Read Across America Week/ Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! ~ March 2nd – March 6th

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Read Across America Week

You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.

~ Dr. Seuss ~

 Read Across America week, appropriately kicks off today, on Theodor Geisel’s birthday. Started in 1997 by the National Education Association, this observance promotes reading, particularly for children and young adults. It’s widely celebrated in schools, libraries and community centers across the country. To find out more, please visit: https://www.readacrossamerica.org

The Apartment, by K. L. Slater ~ 4.0 Stars

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Adult Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon UK for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 28th, 2020

266 Pages

Synopsis: 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 that 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 a Freya and Skye get out—or will they be locked in here forever?

The Apartment is a twisty tale of gaslighting that had me completely glued to the pages from beginning to shocking end. You obviously have to suspend disbelief a little because obviously, who in their right mind would move into an apartment, especially one that seems to good to be true, with a five-year-old daughter, without doing some research, but this is so much fun, that’s accomplished fairly easily.

K.L. Slater does a wonderful job ratcheting up the tension, piece by piece, layer by layer. Despite a few poor decisions, I really liked Freya, and I loved Skye, who has quite the precocious personality. I was so invested in them that it broke my heart as Freya started to unravel, and Skye lost her joie de vivre. It actually reminded me a little of Rosemary’s Baby, only without the satanists. The only thing I found a bit jarring were the segues through Freya’s memories of her past with her deceased husband. They were unnecessary and to top it off, the only loose plot thread was tied to his death.

Overall though, The Apartment is a thoroughly enjoyable read that mystery/psychological suspense fans will easily breeze through in 1-2 sittings. I’m looking forward to seeing what Slater comes out with next.