The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous definitely has somewhat of a Clue vibe going on. I found the plot to be reminiscent of Ruth Ware with a dash of Kate Morton added for good measure. Although the storyline was far from unique, it's pacing and the author's attention to detail made it none the less satisfying. Rous flawlessly maintains not only three separate timelines, but also narrates from two different points of view. Toss in a few plot twists and a grand reveal at the end and you have all the ingredients for a great novel. I would certainly suggest giving The Perfect Guests a try!

Wow! Loved the Clue aspect of it. The time jump back and forth kept me guessing on how they related. Great reveals at the end.. The lengths people will go to.

After Beth’s family is killed in a tragic accident, she is sent to live with a family at the isolated estate of Raven Hall. As she bonds with their daughter, she finds the family may have ulterior motives for adopting her.

This was an enjoyable read throughout. It definitely kept my interest. I loved the chapters that took place in the past with the two young girls. There was a pretty decent mystery which kept me turning the page. I also thought the present murder mystery dinner was really fun. Unfortunately, when everything came together the end, it fell apart for me. It was too unbelievable for me to find the wrap up enjoyable. If you like thrillers where you are kept wondering, and don’t necessarily mind a far-out tie up, you would like this book.

“I’d learned how easy it was to complain about the people you loved when you still had the luxury of seeing them every day.”

The Perfect Guests comes out 1/12.

A unique mind-bender that impressively links two very (seemingly) different stories together under the roof of an old English estate.

This book touched on some of my absolute favorite things as a reader: a murder mystery party, the eerie setting of an old English estate in the country, and mind-twisting suspense that keeps you guessing until the very. last. page!

At first, I was surprised and a little wary that the two storylines we see were so different. There’s orphaned, teenage Beth in the 80’s who has been brought to live in Raven Hall to be a companion for the owners’ daughter, Nina: Summer fun, the 80’s, and a slow brew of something being up with this family. Then we flip to a modern day 20-something, Sadie, who is a struggling actor invited to play a part at a trial run for a new murder mystery company at... Raven Hall... 31 years later. Here we have way more murderous dinner party vibes complete with Clue-like guest names and disappearing guests.

The two settings seemed like two different books - but as the author slowly unravels the history and secrets and connections between past and present, I was so impressed with how seamlessly it flowed. AND - I will always applaud a suspense novel that doesn’t allow me to fully guess anything, while still surprising me at the final line.

This is a must read for suspense/mystery lovers!

The Perfect Guests was a thriller full of plenty of twists and secrets. The novel followed the lives of Beth and Sadie in two different timelines; one in the late 80's and one in 2019. The connection between the two girls was that of Raven Hall, a large estate full of secrets of its own. In the Beth's perspective, she has recently become and orphan and is taken in by the family at Raven Hall for the summer where she will become the friend to their daughter, Nina. In present day, Sadie is an actress invited to come to an event at Raven Hall where they are playing out a murder mystery.
Overall I rated The Perfect Guests a three star. One thing that stood out for me was that it was pretty easy to read. The writing style was simple and the chapters were set up at good lengths. The swap between perspectives was not distracting, as I have seen happen in some other thriller novels. The author did a good job at making a good distinction in tone between the two characters so they were clearly seen as different people in different timelines. I also thought there were plenty of twists that I did not see coming jammed into the ending. I was definitely surprised finishing the book! I would say that the amount of twists is one of the unique aspects of this thriller.
Some reason's why I gave this book an average rating, however, were the lack of feeling for the characters, drawn out mystery, and overall disconnect to the story. Although I thought the twists were surprising, I feel like the book waited until the last 5% to throw them all in your face and left a very long introduction to the mystery. This could be something that some readers will not like, depending on their taste in thriller. Not only that, but Beth and Sadie had no real qualities or characteristics I enjoyed, especially Sadie. I didn't like any of the side characters, either. I was mostly able to read this so quickly because it was easy to read but I felt like I kept wondering when I would find out any answers or get to the end of the book.
If you really enjoy books about creepy people and houses, and enjoy a lot of twists in a thriller, I would say give this one a try. However, this just wasn't a thriller that I loved personally so I hope other people will find it more enjoyable.

“I wish I hadn’t asked…Everything I ever thought…I wish I didn’t know..”
The Perfect Guest is a chilling, twisted thriller where a family seems to live in an isolated bubble at in their family home of Raven Hall. There are complex relationships, family secrets, and intriguing mind games are played for years. Mostly two storylines but does have a bit of a third. This was a fast paced, delightful book but I wish the ending was a bit more …thrilling? The mystery was presented and unraveled pretty fast and was not in tone of the rest of the book. Still gave me some aha moments at the end so I’m still content to have read it and did find it entertaining. Would make a great book club pick!

This was solid from start to finish! With one timeline slowly laying out the backstory of a family and house and the secrets within and the other featuring a down on her luck actress who takes on a last minute job at a murder mystery "party". This was a slow burn, but the payoff was worth it.

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous sounded like a book I would enjoy, complete with a rambling house, a dual timeline and guests invited to a mysterious game. I was expecting half of the book to be an Agatha Christie style locked room mystery, but that was not to be.

The plot moved along at a brisk pace for at least half of the book. As the murder mystery dinner got underway, the story went a bit off the rails. The past timeline helped to explain what may be happening in the modern story, but it took on a different tone; the plot became melodramatic rather than suspenseful. I did appreciate the small twist at the very end, even though I did see that one coming.

I would like to give this book 3.5 stars for the engaging premise, but it was short on the delivery. I will recommend this to readers who like twisty thrillers with a bit of melodrama.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is told in two different parts and times.
In 2019 we meet Sadie whose a struggling actress, she’s excited when she gets a job offer she can’t turn down, the job is she gets to pretend she’s a guest at a murder mystery party! She will have to travel to the location since it’s being held at an old manor named Raven Hall. Sadie is barely making ends meet and doesn’t even have enough for this months rent. So she heads to the manor.
In 1988 we meet Beth she’s now an orphaned after a horrible accident takes her family from her. Her aunt decides that the best place for her is to stay with the Averells Family. The Averells are looking for someone who can be friends with their daughter Nina. Immediately Nina and Beth become fast friends and they even call each other sisters. At times Beth feels likes she’s part of the family, other times she’s feels like something is odd is going on, her and Nina are told they can’t go into town, and when the Averells ask her to participate in an odd game she doesn’t know what to think. Soon an accident happens that changes everything. we find ourselves wondering how is Beths story connected with Sadie’s? I was immediately drawn into the story filled with twists and turns over two time periods , I was amazed how the author built the story and the characters, and she had me wondering how is this all going to connect. I’m giving this four stars!

Part Gothic Thriller, part mystery and part dysfunctional family tale of warning, this book will grab you from the first chapter and not let go! Part cautionary tale at first, this roller coaster read will have you swept up in figuring out what the end game was for the Averells, and why there is a mystery party in modern times, and how do they link up. And just when you THINK you have it solved, you realize you fell for everyone of the red herrings! Great book for reading curled up by the fire!

The first half of this was probably a top favorite of mine for mysteries. I had the best reading experience and I honestly got so immersed in the POV I was reading that I would forget completely about the other POVs until I got to a new chapter, then was like "oh yeah! What's happening here!!" the ending lost a little bit of steam for me. I would have preferred more of the "game" element that we got in the first half. I felt that the reveals at the end got more "tell" and not "show." But I enjoyed myself so much that I don't totally care about that. I think this could be such a fun mini series too.

This book started off so strong! And then.... I don’t even know what happened. There were too many characters for one. There were also too many storylines. And the twists were annoying instead of exciting. Gah. I really loved it for the first 2/3 but that last third ruined the whole thing.

A slow-burn, complicated and unique mystery through which I was thoroughly confused and entirely delighted. Emma Rous’s writing is engaging and very easy to consume. I felt sympathy for every character, even those causing the messes. The ending had a ton of explanation, but the clues were there all through the narrative. Highly recommend!

"The Perfect Guests" started out with an interesting premise, a gothic-lite, Clue/Agatha Christie-style manor event. However, for me, as the book went on the plot got a little "messy" with the constant alternating, and the obsession over Raven Manor was never really explained.

The Perfect Guests was full of unexpected twists and turns. I enjoyed meeting each character and how their individual personalities developed throughout the book. The back drop of an evening of role-playing added depth to each character. I found the mystery surrounding each guest to be fascinating and loved seeing the connections play out as the story progressed.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, this may be my first Emma Rous novel but it won't be the last!

Agatha Christie style whodunnit! Let’s start by saying this a compelling story with 3 point of views. This makes it hard to decide which narrator to believe which adds a special component to the storyline! This would make a great buddy read or book club discussion!

The Perfect Guests is classic Agatha Christie mystery meets modern suburban thriller. A dual timeline mystery full of twists and surprises. I felt like I was playing a game of Clue myself as Emma Rous takes readers from 1988 with young Beth to 2019 with actress Sadie. Raven's Hall was the best part of young Beth's life, until it wasn't. Ravel's Hall could be the big break Sadie needs to finally land a well-paying acting gig. Too bad there's something more sinister happening at Raven's Hall and the two storylines area bout to meet.

Twisty, sinister, and highly entertaining, The Perfect Guests is a soap-opera-y mystery that was impossible for me to put down. I enjoyed Beth's character and timeline the most, even the recent history was so interesting. Raven's Hall and it's inhabitants are quite the characters. Sadie is a little more woe is me and the storyline doesn't feel terribly unique, but the tie in to the past is just fantastic. I found it to be the right amount of unpredictable and I even enjoyed those twists that I was able to guess. The second half of the novel takes a deep dive into soap opera level drama, but I was so entertained that I got over the unbelievability of it and just enjoyed the ride.

Emma Rous is such a standout author for me and The Perfect Guests is a fun must-read for mystery lovers.

Many books these days are written with a dual storyline, but Rous takes it a step further and writes three! In most cases one of these storylines is much more compelling than the other, but that is not the case with this cleverly crafted read. It’s a race to the finish as the storylines finally collide into a very satisfying conclusion! Well done!!

I received a gifted galley of THE PERFECT GUESTS by Emma Rous for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Publication Date: 1/12/2021
Rating: 3.5 / 5

THE PERFECT GUESTS follows two timelines. In 1988 orphaned Beth is taken in by a family living at Raven Hall as a companion to their daughter Nina of the same age. For the most part her life is an ideal, but the family does ask her to do some things, play some games that she does not understand. Nina’s freedom is limited to the house and grounds and Beth’s own universe soon shrinks to the world of Raven Hall as well.

In 2019, Sadie is an unemployed young woman who is struggling to find her way in the world. She is offered a cushy job, spending a weekend at Raven Hall pretending to be a guest at a murder mystery party. With her character and costumes all provided, it is too good to pass up. Once there she hears that a tragedy struck the family living at Raven House in the late 80s, but no one has details. Soon mysterious things begin to happen and Sadie realizes there may be more to this gig than an innocent murder mystery party.

I was in the mood for a good thriller when I picked this up and THE PERFECT GUESTS fit the bill! I was immediately hooked into both timelines and eager to see where the story was going. I had a lot of questions in the beginning and the author did a good job of stretching out the details of what is happening in both our main characters’ lives.

I flew through this book in less than 24-hours. The short chapters and the alternating POV helped to keep the pace going and the pages turning. I lost a bit of steam toward the end as I figured out some of the oncoming twists, but I still really enjoyed the journey getting there. I have fond memories of a few murder mystery parties with friends in family back when I was in high school so that struck a cord with me as well!

This was my first Emma Rous read, but I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from her in the future!

Raven Hall a beautiful mansion and Beth is going to live here! Her aunt has brought her to be part of the Averell family and Beth is soon best friends with their daughter Nina. Her life is wonderful until Nina's mother asks her to do something quite unusual, but Beth accepts as they have been so nice to her. Then things change and even her friendship with Nina is not the same.
31 years later, Sadie, a struggling actress, gets a role she thinks sounds intriguing. She is asked to be a guest at a murder mystery party. Sadie is enjoying herself until parts of her past come up and suddenly the party becomes very unsettling.
I enjoyed most of this book, but towards the end it seemed like the characters got a bit confusing.
I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review