Another fabulous book by the fabulous Heather Gudenkauf! I absolutely loved the characters and I was absorbed in both timelines the story alternates between. The ending tied together beautifully and it was easy to give my 5 star rating stamp.

I enjoyed the mystery and was impressed with the way the story was woven. I liked the way that the three separate timelines progressed to tell the story of Josie and Wylie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

When I first read the synopsis for this book, I was really excited for it and couldn't wait to read it. While reading it, however, it didn't live up to the blurb. The ARC was pretty bad, and frankly reminded me why I tend not to read ARCs - the formatting was all messed up, at times you couldn't tell when one character stopped talking and another one began, and there was this really weird gap between any words that had an "fl" in it (e.g., "rifled" would appear like "rif le" which sometimes meant that 2nd part of the word got shoved down to the next line).

Formatting assigned, I don't think it was the writing was the best. The plot was there, but it just wasn't well executed. There were a lot of things I figured out before there were revealed, but there were also a lot of things that it felt like the author just sprung it on you. For example, <spoiler>it turns out that Wylie is actually Josie, but there's nothing for the reader to glean that before it's revealed in kind of a weird, aha way. Going back, I could kind of see where there were a few glimpses, but it I felt it was handled in such a "by the way" kind of manner</spoiler>.

It sounds like I'm doing on this author (and maybe I am, just because I haven't had eaten today yet), but this was my first time reading this author and I'm not entirely sure I'll be back. But if I do try another one, it definitely won't be an ARC.

This was an engaging enough thriller, and the premise of course was spectacular. I'm a total sucker for snowed-in/winter thrillers set in rural towns, in even more isolated houses. And yet...the characters here didn't appeal as much as I was hoping, and while the rural vibes were certainly there, I didn't connect with the story overall. It was still a very decent thriller, with a pretty solid ideological message too.

The Overnight Guest is a fantastic thriller to read this winter. It starts out with the classic scary setting and has some predictable moments, but the characters are well developed and interesting and the alternating story lines keep you reading.

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.

The story about what happens next for Wylie alternates between two other storylines. The other is 20 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. This 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.

I don’t want to give away any of the surprising twists in the story, so I’ m not going to say more about the book’s plot. I can say that the book is intense and suspenseful. After a while, I was able to figure out some of the plot turns before they were revealed, but there were still many surprises. There were a couple plot holes and the dramatic confrontation at the end goes on a little longer than it needed 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 others by this author and The Overnight Guest ranks up there with my favorites, and I would rate it 4.5 stars.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Park Row Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

“It isn’t the dark you should be afraid of… It’s the monsters who step out into the light that you need to fear.”

True crime writer, Wylie Lark, has holed up in a small-town farmhouse determined to finish her latest book. Tonight, she’s snowed in due to a brutal blizzard. The solitude would make for a perfect setting - if the house wasn’t also the scene of Burden’s most gruesome crime. As the night goes on, Wylie’s dog discovers a small child nearly frozen in the snow. Wylie rescues the child to find that they are malnourished with remnants of duct tape on their mouth. She tries to get answers but is met with intense fear and silence. It doesn’t take Wylie long to realize she’s taken in a runaway and there’s someone out there that will do anything to get them back.
Told in multiple perspectives and timelines, The Overnight Guest is an intensely captivating thriller that grips you from the start and doesn’t let go. While reading this book, I found myself becoming an armchair detective, trying to connect the dots between the characters and events from the past. I was able to predict several of the twists in this book, but still found myself immersed in the story despite that. Gudenkauf’s writing is atmospheric and detailed with an ending that leaves you completely satisfied.

Overall, I absolutely recommend this book for my fellow thriller fans and armchair detectives. Even if you’re a seasoned armchair detective who can solve the craziest of mysteries, I absolutely believe you’ll enjoy this wild ride.

Content Warnings: graphic descriptions of violence and gore, sexual assault, kidnapping, captivity, gaslighting, police brutality, child abuse

(Note: I was provided an advanced copy of The Overnight Guest by the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

Wylie is trying to finish her true crime story despite some personal life issues. She rents a home in the woods, and of course, there is a snow storm brewing. The story is told in 3 POVs that go back and forth between then and now. The back story is riveting and sets the tension and pace as past and present collide. That collision was a bit too convenient, but overall was a good read.

This book was full of twists and turns, people you thought were involved but weren’t, and surprises throughout! I seriously thought I had it all figured out—and I was waaaay wrong!! 😂

Recommended for fans of: true crime, snowy thrillers, and whodunnits.

It takes a little work to really get into the swing of this - chapters that alternate among characters and time frames make it a little hard to keep track of what's going on, when and to whom. But once you get the hang of it, everything comes together to make the kind of good story for which this author is known. It opens in August 2000 in rural Iowa when two 12-year-old girls run toward a cornfield to escape someone who is shooting at them. Later, readers learn that one of the girls was shot but lived, the other is nowhere to be found and presumed dead, the parents of the injured girl have been brutally murdered and her brother is missing.

Fast-forward to the present, when Wylie Lark has rented an old farmhouse in the area and is writing a true crime book about what really happened there 20 years ago. She's almost finished, but a huge snowstorm hits, knocking out the power and cell phones. Thankfully, Wylie has stocked up on groceries, and there's plenty of wood in the shed (assuming she wants to plod through several inches of snow to get to it). Now, all she needs to do is wait it out.

Best-laid plans, though, often go awry; it happens here when Wylie finds what she's afraid is the dead body of a young boy out in the yard. Thankfully, he's alive, so she manages to get him inside and warmed up. What she cannot do, though, is get him to speak or eat. Something is definitely amiss, but with no clues to go on and no way to contact the police, there's not much she can do - except venture out to the road to see if by chance the boy was the victim of an accident. There, Wylie makes another human discovery; but when she runs back to get blankets and warm clothing, that human has mysteriously disappeared. So for now, Wylie can only try to make her new overnight guest as comfortable as possible.

Little by little, chapter by chapter, readers see connections between past and present. Adding more details here, of course, would give away too much, so I'll simply say that, as expected, everything comes into focus at the end with plenty of action (some of which, I must say, seemed a little far-fetched) plus a few surprises. All in all, it's a treat to read, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Overnight Guest is a thrill ride for murder mystery fans. It follows Wylie Lark as she's isolated in a farmhouse to write her next true crime book. She prefers the silence and the snow storm is perfect for writing. She finds herself trapped in a house where two people were killed years before. The house seems to haunt her and secrets begin to unravel. Told from multiple timelines and narratives The Overnight Guest weaves together a thrilling mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Let me just start by saying I really enjoyed her previous two books, so I was beyond thrilled to be able to snag a EARC from NetGally and the publisher.

This was a good book, not my favorite out of the three (that will always be Before She was Found) but it was still a good book. This was told from the view point of three different characters: and is basically three different stories that all come together as one
Wylie,
Josie
and a family whose name I can't remember, but I can tell you the father was terrible and the story itself was chilling.

So I really enjoyed the story lines, when I was able to keep track of them. I did have to keep going back a few pages to see where I was and remember what was going on.
Her characters are always well developed and well written and this book was no different.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and Park Row for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was so happy that I enjoyed this one! I read it from the comfort of my couch as the snow fell outside, which matched the setting of this story which occurred in the middle of a big snowstorm. It's often rare for me to feel enthralled within all POVs of a story, usually one part of the story generally falls flat for me and I speed ahead until I get back to a more exciting section, but with The Overnight Guest I felt at the edge of my seat every second of the way. And something I think the author did a great job with was leading you to an ending that you thought you had all figured out, but the little details come back to bite you and you suddenly realized you aren't as great of a detective as you previously thought!

The fact that the present day part of this story takes place in under 12 hours boggles my mind, like so much happened that the main character's world was flipped upside down. What intrigued me about Wylie (the main character) was she was definitely in this small Iowa town for more reasons than just to work on her true crime novel. I was right in a sense, but the author takes it to the next level and it was a fun ride to be on! This was a new to me author and I can say that I will be behind whatever Heather chooses to write next! Thank you to Netgalley and HTPBooks for both a digital and physical early copy of The Overnight Guest!

Worthy of 10 Stars!

Heather Gudenkauf is at the TOP of Her Game! This compelling psychological suspense crime thriller— THE OVERNIGHT GUEST is "Harlan Coben quality" and hooked me from the first page to the last. It checks all the boxes in everything I look for in a killer suspense thriller (and I read a ton - this one is "stand-out" above-the-crowd). Look no further.

FLAWLESS!

From the isolated rural farmhouse setting, no power, no phone, a true-crime thriller author, a blizzard snowstorm, the child, the well-developed characters that draw you in immediately, the intensity, lyrical writing, and plot twists – it has it ALL!

Oh, and did mention a murder-cold case? Missing persons and brutal murder of a family from 20 years earlier on a rural farm (hot summer, cornfield, barn - lots of extremes here, metaphors, and symbols) more than one overnight guest, and a young girl (who loves books) and her mom held hostage by a monster.

I am in awe of Heather's talent. The way she merged the three storylines was seamless. She has been a long-time favorite author of mine, and I have read all her books. Hard to put into words. It is heart-pounding, atmospheric, intense! Still thinking about it.

"Her best yet! #1 Suspense Thriller of 2022. Movie-worthy."

FACT SHEET:
Name: Wylie Lark

Occupation: Novelist
True-crime writer | "The Overnight Guest"

Setting: Burden, Iowa Isolated cabin. Snowstorm.

Timelines:
Present: 2020 Winter Blizzard | Rural
Past: 2000 Summer Heat | Rural

Three Narratives:
Past: Josie Doyle (age 12) shot, fleeing a killer, Parents brutally murdered. Brother and best friend, Becky, missing.
Unknown: young girl and mother held hostage and abused in a dark basement.
Present: Wylie Lark, author, stuck in an isolated farmhouse in the woods, during a snowstorm, with no power or cell reception.

Burning Questions:
Past: Who murdered Josie's family, and what happened to Becky and her brother?
Present: Where did the five-year-old abandoned child left in the snow come from? Where are the parents?
How do the three narratives connect?

"THE NOVEL" to read during a snowstorm or a pandemic lockdown. In this case, you better get this on on order, now! Thank me later.

I loved the girl! The story's heroine and a fan of Wylie. It has emotion, heart, and non-stop action. I plowed through it in record time (one sitting) and utterly addictive and unputdownable.

The scene in the cornfield (past), the basement, and the farmhouse (present) during the snowstorm with the man at door, and the barn —put me into super tachycardia! SO good. Strong women and survivors.

Thriller fans, this is for YOU! I want desperately to see this played out on the big screen. No one deserves it more, and the author is the "queen" of rural suspense thrillers. Highly recommend.

For fans of authors: Harlan Coben, Mary Kubica, Kimberly Belle, Michael Robotham, and Lisa Gardner with HG's winning signature style.

A special thank you to @parkrowbooks #bookclubbish and @NetGalley for an ARC. Best Christmas gift ever!

I also ordered the hardcover for my home library collection and the audiobook narrated by Brittany Pressley (fab & favorite)!

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins #JDCMustReadBooks
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My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (+++)
Pub Date: Jan 25, 2022
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The Overnight Guest is an intricate and gripping murder mystery. It is the first book to keep me up late into the night in a long time. At first it seems like there are three different stories and the reader is compelled to guess at a connection. As the story picks up so does the tension. Definitely do not try to read this one slowly. I loved every twist and turn.

Very compelling crime thriller. The story is Wylie's - a true crime writer who is staying in a house that was the site of a famous unsolved murder decades earlier. She's there to work on a new book about the murder and finds herself involved in a present day mystery when an unusual guest appears during a violent and deadly winter storm. The story veers back and forth between present day as Wylie tries to make sense of her visitor, and the past murder mystery she is working on. Past and present ultimately collide in ways that are satisfying.

The Overnight Guest takes place in rural farm country in Iowa where we learn that 13 year old Josie Doyle’s family has been murdered and her best friend Becky Allen has gone missing. While we learn about Josie’s story, there is a dual perspective happening 20 years later at the same place in which Wylie Lark, a true crime writer researching that exact murder, is stranded in a snow storm with a mysterious visitor.

Y’all, this book was chilling. What a thriller! I read this book in one day it was so captivating. I couldn’t put it down. The pace of the novel was very fast, with little details being revealed at the perfect time. If you like Lucey Foley, I think you’d love this thriller.

Thank you to Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wylie is a True Crime Writer that travels to the locations of the crimes to do her research. She is renting a farm house of crime against a family and the two missing teens from 20 years ago. Things go from bad to worse fairly quickly. With a giant snow storm, she's stuck in the farm with connection to the outside world. When she discovers a small boy outside in the snow freezing. Where did he come from? what was he doing? This is when things take a turn.
This is a thriller/locked room mystery that I could not put down. The secrets that unfold pull you in and won't let you go. The way its written is so tense as it unfolds and you find out more about they boy, then his mom and then the bad guy. There are a lot of characters and told in past and present but I was easily able to keep everyone straight. I thought I knew what had happened in the past but it was not what I thought. There were lots of twists through out. Equal parts plot and character driven, it was just what I wanted in a thriller, I coudn't get enough.


Thank you to Park Row books and Netgalley for my ARC for honest review!

I was really excited to try out this atmospheric read, and I’ve got to admit this book is great for a cold snowy weekend. The author knows exactly how to set the mood, and you can really picture the scene she’s setting.

The story is told in 3 timelines, and hosts a large cast of characters. There is a lot of suspense and gritty and grim scenes, and I found myself devouring the story within 2 days. Still, it was all so implausible, and I really just felt like I was reading to get to the end.

For folks who LOVE thrillers this might work, but as someone who isn’t all in with this genre it didn’t do much for me.

4.5 stars rounded up.

The Overnight Guest is a page turning, leave the lights on , don't bother me kind of read.

The book starts out with a slow burn but builds relentlessly as you race to the conclusion.

Wylie is stranded in the middle of a storm in a house that has a tragic story if only the walls could talk.

There are three narratives within the story each with its own suspense.

I followed the clues carefully, thought I had it all figured out but not quite.

Make sure you add The Overnight Guest to your TBR pile and nudge it close to the top. You won't regret it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harelquin Trade Publishing, Park Row for a page turner of a read.