Thanks to Simon Books for a free review copy. This past weekend I found myself on a beach in the mood for a good thriller. I finally cracked this bad boy open (can you crack open a digital book?) and I finished it in 3 days. The story descriptions were wonderful. I could vividly picture what I was reading. I liked the way the story was told in a dual timeline, I liked the many red herrings thrown in, and I was committed to making sure the main character came out unharmed. As with any thriller, the trick to success is not being able to predict the twists. I was, unfortunately, able to come up with most of the plot points before the main character. The very, very ending took me a bit by surprise in how the climax played out, but overall, I saw the premise coming from a mile away. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the book, I just never got to the point of heightened anxiety that I expect in an unpredictable thriller.

I have read all of Megan Miranda's novels written for adults, and I have enjoyed them all.... However, I liked this one a little less than the previous two. It took me several tries to really get into it, and I stopped and started a couple times before I finished it. I'm glad I chose to read it, and in the end, I was grateful for the opportunity to receive an advanced copy. Although I didn't like this book quite as much as the last couple I've read, I will continue to seek out Megan Miranda books, as well as recommend them to others, as she is a fantastic writer and an amazing storyteller. Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read a copy before it was released!

I stayed up until 4am on my vacation to finish this - could not put it down. This kept me guessing and riveted until the very end. The PERFECT summer thriller given the setting, plot, etc.

I couldn't wait to crack open this book, having already read Miranda's other novel, The Perfect Stranger. She did not disappoint! Plot twists, unreliable characters, and the looming question, whodunit, kept me guessing until the very end! Looking forward to reading her novel, All The Missing Girls. It's been in the TBR pile for ages!!

This is my second book by Megan Miranda and I've really enjoyed both of them. She is great a creating small towns and lots of twists and turns. It was a quick and easy read that kept my engaged the entire time. I did not like how quick the confessions of the characters were.
The cover is great and it makes all the covers by the author look similar which is a nice touch.

This is a great beach read that I highly recommend.

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda is a tale of power and money and of those who don't have any of it. It is also a tale of how death and tragedy does not distinguish between the two.

"...So, the facts, then: There were no signs of foul play. No drugs or alcohol in her system. No inconsistencies in the interviews. It seemed no one had motive to hurt Sadie Loman, nor opportunity. Anyone who had a relationship with her was accounted for at the Plus-One party.
It was hard to simultaneously grieve and reconstruct you own alibi. It was tempting to accuse someone else just to give yourself some space. It would have been so easy. But none of us had done it, and I thought that was a testament to Sadie herself. That none of us could imagine wanting her dead..."

In Littleport, Maine, the Loman name carried considerable weight. They were one of the privileged families. The vacationers who came to town and then decided they wanted it to be theirs, driving the locals out or into servitude. The Lomans did even more than that. They began to buy up land and properties until they were the most powerful family in Littleport. Their son Parker the Prince and heir apparent and their beautiful daughter Sadie. They were untouchable, until the day that Sadie's body washed up on shore.

Avery Greer was the troubled local in town. Her parents killed in a car crash when she was young and raised by her grandmother, who later died as well. Avery got into fights and was the rebel young girl until Sadie Loman took her in. Almost like a project, what some called a pet and what others referred to as Sadie's Monster. Sadie was Avery's best friend but they were strained when Sadie died and Avery immediately fell under suspicion. That is until the police ruled the death a suicide.

"...I'm sorry. I wish it didn't have to be this way,' Detective Collins finally said before waving me out of the room.
'What? What way?'
He shook his head. 'Her note. That's what it said..."

But Avery feels like there was more to Sadie's death than a suicide. But the more she digs into the case, the more it seems like everyone believes she had something to do with Sadie's death. The Loman family who took her in. The police. The locals. Now she is caught between two worlds. The world of the Lomans and the world of the locals and neither one wants to take her in.

"...You think they're playing a game?' I asked.
She ran her hand back over her hair, down the ponytail. 'I think they are the game, Avery. Bishops and knights. Kings and queens. Pawns.'
I lost the thread, lost the metaphor. 'You think you were a pawn?' Or maybe it was me she was talking about.
She pressed her lips together, not answering. 'They will sacrifice anything for the king..."

Avery can't let it go. Sadie was her best friend and now, it seems, she didn't even know her. Did Sadie really take her own life or did Sadie know something that someone else didn't want to come out. The only thing Avery knows is that she can't trust anyone, because if Sadie did not commit suicide, if Sadie had been murdered.

Avery was the prime suspect.

Megan Miranda has written a taut little thriller about the bonds of friendship and the ties of family and even more so, about belonging. Avery has her feet in both worlds. In the worlds of the haves and the have nots. But her perch is sandy and perilous on both. Without Sadie by her side she finds that the world of the haves don't really want her and the world of the have nots don't want her back. Her sins of the past plague her and the truths that she is learning cloud her past even more.

The Last House Guest is a taut thriller filled to the brim with secrets and lies and regrets. It is about what one family is willing to do to secure their future and the repercussions that follow. It is about the truth and about friendship. And more so, it is about the lies that we live with everyday.

This was such a fun, twisty read! It reminded me so much of the ABC show Revenge, (which I also loved) for its depiction of the uber wealthy, untouchable family full of scandalous secrets and the resort/beach town setting. I thoroughly enjoyed this one- definitely the perfect summer thriller!

Megan Miranda just keeps getting better. While I thoroughly enjoyed All the Missing Girls and The Perfect Stranger, The Last House Guest is my favorite of her recent works.

Avery Greer spends all year in the coastal town, Littleport, Maine. Others come just for the summer, and it is the summers that stand out to Avery, especially the summers she has spent with best friend, Sadie Lohman. The two girls share everything from clothes to secrets. Each year, as the seasonal residents leave the vacation coast, the younger generation stays one last weekend for the party of the summer. This last party is halted when police report that the body of Sadie Lohman has been found. Though the investigation has lead most to believe that Sadie took her own life, Avery is plagued with the idea that something more sinister happened to her dear friend.

Switching between the evening of the night Sadie is found and the following summer, the truths become to unravel. Megan Miranda has a way of playing with time, and The Last House Guests blends the past and present together with revelations that keep a reading turning pages. Whether an old fan of Miranda or new to her style, this comes highly recommended for those that love a good plot twist.

Loved this book. Had me guessing till the end. Really shone a light on summer towns and how the locals feel about the tourists. Charming town in Maine

This book definitely kept me reading, but i have to say I am sick of this type. I feel as if I have read them all before. Good writing

This one wasn't my favorite of Megan Miranda's thrillers, but I did enjoy it. It felt like it moved a little slowly, and some of the backstory about Avery didn't really seem to apply to the actual plot so much as filler content. However, the twist was well worth continuing on through slower parts of the story, and I was definitely taken by surprise.

An enjoyable summer-themed thriller, set in a vacation town in Maine, with a backdrop of local vs. summer people tension. Main character Avery is a local, a woman in her 20s who was befriended as a teenager by summer person Sadie, daughter of a rich family who invests in summer properties in the town, and eventually ended up working for Sadie's family managing their properties. When the book opens, it's been a year since Sadie died, ruled a suicide by the police but Avery begins to wonder if something else happened. A quick and suspenseful read, with good twists and turns, with surprises that I didn't guess but also make sense. I probably liked Megan Miranda's first two adult books a little better, but this is a good one too.

I am usually a huge Megan Miranda Fan. Unfortunately this book fell a little flat for me. I had a hard time getting through it.
I did not enjoy the characters as much as most of her other books. There wasn't much development with the characters.
While I did not enjoy the book. I do think others will. There are many of my friends that did enjoy it.

I read this only slowly and a little bit at a time. It may have affected how much I enjoyed it. I will say I like how this one wrapped up, and I enjoyed it. It’s definitely a good summer read that has light mystery. I’d probably give it 3.5-4 stars!
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Three stars: A murder mystery with interesting twists, but the lackluster cast fails to impress.

Avery Greer is still in shock over a year since her best friend Sadie committed suicide. Avery still can’t accept that Sadie would kill herself. After all, she and Sadie were inseparable and they shared their secrets, didn’t they? When Avery returns for another summer on the coast, she starts digging in order to erase her nagging doubts. The more she learns, the more troubled she becomes. Plus, it seems that someone is after her. Can Avery uncover the truth before it’s too late?
What I Liked:
*Megan Miranda is known for her twisty mysteries with unique timelines and exciting twists. This book has a curvy timeline and plenty of surprise developments that will keep you entertained.
*This book presents a cast of unreliable characters. It is one of those novels where you are never sure whom to trust. I did fasten onto Avery, the narrator, as she presents a sympathetic front. However as the story unfolded, I questioned everyone and everything. I like a book that keeps me guessing.
*The overall mystery is solid. It starts out as a supposed suicide, but then as Avery pokes around she discovers many unsettling clues that make her rethink things. I enjoyed uncovering the mystery, and *I was pleased with many of the startling twists and developments. There were plenty of things I didn’t see coming!
*The setting is wonderful. The book is set on the Main coastline. A community of wealthy homes, mostly used by summer guests. I loved how the setting could be sunny and inviting in one chapter, and then the next, deserted and eerie at night. I thought the author did a fantastic job with the Main coastal town setting.
*The ending was great. No unanswered questions or nagging undone story lines. There are some clever twists and a shocking finale and then some more startling revelations as the dust settles during the epilogue. Well done.
And The Not So Much:
*The problem with The Last House Guest was the cast. I didn’t like any of the characters, and I felt little to no emotion for any of them. I sort of connected with Avery early on, but I I never felt strong feelings or empathy for her. It is hard to enjoy a book when you find yourself feeling apathetic toward the entire cast of characters.
*Ms. Miranda is known for her clever use of time lines. This story moves forward and backward in time, uncovering secrets in both the past and present. Unfortunately, I don’t think jumping around in time helped the story. I found it to be confusing, especially since I was listening to the story. The jumps in time made the story jarring. I wasn’t a fan.
*A few occurrences in the plot stretched believability. There are also a few convenient coincidences that didn’t work for me.

The Last House Guest is a hard book for me to review. On one hand, I liked the twists and the mystery, but on the other hand, I detested the cast of unlikeable characters, and I found the timeline messy and confusing. The ending was exciting, and I appreciated that I didn’t figure out who done it. If you are patient and want an interesting thriller, this is one to try.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.

Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

I was so excited to receive The Last House Guest! I loved All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda, so I couldn’t wait to dive into her latest! Sadly, this one didn’t light me up quite like All The Missing Girls and was hard to get into, but the story was interesting, and I’m still super excited to read what she writes next! I think this one will continue to be incredibly popular this summer with thriller lovers!

This book is a quick & enjoyable read. While I burned through it in a day, it wasn't super addictive or thrilling. Honestly, I'm not really sure why. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for a suspense novel? Maybe I didn't really love or hate any of the characters? I'm not sure, but something just didn't click for me.

I do enjoy the way Megan writes & I will read any of her books. This one left me wanting quite a bit more. I will say, this is a book I don't regret reading, but not on my list of highly recommended mystery/suspense novels.

Thanks so much to Megan Miranda & Simon & Schuster for my gifted review copy.

‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

I discovered Megan Miranda a few months after her 2016 novel, All the Missing Girls, was published. Her latest, The Last House Guest, is the 3rd novel I read by her.

This slow-burn thriller is a story of a small, summer vacation town with a definite line dividing the haves and have nots with one exception, Avery Greer. Sadie Loman who only has to say who her family is and doors are opened and police look the other way befriends Avery. For a decade, they are inseparable each summer - until Sadie is found dead.

While it took a long time for me to get into the book, I am glad I kept reading. Told from Avery's point of view, using flashbacks, we are shown the summer of and the summer following Sadie's death.

Miranda is known for creating a small town with a lot of secrets. The Last House Guest is no exception. The characters are not what they first seem to be. She peppers her story with small details that can help you figure out secrets and the big reveal right before the characters.

According to Goodreads, we can expect to see more from Megan Miranda. I cannot wait!

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/22/19.

A suspenseful thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. This book was a fast paced page turner that kept me engaged from beginning to end, especially the end! There is a constant amount of suspense and plot twists. I liked that even though it seemed to be a typical ordinary suspenseful page turner but by the end it sticks with you as a slightly less ordinary story. I will be recommending to all my friends that need a good summer book to enjoy. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a great book!

I picked this book based on the jacket description and was not disappointed by the story line. The story revolves around two summer-only friends. These girls become fast friends, sharing everything. You see the progression of their friendship through the eyes of the "townie" as the summers pass. When the summer "guest" commits suicide at the end of summer, her friend must figure out what really happened.
A good, quick read that kept my attention to the end. I'll definitely look/watch for more from this author.