3.75 stars**
Finishing this book has left me feeling optimistic and hopeful. The story follows Jess and her adventure to restart her life in Australia and takes you on the journey with her through the ups and downs of her drastic change, living with her ex boyfriend and new partner. I was drawn to this book from it's bright, gorgeous cover and fascinating plot line and I was not disappointed.
The first half of the book I felt dragged and it did leave me feeling unmotivated to continue but I am so glad I did! Once you have got through the explanation of the characters, the development of their relationship and the understanding of the situation they're in, the book completely twists and becomes a fast, enjoyable and encouraging read.
I think the hardest thing about this read was my dislike towards the main character, she didn't seem to acknowledge the pain she caused people until it was too late and Sam was not much better. The side characters in this are so lovable and wholesome that I felt myself enjoy them more than the main character and want to know even more about them which we did as we got further into the story.
Personally, I found the flashbacks into Sam and Jess' relationship to be tedious to read as I was invested in their current story and had little interest into their past but that is a personal preference. If you enjoy romance or any uplifting book that shows self worth and dreams being achievable then you will love this book! A great book to leave you feeling elevated and happy.

I'm really conflicted about this one. I found the main character Jess very annoying. She made all the wrong decisions, whether they hurt someone or not. What I found even more maddening is that she hurt people that were nice to her! The other main character Sam was not quite as bad but seemed to happy to make decisions that worked best for him. He was repeatedly leaving out/forgetting info that could let Jess make better decisions. The side characters were so much more likable, and unfortunately are pawns in their bad decision making. Jess does redeem herself and start to turn her life around but the "poor me" routine is just too much.

Jess has never come to terms with the break up from her university love Sam. She decides to move to Australia for a fresh start. However never in her dreamsdid she imagine bumping into Sam during her first days in Sydney. Pride will not allow her to own up to the fact she is jobless and hopeless. Amid a web of untruths, Sam invites her to borrow his spare room for a night or two. However what he omits is the fact that he is living with his fiance, soon to be married.
This book provides humour alongside Jess s attempts to re focus herself, accepting it is time to move on from her broken relationship and start to build her career and self esteem again.
Not a traditional happy ever after book but certainly one that leaves you with a sense of well being and warmth.

You thought you had found the love of your life and it seems like he feels the same way. You make plans for the future and you put your own dreams on the back burner in order to support what he wants.

There is not much more you could do to please him, right? And once he's where he wants to be, it's your turn to go for it, right? Well, no not really. 

'Maybe one day' are the famous last words that keep running through your mind and when you bump into each other again by accident, those words jump out. Is this the one day you have been waiting for?

The author takes us on a journey from the day Sam and Jessica met right up until the present day with all the ups and downs, the tears and the laughter, the happiness and the sadness.

It's a story about coming to terms with the past and standing up for yourself, with friends, old and new ones, playsing an important role.

An enjoyable read that takes you from the UK to Australia. 4 stars.

Thank you, Elizabeth Neep and Bookouture

I was initially drawn to this book by its front cover: the animated, fun, vibrant appeal sucked me in and ultimately made me excited to read Jess’ story!

Jess finds herself in Sydney, Australia, trying to escape her disastrous life, unsure of who she really is. The reader instantly feels for the deflated, desperate and destitute Jess who appears to be out of every type of luck going; that is until she bumps into Sam, her ex-boyfriend.

Sam is instantly delighted to see Jess and she happily laps his attention up, whilst cringing at her appearance and the predicament that she is in. When he invites her back to his place and insists she stays in the ‘spare bedroom’, Jess feels backed into a corner, but agrees to stay even if she has unwittingly told some white lies to save face and even if her stay has an ulterior motive.

The book is split into three sections and I can’t help but feel that Neep has used this structural device to show the three dimensional character of Jess: the one who thinks, reacts, struggles, learns and overcomes. The use of flashbacks into Jess and Sam’s past also give the depth and understanding of their previous relationship and Neep cleverly interweaves past situations to signpost where the story is heading (whilst sometimes throwing you off).

The friendships which Jess forges are intense, but sincere. They show her that kindness, loyalty and compassion are what she needs, when she needs it the most, bringing Jess’ antics into the forefront of the reader’s mind.

The reader goes on the journey with Jess - she is a real character. You find yourself cringing and laughing at her and with her, whilst loving her and then not particularly liking her much and then going back to loving her again. This again, feels intentional and almost like the journey Jess is on with herself: the journey to self-discovery.

This is a book about survival, but above all it is about soul-searching, forgiveness and loving oneself. It is a pleasant and stark reminder that sometimes what we think we need isn’t what we really need at all. It is a reminder that you are enough.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone wanting a fast paced, laugh out loud read, with the right amount of cringe, grit and angst.

Enjoy fellow readers!

Thank you @Elizabeth Neep for an enthralling read. Thank you to @Bookouture @NetGalley

Jess accepted her ex-boyfriend's offer to stay in his spare bedroom, but she was not counting on his plus-one.


The Spare Bedroom is Elizabeth Neep's debut novel, and it is surprising in many ways.

I chose this book because I wanted to escape to Romanceland, and forget all this dreadful news about the Corona Virus. The title and the blurb seemed the perfect combination of fun, romance, and a tiny bit of angst I was looking for.

The first third of the book was hilarious! The whole situation the heroine found herself in was so outlandish that I could not but feel for her and hope she would find a way to bounce back with her dignity intact.

The author has a special talent for witty dialogue and I just could not put the book down.

Towards the middle of the book, the story takes a serious turn. The heroine starts to show her many layers. She is interesting because she is very flawed.

Jess is the kind of friend that you invite to crash on your sofa for the night, and she never leaves (lol).

The book has two facets. The first, a lighthearted comedy, the second, an interesting story of a person blinded by heartbreak struggling to move on.

The story is focused on the heroine's quest to rebuild her life, so it is not romance centered.

I would recommend this book to those in search of an uplifting story of soul-searching and forgiveness.

The Spare Room is about Jess who moves to Australia for a fresh start. But Jess runs into the one person she is trying to move on from. She has no place to live and Sam offers up his spare room. Untold truths cause many misconceptions. This is a story of moving on from the past and truly putting in behind you.
Thank you to netgalley, Elizabeth Neep and Bookouture for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Awww! How cute was this book?

To start with, I liked the cover, the sound of it and I thought it could be a fun, light and nice read.

However, it was so much more than just that! I was very invested in the story, very intrigued by it from the very beginning and I couldn't wait to know what the future had prepared for Jess in Sydney!

Jess, oh Jess! It doesn't happen very often that I like such an "imperfect" main character that much. I am usually the kind of 'I told you so' reader when things are not done properly, but Jess was different!

Did she do a few things wrong? Yes. Did she lie way too much? Yes. Did she get obssesed about something that it wasn't her business at all? Yes. Did I think she was going to pack everything up and come back home? Yes.

But she was hurting! She had hopes, she wanted things to be different, she couldn't believe what she was experiencing and we all have been there, vulnerable and lost and we all have made bad decisions when we are in love!

I was happy for her when everything started to pay off her effort and I also thought that a bit of reality was good for her to calm down and figure out what she was doing.

I liked her friendship with pretty much every person she met along the road. I liked how nice, friendly and welcoming everyone was. As a person that doesn't live in her country, I found that a very good way to start off the adventure!

I liked how, despite everything that happened to her, she kept fighting, she never gave up and worked very hard to make one of her dreams come true.

I enjoyed very much the chapters about her past. I could perfectly see why she was hurting so much, why she was still a bit stuck in the relationship with Sam and why she took a bit longer to accept the present situation.

I laughed with this book, I cried with this book, I enjoyed the development Jess goes through, I liked the writing style, I liked how invested I was in the story as soon as I started it, I liked the twists and turns throughout the story... I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it!

Enjoyed reading this.
The story of Jess, who in Sydney, bumps into her ex Sam. He invited her to stay with him in the spare room.
But she seems to be getting mixed messages,he doesn’t make clear who his flat mate is and what relationship they are in.
She hides the truth from him and his flat mate of her job and her “apartment”.
She seems to think Sam wants to be with her.
Things come to a head when the truth comes out of her job, makes a hash of staying with Sam.
Funny bits and sad bits.
A good read.

I'm fairly new to this genre, reading mostly heavier fiction but I've been enjoying picking up these types of books to read between the others. Overall I rated the book a 4. It's a fairly quick read with a good overall story, and as a woman, relatable. There were a few good quotes I had even highlighted to come back to a being very poignant and something we should all remember. The main character, Jess, was not annoying until maybe the last third of the book. There's definitely some cringe worthy scenes in the book but can be somewhat relatable when you have trouble getting over a person post break up; sometimes you just want to yell at Jess to get over it. The other characters in the story are so friendly and kind that it makes me wish I found people like that (and would be that way more myself). Overall it had a good underlying moral to the story, something every woman (and man) should learn and isn't taught enough. I don't want to give anything away but did want to say how much I enjoyed the overarching message throughout the book and the reminder that sometimes our emotions overtake our brain/logic. And also, just because it looks like someone has their shit together, chances are they feel like they don't either and are just muddling through.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed the writing, minus a few editing corrections needed, and look forward to more from Elizabeth Neep!

The Spare Bedroom by Elizabeth Neep is the story of one woman's attempt at making a new beginning, only to be thrown off course by a relationship from the past that was never fully or satisfactorily resolved. Sometimes the heart wants what it wants, regardless of distance or circumstance, and this is one such example.

Jess has decided to leave the UK to start anew in Sydney. Having been let down by a friend, and finding herself both jobless and homeless, Jess is feeling low when she runs into her old flame Sam on the other side of the planet. When Sam generously offers Jess the use of his spare room until she can sort herself out, she wonders if things are taking a turn for the better. Could the couple pick up where they left off and create a new life together in sunny Oz? This optimistic view is quickly shattered, however, when Jess realizes that 'Jamie' will also be a part of the house sharing scheme.

Told in alternating timelines between present day Sydney, and the UK in 2012, when Jess and Sam first began their relationship, we see the full evolution of a friendship, and the question of 'will they or won't they?' remains at the forefront of a well-crafted plotline. I would certainly be keen to read more from this author in future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

The spare bedroom is set over three parts
Jess moved to Sydney Australia 1 August 2020 for what she hoped to be a fresh start. Weather, etc not as she'd anticipated, not the dream start she hoped for and then.... 'Jess?' That familiar voice she did not expect to hear, Sam, her ex, the one she'd not managed to get over.

Originally Jess was going to travel with a friend to Australia, then ended up going alone, her friend arranged for her to stay in a friends spare room which was not quite as described...

Rewind 9 sept 2012 Nottingham England when they first met

It takes you on a journey from the present, to various stages in Jess' life from meeting Sam to events prior to leaving for Sydney. Things do not go the way she imagined, not knowing what to do but determined not to return to London, having not succeeded, as they predicted. A bit of a bumpy journey, but Jess discovers what she wants along the way.

Great read.

This book reminded me a bit of 'The Flat Share' by Beth O'Leary. So if you were a fan of that you should love this! I really liked the character of Jess and her chemistry with Sam. The book jumps from past to present to develop a full picture of their relationship. This is the first book I've read from Elizabeth Neep but will certainly be looking out for more books bu her. Good holiday read!

This is a funny and fell-good read, and Jess is such a relatable character! I couldn't put down the book and finished it in 3 days.

Jess, 27, comes to Sydney from London looking after a new start far away from everything, only to come across his ex, Sam, the one she couldn't forget. He is so happy to find her, he invites her to crash for a few days at his place... and his girlfriend's.

Told alternating the past and the present, we learn more about Sam and Jess' story. I loved how Jess grew up and faced her problems.

I'll definitely be reading more from this author!

** Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion **

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for for this awesome read.

I started reading this as soon as I got approached and I had a blast with this one. This book reminded me so much of the movie ' My Best Friend's Wedding' and I can honestly relate to the main protagonist of the story. She wanted Sam so desperately that she did some pretty lame things but at the end of the day I like how everything worked out both for Jess , Sam and Jamie. I don't want to give away the story but the ending was definitely bittersweet. I thought this was a light read which it is but it has its moments of seriousness too. I really felt bad for Jess but I am happy with the way her character developed and she had her own happy ending. Just not the one she thought she was going to have.

I recommend it to all rom com fans and the lovers of 'MBFW'. If you loved Julia Robert's and Dermot Mulroney starrer then you are gonna adore Sam and Jess.

Thank you and happy reading!

This book was so good! The characters were so well rounded, you felt like you actually knew them! The plot was so good you didn't want the book to end!