This one kept me up way past my bedtime- 3 alternating, seemingly unrelated storylines gave us basically 3 mysteries which I loved! Two of the perspectives are much longer than the third but I was equally invested in all despite not even really liking one of the characters. This would make a great cozy up under a blanket winter read as snow plays an integral part in one of the mysteries.

This author is 2/2 for me - I first binged and absolutely loved Before She Was Found

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

Well written, convoluted, torturous tale of three interconnected storylines that eventually converge to tell a horrific tale. Such stories have made headlines in the past and no doubt will continue to occur in the future but it is never easy to read them – whether true or fiction.

Three storylines
* Past: 2000 moving toward present tells of Becky and Josie spending a night together with horrific results. One girl loses her entire family and one girl disappears entirely. Thee police look, the families deal with the situation, and the mystery is believed to be unearthed but…it wasn’t really…not then
* Present: a true crime author is on a deadline, is dealing with other issues including a teenage son and ex-husband, and also has the weight of her backstory from childhood hanging over her and weighing heavier every day. She has moved back to her childhood stomping grounds and that is not helping things.
* The view of a child as she sees life from the basement with her mother…their story is grim and difficult with little hope for the future…but progress it does and eventually overlaps with the Present

My Notes:
* Well-written
* Difficult to follow and keep track of at first
* Ended up skimming to get it all figured out
* Some will love it and others will probably not
* Not sure that I enjoyed the three storylines way of telling the story
* Was amazed by the strength of some of the characters
* The truth coming out eventually was great but so much suffering was caused by one person – just doesn’t seem fair but then life is not always fair is it?
* Noticed I skimmed the only other book I have read by this author so wonder if I will read another by her or not.
* Grim atmosphere throughout with weather playing a part
* Can see it as a movie, maybe, though not sure I would want to watch it.
* Mixed feelings…

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing-Park Row for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

This book just didn't work for me. It was much too slow-paced and left me feeling impatient for something to happen. The scenes with Wylie also didn't interest me for the most part, and I was more intrigued by the scenes from the past. I found it hard to get invested in this one, unfortunately.

4.5 Stars ~ Top Pick

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf is about a true crime writer who is snowed in at an isolated farmhouse in Iowa, but soon it seems she might not be alone.

Wylie Lark left her home in Oregon for time alone to finish her latest true crime book. She should be wrapping up her book and her stay in the cabin when she discovers a child outside in the snow and ice. Although Wylie has been researching a crime that occurred years ago in the area, the current situation shows not all the danger is in the past.

The story about what happens next for Wylie alternates between two other storylines. The other is twenty years in the past when a young girl’s mother and father are murdered in their homes and her older brother and best friend have disappeared.

The story of twelve-year-old Josie Doyle was the most compelling storyline for me and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the details of this tragedy. The third storyline, about an unknown woman and her daughter living in a basement, was disturbing to me and often hard to read. My theories on if and how their stories were tied to either of the others changed a few times as the story progressed.

I don’t want to give away any of the surprising twists in the story, so I can’t share any additional details. I can say that the book is intense and suspenseful and kept my interest from beginning to end. I was able to figure out some of the plot turns before they were revealed, but there were still many surprises. There are a couple of things that don’t quite seem to add up, and the dramatic confrontation at the end goes on a little longer than it needs to. However, the suspense of the story and the way it all comes together at the end more than makes up for any flaws. I’ve read other thrillers by this author and The Overnight Guest ranks up there with my favorites.

~ Christine

In her ninth novel, The Overnight Guest, bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf explores a crime committed two decades ago, and the myriad ways it shaped and destroyed lives. To relate the story, she employs three separate narratives.

n the present, Wylie Lark, a true crime author completing her fourth book, has retreated from her troubled relationship with her son to an isolated farmhouse in Iowa. The house has no television or WiFi, and since Wylie has dropped and destroyed her cell phone, she is without internet access and must rely on a landline to communicate. There's a blizzard on the way, but she has sufficient food, firewood, and a 9 mm handgun to keep her warm and safe. Despite her profession, Wylie doesn't "like the dark and what might be lurking outside after the sun went down." She also has Tas, a coonhound mix she found sitting outside the farmhouse's door, to keep her company as the storm rages, although at first they don't like each other much.

A second narrative is set in the summer of 2000 and focuses on Josie Doyle, age twelve. She is growing up on her family's farm in Blake County, Iowa, outside Burden. "Despite its grim name, Burden, population 844, was known as an idyllic community to live and raise a family." On an August afternoon, Josie is excited about a sleepover with her best friend, Becky, and a trip to the state fair the next day. But first she must find the family's dog, Roscoe, who wanders off regularly, but always comes home. Except this time he hasn't, and Josie goes in search of him. She isn't rattled by the truck she encounters as she looks for Roscoe. She concludes that the driver, hunched down with a seed cap pulled low over his forehead, is just one of her older brother's buddies playing a trick on her as he navigates the truck in an odd game of tag with her. Every time she steps toward it, the driver backs the truck up. When her father calls to her, she forgets all about it. Her brother, sixteen-year-old Ethan has recently been sullen and withdrawn, getting into fights, drinking, and involved in "some trouble" with a girl. He has been openly defiant and arguing vehemently with their father.

Before the day is over, Josie's parents will be dead -- brutally murdered in their own home. Ethan will be missing, with everyone -- including Josie -- speculating about whether her brother's recent behavioral problems could have escalated to the point that he was capable of killing his own parents following a particularly intense fight with his father. Becky will also be missing following a harrowing attempt, with Josie, to escape a madman with a shotgun chasing them through a cornfield. As they tried to run to her grandparents' house nearby, "Becky stumbled. Crying out her hand slipped from Josie's. Her legs buckled, and she fell to her knees." As Josie begged her to get up, she caught sight of a figure stepping away from the barn, raising his hands, and taking aim. "She dropped Becky's arm, turned, and ran. Just a little bit farther -- she was almost there." Josie is wounded, but alive, but there is no trace of Becky, leaving the Iowa authorities to investigate three mysteries. Who killed Josie's parents and wounded her? Why? Where is Ethan? And where is Becky?

Yet another narrative details the life of a young girl and her parents. Her mother is again pregnant, having lost two children previously. It soon becomes clear that the girl and her mother are dependent on her father for everything, including food, which he sometimes fails to deliver. The girl dreams about going into "the Out There," a world she has only experienced through television programs and gazing at a glimpse of it from a basement window. As the narrative proceeds, in chapters alternating with the other two, the time frame is unclear. But it becomes apparent that the woman and her child are being held captive in a basement. Who are they? Who is holding them hostage?

The three tales initially seem disconnected. But in the present, as the blizzard takes hold, whiting out the countryside and threatening to cut off the electricity, Wylie lets Tas outside. When he refuses to come back inside, she reluctantly ventures into the cold to find him fixated on a little boy. Appearing to be about five years old, he's frozen to the ground, a frosty river of blood near his head. Wylie gets him into the house and begins warming him up. But when he regains consciousness, he will not speak, plainly distrustful and appearing to have been abused, so she cannot ascertain his identity or how he ended up outside the farmhouse. It is clear, though, that she is going to have an overnight guest because the storm knocks out the landline and attempting to drive anywhere is the storm is unthinkable. "No one would be coming to help them tonight."

Gudenkauf deftly advances the three separate stories as readers speculate about the various mysteries at play. She develops her characters with expert precision, making them sympathetic. Young Josie, terrified and alone in a cornfield, grabs reader's hearts even before the tense scenes depicting her desperate run toward safety, her anguished horror at discovering her parents' fate, and the guilt she feels not only about not remaining with Becky, but also her willingness to consider that her beloved big brother could be capable of committing such a heinous crime. Wylie is a mystery unto herself. Gudenkauf reveals only her strained relationships with her ex-husband and son, and the fact that she has chosen to isolate herself from them and their dysfunctional family dynamic, in order to finish researching and drafting her latest book. But Wylie soon proves to be resourceful, determined, and resilient as she again ventures out into the blizzard and finds a woman near the wreckage of a pickup truck. Gudenkauf's familiarity with the terrain and the treachery of an Iowa snowstorm serves her particularly well as she portrays the events in and around the old farmhouse. She ratchets up the dramatic tension as Wylie gains another overnight guest and begins unraveling the mysteries surrounding their appearance. What -- and who -- were they running from on such a night? What happened to them that made attempting to navigate the roads during a blinding storm preferable to remaining where they were? The nameless young girl and her mother are equally compelling as Gudenkauf reveals more aspects of their ordeal, and they prove to be brave -- at last willing to risk everything in order to seize an opportunity to be free from the unspeakable cruelties they have suffered -- and take their places in "the Out There."

The Overnight Guest is a tautly-constructed, engrossing thriller at the heart of which lie several mysteries that compel the story forward at a fast pace. Gudenkauf capably alternates the narratives at expertly-timed intervals, gradually revealing clues to what the three stories have in common. Finally, she seamlessly melds those separate narratives as the truth emerges, disclosing how the separate stories and characters are intricately linked. Although savvy readers will undoubtedly guess several aspects of this suspenseful story well in advance, that does not diminish the quality or enjoyment of Gudenkauf's flawlessly cohesive conclusion. And she includes a few key surprises that provide context.

Once again, Gudenkauf delivers a fast-paced, well-plotted, and atmospheric thriller featuring fascinating characters, complete with an emotionally resonant conclusion.

I loved this book. It was a real page turner and I didn't get it till the reveal. Well done. Lots of plot twists and turns that kept this reader on the edge of her seat.

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf was a terrifying read. Isolation is one of my biggest fears and Gudenkauf plays into that with her chilling descriptions. At first, Wylie annoyed me but as I read further, I began to understand who she was. The ending was shocking and I really enjoyed the direction the story went in. This was my first book by Gudenkauf and I will be looking up her other ones.

An awesome thriller. Buckle in buttercup for the ride of your life. The twists and turns of this story are thrilling. Do not pass go without picking up this amazing book. Happy reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: death, murder, violence, sexual assault, rape, abduction, child abuse, miscarriage.


Wylie Lark spends her life researching and writing novels about true crime. After a bad fight with her ex-husband and her son, Wylie decides to go to a little town in Iowa as she starts to work on her newest book. It's the story of a little girl called Josie Doyle, the sole survivor of a night of terror that left her family dead and her best friend presumably abducted, and Wylie is staying in the very house where it happened. As a massive winter storm begins to rage across the county, Wylie discovers something shocking: a child, freezing in the snow. The child won't speak to her, but something is clearly wrong -- and it isn't long before Wylie realizes that they are not the only ones caught in this snowstorm...

What a ride! Intensely atmospheric, this thriller is the kind of edge-of-your-seat reading that always brightens up my day. Flashing back between Wylie in the present day and the murders of the Doyle family in the early 2000s', with an additional POV that tells us about the life of the child Wylie has stumbled upon, there isn't a dull moment. It's hard to put down, particularly as it feels as if each chapter is inching closer and closer to the truth of what happened and is happening. I'd previously read one of Gudenkauf's novels many years ago, and I'm happy to report that this one is just as good as the one I enjoyed so long ago!

In the beginning I wasn't too sure I liked Wylie, per se, but I definitely found her intriguing, and the longer we spent in her head, the more I warmed to her. She's tough and practical, impatient and a little reticent, but beneath it all she has a soft heart. It was actually refreshing that she wasn't some perfectly likable heroine, and I completely adore female characters that are allowed to be flawed, mercurial and human.

The mystery is suspenseful, and one of the things I absolutely must praise Gudenkauf for is the pacing. I mentioned above that each chapter brings us closer to unraveling the mystery, and there's never a moment where I found myself wondering when we would get back to the meat of the narrative, or felt as if we were meandering unnecessarily. Wylie is the character most strongly drawn, and the rest of the cast does feel a bit simple, but it is (primarily) Wylie's story, and I didn't mind the close focus on her and her life.

The writing itself didn't make much of an impression on me either way; it wasn't exactly my preferred style, perhaps a touch too simplistic, and that's one of the reasons it wasn't a full five stars for me -- but that's entirely subjective, and I think many other people won't have any issue with it at all. It did the job of telling us the story, though, and I suppose that's the most important part! The mystery itself wasn't all that difficult for me to solve, and I didn't find the twists too shocking, but I'm a tried-and-true thriller reader, so take that with a grain of salt.

All in all, I highly recommend this for thriller lovers, and I think the chilling mystery combined with the chilling atmosphere is a sure winner!

The Overnight Guest is intense from the start. A strange pickup parked along a country road, two young girls being chased into a corn field, an uneasy sheriff having trouble sleeping—you just know things are going to get bad. And then we visit the present, where the characters are dealing with an intense snowstorm, a car crash, and people stranded in the cold.

Then there is the unknown set of characters and prison-like setting. How do they fit into the story and what evil person is making them live that way? How is this all going to tie together?

I loved it all. Although, like I said, it was intense at times and my heart was racing. The author does an amazing job of weaving all of the storylines together to make a spell-binding and very satisfying story. I have thoroughly enjoyed every single one of her books and highly recommend this one. Be sure to put The Overnight Guest on your TBR list!

BOOK REVIEW: The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
Publication Date: January 25

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

T.I.M.E. Recommended Books By Genre | Thriller
T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books of 2022

CONNECT WITH THIS BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP
Sometimes letting go is a good thing... Sometimes it is the only thing left to do... ✨😎✨

T.I.M.E. Brief Review: A story that kept me up all night reading... Partially, because I was so wrapped up in the story. And partially, because I had trouble sleeping while reading it!... Multi-perspective narratives and timelines add to the dramatic tension, while the excellent and insightful writing leaves the reader no place to hide in experiencing the characters' journeys... ✨😎✨
Pages: 352
Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Crime Fiction
Time Period: 2000 | Present Day
Location: Iowa

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: In Cold Blood
Movie: Room

--------------------

All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Happy pub day to this dark and twisty read! I binged this in its entirety in less than two days because the multiple storylines were exactly what I needed to keep me locked in.

Wylie Lark is a true crime writer who is alone in a remote farmhouse trying to finish her novel when a horrible ice storm hits. She is all set to hunker down when her dog alerts her that something is outside the house. What she doesn’t expect to find is a young boy nearly frozen to death and has no idea where he came from.

Determined to help the boy she brings him home but as things unravel she finds they may not be alone.

All of this is coming from one of the storylines…the others bring more disturbing information to light. There were quite a few creepy moments to be had. Definitely one I would recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing Park Row for gifting me a digital copy of the latest by a favorite author, Heather Gudenkauf - 4.5 stars rounded up for an atmospheric thriller!

In the summer of 2000, brutal murders took place at an isolated farmhouse in Iowa. Twenty years later, true crime writer Wylie Lark is staying at that same farmhouse, escaping from a troubled relationship with her son and ex, with the excuse of needing quiet time to finish her latest book. When a blizzard strikes and she finds a small child half frozen outside her door, she goes seeking answers. But someone else is looking for her too.

This is one of those stories to go into without too much information. Told in two timelines, 2000 and present, there are also additional chilling excerpts in between. The atmosphere plays a huge role in this book - from the brutal summer heat to a blizzard - and adds to the tension of the story. You may figure some things out along the way but certainly not everything and it's a wild ride. Another winner from this author - don't miss it!

What happens when you combine one of your auto-buy, must-read authors with one of your favorite narrators? You get 9 hours and 29 minutes of non-stop perfection. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heather Gudenkauf’s @heathergudenkauf new release, The Overnight Guest, is twisty, dark, and fantastic all on its own, but add in the narration of the super-talented Brittany Pressley @britpressley and I binged this one just as fast as I could. Like I said…perfection. I could go on, but do you really need to hear any more?

Thanks to my partners at @harperaudio for providing me an early copy of one of my most anticipated January releases and to @htpbooks for my early digital copy.

Link to 1/25/2022 post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZKFUlJrudj/

The overnight guest by Heather Gudenkauf.
True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace.
As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls—haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them.
A great read with good characters. I liked the story. Just a bit slow but readable. 3*.

Master Class In Suspense. Up front, this tale is told in three different timelines from three different perspectives - so if you're a reader that struggles with that... well, this is an excellent read and you should still try it, but I get it. :) That noted, what makes this tale so strong is that each of the three threads - present day, years ago, and unknown - could be separate books and still be equally compelling, and yet here Gudenkauf weaves them together so masterfully that they play off each other even better and produce an overall much tighter grip on the reader's mind. Yes, they all ultimately come together - and when they do, the finale is ultimately some of the best suspense of the entire book. Which is saying quite a bit, given just how good the parts before that are. This is another one that uses its setting in winter well, as well as its setting in the US central plains arguably even better than its winter placement of the present day timeline. Truly a remarkable work, and very much recommended.

I’ve loved this author’s other books so I went into this one with high hopes. There are three different storylines in the past and present and a plethora of characters. Complex while still followable.

I never listen to podcasts or follow true crime, but I am always excited to read a book about either. This one is about a true crime author secluded during a snowstorm trying to write her next book. Her book is about the history of the house and the murders and mystery that took place there 20 years ago.

I mostly read thrillers, so me figuring out a bit of the end is no surprise, but there was still a twist I didn’t see and I like how unexpectedly the 3 storylines wove together. The past storyline in the heat of 2000 against the backdrop of the current blizzard was atmospheric.

I read this in just a few days and both couldn’t wait to get through it and didn’t want it to end. That is the sign of a book worth my time.

"A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstorm in this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf.

True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn't mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she's retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace.

As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls - haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn't as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them."

Snow storms and murder go together like peanut butter and jelly!

Heather Gudenkauf is the reigning queen of thriller fiction!!!!!!!! In my opinion this is her best book yet and it will soar right up to the top of the bestseller list. This book is amazing and I never guessed the actual big ending to this story. I was on pins and needles when it came to light though. I can't say enough how amazing this book is!!!!!

Thank you to the publishers at Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for this e-ARC of The Overnight Guest.

This was such a twisty mystery with 3 POVs/timelines that made for a really interesting story! I also loved that it took place in Iowa in fictional town that was based about an hour away from where I actually live!

Wylie Lark is in the middle of Iowa during a snowstorm trying to finish up her latest true crime novel. She’s already written it but is trying to put together the finishing touches. As she arrives back at the little farmhouse she’s renting during her stay, she worries that the storm will get worse, leaving her in the cold and dark. When her dog, Tas, discovers a little boy half buried in the snow, she realizes she’s in for a not so quiet night.

Back in August 2000, a mystery is slowly unfolding. Murder in the small town of Burden, Iowa is almost unheard of, but tonight that will all change for Josie Doyle and her family.

And in our final POV, we see a mother and daughter living together in a basement, seemingly trapped, but by who and why?

All three POVs will meet together in an unlikely way, culminating in the revealing of a monster and a missing relationship.

I really enjoyed The Overnight Guest. I think the author did an incredible job of painting so many POVs and timelines for the reader to follow. As the story moved forward, I began to guess at how things would come together, but overall, I wasn’t entirely sure where she was taking me, which I appreciated! I definitely recommend this one if you enjoy multiple POVs done well along with a twisty, turning timeline!

The Overnight Guest will be available January 25th!