This book constantly went in about 100 different directions, but I didn't really mind. There are three different stories being woven together, all centering on the estate Raven Hall. The primary story arcs take place about 30 years apart and involve Beth, a young orphan girl who's being fostered (?) by the family that lives at Raven Hall, and Sadie, an actress who gets a mysterious job playing a role at a murder mystery party at Raven Hall. Things go sideways much faster for Beth, where some weird family dynamics that lead to many unanswered questions start to play out. Sadie's story takes significantly longer to grasp, but things really come together in the end. I definitely didn't expect where the book ended up and enjoyed the ride there.

This entertaining, if sometimes implausible, modern gothic is driven by a woman's obsession with a house -- the remote Raven Hall in England's fenlands. Told from three viewpoints in different years, the story eventually weaves the characters and plot lines together at the end.

The most engaging of the intertwined stories is that of Beth, a teenage orphan who is delivered in the late 1980s to a foster placement at Raven Hall, where she is expected to serve as a companion to Nina, daughter of Markus Meyer and Leonara Averell. Nina is kept isolated from outsiders, not allowed to attend school or go into the nearby village. Beth soon learns that Nina is also not allowed to meet her own grandfather, who is Markus's father and the actual owner of Raven Hall. When the grandfather visits, Beth is dressed up and told to pretend she is Nina.

In other segments, set 31 years in the future, London actress Sadie Langton is hired to play a guest at a weekend mystery party at Raven Hall. The current owner of the mansion and the organizer of the party are unknown. As events unfold, Sadie wonders whether it was wise or safe to accept the job.

Woven. between these two storylines is a sad tale of a young woman who believes Raven Hall is her birthright but was stolen from her. She is determined to get it back.

The author maintains suspense throughout, but the ending takes on a soap opera tone, with hidden identities surfacing and coincidences piling one on another. Despite the implausibilities, the book as a whole is a worthwhile diversion from the real world.

Bestselling author of the fantastic novel The Au Pair, is back with another great story set in a gothic estate. This book tells the story of Raven Hall, and two girls who find themselves entangled in a web of secrets.

Set in different time periods, it goes back and forth filling in pieces of the story, until the ending when the entire scenario fits together.

An orphan girl named Beth Soames arrives at Raven Hall. Beth wants to be accepted by the Averell family who lives there. She finds them to be warm and friendly people, and she soon becomes friends with their daughter Nina. Beth starts feeling like she belongs with them, until they ask her to help them with a game, and then everything gets twisted.

Sadie Langton is a struggling actress. Her agent tells her of a great offer which pays well. All she has to do is pretend to be a guest at a murder mystery weekend party. She is sent everything that would be required for the part. Although it seems a little strange, she agrees to take the job as she needs the money.
Soon after she arrives at the manor, she starts to feel that something is not quite right. She realizes that this could be a dangerous game.

The characters are well drawn out and relatable and the different time periods make the story really interesting.
The story is reminiscent of gothic novels and Agatha Christie murder mystery books. Definitely a book that you won’t be able to put down until you come to the conclusion!

A great read for fans of the mystery and thriller genres!
Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy for an honest review.

Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for the eARC of The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous. I loved The AuPair by the same author so when I received this book I was elated! If you are looking for a book that you won't be able to put down; look no further! This one is for you!

The Perfect Guests is told in two different timelines: past and present. The setting for each timeline is The Raven Hall estate. Beth is an orphan. Her only living relative is her aunt Caroline. However, Caroline isn't able to take care of Beth so she allows her to go and live with Lenora and Markus at their beautiful Raven Hall Estate. Lenora and Markus have a daughter Nina who is the same age as Beth. How could this not be perfect? Beth enjoys living with her "new" family but she soon notices that things aren't what they seem at Raven Hall. Both Beth and Nina live a very sheltered life and Lenora and Markus begin asking Beth to impersonate Nina when her grandfather starts to visit the estate. Nina has never met her grandfather before. Beth finds this quite odd.

In present day, Sadie, a struggling actress, gets offered a job for the weekend at The Raven Hall estate to take part in a murder mystery. She needs the money as her acting career is stalled; so she accepts. During the weekend, Sadie isn't so sure she should have accepted the job. Again, strange things start happening at Raven Hall.

So, are these two incidents related? What is actually going on? Is what's happening in present day related to the past?

I couldn't read this book fast enough! If you are looking for a good mystery, I highly recommend this book! The Perfect Guests earns 4 stars! It will be released on 1/12/2021! Mark your calendars for this one!

First of all, thank you so much to Berkley Publishing, Emma Rous, and Netgalley for my ARC of this book. It had the best premise and drew me in right away. The story was a duel timeline between Beth, a girl who goes to live in a mysterious mansion in the past, and Sadie, a woman in the future asked to be an actress in a murder mystery weekend. Beth talks about her childhood and the mysterious things going on at the mansion. Sadie talks about her experience acting in the murder mystery and strange things that start to go on.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed both the perspectives in this book. I loved hearing about the past and Beth’s experiences with Raven Hall. I could never quite figure out what was going on and I enjoyed that. I enjoyed Sadie’s perspective even more, as it followed her through her mysterious invitation to be an actress at a murder mystery weekend. I love locked room stories and love a good “and then there were none” style mystery. It was fun to see how the perspectives were connected and where the story went. I liked both the main characters and was suspicious of all the supporting characters from the beginning. I did not guess the ending, but I did guess a few of the smaller reveals. This story kept my attention from the very first page and I couldn’t put it down. 4.5 stars!

This book was SO much fun to read! Set in two different time periods with a third unlabeled time period inserted at various intervals, it hops back and forth filling in pieces of one story or the other until the ending when the whole thing comes together. The first half features Beth, almost an orphan with just her aunt left who claims she cannot have her stay with her and keeps her at a children's home. At the beginning she is asked to stay for a while with a rich family at their enormous estate called Raven Hall located out in the Fens - a marshy area of England. Beth soon finds however that things at Raven Hall are not as they seem. The other half features Sadie, an aspiring actress in London who hops from job to job while hoping for her next big break. Short on cash and worried about rent, she receives an invite to be an actress as part of an up and coming murder mystery weekend at an old abandoned estate - Raven Hall.

Beth's story was strongly reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca for me with the Gothic setting and the creepy unknowns of the house and family. Sadie's story reminded me of the Clue books based on the game that I used to devour as a kid. Melding both together was heaven and if it hadn't been for a bit too many coincidences for me in the wrap up, I would have said it was a perfect 5 star as it was just so enjoyable to read. I will definitely be picking up her other mystery, and will look forward to Rous' next book. Treat yourself to this mystery!

Disclaimer: Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC of this book I received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Perfect Guest is a pretty good leisure read, which was sophisticated and stylish with its setting while also being thrilling.

Readers of the Au Pair will definitely enjoy this book because they give off a very similar vibe. It's always refreshing to read a book that isn't just set in the same suburban dull house, so the atmosphere really gets you pulled in.

The strongest part of this book is definitely the plot, because I was thoroughly interested in what was going to happen. But, while I wanted to be interested there were many aspects of the writing that I didn't enjoy as much. The two parts were a little bit too much for me, and I would've liked if either the book was longer or one of the perspectives was cut a little shorter so I could feel a little bit more invested in some of the characters. Because I found myself labelling the characters pretty easily, and I think either a longer look at just Sadie or Maggie would help this a lot.

I still thoroughly enjoyed The Perfect Guests, and I love the atmosphere it built along the way.

I requested this book based on the description and reviews I read about Emma Rous’ previous book AU Pair. I have not read it but after reading The Perfect Guests I plan to read it!. I really enjoyed it. I do agree with some reviews I have read that the first half moved faster than the second half. The book has two stories running at the same time. A story set in 1988 with Beth being dropped off at Raven Hall by her Aunt, after being orphaned. The Averall’s wanted her as a companion for their daughter Nina. Strange things happen. The current story is an out of work actress Sadie being offered a sweet deal to act in a role play Murder Mystery at Raven Hall. The story twists and turns and has all the unexpected outcomes that are hallmark in a good mystery, Thanks to #berkley #berkleypublishing #netgalley for the advance copy. I will be recommending this to my friends in January when it is released. @emmarous @theperfectguests

I found this book to be entertaining and enjoyable enough. My only problem was transitioning back and forth between the different time settings.

I did enjoy the twists at the end.

Why didn't The Perfect Guests work for me? This has all the elements of a good suspense novel, and even the elements I particularly like (Falling-down estate, Is this a game or not?, Oh no! We've been cut off from civilization! etc. All my favorites!).

I think it's because the first half of the book is everyone just wandering around being ominous and creepy. There aren't any real hints at secrets, besides that the house is creepy and something weird is going on. I felt a dispiriting lack of progress in the beginning, once we've established that something weird is going on, the tension doesn't quite grow from there.  The second half is shocking revelations coming fast and thick, some of which were fun twists but many were weirdly unsatisfying, relying on people who knew each other at some point not recognizing each other, or characters we met 5 seconds ago suddenly revealing a deep secret.

The real mystery for me was not the secret of Raven Hall, but why a book with everything I like in it fell so flat.

What a great, fun, and special book. So often I pass on a historical novel but I went ahead and chose this book as it featured a "Clue" like mystery in some chapters. I was not disappointed. I highly enjoyed both stories - past and present and found the culmination to be plausible.

In the Perfect Guests we meet 1988 Beth and 2019 Sadie. Beth is an orphaned young girl staying at the beautiful and historic Raven Hall and Sadie is a struggling actress who answers a call that is set at Raven Hall. Through a twisty, turny mystery you will learn what these two young women have in common.

Highly recommend. I am still thinking about it months after I read it. I thank NetGallery for providing me with this ARC. Get your copy JANUARY 21, 2021!

A huge thanks to Berkley for my advanced ebook copy! I loved The Au Pair but I loved The Perfect Guests even more.

The story is told in dual timelines, Beth in 1988 and Sade in 2019.
Set at an estate with many secrets and the guests will do anything to stay..
Sadie gets a job as an actress playing in a murder mystery at the estate and the story goes from there.
Wow! I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this but the twists were totally shocking and I never figured this one out.
This had elements of gothic which I totally enjoyed and major suspense.

Add this to your TBE for January 2021.
Again, thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

This was definitely a slow burn, atmospheric read. The tension grew and grew, and the suspense was dripping from pages! Thought it was very well written, with amazingly well written characters, and a fantastically written setting! I think those who enjoy thrillers with some use of atmosphere and shifting timelines, will definitely enjoy this tense story! I highly, highly recommend!

What an interesting read!! The suspense builds in every chapter leaving you more intrigued to see how the story connects. I love Emma Rous’s style especially in The Au Pair.
The story begins with Sadie working odd jobs just to pay the rent so she doesn’t hesitate to accept an invitation to a murder mystery party at Raven Hall Manor. After arriving, she realizes the other characters and hosts have something to hide and the mysterious behavior is more than just a game.
The story flashes back to a young girl Beth arriving at Raven Hall from an orphanage to be a companion to the Averell family’s daughter Nina. How could these girls from different time periods be connected?
I love the Agatha Christie style with mystery abound in a grand manor.
Thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this compelling mystery for my honest review.

A grand manor with a twisted backstory is always a favorite book setting for me, so The Perfect Guests started on the right foot from the beginning.

I read this one during a time when I needed distraction, and it certainly delivered. There are a lot of moving pieces woven together to pull this story off, so if you’re not a fan of several coincidences colliding to create a narrative, you may like this one a bit less. However, I think it made for a good story with several turns and pieces to keep straight.

3.5/5 I ended up liking this, even though the beginning felt disjointed. I generally don't mind the flashback/flash forward kind of storytelling, but the time periods didn't feel like they really fit in the same world. The scenes from the past felt like historical fiction, but the scenes from the present were a little kookier and made me think of the characters brought together in the film Hide and Seek- campy, quirky, and overall like they belonged in a different book altogether. It all came together in the end, but tonally the shifts were just too different in the beginning for me to really love it.

Raven Hall...a grand manor with history.

In 1988, Beth is an orphaned teenager whose aunt takes her to stay at Raven Hall with the Averells family. The parents are looking for someone who can befriend their daughter, Nina. Beth and Nina instantly hit it off and are more like sisters. Things change when Beth is asked to do a favor...a very odd favor.

In 2019, Sadie is a struggling actress who doesn’t even have enough money for this month’s rent. She finally lands a gig that offers a very nice paycheck. The gig: pretend to be a guest at a murder mystery party at an old manor named Raven Hall.

How will this all connect? You’ll have to read it to find out.

I had no idea what to expect with this, but I was intrigued. I was immediately hooked, and found the storytelling very interesting. I enjoyed how the suspense slowly built as I tried to guess what was going on, but didn’t have any clue. Then, it all basically fizzled at the 3/4 mark.

The last section of the book is very lackluster as it leads to a convoluted conclusion. I kept saying to myself, “All of THIS because of THAT?” It’s a bit far-fetched and goes into slight soap opera territory.

I haven’t read the debut novel by author Emma Rous, but I really enjoyed her writing style, and look forward to seeing how her work grows.

All in all, it’s a fast-paced and mostly enjoyable book. However, I probably won’t remember it a few months down the road.

Thank you to Berkley, Emma Rous, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unlike many, I only started watching Game of Thrones about five years after it started airing. For the entire first season, I had a bookmarked Wikipedia page that detailed the family tree and interrelationships of the major characters always close at hand. I mention that because by Part Two of The Perfect Guests, I needed the same kind of chart to track who was who and how they were related! That aside, this is a fun and twisty mystery.

In Part One author Emma Rous alternates between two timelines. In the past, we meet Beth, a fourteen year-old orphan who is taken by her Aunt Caroline to an elegant manor called Raven Hall. Beth is to live at Raven Hall for an undefined period of time to be a companion for the owners' daughter Nina, who is the same age as Beth. Nina's parents Leonora and Markus seem to be warm and loving people to Beth, and she and Nina are as close as sisters. Beth wants nothing more than to stay at Raven Hall and be part of this wonderful family. Just one thing though . . . when Markus' father comes for a brief visit, Nina is feeling unwell so Leonora and Markus dress her in a weird get-up and ask her to pretend she's Nina. Weird, but worth it to Beth in order to stay in the family's good graces.

In the second timeline, we meet Sadie. Sadie is a struggling actress who lands a dream job of pretending to be a guest at a murder mystery party. The party venue happens to be Raven Hall, which has been recently renovated after fire damage from years earlier. Things start OK, but as the evening progresses, one "guest" disappears, others act bizarrely, and some start feeling unwell after dinner. She really needs the money, but Sadie is starting to regret accepting this odd gig.

Part Two takes up about the last 25% of the book, and this is where things started to fall apart for me. Every page seemed to contain a new reveal and things became a bit convoluted and unrealistic. This is when I started needing the GOT-type of character tree.

Overall, I enjoyed The Perfect Guests. I read it quickly late into the night because it was a great page-turner and just a fun read. I'd give Part One 5 stars and Part Two 3 stars for an average of 4 stars. The book comes out in January, 2021, and I thank NetGalley and Berkley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting plot, pretty well executed. I enjoyed the two storylines and trying to figure out the connections! Loved this twisty mystery!

A very intense book that gave me many surprises. It is the story of Beth Soames, who in the year 1988 was 14 years old. Beth is an orphan, and one day her aunt takes her to Raven Hall, her new home. This property is located in an exclusive area, away from the city, and owned by the Averell family. The Averell family, have a daughter, Nina, who immediately befriends Beth. The girls have fun playing outdoors, swimming in the lake is as if the fun was endless. However, the Averell family asks Beth to help them with a matter that seems insignificant. Beth knows that after this favor, things will not be the same. I liked the story because of the setting, the gigantic property, that's how I imagined it. I enjoyed the author's narration about the relationship between Nina and Beth as very real. It was difficult for me to read Beth's situation because she, being in a vulnerable position, cannot refuse what the family asks of her. On the one hand, I was scared and, on the other, intrigued in wanting to know what her next move would be. An incredibly entertaining book that I enjoyed. I thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.