The Apartment by K.L. Slater

What I Loved:

This book was crazy! I really enjoyed the twists that were carefully woven into the story to provide lots of heart-racing moments! I especially enjoyed that we get to read the POV of the antagonist as well as the protagonist. It created an interesting perspective for me as I was reading, and I loved it!

My Synopsis:

Freya Miller is trying to get her life in order after the death of her husband. Without a job, she’s quickly running out of money. She has sold her home and is prepared to temporarily move into a friend’s place when the opportunity of a lifetime falls into her lap.

Dr. Marsden is looking for a new tenant and a coffee shop accidental meeting leads him to believe Freya is just what he is looking for. Freya quickly agrees to this upscale, beautiful apartment for such a ridiculously low rent, she can’t believe her luck.

Freya is soon moved in but doesn’t even get a chance to be happy. Everything seems a little off. Dr. Marsden and Mrs. Marsden seem extremely controlling. They want to install a video camera in her apartment entrance, and they don’t like visitors. The list goes on and on.

The apartment building, Adder House, seems to have a dark history that people won’t tell Freya about. She begins hearing sounds and voices, and things are moved around in their apartment. Freya is starting to think this was too good to be true.

How I Felt:

The plot for The Apartment was so good! I felt like all the pieces fit together perfectly to provide an exciting thriller for the reader. I did guess what was going on but didn’t have all the details figured out. I don’t mind guessing at a thriller, I like to see if I’m right. So, it doesn’t bother me as long as it’s still a good story.

And this was a good story! It was a quick read because of the low page count, but I made it even quicker because I couldn’t put it down! It moved quickly from one scene to the next with so many exciting situations, and I was hooked!

The setting was in Adder House, and it offered a not quite spooky, but a weird living space with odd characters and a dark history. I thought the author did a great job describing this location, which was so important because it was such a central part of the story.

I know that the main character, Freya, seems so gullible. She seems blind to the things that seem to obvious to the reader, I’ve seen a lot of reviews that comment on their frustration over her delay to take action, and even her easy agreement in taking the apartment in the first place. The reader, however, gets insight that Freya doesn’t have. Part of the POV for this book is from the “bad guy” in the story. We don’t know who it is for sure, but it is clear that something is wrong. The opening scene makes it clear that Dr. Marsden knew who she was and set up their encounter. So, when you read this, keep in mind all the additional information you have as the reader before you get frustrated with Freya.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the characters and the plot. I really enjoyed the location of the story as well. This was a fast-paced story that created some excellent suspense.

Content Warnings:

Mental health, suicide, stalking, psychological experiments.

To Read or Not To Read:

I would recommend The Apartment for readers that enjoy a psychological thriller!

Where to Find This Book:

The Apartment by K.L. Slater is available at these sites.

Amazon Kindle | Amazon | Goodreads

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It’s an opportunity she can’t refuse. The woman before her tried…

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

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

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

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

Just the Facts:

The Apartment by K.L. Slater
Genre: Thriller
Page Count: 266 pages
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pub Date: April 28, 2020