This is an easy read, told in dual timelines and POVs with Beth in 1988 and Sadie in the current day (2019). I loved the dual timelines and enjoyed the earlier one more for most of the book. This one is also very atmospheric, with both timelines centered around Raven Hall, a manor in the isolated East Anglian fens. In 1988 it is occupied by the Averells and they welcome Beth as a friend for their only daughter. In 2019, Sadie takes a well-paying gig at Raven Hall for the weekend, where she pretends to be a guest complete with clothes and instructions for her role.

In both timelines, things are not as they seem, and as Beth / Sadie start to figure things out, I could not put this one down. The pacing for this was slow and steady, and secrets were slowly revealed throughout with a doozy at the end. The ending was a little convoluted as it became hard to keep the characters and their relations straight, but overall I really enjoyed this one, and while I could figure out some of the twists I did not get them all, which was great. I enjoy stories with dysfunctional families and if this doesn’t take the cake then I don’t know what does.

Thank you to Berkley Books and NetGalley for the e-galley to review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Emma Rous for my copy of The Perfect Guests, for an honest review. I had read the Au Pair, so I was excited to get my copy of Perfect Guests. Beth Soames, is 14 years old when she is brought to the grand estate, Raven Hall. Her aunt drops her off promises to come back but doesn’t. The family living at Raven Hall, The Averills, take her in from the foster home and immediately make her feel at home. The house plays a role in this story. The secrets it keep and the people it haunts. All seems well until the family asks Beth to play a game.
Then we meet Sadie Langston, a down on her luck, wanna be actress. She is desperate for her next acting role, so that she can pay her rent. She doesn’t seem to like regular jobs and receives a job that she can’t refuse. She finds herself at Raven Hall and things start to get good. This is where the story goes between 1988 and present day. The plot twists and turns and it had be guessing of what will happen. The story was well written. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. I love how it all came together in the end. I was surprised of how caught up with this story. I am glad I was able to read this one. This was a four star read for me. I have recommended this on my Instagram page. I have shared my review on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I am sure you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Give me an old house with a mystery and I am hooked. Raven Hall is the perfect setting for this story. It is a large manor with a past and secrets.

Sadie is an out of work, struggling actress. She receives a good job to work at this unique house. She is to play a dinner guest. Sadie is excited, to say the least. But, it does not go the way she plans.

This story is told in two different time periods. In 1988, Beth is an orphan taken in by the Averells. Beth and Nina Averell become quick friends but there is something wrong. Beth is asked to do something weird. She is asked to impersonate Nina on several occasions.

Then the story rotates to Sadie in 2019. When Sadie arrives at the manor she is excited about this new job. But, she quickly realizes everyone is not who they are supposed to be and something is very wrong.

This is a twisted tale and it just keeps the reader guessing all the way through. The setting and the characters are perfectly created to go along with this puzzling story. Do not blink or you will miss something!

Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

1988: Beth is a fourteen-year-old orphan who is sent to live at Raven Hall with a family who also has a fourteen-year-old daughter. The girls quickly become friends and do everything together. Then one day everything changes when the parents ask Beth to dress up as their daughter.

2019: Sadie is a struggling actress. When she’s invited to work at a murder mystery party for a weekend, she can’t resist the good paycheck. She’s given instructions and costumes to wear. However, the clues that she’s given seem to get more personal as the party goes on. Sadie starts to wonder if there’s a reason all of these guests were brought together at Raven Hall for the party.

I love it when the setting of a story becomes a character. Raven Hall was important in both narratives. It seemed to take on a life of its own, in the way that it drew people in and wouldn’t let go. The area of England where this story was set, called The Fens, has an interesting history which was explained at the end of the book. This damp, marshy land added to the suspense of the story.

This was such a suspenseful story. I couldn’t put it down, but I also didn’t want it to end so soon. I could have easily read it in one sitting. I highly recommend this thriller!

Thank you Berkeley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.25 stars. The Perfect Guests is a mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie, but the tightly woven plot that kept me entranced through the first half of the novel seemed to grow convoluted in the second half.

Let's start with what I liked about this twisting mystery. Typically when I read a novel set in two different time periods, I usually prefer one over the other, but I was as equally invested in Sadie's present-day storyline as I was in Beth's--set in the late 1980s. In the first half of the novel, it was easy to follow the two separate stories--Sadie's odd acting roll at a mystery dinner at Raven Hall and Beth's even stranger arrival as a teenager to the grand manor.

And I enjoyed both characters, never really questioning their roles.

I also enjoyed the setting of the novel. Raven Hall and its surrounding grounds are imposing and majestic. Rous does a good job of making the manor eerie and alluring at the same time.

However, somewhere past the half-way point, I found it harder to keep all the characters straight, as well as the plot lines. I started wishing for a family tree. And things seemed to take a turn toward the overly dramatic at times. There were some reveals that seemed like a stretch and some I'm still confused about. By the end I was reading quickly, no longer as invested in how the story would wrap up as I was at the beginning. But without giving away any spoilers, I will say that I thought the last few pages were very well done.

Mystery is not my go-to genre, so I don't have many books to compare with The Perfect Guests. I have also not read the author’s first novel, The Au Pair. I'll be anxious to hear what my fellow readers think about it!

The Perfect Guests is told from two different perspectives: Beth in 1988, as a young woman taken to Raven Hall to basically be raised by a foster family, and Sadie in 2019, who is offered a job as a guest in a murder mystery being held at Raven Hall.

The novel offers several twists, and as a mystery it works; however, toward then end it became soap-opera like. The characters were likable, but also unlikeable. As a whole, it was enjoyable, but nothing wowed me.

What a Bumpy ride of a read!!
This book was a fast paced thrill a minute.
Even If I paid closer attention, I don't think I would have figured out this tangled web, which was a good thing!
While the meat and potatoes throughout the book were tasty, It was the dessert at the end that really satisfies you.
My first read from this Author and I will definitely be checking out her other works.
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing and the Author for an the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of The Perfect Guests.

The Perfect Guests is a multi-POV gothic thriller set in England, spanning several decades. There are two main storylines, one exploring the relationships and secrets between a family and the girl they invited to live with her at Raven Hall, and other set years later in which a woman has been invited to play a dinner murder mystery game at the now-empty Raven Hall.

In 1988, orphan Beth is dropped off by her irresponsible aunt to live at Raven Hall with Nina and her parents. Beth and Nina become quick friends and Beth feels as though her luck is finally turning around. But there are some very odd rules at Raven Hall, such as you can never leave the property. And, when Leonora asks Beth for a special favor, Beth has a hard time ignoring that something may not be right here.

In 2019, Sadie is a struggling actress who takes a job as last-ditch attempt to pay her rent. The job is an overnight murder mystery dinner at Raven Hall. All is going well until the guests start to receive clues and 'prompt cards that feel a little too close to their actual personalities, rather than those of the characters they are portraying.

We also have a third mysterious timeline from an anonymous POV.

The plot was woven together very nicely, these timelines don't seem to have anything in common other than their location, but they all come to a head after several twists and turns to leave readers guessing. There are a few points where I was wondering when exactly we would start to put the pieces together, the book never 'dragged' for me, but perhaps it took a little long to get to the joining of the paths.

The characters were neither likable nor unlikable to me, I enjoyed reading them but don't feel as though I was living and dying with their actions.

This was my first Emma Rous book, I do have The Au Pair on my TBR and I think that I will be bumping it up the list after reading this one.

The Perfect Guests is the perfect psychological thriller LOL. Sucked you into the story and by the end, you'll want to read it again! This is one that will not let you think about another book for a bit. Thankful to NetGalley for providing a copy to read.

Delectably deceiving. deeply disturbing. Deliciously dark. Emma Rous once again stretched my mind with her mesmerizing storytelling, an atmospheric story with a Gothic vibe. 1988 Beth arrives at Raven Hall hopeful that this will be her new home. The family has a daughter Nina about the same age as her and Beth is eagerly cautious to befriend the girl. not long after arriving at the manor Beth begins to get some strange vibes, like why is it that Nina is not allowed to leave the property? 2019 struggling actress Sadie gets a part as a Party Guest at a mystery dinner. she cannot believe her luck a stunning dress, a gorgeous manner, interesting company. But it isn’t too long before Sadie figures out there is more to all of this than meets the eye. oh what a sinister tale Miss Rous has spun. Two women,one creepy manor, 30 years apart. what ties these two storylines together and what secrets is Raven Hall keeping?

I could not put this book down! I stayed up late into the night and finish this in one sitting. I was completely engrossed in this twisted mind bending tale. The story bounced between Sadie and Beth as well as now and then. I was equally engaged in both narratives. The story was extremely compelling even though the pacing was not always perfect. there was such a chilling sinister feel to the story, I was constantly waiting for something bad to happen. The ending was cleverly revealed one piece at a time keeping the tension throughout.

This book in emojis 🏚 🗝 ⛸ ☕️ 🫖 🍷 🎻 🎭

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

3.5 stars

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous was a twisty and entertaining mystery/thriller. The story takes place at the mysterious Raven Hall switches back and forth between Beth, an orphan girl looking for a family in 1988, and Sadie, an actress participating in a murder mystery dinner in 2019. There is also a third perspective from another woman who is not immediately identified.

Usually when I read multiple timelines like this, I grow to enjoy one timeline more than the other and find myself uninterested in some parts of the story. But I though Rous did a great job of keeping all the timelines interesting and fast-paced, and I was never bored in this book. The parts about Beth and the Averalls and the "game" they played with her were very creepy and intriguing. And I always think murder mystery stories are interesting; those sections of the book reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie.

There are definitely some far-fetched elements to this plot, and as the twists begin to be revealed at the end, I felt like I had whiplash. It was a lot and a bit wild. I felt like the ending could have been tighter and explained a bit better.

But still, for most of the book, I found this to be an entertaining mystery and a lot of fun to read! Would recommend!

Dual timelines, gothic style suspense and murder mystery party?! This one definitely sounded right up my alley. While there were elements that I appreciated and even enjoyed, all of that 👆🏻didn’t add for me in the end making this a lackluster read for me.

I liked the past timeline better than the more current one, the history of Raven Hall appealed to me and Beth as a character was better for me than Sadie. The murder mystery part felt cheesy to me, I legit couldn’t take it seriously at all so that surely made it hard for me to really appreciate the gothic style. I was invested enough in the past timeline to keep reading, but the end wasn’t enough to make up for my lack of excitement overall. Not bad by any means, just not for me

If you liked Rous's first book then you're going to LOVE this one. It was so twisted and kept me guessing the entire way through.

In 1988, Beth’s aunt takes her to stay at Raven Hall, a large manor in the East Anglian fens of England. Her parents and brother have both died, and her aunt’s work keeps her on the road most of the time, so it makes sense when the homeowners, the Averells, offer to foster 14-year-old Beth for a while. Their daughter Nina is excited to have a new friend, and the family is very welcoming, so Beth feels mostly comfortable at Raven Hall. But then when the parents ask Beth to play along in a seemingly harmless game, things start to go off the rails.

In 2019, actress Sadie is trying to pay her bills when she gets an unusual but very well-paying job offer: She just has to play a part as a weekend-party guest at an old manor called Raven Hall. She is given a suitcase with clothes to wear and information about her role and is driven in a limousine to the manor. It seems the old manor is being made into a location for murder-mystery parties, and she and others have been given roles to play while a photographer takes pictures for advertising. It’s a fun and unusual gig, and the money is great, so Sadie wants to do her best for the event. But as the afternoon and evening wear on, things don’t seem so straightforward, and Sadie is at turns concerned and confused. The unknown host may be playing some kind of game with everyone there. She and the other guests try to figure out the real reason they are at Raven Hall, before things get dangerous for them all.

The Perfect Guests is a delightfully twisty story that goes back and forth between two time periods, and it’s not clear for a while what the connection is between Beth and Sadie. What happened to Beth and the family who hosted her? What were they playing at, and why? What is the connection among the guests at Raven Hall, and why are they there? It’s all tied together, and I couldn’t put the book down until the very last detail was revealed at the end. It may seem a bit too convoluted at times, but I had no quibbles with the plot myself. It was just fun to watch the whole puzzle come together. Bonus: it’s a pretty clean book.

I felt like a needed something different to read after reading a lot of cozy mysteries and WWII fiction. I thought The Perfect Guests would be the perfect choice as it is different than what I've been reading but in a genre that I enjoy (and haven't read much of recently). It looked like it would be a good mystery that could get dark and twisty. I'm happy to say that it was indeed a great palate cleanser.

This is my first book by Emma Rous, but having read Susan's review of her debut novel The Au Pair I knew she was an author I wanted to try.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting myself into when I started the novel. I wasn't sure if the story would take a turn towards a dark psychological thriller (like DJ Palmer or Karen Rose) or be more of a twisty mystery plot (like Paige Shelton). I was hoping more for the later because I don't think I could handle second-hand stress caused by fictional characters right now. Thankfully it was more of a mystery with some sinister tones. It was just the kind of novel I was looking for.

There are two stated timelines, one in the later 1980s involving two teenagers living at Raven Hall and one in 2019 where a murder mystery weekend is planned at Raven Hall. There is another timeline and at first, it isn't evident when it is taking place, but involves a woman who feels Raven Hall has been "stolen" from her (it was sold).

I've attended a murder mystery dinner and have always that a murder mystery weekend would be fun. However, in fiction, these events are rarely fun as something more sinister lays beneath the pretense. It is no different for the weekend in The Perfect Guests. But it isn't obvious who is in danger and who is pulling the strings. I liked Sadie, the main character of the 2019 timeline, right from the start. She's kind of young and still trying to figure out what to do with her life but I really felt like she was trying. So when she is invited to play a role in a dry run of the murder mystery weekend I kind of hoped that it was start of things going her way.

I also really liked the characters in the 1980s timeline. It focuses on two teenage girls but they weren't the annoying, childish type of teenagers. I felt sorry for them. Nina, the daughter of the owners of Raven Hall, is lonely and doesn't have much of a life as she isn't allowed to go into the village or attend school. Beth has been living in a children's home since her parents and brother died in a car accident and her only living relative doesn't really want her. When her aunt arranges for her to stay the summer at Raven Hall as a companion to Nina she experiences what living in a real family again. Yet, she knows that things are strange but she doesn't want to rock the boat. She hopes perhaps she can continue living with this family.

It is the third plotline that I'm not sure how I feel about. It pops up in the 2019 chapters. It's written in italics so you know it is separate from that timeline. It does allow for the reader to question when and who (no names are used at first) for this plotline, but I think I would have still had those questions had it been in separate chapters. As it was I was left a bit confused after the first couple of switches to it as I tried to fit it into the 2019 timeline.

I liked to see how all the pieces fit together. Even when you think you have the different threads untangled, Rous throws in another surprise. It was definitely a very satisfying read. If you are looking for a suspenseful mystery that isn't too dark, then The Perfect Guests is the perfect book to pick up.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Thursday, January 13 at 11:30 am EST - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/01/The-Perfect-Guests-Emma-Rous.html

Thank you Berkley for the gifted copy.

Wow what a TWISTY book!! This book had the makings of a great mystery...an old house, a Murder mystery, dual timelines. There were so many ‘what is going on?!’ moments, and chapters that made me want to keep reading so I found the answers. I did figure some things out along the way, but there were plenty of surprises so I stayed on my toes.

I knew once Sadie got tapped for the Murder mystery weekend that there was more to the story than expected. The backstory with Leonora, Markus, Nina, and Beth fascinated me, and I There were major Agatha Christie vibes, too, which I loved.

The Perfect Guests, by Emma Rous

Short Take: “I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate…”

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

So here we are again, my beloved nerdlings. The winter doldrums have truly set in, and although I was expecting calmer winds on the “current events” front, well, the storms are still raging, and growing worse all the time.

So I can’t tell you how relieved I have been to dive into something deliciously dishy, a girly, soapy romp through a fabulous ancestral mansion, for a few decades in book-time.

But these girls aren’t exactly sugar and spice.

In the late 1980’s, fourteen-year-old orphan Beth has been going back and forth between living with her Aunt Caroline, and to a group home when Caroline has to travel for work. Still reeling from the deaths of her parents and older brother, Beth’s biggest comfort is playing the violin. So it’s a marvelous stroke of luck that one of Caroline’s business contacts makes them an offer: Markus’s daughter, Nina, is a shy, sweet, very lovely girl, and their ginormous mansion has plenty of room. Why not let Beth stay for a while to be Nina’s companion?

And so Beth becomes part of the family at Raven Hall, joining Markus, Nina, and Nina’s mother Leonora for a few weeks that turns into much longer. For Beth, it’s nearly a dream come true - she has adults who seem to genuinely care for her, a best-friend-slash-sister to explore the grounds with, and even a cute boy who comes by to swim in the lake and hang out sometimes.

Of course, nothing is perfect, and there are very strict rules about what the girls can do and where they can go, and occasionally, Markus and Leonora ask some very odd favors of Beth. But all things considered, life at Raven Hall is so much better than what she had previously. Until it isn’t.

In the present day, Sadie is a struggling actress who is trying to figure out how she’s going to make rent when she gets a great offer: Play a role at a murder mystery party at the long-abandoned Raven Hall, and she’ll be well compensated. Dressing in glamorous clothes, hanging out in a somewhat restored mansion, and paying the rent with one weekend’s work is irresistible, of course, so Sadie, like Beth three decades earlier, jumps at the chance.

And of course, my duckies, Past And Present Collide, and Dark Secrets Are Revealed, and there are many, many (SO MANY) Twists and Turns.

First, the good stuff. Ms. Rous is great at balancing the various timelines, and keeping the identity of one narrator hidden for half the book was a brilliant stroke. The push-pull tension of Beth and Nina’s friendship-slash-sisterhood-slash-codependency was perfectly executed - Nina, desperately lonely and Beth, always on a tightrope of needing the security of the family while seeing and fearing their dark side.

What’s hanging this nerd up are the multitudinous twists and accompanying turns, not to mention the occasional swerve or dodge or dip or loop. There’s this existential pang I can’t quite shake. I love me a good twist, and a WHOA reveal flibbers my gibbets like nothing else, but can there be too much of a good thing?

After reading The Perfect Guests, I think… maybe? Or not? Because as I was flying through those last few breathless chapters (and make no mistake, the pacing was EXCELLENT) and alllllll the many many MANY secrets were getting unburied, part of me started to do the OH COME ON thing that we all do when it just goes too far.

But I tried to pick out a set of revelations that I thought could be cut, and I couldn’t. Because every part of the story holds up every other part, and somehow, the whole is perfectly equal to the sum of its parts, and it works. It’s an extremely delicate balancing act, spinning plates on upright toothpicks, a breath away from complete failure.

And it’s also outrageously fun.

The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS (and some hot chocolate - hold the extras.)

*Lets out a long sigh*
I have so many thoughts and feelings racing through my mind and I don’t even know where to begin! I suppose I should start by saying The Perfect Guests gets 5 massive stars from me! My hand flew to cover my mouth so many times throughout the book that I lost count. 🙊 I would probably characterize it as a mystery drama rather than a thriller. The pages certainly reached out and grabbed me from the beginning through the very end. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and I just had to know what happened next! Emma Rous’ writing flows so well and I just love how smooth and captivating it is! I can’t wait to read more from her! I definitely recommend this one! It’s up there in my favorite books of the year!

Huge thanks to Berkley via NetGalley for the privilege of reading this book in advance in exchange for my honest review!

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous is a 2021 Berkley publication.

Just go with it!

I loved the Au Pair, so naturally, I was very curious to see what Emma Rous would present us with next.

1988- Raven Hall

Fourteen-year-old Beth, an orphan, is brought, by her aunt, to live with the Averell’s and their daughter, Nina, who is the same age, but is never allowed to leave home. Beth desperately wants to please her new foster parents, which means getting along with Nina, which is easier said than done, sometimes. As time passes, in a slow dawning horror, Beth realizes she has been brought to Raven Hall for another reason altogether…

Fast forward to 2019-

Sadie is an actress who has been offered a part in a Murder Mystery weekend at Raven Hall. It’s a plumb opportunity and she desperately needs the money. Things get off to an interesting start, but things rapidly go awry as shocking secrets rise to the surface, turning this into a party Sadie will never forget…

This is a well-plotted, supremely addictive psychological thriller. The downside, for some, might be the necessity to suspend belief at times, and the slightly uneven pacing. The dual timeline does require some deeper focus, but I thought the story had imagination, and a bit of originality, too. The atmosphere crackles with tension and challenges the reader with a complex puzzle that piece by piece weaves a tale of secrets and sinister machinations.

Overall, while her sophomore effort isn’t quite at strong as her debut- it’s pretty darned close! Definitely an author I’m exited about!!

4 stars

I did not think it was humanly possible to have so many twists and turns in a book but, I’m speechless. I’m adding Emma’s first book, The Au Pair straight to the top of my to be read list!

An old manor home, Raven Hall and the love one woman has for it. The lengths and games she’ll go through to keep it in the family.

The story was hauntingly mysterious, twisty and so good! I couldn’t put it down and loved every minute of reading it!

Special thanks to Berkley, Emma and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!