I would consider this book a "slow burn." A young couple about to have a baby go for a weekend getaway at an isolated guest house and through flash backs and alternating POV's the reader journey's with them to a shocking conclusion. I do not want to give away any spoilers so I cannot talk anymore to the plot, At first, I was sort of disappointed in this story because it seemed to just be stalled with the couple's tragic loss but I am glad I hung in there as the last 1/4 made up for the slow start.

My Rating System: 1⭐️ ticked no boxes COMPLETE FAIL

Jamie and wife Victoria are expecting their first child and head off (three weeks before the due date) on a last minute escape before the baby comes. They decide to go to a small guesthouse in the middle of no where and now the baby is coming (of course)!!

Jamie goes to pack up their belongings to take Victoria to the local hospital (which is an hour away) and the keys are missing, all the doors and windows are locked and their mobile phones are nowhere to be found. Also where are the guesthouse owners - nothing is as it seems and it’s about to get a whole lot worse…

OMG really…. Sorry but there is so much wrong with that synopsis - three weeks out from your pregnancy you head off into the wilderness with a hospital an hour away. Sure… I get it bend your mind around fiction… psychological thriller fiction but come on… no one does that unless you are the dumbest person alive. 🤰🥴

Jamie also has cerebral palsy which is written really well and he does well to get around. For a moment let’s put ourselves in Jamie’s shoes do we think… Great idea I will drive out into the middle of nowhere with my heavily pregnant wife, who is about to pop and I have a disability that prevents me from fighting off dangers if required. NOPE I don’t buy it - not at all. 👎

Jamie is a good guy but written like a dumb dumb and I think thats kind of unfair. Victoria seems off and this Guesthouse - really - why not just have a 5 star spa weekend when you are preggers and in need of some R&R. Now of course there are reasons for this odd choice - I wont go into them because that would mean spoilers but seriously - unbelievable to say the least. 🤦‍♀️

The chapters and sentences went on and on forever and the repetitious nature of why things were happening, what they should do and how curly Jamie’s hair was is just too much. Get to the point already!!! 🤯

Also SO sick of hearing about Jamie’s super awesome best friend who used to be in a relationship with his wife…. Like eeew no… just no… why would you insist on being with the same woman and marrying her after your best mate used to date her… sleep with her… knows her intimately… YUCK sorry but thats just gross… then spend heaps of time together as a group… suuuuuuuure… BIG FAT NO from me. 🤢

THE ENDING… the best part about it was that it was over… but Jesus what a Goliath event getting to it and how convoluted and unrealistic… again I know its fiction and I know we need to bend our minds which I am capable and happy to do but no… this was too much… this was not even in the realm of being realistic or plausible. 😳

Overall, I couldn’t go for this one at all… I was desperate for it to finish and I speed read it so it would be. I am an outlier once again but sorry everyone gotta speak my truth here and say this was an absolute dunce for me. 🙅‍♀️

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy for my honest review.

This was the first book by this author I have read and it did not disappoint. Mystery/Thriller reviews I find are always the most difficult to write because I don't want to ever give anything away so that the next reader can experience the same thrill and suspense that I did when reading this book. If you are a fan of "locked door" mysteries than this one is perfect for you. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. I am looking forward to adding this one to my collection release day!

The Guest House
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (Rounded to 5)
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 9/13/22
Author: Robin Morgan-Bentley
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Pages: 320
Goodreads Rating: 3.95

TW ⚠️: IVF, Fertility, Childbirth, and harming children.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing a copy of the book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: The baby is coming. There's no way to call for help. And there's no way out. With a few weeks to go until their first baby is due, Jamie and Victoria head off for a weekend break in a small countryside guesthouse. The next morning, Jamie and Victoria awake to find the guesthouse has been emptied. Both their mobile phones and their car keys have disappeared, the owners are nowhere to be seen, and all the doors are locked. Even though it's a few weeks early, Victoria knows the contractions are starting. And there's no way out...

My Thoughts: The chapters are short, which makes it easier to stop and it moves faster. The POV is told through our MCs, Victoria and Jamie, and alternating between past and present. The character development was amazing, the author really did a great job at bringing them to life. The author’s descriptions are done so well that you fell like you are right there with Victoria and Jamie. The author’s writing is creative, inventive, and just brilliant. You could just feel all of the emotions of this couple, the writing just draws you in. Personally, Jamie was my favorite character, to write this character with a disability and have this aspect worked into the story was brilliant. This was a tense, chilling, twisty thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. There was intrigue. There was drama. There was fear. There was tension. There were cliffhangers. There are times that you cannot wait to turn the page and other times, your hair is standing up. I cannot say enough about this book. I highly recommend. GO PRE-ORDER NOW!!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the copy of The Guest House. I really liked the puzzling beginning but then it got completely preposterous, which totally turned me off. As I found out what was going on it all kind of made sense, but I couldn’t get over the period when I was thrown out of the story because it was so unbelievable. I was enjoying the writing style until then too. This book had so much potential but it was just not for me. I think if you don’t mind a story that gets more unbelievable as it goes until the ending you will enjoy this. I could not suspend my belief though.

Thank you very much for the ARC! Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy reading this novel - as I'm planning to have first child in the future, and in that context, this stuff was difficult to read. I also found the plot to be predictable, and dragged out, and characters hard to relate to. I did really like the cover and the description.

This book has an interesting premise, and the setting of the isolated B and B at the start of the book creates a suitably creepy atmosphere that kept me gripped for the opening chapters. The story has a good pace, and the twist at the end was one I didn't see coming. I found neither of the two main characters, Jamie and Victoria particularly likeable, although I think this may have been the author's intention. There is an intriguing 'are they/aren't they' element that kept me guessing throughout. Look forward to reading more of this author's books.

Imagine you're a couple that have been struggling for ages for a child. Imagine, after you finally conceive, you leave for a retreat a few weeks before the due date. Imagine, one day, that the contractions come early. The doors are locked. Your keys and cell phones are gone. The original owners have left you all alone. And they want your baby.

It's a promising beginning, and the first few chapters did keep me hooked — Morgan-Bentley does a supreme job at setting up a well-written, engaging premise. Eventually, however, the exhaustion of going between past and future between every chapter, often reiterating information that we already knew or rehashing the same plot from a different perspective, became somewhat too much and the thrill wore off. The first plot was a little too rushed for my liking, since there's barely any development before the big event occurs, and the pacing for the second was too slow at first — I could have done without the scene with Victoria's mother — and then too fast, until it all culminates in a whirlwind of revelations.

I really wanted to like The Guest House, and I did, up until the big reveal at the end. At that point, it really seemed like all the character development, everything I had liked about the novel, was suddenly pulled away, leaving behind only a bare mimicry. I was most disappointed by Victoria's characterization towards the end, especially at the epilogue, as well as Jamie's somewhat muted and then resigned reaction. It really felt like Morgan-Bentley was building Jamie up as this person who was finally taking charge and leaving his shell that he had previously put himself in due to his disability, before finally giving up at the end. Fiona's expose at the end and her being characterized as the "manipulator" also seemed somewhat unbelievable, and only made Victoria seem much more unredeemable and undeserving of the redemption she was ultimately given.

That's not to say that the twist is any less unexpected that it was, or the thrilling points any less harrowing. The past plotline was especially well-written and kept me on my toes, and I genuinely had no idea of any character's true intentions. If it's a thriller you're after, I would start skipping every other chapter and then skip to the penultimate chapter. But to be honest, some of the other stuff in the middle could be done without.

I recieved this novel as an ARC for Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my what a crazy twisted storyline! This book went in a direction that I did not see coming! Lol it took me a while to read thus book but I'm so glad I did! This book had suspense, intrigue, and a crazy twisted storyline! I thought I knew what was happening in this book! But I never would have seen the way the story went! Its definitely a great read! I highly recommend reading this one! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Really wanted to love this one but it was just OK. 3.5 stars rounded up

This books is right up my street when it comes to what I like !! A twisty turning thriller that actually was sad in some parts and made me feel a lot of emotions !! I really enjoyed it - I thought the synopsis made it sound similar to another book I had read recently BUT I was very wrong !!! It was so different and original l really hope to read more from this author in the future !!! I got through it in no time !! Great read !

This was an excellent & fast paced thriller.
Victoria & Jamie seem like loving parents that have tried everything to have a child. Everything takes a turn when they arrive at the Guest Hoise for their pre-baby vacation. Victoria has a past that her husband does not know about.
Suddenly life is not what it seems.

The Guest House ~Jamie and Victoria are expecting a baby, soon. They decide to take a weekend break at what looks to be a charming guesthouse out in the county. Their hosts are very welcoming, and all seems well until they wake up the next morning to find their keys, and their phone, everything has gone, and no hosts are available. The doors are even locked! And now, of course, Victoria’s contractions are starting – and there is no way to call for help and no way out of the house. Then the hosts return – and the creepiness begins. I found it all a bit unbelievable, but the twists and turns kept me reading! Thanks to NetGalley and the author for my copy of The Guest House.

I went into this book with no expectations and I liked the book a lot. The story itself is so heartbreaking at some points…really I felt so bad for the characters but at the same time after finishing the book I hated two of them. I don‘t want to spoil anything about this book, all I can say that it‘s a good book and that you‘ll be thinking about a lot of things after finishing it. You try to sympathize with all characters involved…but at the end it‘s such a good book. I loved it and am so glad that I was able to read this ARC.

Jamie and Victoria are spending a weekend away in a little guesthouse at Choristers' Lodge; their last as a family of two as Victoria is near the end of her pregnancy with their first child. The owners, Fiona and Barry, are ready to offer the couple a comfortable experience at their quaint and secluded home. Early into their first morning during their stay, Victoria's labor suddenly begins and her surprise is met with panic that intensifies when she and Jamie realize they are now locked in the home, their car keys are gone, their phones are gone, Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be found, and any sign of life is miles away. With the birth of their baby approaching any moment, Jamie makes some quick decisions for his family, but they will be pale in comparison to the decisions they are faced to make soon after...

Instantly panic-inducing, 'The Guest House' grips readers from the start of the first chapter and doesn't let go from then on. Writing Victoria's labor with pristine accuracy, Robin Morgan-Bentley delivers an anxiety fueled experience told through both Victoria and Jamie that is bewildering for both the new parents and readers. Alternating time frames between present day and the shocking weekend spent at the guesthouse, readers are fed bits and pieces of Jamie's and Victoria's encounters that trail into indescribable twists and turns. Morgan-Bentley fuels his thriller with an entertaining story that is impossible to put down.

Jamie is an excited father-to-be, well-versed in his career, and an attentive husband to Victoria. The eloquent way that his cerebral palsy is highlighted within his interactions and daily life is so well-done; everything from other character's reactions and comments to Jamie's thoughts and responses in relation to his disorder are masterfully placed. I loved the additional layer this gave to the feats he was up against as a father and husband protecting his family at all costs. As a character, Jamie provided a depth to this book that I've never experienced with other thriller novels.

'The Guest House' presents unthinkable choices that ask the reader, what would you REALLY do? The ride from there is a dark and thrilling one with unpredictable surprises around every corner. As the story begins to piece together, jaw-dropping revelations continue until Morgan-Bentley wraps it all up in one outstanding ending that will send chills of emotion through your body. An untouchable talent, I can't wait for more from this superbly entertaining author.

I appreciate the both the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy an electronic Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What would you do if you are on vacation and all of a sudden you locked in a guest house? Oh and you are pregnant! Me, I would panic. But this book shows you what a couple will do to get out and save themselves. I really liked Jamie and Victoria. I found both characters to be easy to like! Which in some thrillers you just want to knock some sense into the characters.

I am a huge thriller reader, and this one did not disappoint. I will admit the first half of the book had a slower pace than I prefer. But it was worth it for the second half of shocks and twists! Once I was half way through I couldn’t put this one down.

What I dis love:
- the dual time frames. I found this interesting and made it harder to stop reading.
- Dual points of views from the characters. This also always makes me want to not stop going to the next chapter
- The oh my gosh moment with the twist I didn’t see coming!
- The characters were well developed and the writing was really well done.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to recommend it to my book club this fall! 4 stars out 5. Excellent read for any fan of psychological thrillers!

I was pleasantly surprised with this one. The twists were interesting and I can say that I didn't see all of them coming. The first half of the book kind of dragged a bit, which was weird because a lot of action was going on, but if you hang in there it speeds up and gets good by the end. Even though the first half was less engaging, I still cared about the characters and was interested to find out what happened. Overall a good read for anyone that likes psychological thrillers.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. One last trip before the baby comes, but the baby has other ideas, and the guest house owners are weird. Now they are separated and don't have the baby either but what happened and why? More a twisty mystery then a drama.

This was a fast read for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I was at first, disappointed that it didn't all take place at one time (while they were locked in the Guesthouse) but then I thought it rather clever. It is told during the time they are locked in the guesthouse and after they made their escape.

The writing was great and I was eager to turn pages. The twist I didn't see coming but I was getting a bit bored with not knowing what happened at the house, and started to dislike both characters.

This is a fun and easy read though so if you are looking for something like that, you should pick this one up!

This was a perfectly paced thriller! Wow! Looking forward to including this in our mystery/thriller section this Fall. This will also be a selection we include in our subscription boxes this fall for customers! Thank you so much for the chance to preview this novel! Loved it! Couldn't put it down! So twisty!