The Overnight Guest
Heather Gudenkauf, author

Powerful and mesmerizing storyline....

I admit, I was taken back by all the scenarios at first, however, was drawn in by each one. The author did a wonderful job of bringing them all together to an explosive ending. I must say, I didn't see the ending coming until the pieces were revealed. And, the identity of the murderer of Josie's family 👪 wowzers!

Interesting plot with characters that seemed life-like and believable. I also listened to an audio version of the book.

I highly recommend this novel. Ms. Gudenkauf is an excellent author and I always look forward to her next book.

I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley, the publisher and the author.

This book started as a typical murder mystery and ended as so much more. The fact that I couldn’t put it down on page 30, but was exponentially more invested on page 300, speaks volumes.

This book is not for the faint of heart, and TWs include child abuse, sexual assault, and violent crime. But as someone who has experienced most of these things, I would recommend it to anyone. Just a wonderfully innovative crime novel.

True crime writer Wylie Lark is staying in an isolated farmhouse to finish her new book about a murder that happened 20 years ago in the same farmhouse. Outside during a snowstorm she finds a small child who shelters against the storm. The dual timelines are of the grizzly murder she is writing about and the mystery surrounding the child that unfolds. I was engrossed in both stories and found it hard to put this down until the end.

I was fully invested in this story, especially since I live in rural Minnesota, and it’s been one of those blustery winters, similar to this story.
There are so many questions introduced in this story told from three timelines, and will leave you guessing with each chapter as to who some of the characters are, and what the truth is of what happened, and who is behind some of these awful traumas.
We have Wylie, true crime writer, staying at the old farmhouse where tragedy hit two decades earlier, finishing up her manuscript, trying to deal with her own personal crisis.
We have a small child trapped in a basement with her mother. We have the scene that slowly plays out from twenty years ago, a tragedy that leaves one person standing—12 yo Josie who is left with nothing but grief and guilt.
A good suspense has me changing my mind several times as to what I think really happened and who was really behind things, and this story did that!
I especially loved the young child in the story, their depth of love for their mother, their tenacious personality, their loyalty.
Not only is it a suspense thriller, it’s a story of family, friendship, and the human will to persevere. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this great story!

There are three things I know every time I get my hands on a book by this author: I'll need to clear my calendar for two days to binge read it, I may have trouble sleeping for a few days after I finish, and I will not see the twist coming.

There are three storylines, one past, one present and one that may have its feet in both times. It is swelteringly hot in the past, and snowy in the present. The contrast between the two seasons makes for great atmosphere and the fact that Wylie is snowed in and can't get help helps build suspense.

I enjoyed the little twists and just wanted to read and read. I was very happy with the ending. I can't wait to get my hands on the author's next book.

Thank you, NetGalley.

Book 11/52: The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

This one JUST published; thanks to @netgalley and @heathergudenkauf for the ARC! This is my second book by Gudenkauf, and I really enjoyed it. It took a little bit to get into the story, but once I was hooked, I didn’t want to stop reading. Even though I figured out some of the twists before they were revealed, I didn’t have the ending predicted at all.

The present day storyline takes place during a nasty blizzard, and I read this during our most recent snow dump/frigid temps - highly recommend doing the same, as it really adds to the experience! Gudenkauf is from Iowa and still lives here, setting her books in in the state - it’s always fun to read about areas I know well, especially since books are so rarely set in a state like Iowa!

This is a great snowed-in thriller with multiple timelines and a super satisfying ending. Highly recommend checking it and the rest of Gudenkauf’s books out - especially if you’re a fellow Iowan!

Another expertly written title from Heather Gudenkauf with a solid female protagonist and a sinuous and thrilling mystery. This story is DARK and scary but worth every edge of your seat moment.

THE OVERNIGHT GUEST is the sixth book I’ve read by Heather Gudenkauf and it is absolutely outstanding! It is an extremely well-written, fast-paced novel with well-drawn out characters, each one had their issues and their flaws, yet all of them were likeable. The plot is gripping and full of action and suspense. The chapters switch between the characters and this works very well as we get to see the situation from different points of view.

Omg! This is by far the best book I have read this year. I’ve always loved Heather’s books and this one hooked me from page one. Once I started reading I couldn’t put THE OVERNIGHT GUEST down. It took me almost until the end of the book to figure out who was obsessed with Josie. I found myself cheering for her and hoping she could get past all the tragic things she saw in her life. Be prepared to do nothing once you start reading her heartbreaking tale.

The tenseness of the situation, the combination of suspects, the weather, the background information of the characters, makes for a great paced, tension ridden novel, and when the stalker’s identity was finally uncovered, I was quite shocked. Everyone should read THE OVERNIGHT GUEST with all its twists and turns today!

THE OVERNIGHT GUEST is a real page-turner. I couldn’t put it down until I knew what had happened. Fans of psychological mysteries will enjoy this one. THAT OVERNIGHT GUEST is so well written, that even though it jumps back and forth between the present and the past, it is still easy to follow. I was pulling for Wylie to get to live a normal life after having lost so much and been through so many struggles. THE OVERNIGHT GUEST is a suspenseful tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final pages. I highly recommend THE OVERNIGHT GUEST!

I loved the atmospheric nature of this room. It is the perfect locked-room type of thriller set in the brutal cold of winter. Though there were a lot of characters to try to keep up with in the initial few chapters, once the book switched to present day, I had an easier time with less confusion. The writing is great and I loved the suspense. Thank you for the review copy.

I love stories that have a background of a snowstorm howling in the wind, so when this book started with a little girl being found on the doorstep of a true crime writer, it had all the makings of a story I would love. Wylie Lark is stunned to find her solitude interrupted by the appearance f this child who wouldn't speak, but needed to be inside because of the bitter cold.

As if this was not offsetting enough the house that Wylie was in had been the scene of a grisly murder of two adults and a missing child. Originally suspicion fell onto the son of the murdered couple, but later that evidence whittled away.

The three story lines in the book, initially threw me off, but as the author, Heather Gundenkauf, wove the pieces together, she created a well-done thriller with just the right amount of secrets, lies, and atmosphere.

We learn of a horrific killing, of a daughter escaping and a friend who was staying overnight missing, all of which happened in the past. The daughter Josie, was left alive but was able to flee with the murderer is hot pursuit.

The years go by and still no person has been brought to trial. Years later, we are introduced to Wylie, a true crime writer, who has rented the very same place where the murders had occurred. It's a stormy night filled with ice and snow and in this isolated place Wylie finds a child, silent and fearful, who Wylie tries to help. There had been an accident so Wylie ventured out to find if anyone was hurt and finds who she assumes is the child's mother badly hurt. She helps her as best she can, and decides to go back to the house to try and get help. When Wylie returns, the woman is gone and the story veers to the dangerous world that Wylie finds herself entrenched in.

I enjoyed this story and was particularly moved by the haunting atmosphere the author created. While one might have guessed some concepts, many were shed by a revelations that indeed created the twists and turns of the tale.

Thank you to Heather Gundenkuff, Park Row, and NetGalley for a copy of this thriller which was already published. on January 25, 2022

Perplexing, terrifying, and fast-paced, The Overnight Guest is a thriller about a true crime writer and the guest she invites to stay one snowy night. Wylie knows a storm is coming, she plans to use it to finish up the manuscript of her latest book about her own family history. What already seems like a scary evening, spent in a home where crime has occurred, grows scarier when she finds a child in the snow with fear etched all over their face. With three perspectives and a twisted crime at the heart of the story, The Overnight Guest is one of those reads I recommend starting when you have time to truly read. It requires focus, attention to detail, and well, honestly it's impossible to put down. Gudenkauf gives readers an atmospheric thriller that I could picture like a movie playing in front of me.

Holy smokes, if I didn't know this was fiction I would have thought I was reading a true crime non-fiction. Gudenkauf's characters are larger than life, their emotions flow from the pages, and the detail with which she writes the scenes make you feel like you are there. I could feel the corn stalks, I felt the prick of fear, and I questioned everything as the crime of the past became the crime of the future. There's a bit to keep track of in The Overnight Guest, with three perspectives all taking place at different points in time, but Gudenkauf does an excellent job tying it together. I could never have imagined, prior to this book, what an isolated cabin in a storm would feel like, but I was in Wylie's shoes from start to finish as she faced every fear and every secret.

The Overnight Guest is a book I would absolutely recommend to fans of thrillers and crime novels. It's unique, well written, and fast-paced despite the multiple storylines.

This was a great read!!! I loved the small town setting and the chilling atmosphere so much! It was the perfect book to snuggle up with on a cold night. A chilling atmospheric read. It has all of the things I love in a thriller:
Missing teenage girl linked to a horrifying crime
True crime author investigating the case
Multiple POVs
The weather and the storm- so big and omnipresent it's almost a character.

Because of the past and present timelines and the fact that this book has a lot of characters I had to pay close attention to figure it out. I did eventually puzzle it all together but I absolutely enjoyed the process. This remained a page turner til the conclusion and I enjoyed how Gudenkauf wrapped this one all up.

Thank you to @harlequin @parkrow for my digital copy of the book to review!!

This was a good mystery. Told with dual timelines. This was fast paced and had me guessing until the end.

The Overnight Guest is an atmospheric and gripping thriller about a missing teenage girl linked to a horrific crime and the true-crime writer who attempts to unravel the missing pieces.

There are three central mysteries. One involving a crime from the past. The other two are centered around events in the present. All are linked together.

I loved how there was three timelines to keep up with. I love books that go back and forth between different things. It kept me more involved and want to keep reading. I guessed a couple of the mysteries but nonetheless it was a very enjoyable read. I would recommend this to a friend.

Character development was amazing, and the plot was great.

The Overnight Guest has all the build, intrigue, and atmosphere that I love in a thriller. I loved the mystery and how it was constructed throughout different timelines--I was drawn into the story right from the start, and enjoyed the little reveals in the first half of the book. However, I felt that the resolution was less of a discovery and more of a point-blank "tell" where the payoff felt lacking. I wanted that build to have more of a bang when we finally learn who the murderer is, and some of the twists ended up having predictable answers that could have been made more interesting with a blowout discovery. Still a fun read along the way!

A snowstorm in winter. An isolated farmhouse. A woman alone — until she finds some unexpected visitors.

Wylie Lark is finishing her latest true crime novel when the blizzard hits. As she gathers wood to stoke the fire, she finds a child in the snow outside her door. The child’s mother soon makes her appearance and Wylie knows that these two are in danger. Can she help them?

Well. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. The author tends toward long descriptions about things that really didn’t interest me as the story progressed. Told in 3 different time lines, I was wondering how it would all come together and it finally did. The least interesting part to me was that of the captivity. I like action and this was a lot of description instead. The plot was predictable and required a huge amount of suspension of disbelief at the amazing coincidences here. Though it all comes neatly together at the end, the novel really didn’t answer the questions I had. I can’t say I really liked the characters and it all seemed so contrived. It was a quick read over a couple of hours today. I never felt the tension or suspense typical of my reaction to a thriller but am looking forward to seeing other reviews.

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for the e-book ARC to read and review.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another suspenseful, twisty novel by Gudenkauf. Great character development. The story flowed well although at first the dual timeline was a bit wonky. A quick page turner.

Heather Gudenkauf writes great thrillers and this one did not disappoint. There are alternate timelines with different characters, as well as an additional storyline that has neither a known timeline or known characters. All of these things will converge and create one terrifying scenario in which a group of people stranded in a snowstorm have to escape a madman.

The initial crime from the past timeline is horrific, the kind of thing you hear about on an episode of Dateline. or 20/20. The kind of crime that shakes a small town to its core and leaves a scar so that no one will ever forget. It leaves more questions than answers but worse than that, a young girl is kidnapped and never seen again. In the present, we have a true crime writer, hunkering down in her remote winter cabin. She has everything she needs for the snowstorm, but isn't prepared for what she finds in her yard in the middle of the storm. This is the kind of book that you will read long past when you eyes are tired and are begging you to give up and go to bed.

The only thing I would change is the neat and tidy ending. It doesn't fit with the intensity of the book and it doesn't feel authentic to me. I don't think it needs to be doom and gloom but I can't shift from death metal to Mariah Carey that quickly, you know what I mean? Still, I would highly recommend any of Heather Gudenkauf's books if you were looking for a suspenseful book that you would not be able to put down.

The Overnight Guest is a thriller told through three different timelines:
- Present day where true crime writer Wylie finds a boy laying in the snow during an epic snowstorm
- The year 2000 where during a sleepover, Josie’s family is met with a terrible tragic crime
- A time unknown where a child and her mother are held captive in the basement by an unknown assailant

This book started out so creepy for me but then about half way through it kind of lost that feeling for me. It was really atmospheric and sucked me in at first, but then I felt some things during some timelines began to feel a bit predictable. I’m not entirely sure what parts were supposed to be “twists” as I thought some things were fairly obvious.

There were things in the book didn’t make a ton of sense to me and you definitely need to read it with a bit of a “suspend belief” mentality. Once I finished the book, I looked back and realized there were things that weren’t completely explained and questions that were never answered.

It was interesting for the most part and overall a decent story, but didn’t blow me away at all. It also was pretty gruesome in parts and definitely some tough parts that require some trigger warnings

This was such a fast read!! If you're in a reading slump, drop everything and pick up this book. I was completely hooked.
I love that it switches between three plots; it really keeps you on the edge of your seat and the author does a great job of weaving everything together at the end.
I'm so glad I got approved to read this on netgalley, but I'm definitely going to be purchasing a copy for my shelf because I loved it that much. I'll be recommending it to everyone, consider this your warning 😂