Book Review: The Apartment by K.L. Slater

Title: The Apartment
Author: K.L. Slater
Pages: 266 pages
Published: April 28, 2020 by Thomas & Mercer
Source: NetGalley

GoodReads Description: "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? "

"There's something about that place that's just not right. I know you must feel it, too."


I feel it! But Freya is sticking her head in the sand, because she just wants to be happy! Who could blame her? Her husband cheats on her, leaves her, then dies. Now she's broke and jobless with her young daughter, Skye. She just sold her house. Can't she catch a break? In walks Dr. Marsden with the champagne apartment on a platter - at beer budget price. Should she have looked the gift horse in the mouth? (Yes.) But she. just. wants. it. to. work!

But things get weird quickly in THE APARTMENT. Little things that had her (and me!) questioning her sanity. What is really going on? Are her and her daughter in danger?

I really liked this book! It really created a nice concept of place! I could picture Adder House and it's posh neighborhood! Being able to walk to Kensington Palace. I ate that up like bread pudding! Or some other English dessert! I also love a British feeling book - Jane Austen and Harry Potter long ago made me an Anglophile! - and this one definitely fit that bill.

I loved that it involved "Little Albert" - a child in a psychological experiment by Dr. Watson (father of behaviorism) that involved creating fear in a child. I'm pretty sure if you've taken a beginning Psychology course they will have talked about this (Am I right?). Most of the psychological experiments that were conducted in times previous, that we study today in Psychology programs at the college level, were unethical by today's standards. Or really by anyone's normal standards. But "Little Albert's" study always stuck with me as especially cruel, as it involved a child. Anyways, if someone doesn't know that psychology has a weird and dark history - or if they're uninterested in that sort of thing - then I could see where they may not appreciate this book, but to me it was completely up my alley!

And I liked the ending! I guess I'm in the minority on that, but I thought it made perfect sense. I had a couple (minor) questions at the end, I felt didn't get answered, and a couple things I wish hadn't been rushed, thus the 4 instead of 5 stars.

But still, I truly enjoyed this book! I couldn't put it down! It has the suspense amped up making it a quick read! And it had great characters and an entrancing setting!

MY RATING:
Characters: 5
Story: 4
Overall: 4.5

YOU need this book if you're looking for a quick, psychologically thrilling trip to London!

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!