Not the worst book I'll ever read, but certainly not the best. I raced through, not because I was particularly enjoying it, but to simply get to the end. Mystery solved.

I read a lot of mystery-thrillers so I'm a bit of a jaded reader. If the plot intrigues you, give it a try. Just not for me.

Thanks NetGalley for opportunity to read and review.

I love Megan Miranda's writing because it is unique in going back and forth in time. I didn't think she could top All the Missing Girls, but this one is amazing as well! I was not disappointed in this book, which kept me guessing as to who killed the main character. I thought I had it figured out, but more twists and turns revealed something totally different. I started to catch on but it wasn't until very close to the end of the book. This is a definitely an author I will be following and watching for new stuff from!

3.5 stars, rounded up
The Last House Guest deals with the haves and the have nots, the folks who spend a summer and the year round residents, the vacationers and the workers. Usually the two sides stay separate. Avery is a resident, but she becomes a summer friend with Sadie Logan, the daughter of one of the richest summer families in Littleport. At the end of summer, Sadie is found dead. Ruled a suicide, but later events have Avery doubting that conclusion.

The story is told from Avery’s viewpoint, from the summer of Sadie’s death and the summer after. Reading an advance copy, I couldn’t understand why there would be chapter dividers just labeled Summer without specifying which summer. It wasn’t until I looked at the table of contents that I saw the ToC did label them. Small glitch but it affected my reading pleasure. I’m wondering now if I would have rated the book higher if I hadn’t had this annoyance as it often took me a page or so to make sure I knew which time period was being evoked.

And I can’t say that any of the characters interested me. Avery almost seems a caricature - no family, reliant on the Lomans, some mix of family friend and employee. I feel like I’ve seen this done one too many times. Sadie is the rich girl rebel; her brother Parker, a ladies’ man and bad boy.

As is always the case with these kind of mysteries, secrets are revealed and things aren’t as they first appeared. The book maintains a good pace. I didn’t see the twists coming and appreciated how it all played out. So kudos to Miranda for a strong ending.

My thanks to netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book.

I’ve been reading a lot of Contemporary lately and have started getting a little bored with it. I wanted to change things up a bit and The Last House Guest was just the addictive mystery that I needed.

Megan Miranda’s writing is really addicting. Though there were times I thought it was a little repetitive and that she was trying maybe just a little too hard to create a creepy atmosphere, there is just something really compelling about her writing. Even when I figured things out much sooner than they were revealed, I had to keep reading.

The story is really character-driven, which I have come to expect from Miranda. This isn’t a fast-paced suspense, but there are plenty of small, impactful reveals along the way to keep you reading. One of the “big” reveals towards the end of the book was my very first guess early on in the story. I thought it was so obvious that I was kind of annoyed that it took so long to come out. However, there was another twist soon after that I had only recently begun to suspect, so I liked that it was still able to surprise me a bit, even though I guessed most things.

When you’re reading a story so character-driven, the characters can really make or break the book. Fortunately, I found Avery likable enough. She had some issues, but she was compelling and I wanted to see good things happen for her. Where it lost me a bit was with Sadie’s character. Right from the start she comes across as the “poor, little rich girl” cliche. She acted out to get attention from her family. She was also calculating and it was pretty obvious to everyone but Avery that Sadie had an agenda when it came to her. It was really hard to care about whether Sadie was murdered or not. It was also kind of frustrating to see how much Avery cared about Sadie when the friendship did not mean the same to Sadie.

Overall, I did enjoy The Last House Guest. Even though the mystery was not as surprising as I hoped and I had a hard time caring about Sadie, I liked Avery and I found the writing really addictive and compelling. I never wanted to put the book down and that is why I’m bumping my rating up to 4 stars. I think if you have liked Miranda’s previous books, you will enjoy this one, as well.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 4 Stars

I love Miranda’s style of writing. She crafts believable characters with fast paced plots that enliven the plot and that keeps you guessing till the end
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I find my experiences with this author a bit hit or miss… And this one was just in between, if that makes sense? I did feel I needed to finish it to its completion, but I was not met with the crazy urge to just sit down and read, like I do some books. Thanks for the opportunity to read this!

This book started out a little slow for me but wound up being a really good mystery with a few twists I didn’t see coming! Had to force myself to stop reading and get off the beach or else I’d wind up with a sunburn. Great summer beach read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Last House Guest

A suspenseful beach read that transports us to a quaint coastal town in Maine.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Littleport, Maine, has always been like two separate towns: an ideal vacation spot for the wealthy, whose summer homes line the coastline; and a simple harbor community for the year-round residents whose livelihoods rely on service to the visitors.

Typically, friendships never develop between a local and a summer girl—but that’s just what happens with visitor Sadie Loman and Littleport local resident Avery Greer. Each summer for almost a decade, the girls are inseparable—until Sadie is found dead. While the police rule the death a suicide, Avery can’t help but feel there are those in the community, including a local detective and Sadie’s brother, Parker, who blame her. Someone knows more than they’re saying, and Avery is intent on clearing her name, before the facts get twisted against her.


REVIEW
THE LAST HOUSE GUEST is a great twisty read that transports us to the quaint coastal town of Littleport Maine. When Sadie fails to show up for the end of the summer annual party, Avery gets worried. She had just seen her hours before. It doesn’t make sense. The story is a immensely satisfying and will be a delightful beach read for the summer.

I very much liked Avery’s strong character as well as the delineation between the locals and the summer guests. The writing is smart with a careful ascent to the conclusion. Author Megan Miranda weaves a wrenching tale of family drama that will have you guessing about what happened to Sadie. My favorite part was the ending but of course I can’t give that away! You’ll just have to enjoy it at the beach...or the pool...or the lake or wherever you want to relax. It’s a fun read.

Author Megan Miranda Is the New York Times best-selling author of all the missing girls. She grew up in New Jersey, graduated from MIT, and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children The Perfect Stranger is her second novel of psychological suspense and The Last House Guest is the latest.

Thanks to Netgalley, Megan Miranda and Corvus for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher Corvus
Published June 18, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

I enjoyed the twists and plot turns in this book. I suspected everyone! Make sure you read this book

An almost perfect mystery/beach read with great writing and believable characters.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42190273

The last house guest starts a little slow but once you start getting to know the characters you will not be putting it down until you finish. There are lots of twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The persistent heroine will win out.

I’m a big Megan Miranda fan since I read my frist book by her, All The Missing Girls. The author has a great sense of character development.

This is a beautifully done drama with mystery and thriller undertones. The main character Avery doesn’t believe the theory that her best friend killed herself.

With this author it’s all about the characters which I think is her strong point! Avery is engaging and slightly strange. The mystery element is addictive and intriguing, the relationships are complex and have many layers.

Available June 18: The Last House Guest

**** 4/5: Loved it

The Last House Guest is another intricate plot with a Cape Cod twist from Megan Miranda.



Recommended readers:

Fans of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, Paula Hawkin’s The Girl on the Train
If you like psychological thrillers and Megan Miranda's previous novels
If you want a brain-busting, page-turner
Here's my Rankings:

4/5 for characters
3/5 for plot
3.5/5 overall
REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER:

Littleport, Maine is a summer vacation town - where Avery Greer lives and works year-round and Sadi Loman visits her wealthy family's summer home. The two girls grow up together - becoming inseparable each summer that Sadi comes to stay in Littleport. And Avery becomes part of the Loman family, even working for them.

A little more straight forward than the reverse-plot of Miranda's first thriller (which was a definitely 4+ stars), The Last House Guest is still cleverly written with an intricate plot. The small town of Littleport with its contrasting culture of locals vs summer visitors further confuses the plot - keep you guessing until the end.

We also loved: All the Missing Girls and The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda

This was an enjoyable read told thru 2 different timelines/flashbacks. I like the small chapters, made the reading seem as it went by faster. The one thing was that I never "felt" for the heroine, it seemed to be a disconnect for me. While this was my first read by this author I'll def be reading more by her.

There is something I can't resist about a Megan Miranda cover, despite knowing that usually the stories fall flat for me. I just could not get too invested in the plot nor the characters. I enjoyed certain parts, but it didn't beg me to keep reading.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this ARC!

Sadie and Avery..sisters? Or is there something else that connects them?

Avery, the primary character in this crazy, wild and suspenseful mystery; chasing ghosts to lead her to answers. What are the answers and whom else is involved in trying to keep those answers dead and not coming back.

After all, Avery has a heck of a past and she could be the responsible party..right?

I honestly had no clue as to what was going to happen in this one and I truly appreciate that, too many times a book let’s out its deepest secret way too early.

Five stars and a must read!!

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced readers copy of this hauntingly written gem.

Avery and Sadie are inseparable. The people in Littleport, Maine are in shock when Sadie is discovered dead on a cliff. Ruled as a suicide, Avery feels that there is more to her friend’s death. Is Sadie’s wealthy family covering up something far from the truth? I honestly don’t know how I feel about this one. While it hooked me from the beginning with the mystery, it ended up a little flat for me. However, I have to say I didn’t see that final twist coming.

The Last House Guest is as equally enthralling as All the Missing Girls. Megan Miranda has written another page turner.

Set in a small town in Maine, this book revolves around the suicide of a girl (Sadie) who visited the town every summer with her family, and her best local friend Avery. But it's been a year since Sadie's death, and as new evidence comes to light, Avery is no longer convinced it was suicide. Cue the race against the clock to find out what really happened that night before the police focus on her as the primary suspect.

I liked the interspersion of the Plus One Party, showing what happened the year before in sections mixed in with the present narrative. But what was confusing was when Avery reminisced without the reader knowing when the events she is recalling happened. It sometimes made for a disorienting timeline that I couldn't quite grasp. Furthermore, I wasn't attached to any of the characters. That didn't keep me from compulsively reading to find out what was going to happen next, but I kept hoping for a connection between Connor and Avery that never came to fruition. It seemed like Avery hadn't kept up with any relationships besides Sadie since meeting her for the first time.

There was another plot point going on with the rental properties that upon finding out the truth felt contrived and unnatural. I didn't really care because we hadn't learned much about the character up to that point.

If you loved All the Missing Girls, then you'll like this; there were definitely some twists I was not expecting. All the Missing Girls will remain my favorite of the two, however.

I have enjoyed every book I have read of Megan Miranda's and this was no exception. There were several twists that I didn't see coming and the ending wasn't predictable to me. I also liked that the book explored the class difference between Sadie and Avery. Overall this was a good thriller and a quick read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review!