The Apartment by K.L. Slaughter

Meet Freya and her young daughter, Skye. They've been through the wringer since Skye's dad left for another woman--Freya's friend who lives down the road, no less--and then died in an accident. No longer able to afford the home they live in, Freya pops into a cafe and happens to meet an older gentleman who is looking to fill a vacant apartment in his mansion for next to nothing and it's available right now! Too good to be true? We shall see.

So Freya, who bounced from foster home to foster home throughout her childhood and teen years, decides why not? She and Skye fall in love with the house, the gardens, the location and so it's settled. How strange, though, that the front door is kept locked and there is no buzzer for friends to visit. How strange that the Marsdens, the presumed owners of the house, are overheard by Skye talking about a previous tenant when Mr. Marsden specifically told Freya there was no previous tenant. How strange that they want to install a security camera INSIDE her apartment.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the strangeness of the place. Yet even with her doubts, Freya maintains their residence, chalking all these things up to eccentricities and coincidences.

It's here where I had problems with this story. I highly doubt a woman who has trust issues and has a hard time making friends because of her childhood would allow herself to be taken in by these odd people and the other tenants. Eventually, of course, she decides to make a run for it, but in my opinion, it was too little, too late.

Freya's weakness and naivete were not believable enough, making this a 3-star book, rather than 4-star. That's too bad, too, because I loved the author's writing style (and lack of editing errors, truth be told). I would definitely pick up more works by K.L. Slater; it's just unfortunate this one wasn't all I wanted it to be.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Read this review on Goodreads or on Amazon.