It’s an opportunity she can’t refuse. The woman before her tried… 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?
Revised edition: This edition of The Apartment includes editorial revisions.
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Freya and her young daughter, Skye, are in dire straits and need an affordable place to live. When she encounters Dr. Marsden at a coffee shop, he mentions a vacant apartment he is leasing in an upscale property called Adder House. The rent is unbelievably affordable, and Freya believes her prayers have been answered.
But once she and Skye move in, she finds herself subjected to odd noises, even odors. Items are moved about in the apartment, and Dr. Marsden seems obsessed with security—to the point of wanting to install security cameras in her unit. The other tenants, though few, are odd, even disturbing. And though Dr. Marsden insists Freya is the first to occupy her unit, she learns of a woman who lived there previously and committed suicide.
This book is spooky and suspenseful. There is nothing supernatural, but the steady infusion of creepiness inspires chills. With each chapter the tension rachets higher as Freya discovers more and more about the building and the woman who lived there previously. There are also scenes devoted to a wet nurse and her young son who were involved in medical experiment in the 1930s, which factor into the story. It’s all very bizarre and unsettling, and the author does an excellent job of creating a sinister aura, especially as related to Adder House and its inhabitants. This is my first book by Slater, but I will definitely seek out other titles. I found this story riveting.
A different type of book for me, I usually read crime, but this was a refreshing change, a lot of mystery, who are the Marsdens, what are they up too, are they dangerous? I find the story very well written, it keeps you on your toes wondering what’s happening and also what is going to happen.
Definitely worth reading.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview THE APARTMENT BY KL SLATER.
Freya. along with her young daughter Skye are in dire circumstances. Her husband left her and then died. There was little insurance money and she’s having to sell her house and look for a job.
By happenstance, she meets a man who makes her an offer she can’t refuse.. an apartment for very low cost, in a mansion. Dr Marsden is a wealthy man seeking a new tenant. Freya has doubts, but when she looks the place over, she can’t believe her luck.
Adder House has secrets. Things get moved in her apartment. Her daughter hears voices. It’s not long before she begins to suspect that not all is what she was led to believe.
It’s a creepy atmospheric story… with a lot of suspense. Goosebumps appear with each page. I liked the unease of the few residents which reminded me of something we’ve all heard before … if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. This was a fast read, once started I couldn’t put it down.
Many thanks to the author / Amazon Publishing UK / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
The Apartment by K.L. Slater is a psychological thriller, and my first book by this author. Overall I found the book very well written, it started out a little slow at the start but then the pace picked up. As the saying goes if something seems to good to be true, it more than likely is. That certainly was the case in this book. I would recommend this book to those that enjoy a good thriller.
I received an Advanced Readers Copy of the book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.
Single mom Freya Millers is going through a very hard time. Her husband, who had left her for one of her friends, has died, and her dire financial situation has forced her to sell the family home. So she can’t believe her luck when she’s offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live at the luxurious Adder House. The rent is cheap, and the charming owner, Dr. Marsden, assures her that she and her five-year-old daughter will be a perfect fit with the other residents. And the Marsdens are going above and beyond to make sure Freya and Skye feel welcome and comfortable in their new home. The moving cost is paid for and they’re even helping Freya make arrangements for Skye to transfer to a new school. Seems too good to be true? That’s because it is.
I really enjoyed this addictive and suspenseful psychological thriller. The writing style is easy and engaging, and the creepy, foreboding atmosphere of the house kept me on the edge of my seat until the shocking twist. Freya and Skye are both likable characters and you can’t help but cheer them on and hope that things turn out okay for them. I thought the author did a wonderful job of building the tension and making the reader second guess everything. Is there really something sinister going on at Adder House, or is it all in Freya’s mind? I thought the conclusion was satisfying, but I wish we knew what became of little Douglas. How was he affected by what was done to him? I wish the author had answered this question since it played such an important role in the story.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with this twisty psychological thriller and highly recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My first read by this author and this psychological thriller kept me turning the pages. It’s a slow burn and builds up and the last part of the book is suspenseful and full of twists and turns…..kept me turning the pages. Would love to read more by this author.
I have never read this author before but I am so very glad I read this book. I got it from NetGalley and I can’t thank them enough for sending it to me. You open the book and start reading and you are so hooked you don’t want to put it down. So you don’t, you just keep reading. This is a riveting book. Thank you for writing such a great book!
**spoiler alert**
This was my first time reading anything by this author and I was entertained.
If you can put yourself in Freya’s shoes, single mother with a young child and limited means, you desperately want to believe in luck finally smiling your way.
Yet the old saying rings true: if it is too good to be true, then it probably is!
The more the story goes on, the more psychologically creepy it becomes, making clever use of some parallel research taken from real experiments with mind control through fear.
Unfortunately too real not to be scary.
I listened to the interview with the author following the end of the audible file where she explained about what inspired her to write this story. Chilling but very interesting.
Freya, a single mom due to unfortunate circumstances, find herself in need and a mysterious stranger shows up at the right time to help her out. She convinces herself that even though it seems too good to be true, that she deserves it and she has finally come into some good luck. Ignoring all the glaring red flags, she starts doubting her own sanity and fears for her daughter.
Even though this psychological thriller moves a little slower than others I’ve read, I enjoyed the pace. The character development and detailed story line keeps you guessing until the very end. The backstory continuously built the tension, hinted at past secrets and I thought I figured it out, but I really didn’t. At one point the book switched to a different point of view, I found that those parts didn’t move as smoothly as the rest of the story, but overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery thrillers.
The Apartment by K. L. Slater
This book moved along at an ok pace, there was an interesting storyline but really couldn’t like any of the characters as some of the things Freya fell for were just to unbelievable in my mind…still it was ok….thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this and leave my opinion.
I read this KU novel because of some really nasty one star reviews. The Apartment is a psychological thriller that would go well on the Hallmark Channel. The heroine Freya is an orphan whose husband died while in the process of leaving her for a nasty mistress. Left alone and broke, Freya has to find a new home for her and her little daughter, Skye. I can’t say more without spoiling it.
Written in present tense, first person, the story is very immediate. What I loved: the plot revolves around a famous experiment that sparked a massive ethics debate. What I wasn’t keen on: the super sweet heroine, angelic daughter, and handyman handsome romantic interest. I like flawed characters, so this isn’t my kind of book. But no way is it a one star read! If you like sweet romance and want a horror story, you’ll like this.
I really enjoy a quick read, with great pacing, and an amazing page turner of a book under the psychological thriller genre. I enjoyed the characters and the creepy vibe reminiscent of Riley Sager’s Lock Every Door.
I enjoyed reading the suspenseful story with a very simple plot that creeped me out, which I enjoyed a lot. I recommend this one for a quick entertaining read.
Oh dear… I do not like when authors write silly women to fulfill plot devices, and that’s how this one felt to me. This is ostensibly a book about a women who survived a terrible childhood in foster care, yet she falls for every line every person who presents nicely hands her throughout the story. It’s unlikely in the extreme, as are the decisions she makes throughout – decisions that can only be described as representing blatant disregard for her own safety and that of her child. It made it very tough to connect with her – or empathize, when things turned out the way the inevitably did.
Yet for all that, I kept reading. Slater has written an oddly entertaining tale, despite its unlikelihood, its disagreeable and unbelievable characters, and its rather ridiculous revelations. I never put it down, despite feeling like it was ridiculous quite often – which is unusual for me, particularly in the “silly women” genre. I was intrigued enough to see how she would (attempt to) tie it all together to keep going, and that is worth something. If you don’t mind suspending disbelief fairly far, and don’t mind foolish women, this one does offer an entertaining couple of hours of twisty glimpses into a series of lives that intertwine through a series of unfortunate events…
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
The potential for a great psychological thriller is in this story. Unfortunately, the end felt anticlimactic and there were unusual leaps to explain certain happenings.
Freya and her daughter, Skye, needs a place to live after leaving her husband. To her she had a chance meeting with Dr. Marsden who offers an apartment to her and Skye to live at the Adder House. The Adder House sounds to good to be true because it is! Freya should run to the hills!!
The Adder House holds secrets, things begins to happen, as Freya investigates. This is twisty, suspenseful, and fast paced. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ebook ARC. This is my honest review.
The Apartment is the story of Freya Miller and her daughter, who are trying to recover from the betrayal of Freya’s husband and in the process lose her family home. Freya has a “chance” meeting with a Dr. Marsden, who, when he learns of Freya’s housing troubles, offers her a room at the Adder House in London at an unbelievably affordable price. Of course, Freya takes him up on the offer.
And that is where the story starts. Adder House has it’s ghosts, strange characters, and oddities: CCTV cameras, things out of order in Freya and Skye’s room, and this nagging feeling about Dr. Marsden and the other residents of Adder House. No spoilers here – you have to read the book for yourself and you will not be disappointed.
I like mysteries, but I am not usually a fan of haunted house stories, but when this became available on NetGalley it piqued my interest. This book was a very quick read; I was drawn in from the beginning and finished it over a two day period – I just had to know what was happening. It took me longer to get around to writing the review than to read the book.
I highly recommend reading The Apartment – it is an engrossing, compelling, quick read that kept me guessing to the end when Skye went missing. This is literary entertainment at its finest and I look forward to reading from KL Slater.
The creepiness factor is high on this one.! An apartment with a very reasonable rent, actually low rent, and few other renters in the building. What could Adder House be hiding? you will have to read the book to find out! I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.
Give this book a chance. I have to admit that at first I was not “taken” by this book … at all. Nearing the end, this story finally started to come together.
Freya, a young mother, had just lost everything she knew in her life … her marriage, her home … everything. She was now alone with her daughter, Skye, when an opportunity for a place to live magically seemed to appear. Of course she jumped at the opportunity, only wanting to do what was best for Skye. Strange things started to happen at their new apartment. Were they real? Was she imagining things or was she just overly stressed because of all the newness in her life? The “bad guy” in this story is someone you will not expect … at all. Talk about a mind bender.
If it seems too good to be true it usually is and that is the case in The Apartment by K.L. Slater. A young mother, Freya and her young daughter. Skye. must move after her husband’s unexpected death. Out of nowhere she is presented with this offer of a great little apartment in an older home. And the price is “just right”. However, her neighbors seem to be a little off. Her daughter, Skye, is unhappy in school. And strange things are happening at their home. She is unsure of who to trust and wonders if she can move before things get worse. If psychological thrillers are on your reading lists this one is for you.
The Apartment was kind of what I expected but not in a good way. When you read as much in the thriller genre as I do, there isn’t much that I haven’t seen, so I had an idea of what I was going to get from this book. That said, I was really hoping for more, and it had the potential to be more. So, yes, it is predictable, but there are so many other things that could’ve made this story stand out from the crowd – the characters, the creepy vibe, the wow factor in the conclusion. And it comes up short all the way around. I get that Freya needed to be a certain way for the story to work, but she’s just unbelievably naive. Considering her background, her actions are contradictory at best, and the story relied on her being way too slow-witted to be believed. Then we have the creepy vibe that could’ve been there. Sadly, that was completely missing in this one. And the conclusion? Well, I just didn’t buy it. None of it. Plus, we have unanswered questions that were just another irritation in a whole book of irritations. In the end, I think it’s safe to say that this one definitely was not for me.