Seth & Ellie are a successful couple living in a beautiful home with their beautiful child Simone and Brandon who is Ellie's son from her previous marriage. Brandon is having problems at school. He is being bullied (by girls). All starts to go wrong for the seemingly perfect family when an older girl from Brandon's school who h has a crush on is murdered. At about the same time Ellie's husband Seth invite's Ace to stay. Ace is a friend of Seth's cousin and needs somewhere safe to stay for a week or two. He immediately has a rapport with Brandon whose relationship with his stepfather is troubled. He learns to play pool from Ace.. Who is Ace? Is he who he says he is? Who killed Jasmine? Is Brandon involved? I thoroughly enjoyed this book and actually couldn't put it down.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. Unfortunately it didn't hit the mark for me and I gave up on it.

I just couldn't connect with any of the characters or the story and found the writing style not to my liking. I am sure others loved it so it's just a personal opinion but it wasn't for me.

Thank you

I really enjoyed this book!! The building suspense, the unexplained but undeniable odd actions of the various characters built together to form a heart-stopping crescendo and a brilliant twist in the final chapters. This is a clever thriller that is enjoyable and engaging, well worth the read!

I enjoyed this one a lot. The writing kept the suspense coming and I had to keep changing what I thought was going to happen as I read further. This is what a good suspense novel should be!

This review will be published on the below-mentioned blog and other social media on June 5.

Book Title: The Guest

Author: Cathryn Grant

Genre: Thriller

Publishing Date: 24 May 2020

My Review :

It’s a good thriller but not the excellent one! If you haven’t read a lot of thrillers it would be a good one to start! But after reading some Mind-blowing thrillers it seems lacking in so many ways! The plot is interesting but the way it got executed is not impressive! The initial chapters were fast-paced! The story picked up in the very first chapter! But after 20% it seems we are reading the same explanations, feelings again & again and it’s boring! The characters were not practical! The story again picked up only after 80% of the book! We couldn’t conclude anything solid but when we came to know a person behind all things it didn’t surprise us! The climax is easily guessable but not too bad!

Thoughts While Reading :

This section has some subtle spoilers,

The initial chapters were straight to the point and make us curious!
At this age and time is it really believable, that someone would accommodate an unknown stranger to stay even though the husband insists? Not even a quick social media checkup? Which she has done too late! I felt there weren't strong enough reasons to believe it!
And that weak unbelievable baseline makes the entire story weak!
The mention of egoistic male domination strips the society’s obsession over women’s place in the home! I admire the author brought up this very subtle but crucial issue!
Another important issue spoken in this book is bullying! The story captures the real struggle of a mom with her bullied teenage kid! It is heartbreaking!
The guest character is very shallow, and didn't have any impact at all!
The one thing that bothered me much was the over descriptive repetition of the same doubts, emotions which makes the wonderful plot executed poorly!

Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher #inkubatorbooks for this ARC. This review is straight from my heart, not biased in any way.

This is an honest review for Netgalley ARC. The story started off well, and kept me interested, but then I found my mind drifting off. The one dimensional description by the main character Ellie just started to become tedious. Her paranoia about everything and everyone. Instead of edge of the seat thriller, it was rather monotonous and I kept wanting her to relax. The twist at the end, though not completely obvious was a little rushed and wasn't as impactful as it maybe should have been. I would not class this book as a psychological thriller and to be honest, there are so many good books out there, I feel time reading could be spent better. I only finished the book to be able to give an honest review for the ARC.

The Guest is a psychological thriller that unfolds at a moderate pace and is saved by the ending.

Ellie is a successful owner of an art gallery whose husband, Seth, recently lost his job 3 months ago but failed to tell her. Seth invites Ace, an attractive friend of a cousin to stay with them. With Ellie and Seth’s marriage a little rocky, a troubled teenage son and a murdered neighbor, it is somewhat understandable why Ellie is not more focused on who Ace really is. Once she digs into his background she is startled by what she learns and begins to suspect he isn’t just a guest because he needs a place to stay.

I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t my favorite. Quick read so would still recommend it.

I really did enjoy this book it had some really good twists and turns and it really made my day it was gripping and was a great read one of my favourites of this year I had a netgalley copy of this book to read before release later this year and I'm glad I was able to I recommend so much!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ #NetGalley #TheGuest

Also posted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3352386009?book_show_action=false

Thank you to Cathryn Grant, , Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Guest invites the reader into the lives of Ellie and her family at a time when anxiety is high. Son Brandon is struggling with his first year at high school and husband Seth is distancing himself, both men seemingly keeping some secrets. When Seth brings a stranger, Ace, home for dinner unannounced, the last thing Ellie needs is for Seth to invite him to stay. With a girl from Brandon's school missing and suspicion pointing its finger towards him, can nothing go right for Ellie? Who is Ace really, and why has Seth invited him into their home?

The Guest is a quick and easy read with a fast pace and enough twists and turns to keep interest. I raced through it in a couple of days and, whilst I guessed the ultimate outcome, this did not spoil the story's enjoyment for me. There are three big reveals retained right until the penultimate chapters, my one minor disappointment being in the last of these, which I didn't feel gelled as well with the character development that had taken place up to the point of its unveiling, and wasn't required to bring the story to a close. A relatively light read, this is not for hardcore thriller fans, but I would recommend for those who like a bit of suspense and family drama.

Firstly, thank you @netgalley for proving me with an electronic copy of The Guest in exchange for an honest review.

Life has been good to Ellie – she owns a successful art gallery, is deeply in love with her husband, Seth, and has two beautiful children, Brandon and Simone.

Lately, Seth seems to have something on his mind and has become cold and distant. And things don’t improve when he invites mysterious stranger Ace to stay in their home. Then a girl at Brandon’s school is murdered, and Ellie is beyond devastated when the police tell her they think her son might be involved.
I feel that this book is initially slow to get going but when it does there are constant twists and turns. Once you’ve solved one twist, there is another to consider and solve. I didn’t solve the main plot of the book until it is shown at the end. Most characters are suspected throughout the book due to the clever way it is written. However, despite not suspecting the plot, the ending didn’t give me the thrill it was supposed to.

This book is now available on Amazon for pre-order.

I wasn't familiar with Cathryn Grant's writing before reading this book. I will absolutely be checking out more of her novels now! The Guest was a twisty, thriller (the best kind!) that leaves you questioning who has done what and how! Just when you think you have it figured out - another twist happens!

The Guest was unique among the many, many thrillers that I've read lately in that it was as twisty as it promised! When the book ends, there seems to be a tidy ending buttoned up ... then there's the epilogue. Genius.

If we could rate in half stars, this one would be a 4.5 for me!

Thank you to Cathryn Grant, Inkubator Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book! This review was also published on Goodreads.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is showing as General Fiction/Mystery & Thriller, with the last line of the description being “stunning psychological thriller”. I would say the first 80% of this is general fiction while the last 20% is “thriller”. I felt like this was two separate books. One fiction and then a short thriller novel. I was disappointed as this being a thriller. A local high school girl is missing, then her body is found. This storyline is interwoven throughout the book. Then it becomes a fiction novel. Ellie’s husband Seth invites his cousin’s friend, Ace to come and stay for “a week or so”. That becomes longer than a week. Seth is acting distant and has lost his job. Ellie is starting to feel uncomfortable in her feelings for Ace. This part of the story was boring for me. I went in thinking this was a thriller. Then we get to the end and it gets better. I figured out what was going on. If you are new to thrillers, this might be ok, but if you are looking for heart pounding, page turning, can’t put down, this is not for you.

Mixed feelings on this suspenseful domestic thriller by Cathryn Grant. I liked the beginning of the book a whole lot. The writer is adept at building suspense. And the premise is great - what if your husband brings a random guest to stay with you in the house without asking? And the guest is rather scary, but also kind of hot - and you really don't know why he's staying in your house. Two thumbs up on the premise and the initial thrills it brought with it - this was very original for a domestic thriller, and for the first half of the book I read it all in one sitting with great interest.

Unfortunately towards the last third of the book, the story began to fall apart a bit for me. The book took a turn away from its initial focus, so that by the end I felt like too many separate threads and questions from the beginning were not fully resolved. To me, the biggest question was, why did Ellie's husband bring this guy home to stay? I didn't feel like the answer to that (which was the whole premise of most of the book) lived up to my expectations. Also....without spoiling the plot,I will say that I come to a domestic thriller for the either the villain or the hero. I need to either enjoy the deliciousness of a villain enough to want them to get away with it, or despise them enough to want them to get caught. I also usually need to identify with/like the hero(ine) enough to root for them. I did not feel like I was able to connect that way here - I think because certain aspects of the characters and their relationships that came into play the last third of the book were not developed enough in the first part of the book.

Despite that, the book was well-written and I would give this author another try - the first half was very readable and shows she understands how to build suspense and deliver the thrills you want in this kind of book. I would give this book a 3.5. It had potential, but ultimately didn't thrill me like I hoped.

Thanks to NetGalley, Cathryn Grant and Inkubator Books for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ellie, happily married with two children, is the owner of a successful art gallery. Her life seems to be on track until her husband invites an almost-stranger to temporarily live with them. The premise for The Guest is interesting and I wondered how the author would develop her idea.

But, unfortunately, the book just didn’t pan out for me. I didn’t find any of the characters appealing and the story seems so implausible. Even the day to day conversations are unrealistic. Ellie is presented as a woman who takes care of issues as they occur but, in reality, she often sets aside problems with the attitude that all will all work out eventually. Furthermore, the fact that her husband would invite a stranger to live with them without consulting or even telling his wife first is odd. But, what’s even more odd is that Ellie never really attempts to talk to him or find out what prompted his decision. Instead, she just goes along with it.

All in all, this book was a true disappointment. The only reason I have given it 2 stars is because the basic concept is interesting.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Ellie and Seth have the perfect marriage and family. They are both successful in their respective jobs. Ellie owns an art gallery that she started and is very proud of They have two children, an teenaged son and a six year old daughter everything is good until Seth decides to invite a guest for dinner unannounced. Ace seems nice he's good with the kids. Evidently he's a friend of her husband's favorite cousin. In no time Ace has moved into the guest bedroom. A week turns into a month. Ellie is fed up. She missed the romantic evenings with her husband. The quiet family times they had together. She googled Ace. She finds out he was in prison for murder. She is incensed. She confronts her husband. She can tell by his reaction that he already knew. Why wouldn't he tell her. She has had a murderer around her home and her children. Hell no, he has to go.
I enjoyed this story. It didn't take where I thought it was going. Clever storyline. Incredible ending! Recommended!

Ellie's husband welcomed a handsome stranger into their home, but will their generosity be rewarded or will it come back to haunt them. And just as this mystery man arrives in town, a girl is murdered. This wasn't full of drama, multiple murders, or gore, but it was just the right twist that I did not see coming! I enjoyed this fast-paced read!

I received this book through netgalley. I never read this author book. I thought the cover looked interesting. it was A great mystery. I really liked the plots and the character's. I thought it was like a thriller as well. I liked Ellie in this story. she was a tough character. I hope to read more by this author.

I didn’t really care for this book. There wasn’t enough interaction for me. Seems like 94% of this book is the protagonist’s thoughts. Had a pretty good premise & ending as well, just seems like nothing much ever happened. Wasn’t an awful book, just not my cup of tea.

This was a good one with huge twists and turns. Looks at family loyalty and parental love. Well worth a read, and definitely made me think! I had to read the last 3-4 chapters again as I didn’t see the ending coming at all. Thanks for letting me review this book.

Ellie is the type of person you know and want to be. She has it all. She owns a perfect art gallery, has the perfect relationship and has two beautiful children, who always seem to be perfectly behaved. I think we all know an Ellie in our lives. We try to remind ourselves that the grass isn't always greener. The Guest did a great job at reminding us to not judge the individuals in our lives because we never know what is actually going on. Ellie's life turns out to be not so ideal when her precious husbands becomes distant and invites a guest into their home. This guest is a good looking man who seems to be great with her children. When a student at Ellie's sons school gets murdered, and her son might be involved, Ellie is trying to find all of the answers. Ellie believes that her son Brandon had nothing to do with it, but why do the police feel differently? Was their new house guest involved?

I really enjoyed the twists of this thriller. I was definitely shocked multiple times!