Gripping and thrilling, I enjoyed The Unwelcome Guest from the first page to the last. We’ve all heard about Mother-in-laws from hell, but it seems Saffron’s is a whole different class. Saffron vowed to love Miles and weather any storm together but when Miles’ mother Caprice moves into the family home things take a turn for the worst. Saffron hopes the new nanny will be an ally and shield her from the worst of it, but very soon she starts to feel increasingly paranoid in her own home. Especially as it seems Caprice wants a new daughter-in-law and will do whatever it takes to get one. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author for the chance to review.

So, there’s nothing more I hate than reading a book and not enjoying it. I'm still quite annoyed at how much I didn’t enjoy this, as I really wanted to. It was very nearly a DNF but I was halfway in, and others said it was good so I thought I'd try carry on. There were certain parts I enjoyed, and my favourite part of the book was the ending. 

I'm not sure if it was the style of writing, characters or what but I just couldn’t warm to it. All the characters were so unlikable, far fetched and just unrealistic for me. I really disliked Caprise which I know is the point, but the lengths she went to try get her daughter-in-law out even though in my opinion, there was nothing major wrong with Saffron. One point in the book, I literally had to put it down for a moment because I just couldn’t believe Caprise stooped so low and nothing even got mentioned about it. Also, I know these different characters had lots of hate between them for each other, but the language and phrases used to describe others, especially said by Caprise, just made me cringe. 

For me, it was quite predictable and I did guess every twist, however I did enjoy the ending. I was happy with how it turned out, and was fitting with everything that happened. 
It’s such a shame I didn’t enjoy it – but this is just my opinion and others will enjoy it.

This one took me quite a while to read due to my life being full of new beginnings. I have to say, the story drew me in at first, but I struggled to want to finish.

Although the rotten MIL theme is easily relatable for married women anywhere, the story lacked the intensity, lure, and curiosity that I crave in a thriller. It’s a bit too easy to tell from very early on how things will unfold. Many scenarios were eye-rollingly unbelievable (namely marital spats).

However, the biggest downfall for me was the dialogue between characters. It felt disingenuous and forced... posh lifestyle or not, a lot of the communication was unrealistic and uncomfortable. It could totally be the author’s writing style and it could be something you enjoy as a reader, but it wasn’t up my alley.

My rating is based solely on the fact that despite the aspects I couldn’t enjoy, I WAS invested and did very much want to know the ending.

Thank you to @avonbooksuk and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for an honest review!

Saffron had the perfect marriage with 2 young boys….until her mother in law moved in. Saffron loved her husband Miles so much that it didn’t matter what life threw at them. However when the mother in law moves in, Saffron’s life changes, even Caprices comments become more sinister. Saffron hopes the new nanny will help shield the behaviour. However Miles love his mother and wishes to do anything for her since his father passed away. Caprice becomes very manipulative and lets the games begins.

This was a great page turner, slow going but things started to pick up and couldn’t wait to find out how the plot proceeds

When Caprice, the mother in law from hell, moves in with Saffron and Miles their life becomes complicated. Caprice hates Saffron, for no apparent reason, and she is determined to get rid of her. The plot is a bit crazy and I didn't really warm to the characters. I did persevere with the book as it was amusing.

A masterpiece of a plot! Caprice is a nasty mother in law to Saffron- who knows what she is or not capable of. Saffron does not have an easy time with her, but tries to befriend her. Hayley, a nanny moves in to live with the family, including Caprice and cannot believe the lifestyle she has been invited to be a part of. Lots of twists and turns.

Wow! This book is excellent. It seriously kept me guessing all the way through. If you like light thrillers I highly suggest it.

Unfortunately, this one was a DNF for me at 30% in.

I honestly wasn't feeling the writing style, there were too many POVs, it was unnecessary. And the way the story was told made me cringe, like the characters would be narrating facts or thoughts and then would direct their thoughts to another person, like: I was walking down the street, but you, Saffron, pushed me aside.

Of course, this is not a fair review because I didn't finish the book, so I still encourage you to check it out!

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

I could not finish this book and I tried. I could see the end coming and went to the back of the book and my instincts were right. I don't know what else to say about this book, other than - please don't make me read anything else by this author.

Amazing thriller I absolutely love Amanda Robson. This is just a spell bounding as her last book. I was immediately drawn in by the main character and couldn’t stop reading. I highly recommend this exciting book.

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 will shield her from the worst of it. Little does she realise that Caprice longs for a new daughter-in-law - and she'll do anything to make it happen.

Saffron and Miles have it all: a great marriage, two beautiful sons, decent jobs and a comfortable home. The only thing that spoils Saffron's happiness is her mother-in-law, Caprice. Caprice had moved in with Saffron and Miles after her husband had died. Caprice thinks Saffron can do nothing right and that she's not good enough for her son.

The story is told from multiple perspectives. This is the story of the mother-in-law from hell. Miles seems oblivious to what is going on under his own roof. I didn't like the way perspectives changed half way through a paragraph, it made it a tad annoying. There's mot a lot of twists or surprises either. The second half of the book was much better.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #AmandaRobson for my ARC of #TheUnwelcomGuest in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to a quiet day at home, I was able to read this book in one sitting. It is the kind of book you will want to read in one sitting, because it is full of over-the-top characters in an over-the-top setting and with over-the-top surprises. Having some experience with a ‘difficult’ mother-in-law, I always fall for plots where they play a role. Mine wasn’t nearly so horrible in comparison to Caprice, although she did her best to let me feel inadequate on many terrains.

Caprice is horrible and mean; Saffron is hard-working and doting on husband Miles and her two sons, Miles’ brother Aidan never grew up and nanny Hayley is just plain dumb. What a group of unlikable and flat characters and how well Amanda Robson did in using them to create this sometimes very funny story for us, for the story is very entertaining and the book is difficult to put away.
At one point, everybody is lying to everybody and everything that happens in the house but also outside, at Saffron’ s company, leads to sorrow and arguments. But as any book with a woman like Caprice as the main character, things take a turn for the better and at last everybody gets what they deserve.

I hope there will be another round of editing; sometimes its confusing to read the thoughts of person A while you’re thinking you are reading a chapter about person B. It is also confusing that one person receives a Christmas present which suddenly in another chapter turns out to be given to another person – and in another form. Or reading that someone must be somewhere at 9 AM and then leaves, setting the GPS on a route that will take them there by 10.30 AM. And the only thing I really didn’t like was the constant mentioning of the food. I don’t like people who comment on other people’s eating habits, but here everybody was complaining about each other’s’ eating habits all the time. Saffron is a vegan so she dislikes the fact that her family and friends are ‘animal eaters’, and she hates it that Caprice feeds the children too much chicken nuggets and fries and candy (although she is often feeding them the same). Caprice hates it that Saffron is a vegan and that she wants the children to eat more healthy things (but Saffron is almost never home to cook). On almost every page, we are confronted with food and drink, but in a negative way. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, this family is never happy at a table. Pity, where they just as easily could have meaningful discussions about it.
Anyway, food stories aside, I liked this book because it made my quiet day at home a happy one.

Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.

I loved Obsession but this book didnt hold my interest in the same way. Sorry, this one isnt for me
Thanks to Netgalley for an opportunity to read an ARC

A fun domestic thriller with dark humor featuring a woman who may be the world’s worst mother-in-law. Caprice has never approved of her son Miles’ wife Saffron, so when she moves in with the couple, she decides to make Saffron’s life as difficult as possible. After trying several other schemes, she hatches a plan to encourage her son to hook up with the young nanny, who is enamored with Miles.

The book is told from all four perspectives, and I enjoyed the differences between the narrators and the way a couple of the characters might have been a little delusional. I also appreciated the hijinks that ensued from Caprice’s plan and the inevitable murder that finally rocks the household.

While I didn’t love this one as much as Robson’s previous book, My Darling, it was always entertaining and fun to read, and solidifies Robson as an author whose books I will automatically buy for my bookshelf.

3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to Avon, NetGalley, and the author for this fun ARC.

Don't be misled by the title for this is the mother-in-law from hell on a mission to destroy her daughter-in-law no matter what it takes. The family hierarchy, jealousy, a doting mother, and snide criticism makes for interesting family dynamics. All the lies, conniving and desperation leads to an exciting story with an ending I didn't see coming. Thanks to Amanda Robson for an original plot
Independent review for NetGalley / Avon

I've read all of Amanda Robson's previous books and enjoyed them, with her debut Obsession being my favourite.. Unfortunately, The Unwelcome Guest didn't work for me.

I really loved the Wife versus Mother-In-Law premise and it sounded totally up my alley. Sadly what we got was just surface-level rivalry, a few barbed comments and childish sabotage. The book never really delves deep into why Caprice detests Saffron so much.

So many things didn't make sense even with a huge suspension of disbelief. Every character behaved in a ridiculous and over-the-top fashion. None of them spoke or behaved in a realistic manner.

The crime scenes and police procedures were badly written. Lots of things didn't sit right with me either, such as what Caprice did to her grandsons but again, it was a touch-and-go scene that was never addressed again.

I get that the book is meant to be fast-paced and small details are skimmed over, but again, nothing makes sense. There is also none of the tension or emotion that I have come to associate with similar domestic thrillers.

I did like the ending, however.

As with all of the author's work, this was a fun ride. However, there were too many issues for me to see past or find it enjoyable. I would still check out her future books though and she remains one of my must-read authors.

Thanks so much for the ARC!

While I love a good thriller, this one did not do it for me. I have read a lot about this author always dishing out some wacky characters and this book did deliver that, however, I just couldn't relate to a single thing within this book. Because of that it just felt boring and undelivered. On to the next thriller!

This is one of those books that builds up steam repeatedly, but I was always disappointed. The twists weren't very exciting or inventive. I did like the way Robson uses first person narration, but found this over all a letdown in the genre.

This book is a Family Drama ,Saffron and Miles are very happy together living in their luxurious house with their two gorgeous boys, that is until the Mother in Law from hell moves in and tries to split them apart! The story is told through all the main characters POV which I like as I feel it gives more information that way .All the main characters were not very nice, there were a few twists and turns I felt the ending was ok .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

I’ve read a few Amanda Robson books before and loved them, so expected no less than a 5 star read this time.

I read it in a day, the writing style had my hooked as always, I really enjoy a book written from multiple POVs.

Saffron doesn’t have a great relationship with her live in mother-in-law. A very touchy subject to write about, but I’m sure many can relate too! Not only does Saffron suffer with her Mother-in-law, she has trouble with her business, brother-in-law and her live in nanny making advances towards her husband.

I did feel parts of this book to be a little weak, but all round a great read like I mentioned before.