The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous is twisty and weird! This didn't disappoint. I loved everything about it. Thank to you NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved The Au Pair by this author but this was a challenge to get through. It was twisty but also dragged in places. Book club discussion helped me get through and I will read more by this author. Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this.

When she was just a young girl, Beth’s parents and brother both passed away, leaving her alone. Her aunt takes her in, but with her work travel, she also isn’t home often. It seems like kismet when a family living in a large estate is looking for a companion for their daughter who is nearly the same age as Beth.

The two girls become fast friends, however, they are secluded from anyone outside of their home.

This story changes point of view and timelines fairly frequently, but was not hard to follow. It also takes 3 seemingly unconnected stories and weaves them together with complicated relationships.

It was a good story with twists!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Perfect Guests was an ok story, the audiobook was an enjoyable listen on my long commute. I liked Sadie and Beth well enough. Raven Hall was definitely the main character to this story but I do wish it had been described in more detail as I never got a really clear picture of it in my mind. The story had some good twists but also some twists that were downright unbelievable and soap opera-ish especially how a fire was put out and I think a mistake in the timeline at the end of the book.

Overall it was an ok read/listen, I’d definitely give the author another shot.

**Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley, I also got the audiobook from my library.**

I think I'm about done with this author. I've given it two books but something about her writing style just isn't clicking for me.

Emma Rous has been on my radar after The Au Pair. The Perfect Guests did not disappoint. This was the perfect mix of dark and disturbing! Love the twists and turns. Just read it!

I received this book for free through netgalley for an honest review. Wow, I loved this book so much. I will say it was a roller coaster for me. At one point I thought I had it all figured out, and then the book confirmed my suspicions. I was a little disappointed thinking "this is it..??". But then the ending definitely turned that around for me with a few more things I never guessed!! I definitely recommend.

This is my first book from Emma Rous and while I enjoyed it, I can't say that I would be rushing to read another one. While the book does an admirable job of building up the mystery, you keep waiting for something to happen. The book is 99% explanation and 1% action and that 1% happens toward the end of the book. The way this one was structured, with the exceedingly long backstory setup, made me feel like something was just out of reach. It was effective to get me to keep turning the page, but when we finally reached the climax of the story, I was left wondering 'is this it?'

A very original story line that combines the backstories of two very different young women to come together in twisted time mystery. Emma Rous set the background perfectly in a manor that has survived many decades of the plotting and deeds done by the inhabitants. These two women will find themselves thrown into situations that are unusual, unpredictable and deadly. What a great combination for a compelling read!

I enjoyed Emma Rous's last book, The Au Pair, so I was really excited to read this one. Ultimately, it fell a little flat for me and won't stick with me.

Loved this one! The twists and turns kept me from putting it down and I loved that the ending was complete with a surprise I didn’t expect. Highly recommend!

I’m catching up on my NetGalley books (finally!). This one sat on my Kindle for an embarrassing couple of years, and I apologize to the publisher for that.

Unfortunately, I don’t have much good input.

We have three timelines, a past, present, and vague snippets that feel like journal entries.

The past timeline has a gothic mystery feel, and I wanted to know what was going on in that mansion with the strange family. But despite the overall creepy vibe, not much happened. We had repetitive teenage angst and weird, mostly absent parents who occasionally did something odd.

In the present timeline, people are invited to the now abandoned mansion to play out a murder mystery. Each is assigned a part, and it’s played just like a game of Clue (or Cluedo in the UK). I love Clue, and this should’ve totally worked for me. But again, we have an implied creepy undercurrent without much forward movement.

Then suddenly, the last quarter of the book explodes. Everything happens at once—and I mean EVERYTHING! The plot became a convoluted, chaotic, tangled mess. I felt in sudden need of a flow chart to keep track of relationships and motives and timelines and who did what to whom. For me, it was too much of an implausible mess.

And there you have it. My opinion only, though.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters, but I did enjoy the murder mystery vibes. Ultimately, this fell a little flat for me.

I would not finish this book. What sounded so promising fell completely flat for me. I could not connect to the characters. I had such a hard time with this one. I really wanted to like it....

Reading this book reminded me a bit of the old VC Andrews books that I devoured in High School. The story takes place in Raven Hall and has a very gothic feel. There is also a murder mystery party aspect that gives major "Clue" vibes, which I loved. The story is unusual and wasn't particularly surprising by the end but it was still a fun read. The atmosphere of Raven Hall was very creepy and mysterious. I always love stories that take place in old mansions so bonus points for that.

I was very interested in this novel because I have heard good things from the author. However, I struggled to finish this book. I could not connect to the characters or the plot. Still, I recommend this for fans of that love thrillers!

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

.I would give this book 3.5 stars. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Present day, Sadie is a struggling actress when she gets a gig to pose as a murder mystery guest at Raven Hall.

1988 - Beth, recently orphaned has managed to find herself living at Raven Hall with a new family.

The story goes back and forth between Sadie and Beth. Two people in different times manage to find themselves connected in unexpected ways.

I enjoyed the dual POVs and the story was entertaining. I thought the ending was a little much but overall it was a good read.

Another Stellar book by Emma! I may have even liked this book a bit more than her last one! Such a creative mind she has. Her story telling definitely stands out in the crowd!

If you like reading books with gothic feel and lots and lots of twists and turns like a mountain road then this is going to be the perfect book for you. It’s a pretty quick read so you should give it a try!