I received a copy of this book from net galley in return of an honest review.

The book started well and I was interested to see where the story would lead. However I lost interest about half way through and unfortunately the book seemed to drag. The ending all seemed a bit rushed. I would read more by this author though as the beginning of the book was strong and well written.

This was a classic family drama turned thriller - Seth invites a seemingly random stranger into his and Ellie's home, without talking to Ellie about it first. They've got teenagers who are encompassed in the toxic culture of grade school. And to top it all off, there's been a murder of a teenage girl in their hometown.

I thought that the beginning and end were faster paced, and I had to push through the middle. There was a lot going on at once in this book, and I found myself constantly trying to tie it all together. With regards to the thriller aspect, there were SO many twists and turns that I was not expecting (even when I thought I had everything figured out in the end). I found myself questioning the cohesiveness of every storyline when I finished, but appreciated 'The Guest' as a book that had me turning pages to find out what happened.

I'd recommend this if you're looking for a quick thriller read, but I didn't find myself connecting to the characters and there was nothing super revolutionary about the storyline for me.

Well paced once it got going, this book was full of twists and turns, some believable and some not so. I found it odd that a guest who wasn't well known to the family would be allowed in a house with children however I suppose some people are a lot more welcoming/hospitable than I am . The book had a good middle and a better final third. I'd be interested to read more by this author.

What would you do if your husband invited a stranger into your lives and home? Then strange things start to happen...
There are a lot of twists and turns in this thriller, and although a slow burner I liked the fact that the ending was completely unexpected.

Really enjoyed this book, it is one of those books that you don't want to put down and keeps you turning the pages. Loved to see the how the relationship between Ellie and Ace turned out.

I received a free advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books!

The Guest is about Ellie and her strange guest. Seth, her husband, brings home a stranger, Ace, who he insists is his cousin's friend and offers for him to stay with their family while he gets his life in order. Ellie finds herself extremely attracted to Ace while she notices some distance between herself and Seth. However, soon some very odd things start happening. A girl from her son's school is murdered and she starts wondering if Ace is really as innocent as he seems to be. She starts investigating and soon finds out something horrifying which can destroy the happy life she has built for herself and her family.

This story dragged interminably until the ending. That was what saved me from giving it a lower rating. The twist at the ending was actually pretty genius and nearly made up for the rest of the book. The author described every little detail of the characters' days which was quite boring.

What I found odd was the fact that Ellie just took Seth's word about this strange man and let him stay in the house with her children. If my husband was to bring home a stranger who he claimed to know through his cousin (who he did not seem to be close to anyway) and offered to let him stay in my house indefinitely, I was going to ask some questions. I don't care how attractive that strange man was.

The characters were stilted in my opinion and many of their interactions felt forced. I also felt like the author was deliberately trying to make me see Brandon, Ellie's son, in a bad light without any real reasons. As a mother of a teenaged son, I found that there were some things she wanted to blame him for without any real proof. If my lingerie goes missing, I would not assume my son is trying it on. I found her opinion of her own son to be weird.

Based on this book, I cannot say if I would try another book by this author. The ending of this book showed me that she has real skills. However, I had to go through a lot just to enjoy the last few pages.

Suitable audience: This book is geared towards adults and older teens who enjoy thrillers

Recurrent themes: Betrayal. Secrets. Deception. 

Violence: A murder happens early in the book (not much details). Another violent incident takes place, again without too much details
Sexual Content: Sex takes place, without too much details
Profanity: Some obscene language but not too much
Religious Themes: None
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Some characters drink quite a bit of wine

I really struggled reading this book. The beginning of this book just kept dragging on and on. By the time it started to pick up, I no longer cared.I didn't have a vested interest in it at all.

Unfortunately I really struggled to connect with this book. The writing itself is good but I found the pace too slow and the character's quite weak.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is a case of the typical thriller path. I felt like I had maybe read a similar book just by reading the synopsis but I figured why not give it a try, it sounds interesting. It dragged and fell flat, with no likeable characters for me to root for. The twists were mediocre and I felt like it could have give me so much more. On to the next!

This reads like more of a family drama than a mystery or thriller. It starts off really slow and stays that way until the last third of the book. The characters are okay but none I felt invested in. I honestly found myself doing a lot of skimming of pages until the last few chapters. Those were great and what the entire book should have been like. It felt like it was written by someone else. I didn't see the big twists coming. Until the reveal the characters felt so staid. This one just wasn't for me.

Ellie is a well established gallery owner and lives with her husband Seth and her two children. When one of her boys, Brandon is questioned by the police in connection of a young girls disappearance and when Ellie learns her husband has lost his job and has been deceiving her Ellie's life doesn’t seem as perfect as it seems
However when Seth invites a stranger to stay with them is when the trouble begins, who is Ace? Why is he suddenly involved in their family?
This is a stunning psychological thriller that took more than one unforeseen twist.
I enjoyed how the story unfolds, and the way I questioned each of the characters intentions. I disliked Seth, however I feel like he was not supposed to be a likeable character, which is always a complex feeling to get past….its not the writing you hate its the characters personality!
The ending was spectacular and a complete surprise even if I had to force myself to continue somewhere in the middle of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Inkubator books with my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I thought I had this book worked out from the first 25%! How wrong I was! I really enjoyed delving into the lives of Ellie and her family as they host their guest, Ace. There were several twists and turns that had me on the edge of the seat for the second half of the book. It shows exactly what it takes to be a mother in the strange world that we live in and goes to the extreme. I would definitely recommend!

I hate to say it, but I couldn’t get myself to finish this for the life of me. I was utterly bored with everything in this book. I got to about the halfway mark and I couldn’t go on any further. The characters were one-dimensional and I wasn’t invested at all. I was waiting for the plot to pick up, but it didn’t. This one just didn’t do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I loved this book. It kept me turning page as well into the night. The twists and turns are often very surprising. This will keep you entertained this summer for sure. I am still shocked by the ending.

O what a book , it was a slow burner for the first half but enough to keep you guessing. After that it really took off and I had hurry to the end to see what happened. Great ending which I never guessed . Will look forward to reading more from this author

Half way through the story I had figured out the finale not knowing my theory was going to go pear shaped in a few pages more. The Guest is a example of a clever plot that has you guessing along the way only to find an ending that comes as a complete surprise. Just loved it and look to reading more Cathryn Grant..
There is a saying that sums up this story, " never get between a mother and her children'.
This has been an independent review for NetGalley / Inkubator Books

I hate to say bad things about books- I love books. I admire and fangirl authors. But this book was really not for me... The writing was way too wordy, I counted almost 30 pages with out dialogue that dragged and dragged. There was no real mystery- I stuck with the book hoping for some mystery and some explanation. When I got the explanation around 90% completed, it was a little ridiculous.

Didn't work for me

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is one twisty turney read!!

I wasn't too pulled in in the first 1/3 of the book but then something seemed to grip me and pull me in so I'm glad I didn't give up on it.

Ellie has it all - a faithful husband, 2 wonderful children, her own successful business and a beautiful home. Then a handsome stranger comes to stay - invited by her husband, and a knock on the door from the police wanting to speak to her son about a girl who's gone missing.... Ellies life starts to rip apart by the seams but not everything is as it seems....

The ending to this book twisted in a way I didn't see coming and I could not put this book down in the last third of the book.

All is well in Ellie Mitchell's busy life. She and her husband, Seth have two beautiful children, Brandon and Simone and Ellie has her own successful art gallery. But then Seth becomes cold and distant, and begins to act strangely, choosing to invite mysterious stranger, Ace to stay in their guest room. Ellie finds Ace charming, but not completely trustworthy and there is another problem... she is attracted to him. When a pupil attending the same school as her son is murdered and the police believe Brandon is involved, matters take an even worse turn for Ellie...

Cathryn Grant has written a tense, engaging thriller that flowed effortlessly, making it easy for me to become quickly embroiled in Ellie’s troubled life. Unable to put the book down, and when I thought the worst had already happened, something new unfolded, thereby keeping me on tenterhooks throughout. With a strong plot and totally believable, vivid characters, The Guest has an eye-popping bombshell of an ending. It was completely unexpected, exposing truths that left me dumbfounded.

Readers searching for a book that will keep them continuously guessing need to look no further than The Guest.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from Inkubator Books via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Ellie is married with 2 children, loves her husband, owns a gallery that she loves. Looking in from the outside reveals a perfect life ... but that's deceiving.

Seth, her husband has become distant. If she didn't know better, he could be having an affair. And then he invites a stranger, Ace, to stay in there house ... for a week or so. Supposedly Ace is a friend of Seth's cousin .. who Ellie has never heard of.

She finds herself attracted to the newcomer, but she also has a feeling of something not quite right.

A school acquaintance of her son is found murdered and she's devastated to learn that the police suspect him. The murdered girl has been known to bully Brandon .. but she knows that he is innocent.

And then her gallery is broken into and a valuable painting is destroyed. She already suspects Ace of having a problem ... but then she learns something so disturbing she contacts the police.

This is a stunning psychological thriller filled with angst and tension from the very first page. The characters are deftly drawn ... warts and all. The ending was quite unexpected with truths revealed that left me almost breathless.

Many thanks to the author / Inkubator Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.