Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟 3/5 stars
Publication Date: 1/12/21

The Perfect Guests a quick, twisty gothic mystery that is perfect for Winter reading. This novel tells the story of two women - Beth and Sadie. Beth is a young orphan who arrives at Raven Hall in 1988 to stay with the Averall family and gets caught up in a twisted game. Sadie is a struggling actress in 2019, who gets hired for a mysterious job set at Raven Hall. How do this stories connect? What is happening at Raven Hall?

The Perfect Guests is about 300 pages and has a quick pace that makes it perfect for a one sitting read. I particularly enjoyed the beginning of the novel and how atmospheric the book is as a whole. However, I did see a few of the twists coming and wanted a little more from the ending.

Overall, The Perfect Guests is an enjoyable gothic suspense novel that is perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book surprised me at parts and disappointed me at others! There were a lot of characters and it didn't help that there were THREE timelines, though I enjoyed how they came together in the end. I am impressed with how the author managed to create some mystery linking the three timelines, but one out of the three was definitely more thought out than the other two. The story flowed pretty well and I enjoyed guessing whodunnit the whole time!

If you are a lover of gothic fiction you will enjoy the new book The Perfect Guest by Emma Rous which is a modern take on the genre. Raven Hall, an aging manor home that has been in the family for generation has loomed heavily over the story, and that alone gives it the gothic feel.

The book centers around two main POVs that scan different times, Beth who is in 1988, an orphan who has been chosen to come to Raven Hall to be a companion to Nina, a girl her age who is kept in confine to the grounds of the manor by her mother. Beth gets pulled into a strange game of dressing up and posing as Nina, by Nina’s parents when her grandfather comes to visit . Nina is sick each time he visits, and Beth seems to think she is being poisoned.

Sadie is the second POV and is based in the year 2019, she is invited to Raven Hall to be a performer at a murder mystery weekend at the manor home. But soon enough one of the performers shows up missing.

There is also an occasional third POV that neither the name or the time is known, but it seems to be also somewhere in the past.

The book is suspenseful, complex and complicated, and I didnt not always know where the story was going or even when it would end up, but i kept reading anxious to find out the secrets of each of the main characters. There are also several secondary characters in the story, and it is sometimes confusing trying to keep up with them all.

The book is split into two parts, the second part is shorter and ties everything up, but not before a few twists and turns that finally reveal who characters are and what their secrets are. I did find a few of the twists at the end to be a bit far fetched, but the book was an enjoyable and easy read.

The Perfect Guest is a thrilling mystery that will keep you guessing until the end, but it is also a family drama that deals with obsession and risking everything to be able to keep what you really love.

This is an intriguing book in that there is an "in house" mystery played out by people that were asked to be a part of it. The twists and turns will keep you guessing until the very end. Well written with good characterization. Rack up another winner from Emma Rous.

I received an ebook ARC from NetGalley and this is my voluntary, honest review.

📚 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 / 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝗪 ⁣📚⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Title: #ThePerfectGuests
Author: #EmmaRous
Publisher: @berkleypub
Pub Date: 1/12/21⁣⁣⁣
Type: #eARC (thanks for my gifted copy, @netgalley)⁣⁣⁣
Genre: #Mystery #Thriller⁣
Must Read Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

My thoughts:

This is one wild ride that I know a lot of mystery and thriller lovers will adore! Told from multiple POVs across 2 different time periods, the reader is surely in for a wicked and sinister treat with this novel.

I love when stories take place at a super creepy mansion. At first, I thought this was going to be a traditional thriller where the house is a character itself, but Rous chose to take a unique and different path and I have to say, it worked. Raven Hall is very near and dear to every character in this book and they'll do just about anything to lay claim to it - including lying to everyone!

One of my favorite aspects of this book is that there is an unidentified narrator whose identity is not uncovered till the very end. Those were fun chapters to read, as you'll spend the entire book trying to figure out who it is.

This is a quick read, but I found myself reading it too fast and I was definitely confused at certain points. I also didnt understand how the 2 storylines related to each other and that threw me off a bit because they seemed completely disjointed until the very end. I'd like to pick up Rous first novel, The Au Pair, as I really enjoyed her fast-paced and chilling vibe. Thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

My Review:⭐️⭐⭐⭐/ 5 stars

This book had many guessing to the very end! It tells the story of 3 different POVs - one is of Beth Soames, an orphan in 1988 who is dropped off at Raven Hall (in East Anglian Fens) by her aunt Caroline after bouncing around at different children’s homes. The Meyers welcome her and she befriends their daughter Nina - and here she truly feels at home and a part of the family despite their strange rules and one “little” game that she believed to be truly harmless. The other POV is of Sadie, in 2019, a unsuccessful actress who agrees to be apart of the Murder mystery dinner at Raven Hall because she desperately needs rent money. As the night goes on, she realises the mystery host might have more in store for them than she initially thought. The other POV is a mystery woman, who has a history with the estate.

First off, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was so intrigued by the Meyers/Averalls and why they did the things they did - and why Nina was kept indoors all the time. It was quite unusual and I was DYING for answers. You will be definitely left guessing throughout, figure a few things out on your own, and then find more surprises along the way. A wonderful mystery read!

Thank you to Berkley Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

US Pub date: January 12, 2021!!

The Perfect Guests kept me on my toes the entire time I was reading. I enjoyed the alternating past and present perspectives, and the twist at the end was one I never saw coming.

Emma Rous does it again! She’s given us another thriller and mystery that leaves you guessing until the very last page. I didn’t see the end coming at all.

Emma Rous is a memorable and gifted writer. I say this because her stories are uniquely written, and she doesn’t take tired topes and recycle them over and over again. Sometimes its nice to read the same types of books with different characters and locations, but its even nicer when an author gives her readers something FRESH like she has here (and with her debut). Another reason she’s memorable is because her storytelling ability is exquisite. Emma weaves her stories nicely from past to present and slowly builds up her plots and characters to the tune of the story. There’s no “filler” in her books and even the small details mean something to the story. It’s truly exceptional and I look forward to reading many more of her novels in the future. Now on to the story…

The Perfect Guests is a puzzle of a story. Readers can easily be reading it for hours and not know where the author is taking us but still enjoy the journey because of the evocative scenes she brings to life. I’ll admit, I was wondering WHAT the big secret was, but in due time it was slowly revealed. There are breadcrumbs scattered here and there towards the big mystery, but you need a fine eye to catch them! This story feels gothic as much of it takes place in a big manor house that has been in a family for decades and it holds many secrets, but also modern because of the present tense in some of pov’s. When I think of a gothic novel, I think of something set in the early 1900’s but Emma proves that isn’t necessary for the trope. This one DOES span decades, but those decades begin in the 80’s and end in the present (2019). It’s all pretty clever if you ask me!

Anyway, this is a story about Beth. Nina, Sadie, and a slew of secondary characters who play a role in the mystery that surrounds Raven Hall. Readers will question what’s wrong with this beautiful home and why some characters need to stay hidden. Shocking twists filled with deceit and tragedy slowly bring readers to a climax that stuns its readers! You think you know these people but in reality… that’s not the case.

The Perfect Guests is a mystery, a family drama, and a suspense novel wrapped together. It’s a slow moving, engaging, and intriguing read that will keep you entertained for hours. It’s a story that is likely to get many readers excited because of how sharp it is and one I know I won’t soon forget. I recommend this book whole-heartedly!


︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞

● This is an atmospheric novel that engages readers from the beginning.

● The characters are all well placed and even though we don’t know what role they play in the story until the big reveal in the end, they all DO matter to the plot.

● There isn’t any unnecessary filler in the story. Every single action MEANS something.

● I love how the author weaved the story through the past and present as it gave is a glimpse into the reasoning behind the mystery. The author COULD have written it without the present tense, but it wouldn’t have been half as good as it is like this.

● The big twist and the final reveal had me jumping because I loved it so much! It’s insanely unique!

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞

● I think the only thing that held me back from giving this one a perfect 5-star rating is how slow it was in terms of getting to the point of the story. Looking back, I understand WHY everything was revealed so slowly, but there were a few times I was wondering what the heck I was reading! This is a very character driven novel and getting to the mystery part and watching it unveil was SLOW.

𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗧 𝗨𝗣

The Perfect Guests is one of those books that you won’t know you NEED until you read it. Emma Rous is a superb writer and getting lost in the worlds she builds is easy. I love a mystery that shocks me and this one did just that! I highly recommend it.

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sadie an aspiring actress is invited to spend the weekend at Raven Hall for a Murder Mystery that the company who owns the home is starting up. Beth, a teenage orphan is taken in my Leonora and Markus.

Told from 2 main POV, Beth 1988 - 1989 and Sadie 2019, and then a story of a previous resident of Raven Hall mixed in. These two stories and timeframes collide. This was a fast paced, easy to read novel. I wanted to keep reading to A) figure out why Beth was taken in by this family, why was she part "of their game" and B) what is going on present day, who is in charge. The author does a great job of tying up all questions. I flew through this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Emma Rous.

You are invited to play a game at Raven Hall...

I read this book in one day. I couldn't put it down until I figured out what the heck was happening and how everyone was connected!

The story is told through three different POVs and timelines - Beth's in 1988, Sadie's in 2019 and an unnamed narrator's at an unclear time - but they all have one thing in common: Raven Hall, a mysterious old English manor.

Beth is a recently orphaned teen whose aunt drops her to live with Markus, Leonora and their daughter Nina at Raven Hall in 1988. Why the family wants to take Beth in isn't clear and she worries about making a good impression but before long, she and Nina are like sisters and Beth's place at the grand estate seems secure. But when Leonora asks her to do an odd favor and pretend it's "a game," things start to take a very weird turn.

Meanwhile in 2019, Sadie, a struggling actress who can't pay her rent, lands a well-paying gig playing a guest at a murder mystery party at a formerly abandoned manor called Raven Hall. She happily accepts and the night starts off innocently enough but soon things start getting creepy and Sadie realizes it might be more than just a game - someone's life might really be at risk.

There are lots of twists (some I guessed and others I didn't) and you eventually find out how Beth and Sadie's stories overlap. The pacing is fast, the characters are entertaining (especially in Sadie's chapters) and I loved how Rous interconnected them all. I found one of the main motivations propelling the story far-fetched and the last twist to be one too many but overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you're looking for a well-written, quick-read mystery laced with family drama, this book is for you.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Berkley Publishing, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy to review.

Thank you so much to Berkley for the invitation to view The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous via NetGalley! I won as part of the cover reveal sweepstakes and was also invited to the blog tour (January 12rh) so I will be posting my social media reviews on that day!

I give this book an automatic five stars simply because I read it in two sittings (70% and 30%) and it was actually really hard to put down.

My absolute favorite mystery/thriller trope ever is the "mystery person" point of view (in italics obviously) - who the heck is it!! The Perfect Guests moves back and forth between Beth in the late 1980s and Sadie in the current day, with occasional glimpses from someone else, until the timelines converge. Eventually the mystery person is revealed but it took long enough to have me hooked. I thought it was a ghost and I won't even tell you if I was right or not!

In the late 1980s, Beth is orphaned and brought to live at Raven Hall as a friend for the girl in residence. Immediately some off beat things start to occur and I immediately just knew I had to find out what was going on! Very weird events and I am so terrible at guessing outcomes.

In the present day, Sadie is brought to a murder mystery dinner at a partially renovated Raven Hall - and things are equally as bizarre as before.

The gothic, grand old mansion atmosphere is so thick throughout the book. I loved the descriptions of the setting, and also liked how she brings the layout of the Fens into the book a bit.

One other huge I loved was how all the loose ends were actually tied up - there were so many twists in the book that I appreciated having a full explanation. I also loved her author's note at the end taking about the actual Fens and her experience working in a small town there!

3.5 stars, rounded up
This is a solidly twisty story set in three time periods. At first it's just a gripping story, but then it becomes more and more complicated as the complex relationships are revealed. The entire maze of connections isn't even clear until the very last paragraph.
I liked the alternating between Beth and Nina's story in the late 1980s contrasted with Sadie's invitation to a murder mystery experience in the present day--both set in the same sprawling mansion. The book does suffer from a few too many characters, a few too many times of trying to get a gasp out of the reader, particularly when the pieces of the puzzle begin to slot into place with the characters. Overall though, it's a great ride and pretty fast paced as you want to figure out exactly what is going on. If you have difficulty keeping a large cast of characters with myriad connections straight in your head, you might want to make notes as you go, which will greatly increase your enjoyment.

This book happens along multiple timelines, and we know at least one of those timelines ended in tragedy (the 1980s one) from snippets early in the book. But we don’t really know much else heading in and its that wonderful mystery that really adds to the atmosphere of this book. Add in the creepy old estate, a weird “game” and two innocent, if too easily led astray young women and it has everything necessary for some good drama.

And the book really delivers. It’s quite a nail biter as you hurry to work out what’s going on beneath all the layers of deception - and there’s a lot of them. There’s so many twists and turns in this one and I loved all of them. Some were right there for the picking, but some were more insidious and I definitely didn’t see a few of them coming.

The timelines were all interesting too. I don’t really even know which one I liked more. Bot had really suspenseful elements and were full of intrigue. I didn’t work either out before the it reveals. There’s also a third “bonus” story in there, but I won’t spoil that one for you. It’s also pretty good and adds another great layer to the story. There’s so much to explore in this story.

I really liked this book and it has made me a fan of this author. I am definitely going to look for more of her work in the future and would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good suspenseful read to fill out their weekend.

Especially with all the stress in the world today, this book is the perfect escape!

The story has you in different time lines but it is easy to know what is going on and what timeline you are in.
1988. Beth Soames is fourteen years old when her aunt takes her to stay at Raven Hall, a rambling manor in the isolated East Anglian fens. The Averells, the family who lives there, are warm and welcoming, and Beth becomes fast friends with their daughter, Nina. At times, Beth even feels like she’s truly part of the family…until they ask her to help them with a harmless game—and nothing is ever the same.
2019. Sadie Langton is an actress struggling to make ends meet when she lands a well-paying gig to pretend to be a guest at a weekend party. She is sent a suitcase of clothing, a dossier outlining the role she is to play, and instructions. It’s strange, but she needs the money, and when she sees the stunning manor she’ll be staying at, she figures she’s got nothing to lose.

This is where you have ah ha moments. And things are not as they seem. Beth will do anything to stay with the Averells as she is happy there and she knows her Aunt doesn't want her. Her and Nina become like sisters. But Beth can't figure out why Nina doesn't go to school or to town. Only has one friend, Jonah.

Then we meet Sadie and she gets this weird invitation to a murder mystery act at Raven Hall. Weird things happen and then things start to click into place. Lots of plot twists.
I received the ARC from Berkley and NetGalley for review.

This is an eerily haunting read.

An alternating timeline, we hear from three different perspectives. In 1988 we hear Beth's story. An orphaned girl who in an odd set of circumstances, goes to live with a family in the Fens. She's uncertain of her place in the family, the whole arrangement is vague. She's come to stay with Leonora and Markus to serve as a companion for their 14-year-old daughter, Nina. It gets Beth out of the Children's Home so on the one hand she is thrilled, plus the family seem nice and welcoming. It's at least somewhat easier to stomach that her actual family, Aunt Caroline, doesn't seem to want her. But there are certainly... oddities... about the family. Like that Nina doesn't go to school and she's not really allowed in town either. Those things can be overlooked to be included in the family at Raven's Hall.

And in 2019 we hear from Sadie. She's a struggling actress, settling up accounts for her mom and worrying where she's going to get money for this month's rent. As luck would have it, opportunity falls into her lap. A murder mystery company is looking for some actors to kick-off their interactive event at none other than Raven's Hall. Something is just not right about this party, though. Raven's Hall is rather off the beaten path and feels completely isolated. Now that she's here and hearing the mysterious and sad past of Raven's Hall though, Sadie's second guessing if this mysterious weekend is worth the paycheck.

And third perspective is illusive. We don't know the narrator or the date.

It's a rush to read these three perspectives. Your mind races to try to connect all the pieces before they're revealed to you. I enjoyed Emma Rous' writing style immensely. She was able to capture multiple personalities and ages quite well. I felt as though each perspective was truly a different character. The plot itself was totally captivating. The book kept you shrouded in a general sense of unease and anxiety. I was constantly waiting for the BANG that would scare the daylights out of me.

The Perfect Guests is a perfect, suspenseful read that kept me up all night. Rous does an excellent job balancing three different narratives, tying what seem to be separate stories into one compelling narrative that spans decades. A great read for those who love suspenseful mysteries.

Emma Rous does gothic suspense, deceit, and mystery so well!  I loved the premise - a murder mystery/Clue like dinner party. There are complex relationships revealed and you may want to draw yourself a family tree to remember who is related to who after a while. I really liked the first half of the book and loved the two timelines, Beth's arrival to Raven Hall, and uncovering the murder mystery party. However, the first half and second half are paced very differently for me.  The house is meant to act as a character and obsession with this house seemed a bit extreme.
There were clever twists (but some did feel like they lacked any lead up), the details woven carefully together, and one final twist at the ending made me rethink parts of the story! Well done!If you've read The Au Pair, I prefer The Perfect Guests, but you still need to suspend reality a bit ;)

[Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an opportunity to read an advanced reading copy of this book, scheduled for release on 01/12/2021].

When I first started "The Perfect Guests," I was immediately entranced by Raven Hall, similar to how Beth and Leonora's reacted to the sprawling residence. As someone who has grown up in the city, there is something alluring about an oversized property taking up too much land, too big for three people. In this instance, it's four people: a family of three (Leonora, Markus, and 14-year-old Nina) and Beth, adopted from the local children's hospital under the guise of a good deed and a friend for Nina. Now that Beth has a home, a <I>family</I>, is she willing to do anything to keep them? There's more to the plot but I can't relive it. The last quarter of the novel tanked all the goodwill it had built up. A convoluted ending, too many "wait! this was revealed" followed by "NO wait, seriously, there's this" again followed by "AND THEN THIS ONE MORE THING." I can't. I didn't even read the last few pages because I couldn't.

In 1988, fourteen-year-old Beth arrives at Raven Hall. An orphan, Beth has been chosen to keep Nina Averell, the teenage daughter who lives with her parents there, company. She becomes part of the family, almost feeling as if she belongs there. But then Nina's parents ask Beth to do something strange, forcing her to question everything, and soon nothing will ever be the same. In 2019, struggling actress Sadie Langton takes a job as part of a murder mystery dinner party. She's amazed when she arrives at the location, a beautiful manor called Raven Hall. But once the pretend party starts, Sadie realizes that something seems off--and that their "host" is toying with everyone, including her.

This was an excellent thriller that draws you in immediately and never lets go. Rous gives us an atmospheric tale, with Raven Hall and the Fens practically appearing before your eyes while reading. It doesn't get much better than a creepy book set in a weird, rambling castle, right?

THE PERFECT GUESTS alternates between Beth's story, set in the past; Sadie's, set in the present; and an unnamed voice. Trying to figure out how everyone is interconnected is part of the book's intrigue. I definitely worked some parts out early on--others were a surprise. Still, the result is a very twisty and compelling read.

Overall, this is a page-turner with a fascinating plot. I'm a fan of Emma Rous and her way of sucking the reader into her books. GUESTS sets an atmospheric scene and offers plenty for mystery fans to puzzle out. 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 here.