THE SPARE ROOM

Narrator Brittany Pressley's range of emotional subtlety provides this thriller, set during the pandemic, with the nuanced vocal portrayals that it deserves. Foremost is Pressley's perfection at conveying Kelly's overwhelming insecurity as she takes a break from her fiancé and accepts an invitation to isolate with Sabrina, a former classmate, in her luxurious mansion in Virginia. Kelly enters uncharted territory when she becomes romantically involved with both Sabrina and her husband, Nathan, while learning that their former lover vanished under suspicious circumstances. Kelly's conflicted thoughts dominate the narrative, requiring Pressley's performance to shift between self-doubt and titillation, newly discovered confidence and sheer panic. Most impressively, she narrates the audiobook's many steamy scenes in a way that is believable, rather than awkward or laughable. J.T. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2023]