The Perfect Guests is twisty and so suspenseful. There was so much build up it kept me holding my breath at some points. I loved the different timelines. I really enjoyed this and I just purchased The Au Pair and I cannot wait to read it.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to review The Perfect Guests. I won the chance through the publisher's sponsored random giveaway I believe was through a newsletter link. I was really excited for this chance because I enjoyed the author's previous book, The Au Pair.

I recently finished this book (apologies for the late finish, Covid definitely has impacted my reading schedule but I am catching up!). I am conflicted in my thoughts about this book. I enjoyed the author's previous release, which is written in a similar dual POV / past-present alternating timeline format. I didn't mind the back and forth on that, I think it's an interesting way to tell a story and I've found that a lot of other books are following this same methodology. However, the bottom line is that I do not think that this book executed its aim of "thriller/suspense" effectively.

Something that is important to me when thinking about how I would provide feedback or rate a book (or suggest it to someone) is very simple: was it a chore to finish? Was I really eager to read more? Was I captivated or did it seem like a slog or obligation?

The bottom line for me about this book (and even relates back to my thoughts about The Au Pair): 2/3 of the book is decent, but the endings are not good. They leave me feeling frustrated, confused, and annoyed. All of the decent building up to the solution, the final plot bang, and it's such a let down both times due to the convoluted and contrived twists of logic. Not even the kind that a reasonable reader would forgive due to the (sometimes) necessary suspension of reality, especially in cases of thrillers or suspense novels that have elements of crime or over-the-top dialogue, etc. In Rous's books, however, there seems to be a pattern of twisting the plot way too much, involving "secret pregnancies" or family secrets that are just like... okay? what? or just dropping an absolute dumpster truck load of info at the end and then cutting the story off short. I absolutely could not follow the storyline once the "murder mystery" plot started. I still don't even understand truly why the poisoning of the daughter was even done. It's not one of those circumstances where I overlooked the intricate details... it's just confusing. The murder mystery plot (which is the modern day storyline) is horribly confusing. And not in a good way, as if I'm part of it all.... I think what would have helped in this part of the story was painting the characters just a bit more vividly to help them stand out as separate entities. The entire time, I had in the back on my mind that these people were part of the past storyline (which is the whole point) but it was confusing, not engaging. There were too many people, too many new names, too little character development. Too much going on.

Another piece of feedback which I feel strongly about regarding Rous's novels: despite my somewhat negative feedback above, I actually did enjoy The Au Pair and was really hype for this release. I truly think that Rous is a developing talent. I think that she has some really interesting ideas, I think that her books are stronger in the first 1/3 and especially so in the past timeline chapters. I think that in this book she connected some interesting twists concretely, but there were just too many. Too many things, too many people, too little point to it all.

Anyway, despite this feedback, I will give any new release by Rous chance after chance. I am a fan of the author as a person and want to see her books succeed. However, this one was a disappointment overall for me.

I really enjoyed this book and the story behind it. I enjoy a perfect thriller with good characters and this book definitely met my expectations. I wanted to see what was going to happen next and how it was going to end. I would certainly read this book again, even knowing the ending just to experience it again. I am so glad I chose to read it.

What a fun book full of twists and surprises. Going back and forth between the past and present trying to piece everything together kept me up all night reading!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC. The Perfect Guests is a Gothic mystery told from three POVs in different timelines. The story comes together seamlessly as the mystery unfolds. All is not as it seems as motives are revealed and the inevitable truth comes to light. This is definitely more of a slow burn mystery than a fast paced thriller. The plot picks up speed towards the ending as questions are answered and truths are unveiled.

The Perfect Guests is a psychological thriller filled with mystery, misdirection and intrigue. Centered around Raven Hall, a large gothic mansion in East Anglica, it is the story of Beth and Sadie told through dual timelines.
In 1988, 14 year old orphan, Beth Soames was taken from a children's home be her Aunt Caroline to Raven Hall to be a companion to Nina Averell. The Averell's daughter is neither ill nor infirm. It is the isolated location of Raven Hall that requires a companion for Nina,
The girls develop a friendly companionship as they swim in the lake and explore the land around Raven Hall. They are largely restricted to the house and grounds as Nina is told repeatedly that she cannot go into town. No full explanation for the denial of a trip into town - only the phrase that it is too dangerous to go to town. All is proceeding nicely until Beth is asked to do a favor for the Averells. It is a unique favor. It is a strange favor. It is an odd favor.
The story now switches to the second timeline in The Perfect Guests.
It is 2019 and Sadie Langston is struggling, Struggling at most everything. Her checking account is in the red. She has lost another part-time job and her acting career is almost non-existent. But one phone call can change all of this.
Sadie is offered a roll in a Murder Mystery Weekend. Not a prime acting role but an extremely well paying one. Of course Sadie says yes to the gig. She receives beautiful clothes to wear for her role, a storyline and script, transportation to the Murder Mystery site and of course funds. Gray clouds gone, The future is upbeat. Opening the script packet, Sadie learns that she will be driven to the weekend locale - Raven Hall.
Yes the Averells old home is the site of the new Murder Mystery weekend. As the other participants arrive, bits of information are offered as to their role in the event. Some seem unusual and oddly intertwined. Now the guests beacon "What is the purpose of this event?" Throw in power outages, potential food poisoning, vanishing guests and no phone service and you get an unsettled group of invitees at Raven Hall.
Ultimately, all is revealed. The background and stories of the people of Raven Hall are unravelled and exposed.
The dual time line were interesting and allowed for the many twists and turns in this novel. The characters in the early time line were more deeply developed than those in the later time line.
The conclusion of the Murder Mystery event seemed too perfect. Every question is answered - even those we didn't know about! This novel is interesting and thoughtful.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher. #NetGalley #ThePerfectGuests

***I was granted a copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

The premise of this book intrigues me like no other. An actress is playing the part of a guest at a murder mystery party, what could go wrong? I had experienced Emma Rous work in the past as I read the Au Pair last year and really enjoyed it. Emma did not let me down with The Perfect Guest as her storytelling is magnificent and will hook you from the very beginning. The reason that I did not rate this book higher is because the ending of the book took a turn downhill and it never really was able to capture me again. I wanted to love this book so much because the majority of it was amazing but I only ended up kind of enjoying it. It was a fast paced read which was wonderful and I do recommend that people pick it up because it was a decent read.

Set in 1988 and 2019, the timeline will keep a reader on her toes. Beth, an orphan, goes to Raven Hall in 1988 to live with the Averell family, including their daughter, Nina. It’s only when she is asked to do an unusual favor that Beth realizes something is wrong with the picture she has been painted.
In 2019, Sadie Langton, an out-of-work actress, is hired to role play at a murder mystery party at — you guessed — Raven Hall. The odd thing is that when she reads the information about her character, it parallels her real life.
I found the twists and turns interesting, although I thought the second half could have been better.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO THE PERFECT GUESTS BY EMMA ROUS?
Who doesn’t like a good adult thriller or mystery? As I work to expand my palate with the genres I read, I find that I am pleasantly surprised by the different genres I pick up. The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous falls within the mystery-thriller genre. And honestly? I picked it up because the synopsis caught my attention. It sounded creepy and twisted and so, like the perfect audiobook to hold my attention through some upcoming busy times. When it came my time to borrow this audiobook via the library, I was genuinely so excited. Also, the positive reviews for The Au Pair convinced me I needed to try out something by Emma Rous.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
The Perfect Guests basically is about this place called Raven Hall. It’s central to the three narratives and timelines taking place within Emma Rous’ story. So, there is a dual timeline. One takes place in 1988 and features 14 year old Beth Soames, who is an orphan. Beth is dropped off at Raven Hall by her aunt to be a companion to one of the residents – a young girl named Nina. Beth gets along so well with Averell family and she’s starting to be happy again. Until the family asks her to do something shady, which she does to make them happy. However, she’s not feeling so good about it.

The other timeline is set in 2019 and narrated by Sophie Langton who is an actress. Sophie is invited to pretend to be a guest at a murder mystery party hosted at Raven Hall. She’s excited for the work and takes it. She gets a suitcase, instructions, and a dossier on her character. The other guests also begin to arrive and Sophie can tell that something is off at Raven Hall.

Then there’s a third timeline where we don’t find out who the narrator is until later in the book. This narrator’s timeline takes place before Beth’s and it is very apparent that this narrator has a connection to Raven Hall that runs deep.

HOW DID I LIKE THE PERFECT GUESTS?
Honestly, The Perfect Guests is the kind of thriller/mystery that I really like. Women are at the forefront. It feels a little bit gothic – particularly with Raven Hall. Actually, the setting is perfection. I felt like this was a really atmospheric read. There’s some well written obsession in this book. I loved how the two dual timelines connected and felt like it was really well done. It made sense and the pacing of the reveals was on point.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of The Perfect Guests has three narrators – Elizabeth Knowelden, Candice Moll, and Steve West. Steve West narrators the timeline where we aren’t too sure who the narrator is. I could not tell you which timeline Knowelden and Moll narrated. What I can tell you is this is a thoroughly enjoyable listen. This audiobook is easy to follow and stay engaged with. It’s a great listen for driving or data entry. I highly recommend if you do read The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous that you pick up the audiobook version.

I can't believe I let this book set so long on my TBR pile. It's fantastic. Once I got the timelines and the characters straight in my head I couldn't put it down. The story starts in 1988 with14 year old Beth heading to Raven Hall to be a companion to Nina. Set in England the Averill family live on an estate outside of London. Beth is confused and wary but over the years she comes to love her new life
In 2019 Sadie is hired as an actress to take part in a murder mystery set in Raven Hall. It's obvious that someone from the past is set on revenge but the twist and turns are breathtaking as the story progresses. I love all the characters and the story is a thriller. I highly recommend this story to everyone who enjoys a well thought out book with lots of twists. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

It started slow and built to a big crescendo, with lots of twisty turns along the way. I love it when I can’t get close to guessing how it might all play out.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rounded up


I started reading The Perfect Guests weeks ago and put it aside. It started out ok but just wasn’t really keeping my attention. I decided to pick it back up today to see if maybe it was just my mood at the time that kept me from sticking with it. So glad I gave it another try because I ended up really enjoying it.

I was flying through the last half and couldn’t wait to see what what going to happen. So many unknowns and I was wondering how does this all relate but it was tied up nicely in the end. I really enjoyed The Perfect Guests and would definitely recommend it.

This is my first book by Emma Rouss, so I immediately added The Au Pair to my TBR list.

Thank you to Berkeley Pub, NetGalley and Emma Rouss for my ARC in exchange for my review.

Too many characters to try to keep straight and the constant timeline jumps were tricky to also keep straight. Trying to figure out who was causing all turmoil in the house I was able to figure out but the multiple surprises at the end were good so I give this a 3.5.

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous is a fascinating novel that is set in the vicinity of the English fens. The story alternates between 1988 and 2019. In the eighties Beth, an orphan living in a children’s home, is selected to live at Raven Hall, an elaborate estate. She is to be a companion to the daughter of the house, Nina. The two girls soon become fast friends and all is well until it isn’t! In 2019, an eager actress, Sadie, is invited to Raven Hall, to participate in what she believes is a murder mystery evening. At this point, the night turns into something right out of the Agatha Christie mysteries. There are several invitees, all strangers to each other. The guests do not know who owns Raven Hall now or who organized the bizarre evening. Nothing will be as it seems, leaving everyone bewildered and confused. The rest will be up to the reader to investigate and solve. The Perfect Guests is an excellent choice for a winter evening, by the fire. Emma Rous has written a mystery within a mystery that will hold your attention to the very end. Highly recommended. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I'd rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.

After reading so many historical fictions lately, I was in need of something that would keep me guessing and this twisty book was the perfect choice!⁣
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Beth is an orphan that is invited to stay with the Averell family at Raven Hall throughout the summer to keep their daughter, Nina, company. They quickly become close friends and Beth eventually becomes a part of the family. Everything seems like a dream come true until Beth is asked to impersonate Nina.⁣
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Fast forward to present day and Sadie, a struggling actress, receives an invitation to play what seems like the perfect part. Similar to the game of Clue, she needs to attend a murder mystery dinner and stay in part the length of her stay. It also happens to be at Raven Hall and she quickly learns this may not be what she had originally thought. ⁣
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Although I did enjoy reading this book, it was a bit predictable and fell flat towards the end. Even though some of the twists were farfetched, it did continue to keep me guessing which I loved. Overall I would give it 3.5 💫’

While I didn't like the Au Pair, I decided to give the author another shot because this book started out with so much promise. The murder mystery premise was awesome but so much of this just did not make sense. The twists were predictable and got ridiculous towards the end. Inauthentic and absurd.

This is the second book I've read by Emma Rous and it won't be the last. A quick read with great characters. multiple narratives and timelines, and amazing twists and turns. Kept me reading late into the night and I was still guessing right up to the last page. Highly recommended

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a gripping suspense that used multiple narrators with alternating timelines. There is also an unexpected and unidentified narrator who interjects on occasion to had to the mystery. It is a complex story with many characters which at times can get confusing.

In July 1988, Beth Soames loses her parents in a tragic car accident while they were taking her brother to the hospital. Consequently, Beth was placed into a children's home as her Aunt Caroline traveled for work and unable to care for her. One day Aunt Caroline arrives to take Beth to live with Lenora and Markus Averelle at Raven Hall where they have a 14 year old daughter the same age. It seems Nina only has one friend named Jonas who comes to visit on his bike to go swimming. They feel Beth would be a great companion for Nina who they have secluded at Raven Hall, a manor in the isolated East Anglian fens. Beth is pleased to have the opportunity to live with a family and tries to befriend Nina who gives her weird vibes. There are many questions Beth wants to ask, like why isn't Nina allowed to go to school or leave Raven Hall?

Many years later, Sadie Langton is a struggling actress in 2019 who is intrigued when she receives an invitation to play a "party guest" Miss Lamb at a mystery dinner party at the infamous Raven Hall which has seen better days. As the guests arrive, Sadie becomes amused with the other "characters" like Lady Nightingale, Professor Everett Owl and Miss Genevieve Mouse. Aside from the odd characters, the game clues seem to be specific to each guest and not their supposed character. Suddenly, the games begins to feel freaky and personal with fear and paranoia spreading when bizarre things occur.
Apparently there was a tragedy which closed Raven Hall after someone died and the father moved abroad. The house was left abandoned and the guests are to determine who killed Lord Nightingale in his study.

I was unable to put the book the down as I was so drawn into the chaotic, eerie mystery which involved family deaths, secrets, lies, and history that throws the reader off guard when it all comes together.