I was a bit disappointed with this novel, and just kept waiting for there to be more suspense. Although I’m sure intentional, the characters were all extremely unlikeable and I struggled to push through this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the chance to read this ARC.

Suspense, drama, and a whole lot of crazy decisions - welcome to The Unwelcome Guest.

Saffron and her husband, Miles, have the "perfect" marriage. Kids, successful careers, a fancy house...and a mother-in-law just moved in to the main house. Saffron and Caprice's relationship is strained at best; one a career driven beauty, the other a family-oriented obsessive grandmother with a bit too much meddling. Sprinkle in a complicated ex, a brother with a wife-swap fantasy, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

Not one to be taken too seriously, this book is an escapist delight. With frequent POVs and sometimes clunky narrative (characters talking at each other during their POVs makes for a somewhat confusing read at times), this book is entertaining and reminds me of a really good soap. Yes, it's not immensely realistic - most characters lack the skills of critical thinking - but boy oh boy, is it fun to watch the whole thing fall apart.

It certainly does make me worry for when I get married - I'm running for the hills if my MIL ever tries to call me "dear"!

Being a mom is a cherished job. Watching your son grow and marry and live their life for themselves is an indication of a job well done, but when mom becomes too involved she becomes the “mother in law from hell”. Follow the lengths Caprice will go to break up her son and his wife in this book full of twists and turns. This well written page turner is a great weekend read.

This book was amazing! I read probably way to many thrillers but this one i thought was pretty unique! Stunning

This story gives the expression ‘the evil mother-in-law’ a whole new meaning. Saffron and Miles are happily married and live in a lovely spacious home. Saffron is a lawyer and has her own boutique law firm and Miles is a Professor of philosophy. They have two boys - Ben 8 and Harry 6 years old. Life is sweet, well it was until the evil MIL moved into the house with them. Caprice is a piece of work and seems to hate Saffron because she doesn’t devote her every waking moment to her family as she, Caprice, did. It is not good enough for the perfect son, Miles. His brother Aiden is definitely not mummy’s favourite.

As seems to be typical of Amanda Robson, this story is pretty bonkers! We join the family as Saffron is struggling yet again with being undermined by Clarice. Saffron is just hiring a new nanny, Hayley, so she, Saffron, doesn’t have to interact with Clarice too much. So we have Clarice hating Saffron, Hayley fancying Miles, Aiden fancying Saffron and Julie (Saffron’s assistant, Miles’ former girlfriend and Aiden’s former wife) gets drawn into the drama. Saffron suspects Miles of still fancying Julie and Miles suspects Saffron of fancying Aiden. I think that covers it. Behind the scenes Clarice is stirring up more and more trouble for Saffron. Something drastic needs to be done!

This is not a literary classic but, if you don’t take it too seriously, it’s a good fun, fast read that won’t tax your brain too much. I enjoyed the author’s previous book a bit more. I thought this one was a little too cliche driven and predictable. The whole evil MIL thing seemed contrived. Nevertheless it was an entertaining diversion for sure. Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for providing a advance copy for free. My review is provided voluntarily and honestly.

You think your mother in law is bad until you read this cracking book! This is a dark and claustrophobic read. What a detestable character Captice is. You can feel her resentment and bitterness just radiating off the pages! This book has many genuine shocking moments and I enjoyed the various points of view throughout the book. This is a definite page turner of a book.

There is an Unwelcome Guest in the house.... but who?

SHE HAD THE PERFECT MARRIAGE. UNTIL HER MOTHER-IN-LAW MOVED IN…

For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer.... but NOT for the mother-in-Law from HADES! Did this woman make a pack with the devil, because she is pure EVIL.

Saffron and Miles are in love. They have a great marriage (well, I don't know.... there is some physical stuff that seemed out of character), they have two healthy children, and both enjoy their jobs.

But Caprice, Miles' devious and manipulative, mother, lives with them and she is not a fan of Saffron, or shall I say "Dear"? She never liked her, and I never understood why Miles couldn't see the forest for the trees as they say. He sat right there and for someone who claims he looks at things from all sides, he was blind as a bat to what was happening in his house. What was happening in his house -secret conversations, secret agendas, manipulation, flirtation, and lies all of which stir this pot like crazy.

I don't know how anyone could sleep in this house at night! So much drama, so much ridiculous behavior, I would always have one eye open watching my back. Both then again, there are a lot of sleepless nights in this house.

This is a fun, fast paced book. There are several character POV's which keep things interesting and moving at a steady pace. This reads like a nighttime soap opera. It is highly entertaining. I also learned two things while reading this book: never leave your laptop lying around and if someone calls you "Dear" kick their A$$ out!

Overall a fun entertaining book. Pure escapism reading

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a hard book to rate because I found it entertaining and liked the short chapters but the characters were all unlikeable AND unrealistic. I can deal with an unlikeable character but the dialogue and their behavior felt very one-dimensional and strange. It's an entire book of them doing dumb stuff that makes no sense.

The end result was me spending the entire time shaking my head and wanting to throw the book while simultaneously wanting to finish the book. My middle-of-the-road rating illustrates my mixed feelings about the book. I'd still recommend it to anyone wanting to read an over-the-top evil mother-in-law story!

Thanks for the ARC.

I was really enjoying this book throughout, however, I was very disappointed by the ending.

I felt the book promised a surprise and I don’t feel that happened.

It was an enjoyable story but I can’t say it offered anything too exciting for a thriller.

This book kept me on my toes and left me compelled to read it all in one sitting, which doesn't happen to often anymore although I think it was just so I would be less confused than I would be if I had to pick it up again. The characters were pretty good and even the ones I didn't like had a love to hate them quality about them. The
story revolves around a typical family on the outside who have more than typical problems. The main plot was all about an overbearing mother in law, a daughter in law who wants the monster out of her life for good, and a nanny who is trying to steal away the husband. What I didn't like at all about this story was the constant POV changes one or two I can handle but this one had at least six. It took me right out of the story at times, and I believe that it was unnecessary for the plot and more confusing. What could have been magical was a
hard read for me even though the plot was everything that I love. A little bit of a complex read for my tastes. While it had so much potential there were to many changes that made it hard to follow as a reader. So not my favourite read.

In The Unwelcome Guest, Caprice, Saffron's mother-in-law moves in with Miles and Saffron, disrupting their happy household. The couple has two young children, Ben and Harry and Hayley is their new nanny. Caprice really doesn't like lawyer Saffron, but lecturer Miles dotes on his mother. Caprice makes life exceptionally difficult for Saffron but just how far is she prepared to go to achieve her aims?

I loved this novel, having gained some experience with a problematic mother-in-law myself, thus I could completely and entirely relate to this plot. The action builds swiftly and Amanda Robson writes from each character's point of view. It made the story more interesting and brought it to life gaining an insight into their thoughts and reactions.

Amanda Robsons’s writing style is clear and she is strong in her portrayal of flawed human behaviour. Addictive and engrossing, I was fully immersed in the lives of Caprice, Saffron, Miles, Hayley and also Aiden, Miles's brother. The pacy tale held my attention throughout with deception, scheming, manipulation, jealousy and malice and it was ripe with thrills and suspense. If you're looking for a read that delves into the darker aspects of relationships give The Unwelcome Guest a try. This author continues to delight and I'm already looking forward to her next offering.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Avon Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

A horrid step-mother, a gorgeous career woman, and a rather inappropriate nanny... Amanda Robson does not disappoint.

The Unwelcome Guest by Amanda Robson
Pub Date 19 August 2021
Coming soon: the next gripping domestic thriller from the #1 bestselling author of Obsession
SHE HAD THE PERFECT MARRIAGE. UNTIL HER MOTHER-IN-LAW MOVED IN…
Saffron vowed to love Miles no matter what life threw at them both. But when her mother-in-law moves into their happy family home, Saffron's shiny life begins to tarnish.
Even as Caprice's barbed comments turn to something more sinister, Saffron hopes the new nanny's arrival will shield her from the worst of it. She's starting to feel paranoid in her own home.
Little does she realise that Caprice longs for a new daughter-in-law – and she'll do anything to make that happen…
Unfortunately, this story is not for me; I didn't enjoy how it was written, It felt exaggerated & predictable, and I found it all a bit grating.
I want to thank NetGalley, Avon Books UK and author Amanda Robson for a pre-publication copy to read.

This book was just ok for me, don't get me wrong it wasn't awful but I've also read so much better. I really liked the shortness of the chapters which made it a really quick read. The issues I had was the multiple narrative perspective, I don't normally have an issue with books like this but there was far too many in this book and it was unnecessary. It also felt quite stilted in places where the character would start by addressing the person as you and then in the next sentence would use she. Also none of the characters were likeable in the slightest, I mean none (well perhaps the children but they weren't featured enough). The ending was ok but I would have rather found out more about Hayley's situation than teasing us and just ending. Furthermore, I feel they just skirted over what happened to Caprice and then one line towards the end to validate this. I'm really disappointed as I had such high hopes and it sounded like it would be right up my street, the premise was interested but it just wasn't executed well enough.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Amanda Robson for the copy of this book. All views are my own.*

The mother in law from hell. How do you put up with her? Or do you?
Quite a complicated storyline with some unlikeable characters but an interesting read nonetheless

There are a lot of mother-in-law thrillers out there. I mean, a LOT. That being said, this wasn't any different than any other stories like this. The only difference was the amount of point-of-views this story was told in. There are a lot of characters mixed into this plot and hearing the story from all of their perspectives was a lot for me. They were a bunch of crazy characters, that's for sure. It's a fast-paced read if you're in the mood for something quick and wild. I just couldn't get on board with this one...

A delightful and soapy tale of the worst mother-in-law - ever! Well written and engaging, I read it in one day!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC!

Actual rating 3.5⭐️

Step inside the gates of Wellbeck House, Lexington Drive, Esher at your peril! Inside this highly toxic environment live some equally toxic characters. This is home to the Jackson family; Saffron and Miles, their two children Ben and Harry and Caprice, Miles’s mother. Having declared the annexe too poky for her liking Caprice has moved into the big house, better placed to keep a close eye on her career obsessed daughter in law and to help out with childcare arrangements since the family is between nannies. Saffron owns her own boutique law firm catering for a few high end mega wealthy clients whilst Miles is a lecturer, a philosophy professor. Aiden, Miles brother is a frequent visitor to the property, a place where they all gather each week for a torturous Sunday lunch. He just also happens to harbour romantic feelings towards his brother’s wife. Julie, Miles’s first girlfriend and Aiden’s ex wife works for Saffron as her PA. The only person left to more or less complete the cast of characters is soon to be newly appointed nanny Hayley, a New Zealander who appears grateful to have landed such a plum position. Will she be Saffron’s saviour, an ally against her wicked mother-in-law, or Caprice’s confidante? Only time will tell!!

Well these characters are a little bit too close for comfort. The atmosphere inside these walls is claustrophobic, suffocating and tense, the air dripping with poison, malice, jealousy and cold hard bitterness and resentment. What is it with mothers and their sons eh? I know mother in laws generally receive a bad press but Amanda Robson has created THE mother in law from hell! Would anyone be good enough for her precious, favourite son Miles? Methinks not! On a personal level I have experience of what it’s like to be in an overcrowded relationship where the unwelcome third member is an overbearing opinionated, impossible to please mother in law so my sympathies, at least initially, lay with Saffron.

Told from multiple points of view this is a pretty straightforward storyline, complicated only by the fact everyone seems to have their own hidden agenda. Inside Wellbeck House a war of attrition is raging between Saffron and Caprice with everyone caught up in the crossfire. Really what this all boils down to is who can gain the upper hand and maintain that position, attempts to oust the other from the family forever escalating and becoming ever more inventive. However in a nest full of vipers deciding who has the deadliest bite and who will reign triumphant is the incentive needed to keep turning the pages. It’s a game of one step forwards two steps back, with the advantage ricocheting all over the place. Even the nanny’s motivations are tricky to decipher leaving you to question her own trustworthiness. Welcoming a virtual stranger, a young attractive one at that into a household where two women are fighting for supremacy strikes me as tantamount to pouring oil over troubled waters. Watch out! This could prove to be an explosive mix!

In terms of portraying devious, manipulative, cunning characters fuelled by hate and lust and envy Amanda Robson has excelled. Mix into the quagmire some sibling rivalry, a mother’s favouritism and some antiquated opinions on working mothers that belong in the 1950’s and you have a recipe for disaster. The author has exploited the often difficult dynamic between a daughter-in-law/ mother-in-law to the max but in my opinion as far as Saffron and Caprice are concerned she’s over egged the pudding to the point where their actions gradually lose credibility. Caprice cuts a pathetic, desperate figure, clinging to her grand matriarch status by any means possible but if I’m honest Saffron doesn’t fare much better. Although you have to admire their steely determination to outmanoeuvre one another I switched from siding with Saffron to complete ambivalence. Neither are nice people; Saffron and Caprice are far from cuddly, nurturing figures. Instead they are brittle, acidic, made up of sharp pointy jagged edges and cutting tongues, blinded by intense hatred and behaving accordingly. What I couldn’t understand is how susceptible these individuals are to Caprice’s shady antics and why Miles is so forgiving.

To begin with I really enjoyed the unfolding of this domestic nightmare via ever changing perspectives. After a while it started to grate on me as the constant changes prevents the storyline from moving forward at a reasonable pace, stuck on a repetitive loop that frankly becomes boring. Why the author decides halfway through the novel to add another voice into someone else’s point of view is anyone’s guess. For the reader it’s confusing and off putting and I had to keep flicking backwards to remind myself who was currently holding court. At this point the novel began to lose some of its appeal, not helped either by some of the unbelievable methods Caprice employs to turn her son against Saffron. Quite a few of her attempts just didn’t ring true.

A good first impression unfortunately gave way to less favourable reactions as the plot developed until the only conclusion I could draw was that everyone had taken total leave of their senses and gone stark raving mad! It was enjoyable enough but it didn’t blow me away. What I had originally thought would be a 4⭐️ read lost half a star somewhere along the way as events turned stranger by the minute.

My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

Caprice (what an name for this character!) just doesn't like her daughter in law Saffron. But, Saffron's brother in law Aidan does like her. More than he should. A struggling marriage, a hotbed of duplicity and into this comes Hayley the nanny. Gosh. Everyone has their say in this domestic drama filled with generally annoying people (although I did feel for Saffron). It's sort of a hoot but it's also a page turner. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Perfect for the beach or travel.

Taking evil mother-in-law to a whole new level! I was shocked at some of the things this mother-in-law did to her family. While the book seemed predictable throughout, I still enjoyed it. The different perspectives allowed me to really understand the dynamics of the family. But, the rapid transitions between perspectives was jarring, switching with just a sentence (although, it might’ve been messed up formatting from my kindle). Some of the character decisions were really annoying though, blowing up when a simple conversation would fix everything.