Thank you to the author, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This thriller about a weekend getaway gone massively wrong doesn't deliver on its promise. Part of the problem is the parallel timeline, i.e. weekend and two months later, plus the changing POVs, which takes a lot of the suspense away and makes the twists and turns too foreseeable. The entire tenor of the story is overwrought and way too unbelievable - I found it impossible to connect with the story at any level.

Imagine you're pregnant having one last holiday when you wake up unexpectedly in labour in an isolated BnB... but all the doors are locked... and your phones are missing...

I mean, that's a gnarly premise, right? If there's one thing you wouldn't expect from this book, it would probably to be... well... bored!

This book utilises the classic "then and now" to and fro narrative structure so popular in suspense novels, and unfortunately I felt that in this case, it basically took all the suspense out of it. Because we see Jamie and Victoria in the present without a child, then the scenes in the BnB lose all sense of tension, because we already know they aren't escaping with the baby, even if we don't know the particulars. And I found myself just really unable to care about the particulars.

Even though there are some theoretically big twists in this story, the foreshadowing was clumsy enough that I could see a lot of them coming a mile away. The middle of the story got bogged down in the lives of the two main characters and because I just couldn't find it in myself to give a crap about either of them, this just felt dragged out and boring. Even the scenes in the guest house that should have been stressful lacked impact.

I was honestly bored enough by 30% in that I wanted to just put it down, and by the end I wished I had, as it didn't redeem itself from there for me.

Robin Morgan-Bentley really knocked it out of the park with this book, and thank you to NetGalley for an ebook for my enjoyment. You will be hooked from the very first chapter - truly a fun read. Thank you Morgan - and let's have more!!

What really happened at the guesthouse? That's the mystery of this thriller that moves back and forth in time between that weekend and today, a month later. Jamie and Victoria, who booked the retreat in anticipation of the birth of their first child, both offer their stories in alternating chapters. It seems to simple to get out of the house but it's not- won't tell you why or what they do when they can't,. Thank to Netgalley for the ARC. A page turner.

WOW! What an amazing suspenseful read. I could not put this book down. It kept me immersed in the story from the first to last page mostly on the edge of my seat AND what an ending. I thoroughly recommend this book but be prepared to let everything else go by as you won’t want to leave this book alone until it’s finished.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Book Review:

The Guest House by Robin Morgan-Bentley

I've read a lot of thrillers that pit husband and wife against each other from different angles of whatever the situation--someone's in the wrong, someone's being manipulated, but this one is so far beyond that.

The story is told both in alternating POVs but also past vs. present, so you are seeing something happen and the. Seeing the fallout without knowing the rest. Once the big reveal is made you will not be able to put this book down!

Make sure it's at the top of your fall TBR! The Guest House releases Sept 13!

Thanks @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for this advanced reader!! 💕

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A could not put down thriller! Easy read - dual timeline/point of view but very easy to keep track of.

Very thought provoking, well written - definitely a "I can't wait to the end" read!

A psychological thriller that will make you think twice about staying in a guest house (or AirBnb). Jamie and his wife Victoria schedule a weekend getaway just a few weeks before Victoria is due with their first child. When they wake up and discover doors locked and their keys missing, things turn from bad to worse. Then fast forward about a month and we discover that they are 'childless' and covering up a big secret. What exactly happened at the guest house? What happened to their child?

The story is told from both Jamie and Victoria's POV, past and present, so the story slowly unfolds. The secrets this couple is keeping from each other and from others it tearing them apart. The real mystery is what exactly happened at the guest house. I can't say much more than that without giving away the plot. It's one of those stories that keep you glued to the pages, as things slowly unfold. It's a twist I didn't really see coming. These people are truly damaged! The final reveal is a killer!

4.5 STARS!

This was an intense read and I loved everything about it. I loved the dual timelines going from the past to the present, the two POV from Jamie and Victoria, the character development, the major twist, everything! There were times when I was reading it, I was getting slightly annoyed and scratching my head asking so many questions. Why didn’t they do this? Why didn’t they do that? How could this be happening? Then the reveal hits and it all makes sense. There are some heart-wrenching chapters that really pulled at my heart strings. I could literally feel Jamie and Victoria’s pain. Overall, I thought this was a well written, domestic thriller and I was fully immersed in the story from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC.

I enjoyed this thriller read - it was twisty, well-paced and flowed well. The first part of the novel was very atmospheric and tense in keeping with the pregnant couple’s isolation in a remote house.

It was wonderful to see one of the lead characters (Jamie) be a person living with a physical disability- that diversity in this genre is much needed. The disability was used to great effect in the plot and also served to educate and inform the reader about the disability (cerebral palsy).

This novel was very easy to read, was told from two different points of view, there is a good twist towards the end and the epilogue added another reveal! I would note that there was one plot thread that was wrapped up in an unfulfilling way (to me). Quick read that kept my interest.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley f0r an advance copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

A weekend getaway prior to the imminent birth of their first child is the basis of The Guest House by Robin Morgan-Bentley. Parents to be Victoria and Jamie awake in the Northern England cottage to find their hosts gone and the doors locked, with their phones and car keys missing. The narrative then jumps a month forward in time as we discover the impact it has on their current lives and what happened via flashback memories. Typical of psychological thrillers, there are many twists and turns but it’s all somewhat lacklustre and the characters insipid. Despite its promising premise, this tale fails to deliver much tension and the saccharine ending makes for only a disappointing two star rating. With thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and the author, for an uncorrected advanced reader copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

A domestic thriller i a single setting and ultimately spilling over into everyday life sounds like a wild ride. However, this seemed to fall very flat. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, and the storyline seemed to be too unbelievable for me to really invest in the plot. If you are able to suspend some belief and blindly follow along with suspense, this could totally be the book for you. It unfortunately just wasn’t the book for me.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC of The guest house. Trigger warning for new parents or people who went through traumatic births. This book was fast paced from the first page and didn’t let up through the entire book.

The Guest House is the story of a married couple, Jamie and Victoria who have been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant by IVF and when they finally stop miraculously Victoria becomes pregnant naturally.

The baby is due soon and the couple decide to take a quick weekend away to a remote guest house in Cumbria.

When Jamie and Victoria awake on their first morning, they find the house deserted. An older couple that run the place are gone along with their cell phones, car keys and the place is locked up so they can't leave.

There is no way out and suddenly Victoria's contractions start. That's when Jamie and Victoria's nightmare begins.

The story had me from the first Chapter until the exciting ending. There were several surprises throughout the book. What I thought was the surprise ending lo and behold wasn't the ending after all. The ending had a double surprise!

You must read this disturbing, chilling, jaw dropping, twisty, dark 5 star read!

Thank your #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Guest House starts as an interesting situation and ends up making no sense.

For one last break before parenthood, Jamie and the very pregnant Victoria take a weekend away. What was supposed to be a peaceful weekend turns into an emergency that changes their life. Victoria goes into labor early, and they cannot find anyone in the house. All the doors are locked and no phone works. Where are the owners? Where are their keys? What was supposed to be a happy landmark event has turned into a deathly mystery.

I am going to be honest, I did not like this book. It was really confusing, written in the past and present tense. The author hides the actual story until about halfway through the novel. The entire time I was reading I felt something hinky was going on—and it was. The twist at the end was absolutely ridiculous. I lost all suspension of disbelief because this was just completely implausible.

I can say one good thing about The Guest House: one of the main characters has cerebral palsy. It was written very naturally. It did affect the actions of the character so this wasn't some vanity diversity check box. The author pulled this from his own life experience with Cerebral palsy. He set out to write a thriller with this kind of character because he had never read it before. Neither have I.

Robin Morgan-Bentley creates an inconceivable tale but gives us a disabled protagonist that it's some stereotype.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope she writes more! I am totally hooked!

This one really pulls you in at first. It’s a crazy, disturbing story. Victoria and Jamie are expecting their first baby. They decide to get away for a few days and rent a guest house from an older couple. While they are there Victoria goes into labor, but they can’t find their keys. The doors are locked and they cannot leave. A perfect nightmare right? The twists keep coming and while I liked the first half of the book I didn’t like where it was going. Overall, I found it to be a somewhat entertaining read, but in the end the twisty plot was way too unbelievable for me. Victoria’s behavior did not seem realistic and the characters fell flat for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book took me by total surprise and was not at all what I was expecting. This book is so many things. It's a psychological thriller, mind bending, tragic, and has so many twists that you won't know what's going to happen next.

Jamie and Victoria are expecting a baby in a few weeks and decide to take a little holiday before the birth to relax a bit. Victoria has chosen a little cottage guesthouse in the country close to a place where she grew up for their vacation. Jamie owns a company called KnowScam, a fraud prevention company and Victoria is a professional musician. After many failed IVF treatments, they're finally close to having the child they've always wanted. Or are they?

On the first night they're there, Victorias contractions begin sooner than expected. They decide to go to the hospital to get things checked out but cannot find their phones or their keys to the car and even worse they discover that they are locked in the guesthouse. With no way out and her contractions increasing, desperate measures must be taken to ensure the safety of both her and the child.

The story goes back and forth between the events at the guesthouse and what's happening now. It's been a month since they were stuck in the guesthouse and things aren't going well. They are grieving what we are told is the loss of the child. Their marriage in shambles. They start receiving letters and cards warning them of danger if they reveal what happened at the guesthouse, implying they were involved in something nefarious.

So, what exactly happened at the guesthouse? Did the child die? Did someone else die? You have to read this book to find out what happened! You will not be disappointed! I really liked the story build up and the big reveal. The end kind of threw me for a loop and I'm still a little confused by it but all in all, I really enjoyed this story and will be recommending it to anyone who loves a good mystery thriller! I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review.

The Guest House was an interesting concept, and I love how the author tied everything in at the end. Robin Morgan-Bentley wrapped it up tighter than a twist tie.

I flew through this book. It is a solid addition to the domestic thriller genre and adds a new spin on tropes and storylines that can very easily feel formulaic and overdone.

Wow, what a book. I absolutely loved it. Such a great page turner with the most excellent twist at the end you don’t see coming.
First time reading a book by Robin Morgan-Bentley and I wasn’t disappointed. His story kept me reading until the end. I just couldn’t put it down. It’s a super twisty thriller, with a great dual timeline, during the guest house stay and afterwards. It’s a fast paced story that pulls you in from the start and has multiple twists throughout. The characters are all well written too.
Highly recommend!
Thanks to #NetGallery #PoisonedPenPress #RobinMorganBentley for an arc of #TheGuestHouse in exchange for an honest review.