but I was able to gloss over the many times that Lisa's nightmares were related and get on with it. I can't say I liked any of the characters and found it pretty easy to figure out where it all was going, but it was a fun read and I'm sure the author had a blast writing this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for the e-book ARC to read and review.
Lisa Kendal has scars. And we're not just talking about the ones on the outside that everyone can see though she keeps her body completely covered. She's got some serious emotional and psych issues, a past "incident" that was likely a suicide attempt, and many questions about her past. When she can't get straight, honest answers from her parents (Edward and Barbara), she takes matters into her own hands and rents a room in a beautiful house in North London. Despite the near constant nightmares and the crazy rules that the home owners hold her to, she feels drawn to the place. When she finds a handwritten letter at the back of a bedside cabinet, the urge to find out more about its author intensifies leading to quite the roller coaster ride of a story! NO SPOILERS.
I read this in one sitting in a couple of hours because I had to find out all the secrets. I felt the synopsis was a bit misleading, but probably necessary to avoid giving away the real plot. In order to appreciate this crazy tale, you're probably going to have to use every ounce of effort to suspend disbelief and just go along with the spins and twists. A pet peeve of mine is when I am forced to read about a character's dreams, but I was able to gloss over the many times that Lisa's nightmares were related and get on with it. I can't say I liked any of the characters and found it pretty easy to figure out where it all was going, but it was a fun read and I'm sure the author had a blast writing this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for the e-book ARC to read and review.
January 20, 2021
1.5/5
Kartais net paprasčiausia istorija gali įtraukti taip, kad vos spėji orą gaudyt skaitydamas. O kartais autoriai priraito vingrybių, taip kišdami patys sau koją, dramatiškai griūna, parklupdo dėl efekto ir veikėjus, šaudo fejerverkus vidury dienos ir bando net mažiausioje smulkmenoje įžvelgti intrigą ir dramą. Laisvas kambarys, kad ir kaip tikėjausi pirmo varianto, vis dėlto tapo antruoju. Ir nors skaičiau iki pabaigos, norėdama sužinoti, ar mano spėjimai pasitvirtins, jiems visiems į vietas sukritus kaip tik taip, kaip ir nuspėjau, o kitur susidėliojus taip, kad mano akyse prasilenkia su visais logikos ir nuoseklumo dėsniais, belieka džiaugtis, kad knyga tokia greitai skaitoma ir trumpa, prigrūsta dialogų ir nenutrūkstamo žaibiško tempo, kad ilgai neužtruksit.
Siužetas vystosi taip autorei patogiai, kad patikėti juo beveik neįmanoma nuo pat knygos pradžių: viskas tobulai sukrenta į vietas tada, kai jai prireikia, o siužeto posūkiai ne tik nuspėjami, bet ir į priekį varomi netikroviškai, kartais pritemptai, o kartais tiesiog per prievartą, tarsi reikėtų numatytą pabaigą prilipdyti prie pradžios, tarsi bandant ne į savo vietą įgrūsti puzlės gabaliuką. Laisvo kambario veikėjai plokšti, dramatiški ir mažų mažiausiai keisti. Ir visai ne gerąja prasme. Tėvas, trenkęs dukteriai į veidą, reaguoja absurdiškai, sakydamas: „Juk žinai, niekada nesu tau sudavęs.“ Na, nelabai tiesa gi, ką? Atrodo, kad autorė priverstinai bando dramą laužti net ten, kur niekaip neišeina net žiežirbos įskelti, ką jau ten bekalbėti apie fejerverkus. Veikėjai rėkia ir draskosi bene per kiekvieną pokalbį, daug ką įvardija ten, kur tikri žmonės niekada to nedarytų, pavyzdžiui dukrai aiškina: „Na, žinai, tavo mama, Barbara“. Aha, žinau, būtų keista, jei nežinočiau, ką? Kitur veikėjai imasi kalbėti beveik Wikipedijos straipsniais, smulkmeniškai, apie keisčiausius dalykus, kad autorė sutaupytų laiko ir, neduok Dieve, neparašytų kokios ilgesnės pastraipos NE DIALOGU.
Tekstas vietomis toks keistas, kad net neina suprasti: autorė čia grybauja, ar kas kitas? Pavyzdžiui, „Neprieštaraučiau į jį įsliuogti. Ar sutiktum, kad jis taptų tavo medžiu?“; „Dvi jaunesnės mergaitės buvo vadinamos anglėmis, nes daug juokėsi ir žaidė.“ Vietomis kalba tokia negrabi, o dialogai tokie isteriški, kad jų analizė ir bandymas suprasti kodėl kiekviename žingsnyje reikia šitiek DRAMOS, galiausiai išvargina ir nukreipia dėmesį nuo siužeto, kuris, nors ir turintis neblogą potencialą, visgi lieka neišnaudotas ir dings atmintyje per ateinančią savaitę.
Kartais net paprasčiausia istorija gali įtraukti taip, kad vos spėji orą gaudyt skaitydamas. O kartais autoriai priraito vingrybių, taip kišdami patys sau koją, dramatiškai griūna, parklupdo dėl efekto ir veikėjus, šaudo fejerverkus vidury dienos ir bando net mažiausioje smulkmenoje įžvelgti intrigą ir dramą. Laisvas kambarys, kad ir kaip tikėjausi pirmo varianto, vis dėlto tapo antruoju. Ir nors skaičiau iki pabaigos, norėdama sužinoti, ar mano spėjimai pasitvirtins, jiems visiems į vietas sukritus kaip tik taip, kaip ir nuspėjau, o kitur susidėliojus taip, kad mano akyse prasilenkia su visais logikos ir nuoseklumo dėsniais, belieka džiaugtis, kad knyga tokia greitai skaitoma ir trumpa, prigrūsta dialogų ir nenutrūkstamo žaibiško tempo, kad ilgai neužtruksit.
Siužetas vystosi taip autorei patogiai, kad patikėti juo beveik neįmanoma nuo pat knygos pradžių: viskas tobulai sukrenta į vietas tada, kai jai prireikia, o siužeto posūkiai ne tik nuspėjami, bet ir į priekį varomi netikroviškai, kartais pritemptai, o kartais tiesiog per prievartą, tarsi reikėtų numatytą pabaigą prilipdyti prie pradžios, tarsi bandant ne į savo vietą įgrūsti puzlės gabaliuką. Laisvo kambario veikėjai plokšti, dramatiški ir mažų mažiausiai keisti. Ir visai ne gerąja prasme. Tėvas, trenkęs dukteriai į veidą, reaguoja absurdiškai, sakydamas: „Juk žinai, niekada nesu tau sudavęs.“ Na, nelabai tiesa gi, ką? Atrodo, kad autorė priverstinai bando dramą laužti net ten, kur niekaip neišeina net žiežirbos įskelti, ką jau ten bekalbėti apie fejerverkus. Veikėjai rėkia ir draskosi bene per kiekvieną pokalbį, daug ką įvardija ten, kur tikri žmonės niekada to nedarytų, pavyzdžiui dukrai aiškina: „Na, žinai, tavo mama, Barbara“. Aha, žinau, būtų keista, jei nežinočiau, ką? Kitur veikėjai imasi kalbėti beveik Wikipedijos straipsniais, smulkmeniškai, apie keisčiausius dalykus, kad autorė sutaupytų laiko ir, neduok Dieve, neparašytų kokios ilgesnės pastraipos NE DIALOGU.
Tekstas vietomis toks keistas, kad net neina suprasti: autorė čia grybauja, ar kas kitas? Pavyzdžiui, „Neprieštaraučiau į jį įsliuogti. Ar sutiktum, kad jis taptų tavo medžiu?“; „Dvi jaunesnės mergaitės buvo vadinamos anglėmis, nes daug juokėsi ir žaidė.“ Vietomis kalba tokia negrabi, o dialogai tokie isteriški, kad jų analizė ir bandymas suprasti kodėl kiekviename žingsnyje reikia šitiek DRAMOS, galiausiai išvargina ir nukreipia dėmesį nuo siužeto, kuris, nors ir turintis neblogą potencialą, visgi lieka neišnaudotas ir dings atmintyje per ateinančią savaitę.
August 31, 2021
4.5 stars
Spare Room is one heck of a story!
Filled with suspense, plenty of tension and twist after twist after twist.
A creepy old victorian house full of dark secrets, and scary owners you’d want to steer clear of particularly at night.
If you’re after renting a spare room, I’d say give it a miss.
Loved every single bit of this book.
Well done to Kristin Atherton for excellent narration.
Spare Room is one heck of a story!
Filled with suspense, plenty of tension and twist after twist after twist.
A creepy old victorian house full of dark secrets, and scary owners you’d want to steer clear of particularly at night.
If you’re after renting a spare room, I’d say give it a miss.
Loved every single bit of this book.
Well done to Kristin Atherton for excellent narration.
February 3, 2019
From page one, I was well and truly gripped to this novel only putting it down to go to sleep and picking it up the next morning to finish it.
Right from the start it’s obvious that something has happened in the house that Lisa finds herself renting a room in. I was as intrigued as her when she uncovers a suicide letter and wanted to know more about the man who felt he obviously had no other way out other than to take his own life.
Lisa is a slightly unstable character who has had mental health issues in the past. I was just as intrigued about her and her past. As the reader gets further into the story, the more things start to unfold with some very unexpected turns.
Spare Room is an enthralling and addictive read that I couldn’t get enough of. To say this isn’t the authors usual genre, really doesn’t show as she writes with a wealth of experience and one that is certainly going to appeal to lovers of psychological thrillers. A highly exhilarating, nail biter of a read.
Right from the start it’s obvious that something has happened in the house that Lisa finds herself renting a room in. I was as intrigued as her when she uncovers a suicide letter and wanted to know more about the man who felt he obviously had no other way out other than to take his own life.
Lisa is a slightly unstable character who has had mental health issues in the past. I was just as intrigued about her and her past. As the reader gets further into the story, the more things start to unfold with some very unexpected turns.
Spare Room is an enthralling and addictive read that I couldn’t get enough of. To say this isn’t the authors usual genre, really doesn’t show as she writes with a wealth of experience and one that is certainly going to appeal to lovers of psychological thrillers. A highly exhilarating, nail biter of a read.
January 22, 2019
Lisa needs a place to live and decides to rent a Spare Room in Martha and Jack's. When sinister things start happening and she finds a suicide note in her room of a mysterious man, she wants to get to the bottom of it.
When I start reading this book I just kept thinking "why doesn't she just move out?" but then bam the story makes sense. There are some twisted things that have happened in Lisa's life that she needs to remember and come to terms with. Great read.
When I start reading this book I just kept thinking "why doesn't she just move out?" but then bam the story makes sense. There are some twisted things that have happened in Lisa's life that she needs to remember and come to terms with. Great read.
November 7, 2023
Se ha ganado a pulso la estrella. Incoherente, estúpido, lleno de personajes contradictorios y un sinsentido de situaciones ridículas y absurdas. La trama no se la cree nadie y tiene más agujeros que un queso gruyere. Y cómo reduce a las mujeres a malas, idiotas o locas es indignante, y mucho más viniendo de una mujer.
February 10, 2019
Far too far fetched for me
The title grabbed me and I thought this book has got some original potential here..I was wrong. It's extremely far fetched to the point of being laughable ... Dropping an lsd to confront a psycho ...really!
The title grabbed me and I thought this book has got some original potential here..I was wrong. It's extremely far fetched to the point of being laughable ... Dropping an lsd to confront a psycho ...really!
September 9, 2023
Hasta el 60 % estaba muy bien construido. Luego se me estiró demasiado el final que se veía venir.
June 30, 2025
Knyga skaitėsi lengvai, vietomis buvo gan įdomi, ir įtraukianti. Toks sakyčiau netikras trileris, bet pabaiga šiek tiek nuvylė, šiek tiek su ja paskubėta buvo. 🙂
January 31, 2019
MY REVIEW
So here goes:
Lisa Kendal is a mess, she takes antidepressants ad hoc, she has night terrors, sleep walks and is a little paranoid to say the least.
Lisa rents the Spare Room in Martha and Jack’s beautiful home, there are very strict house rules, which seem a little over the top but she is determined to stay and find out what happened to the previous tenant. She has found a suicide note and writings on the wall and is certain something bad went on in that house...
Oh my.....what a story, Dreda Say Mitchell has created a taut tale that just bristles with tension. CLICHE ALERT.....but I really couldn’t put it down, I had to know, was Lisa having a breakdown ? Is Jack violent ? What secrets are being kept from Lisa, by her parents, Doctor and Martha ? Who is John and what terrible event happened in that house?
This truly gave me goosebumps, that shivery tingle down my spine with the final, marvellously horrific reveal. A masterpiece of tension, brilliant and a must read for lovers of psychological thrillers.
Thank you to Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read this and for A free copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
So here goes:
Lisa Kendal is a mess, she takes antidepressants ad hoc, she has night terrors, sleep walks and is a little paranoid to say the least.
Lisa rents the Spare Room in Martha and Jack’s beautiful home, there are very strict house rules, which seem a little over the top but she is determined to stay and find out what happened to the previous tenant. She has found a suicide note and writings on the wall and is certain something bad went on in that house...
Oh my.....what a story, Dreda Say Mitchell has created a taut tale that just bristles with tension. CLICHE ALERT.....but I really couldn’t put it down, I had to know, was Lisa having a breakdown ? Is Jack violent ? What secrets are being kept from Lisa, by her parents, Doctor and Martha ? Who is John and what terrible event happened in that house?
This truly gave me goosebumps, that shivery tingle down my spine with the final, marvellously horrific reveal. A masterpiece of tension, brilliant and a must read for lovers of psychological thrillers.
Thank you to Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read this and for A free copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
April 17, 2019
This was not a good book. One of my quirks is, once I start a book I have to finish it, this book took me a week to finish. I kept waiting for the drama, the intrigue, the suspense, it never came. Large parts of the story wasn't realistic, the character development wasn't that good, I never connected with any of the characters or the story. I'm glad this book was on Kindle Unlimited, I would have been very upset had I paid for it.
November 4, 2021
3.5
You know that ‘crazy-what-is-going-on’ feeling you get right before puzzle pieces start falling in to place, and the book gets really interesting and answers just breed more question? Yeah, this never got to that point, it was just confusing until the end. It was entertaining and I liked it overall, but like at some point, it’s ok to start connecting dots.
You know that ‘crazy-what-is-going-on’ feeling you get right before puzzle pieces start falling in to place, and the book gets really interesting and answers just breed more question? Yeah, this never got to that point, it was just confusing until the end. It was entertaining and I liked it overall, but like at some point, it’s ok to start connecting dots.
March 29, 2019
Extremely unbelievable. It is a short book but I am so glad it is over.
*spoiler*
The main character chooses to drop lsd to confront a possible killer... wtf?
I hate when the plot revolves around an issue that could be solved with a simple conversation.
*spoiler*
The main character chooses to drop lsd to confront a possible killer... wtf?
I hate when the plot revolves around an issue that could be solved with a simple conversation.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,417 reviews