3/5 Stars!

This Review is Spoiler Free!

A compelling story with a twist I didn't see coming! The Guest House is a wild ride!

Jamie and Victoria head to a weekend getaway just a few weeks before the birth of their first child. But while there, Victoria unexpectedly goes into labor, and they realize that their keys - and the hosts of the B&B they're staying at - are gone.

Robin Morgan-Bentley has suspenseful writing down to a science. I made the mistake of starting this one just 40 minutes before I had to go onstage for a two hour performance...and it was insanely difficult to drag myself away from my Kindle to get onstage for Mahler. The second I got home, I was back to it, and finished it in one sitting.

While there are definitely some sections where readers may need to suspend disbelief, this chilling book is absolutely a fun, quick thriller!

*I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.

**MAJOR SPOILERS**

**Trigger Warning - mention of harming/killing babies, mention of abortion.

I think I need to stay away from books that revolve around babies/children in a violent way, or even more specifically when the mother doesn’t want the child.

I couldn’t stand any of the characters, I felt for Jamie but he wasn’t really a likeable character. The entire storyline was ridiculous & the decisions of the main characters Jamie & his wife Victoria were dumb. I didn’t hate this book but it’s not one I’d have read if I knew then what I know now.

The only two things this book has going for it is the authors writing is pretty good overall (minor things in the writing annoyed me- example he mentioned that Jamie had curly hair multiple times where it was unnecessary & basically filler), & the author did a good job at the eventual twist of things.

The fact that Victoria (Jamie’s wife) was essentially the villain, along with Fiona & Barry who we find out later are her aunt & uncle, just made it ridiculous. Since she planned this ridiculousness she realistically (in an unrealistic situation) should’ve been able to control the narrative more & avoided stuff going down how it did while in the guest house. I feel like the whole situation could’ve been avoided..but I suppose that would have made for no book so🤷‍♀️.

The story alternates between past (their stay in the guest house) & present after the baby Danny is taken from them. That part of it didn’t bother me & actually worked well but I feel like it should’ve been shorter & I would’ve liked it better. Either that or give some more excitement & reading material different than repeating the same things (Jamie & Victoria’s pov) just written out differently. Maybe have put in some chapters from Fiona’s POV?

Eventually I had an idea that the main character Victoria (the mother of baby Danny) was behind things but wasn’t quite sure how, so the twist was still a surprise & kind of clever. The first 75% of the book most times I was thinking ‘get on with it already!’. We know Danny is alive so the repetitive mention of the black cloud of what happened (zero details)in the guest house was annoying & I wanted to know what happened not just that something happened, especially since Danny was alive but not in their possession. Most suspense books I don’t need instant gratification by any means but I just feel like the way this was laid out drug on & had a lot of repetitive mentions to where I wanted to yell at the book to tell me what happened??

I do want to mention that the author did a good job at appropriately portraying a character that had cerebral palsy, which after I finished the book it was mentioned that he the author has it so it makes sense. It also kind of makes sense to me that the author was a man (I assumed Robin was a female 😉) in how he portrayed Jamie’s character. Jamie’s character was not necessarily sensitive but you could tell he was good hearted & excited to be a father, so from a female (and mothers) standpoint it was sweet I like how he made Jamie’s character caring & not more of your common suspense book (jerk) husband.

I probably would not recommend this unfortunately. The author is talented but I feel like this needed tweaked a lot & then it could’ve been a good one. I’d absolutely give another book of his a shot.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This psychological thriller was an enjoyable read full of suspense throughout and with a great twist at the end. The characters were good, the plot was great and the style of writing was perfect which makes for an easy read. This is the first book I have read by this author and I’ll be keeping my eye out for more in the future. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys this genre.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

This one started out strong with a non linear timeline and two POVs. A couple on a baby moon leads to a terrifying situation where the momma to be goes into preterm labor and oh yeah the couple who owns the B&E just wants their baby. Cool. Yeah that seems normal. Flash forward and its madness. What happened to baby Danny? What the heck is going on? Okay. The twists were just borderline ridiculous. For one, the momma just gave birth and shes moving a dead body? No. Not possible. Also. The big big twist at the end? No. Just no. Ugh I wanted to like this. But as I kept reading it was just too unbelievable and forced and frustrating. But! It was a clever idea and I did have a need to finish the book and see what happens. But I may have also skimmed the last chapter.

This was un-put-downable! I enjoyed it from start to finish and had no guesses for what was going to happen. Great build up to some unexpected twists. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my, this thriller is so much more than just a thriller. I love the way Robin Morgan-Bentley has written this book with the different timelines and the different points of view. Having the timelines go back and forth adds so much suspense while giving tiny glimpses into the final outcome. I was not able to guess where this story was going and I love that in a good thriller. I will warn you that the characters are so well written that you just have to keep reading. Oh, just one more chapter, yep all the way to finishing the book in a day. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press Publishing for the ARC of this book. Thank you to Robin Morgan-Bentley for writing an entertaining, glued to my seat thriller.

I found this disturbing story to be well written but the ending in particular was beyond implausible. The first red flag came at the beginning when the very pregnant Victoria and her husband Jamie take a weekend break to a remote cottage – a crazy decision from my view. I did get caught up wanting to know what was going on but it took a long time to get to that point. There were several intriguing twists but too many bizarre choices on the part of most of the main characters for me to go along with.

4 STARS!!

This book follows two married people Jamie and Victoria. We read from their perspectives in alternating chapters and timelines. The past timeline where they are staying at a guest house before the arrival of their first baby, and in the second timeline which is current day where we see their relationship is rocky and they are without their baby. As we read further we discover what happened to their baby and the full situation they now find themselves in. I had so much fun reading this book! I was so invested in this story and really enjoyed the reveals. It was also very interesting reading from the point of view of Jamie who has Cerebral Palsy, I've never read from a character with this disability so I cannot speak to it authenticity but it was interesting none the less. As a parent reading the story my heart went out to both Jamie and Victoria and it definitely made me feel so grateful for my little ones. This book was a winner for me and I would definitely recommend to those who enjoy a fast paced twisty thriller!

I was generally provided a copy of this book for review from Net Galley.

A weekend retreat whehlre your life changes forever. This book had so many twists and turns!!! I couldn't put it down. Really enjoyable

On one hand this story had a fairly unique plot with fairly unique characters: A husband with cerebral palsy, an uber pregnant wife, A private guesthouse, and actress mother-in-law. On the other, it had an unrealistic plot, and in relatable characters I couldn't root for: who goes away days before giving birth to place so remote?

It felt so predictable. Fiona was a trained midwife who'd lost a son. But the big twist near the end still got me. Was enough to make up for the vety, very slow burn leading up to it? Barely.

I was unsure of this book at first...it just seemed so implausible. But I'm glad I stuck with it to find out the answers! Really enjoyed the ride.

Wow wow wow. I had an ARC. from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press. This book. First off it’s a crazy plot. I dove right in and I’m like ok I see where this is going, but I didn’t. I was so off and it was a crazy ride. Spoiler alert. There’s a couple having a baby. They end up in a guest house middle of nowhere and the crazy people who own the home deliver and claim their baby, naming him after the child they lost. Claiming the couple can’t tell authorities or they will kill the baby. So at this point I’m like I’m yeah, this is unbelievable, I actually thought about quitting. But curiosity and the need to always finish a book got the better of me. Well I was glad, there’s a crazy plot twist I never ever saw coming. Amazing. Another thing I loved was that the husband of the story Jaime, had some physical limitations from cerebral palsy. He never let mobility hold him back his whole life but still lived with looks or comments or people feeling like they needed to treat him differently. He had an invisible disability. I have a child with an invisible disability and it can be a struggle. People don’t empathize always, they might stare, think there is something off about you, etc. To represent this group of people in the form of a main character was incredibly refreshing. This book was brilliant.

This book is definitely not what I was expecting! It seems like a straightforward enough story with a couple heading to a guest house for a mini break before their baby's arrival. This is when everything changes and Victoria goes into labour whilst seemingly stranded in a locked guest house. This book pretty much just throws you straight in the deep end and your brain is left to desperately try and fill in the missing gaps- and there's definitely a few! I loved the uniqueness of this story and there's plenty of revelations that make it a fast paced and head turning read. There's definitely little breadcrumbs of clues left within the story and suddenly it all makes sense. A brilliant read and sure to be hit this Summer.

I needed to get my hands on this book after reading some great reviews, and boy this novel blew me away! What an absolutely brilliant thriller. It had me on the edge of my seat, reading at every opportunity. The story was revealed one chapter at a time, going back and forth between the past and present. The suspense increased and I was fully invested and didn’t want it to end. The author did such a great job with the characters. I could feel their heartbreak when the drama unfolded, squeezing my heart since I could relate to being afraid of anything happening to my own son. I understood why Victoria had such a hard time after the worst event of her life had shattered her world. The sorrow tore her apart, and I loved how Jamie was there to pick her up again. Jamie had so many qualities that I liked, and I absolutely believed in him, wanting to applaud when his courage reawakened.

The twist was absolutely fantastic! I never saw it coming, and I love that feeling!

I will never forget the story, and would love to read more of the authors book.

I can warmly recommend it to anyone looking for their next thrilling read.

Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first child to be born in the near future. They decide to make a last trip together before becoming parents. They head off to the North Pennines to a small guesthouse in a very remote area. They are greeted on arrival by the guesthouse managers Barry and Fiona. They are served dinner and shown to their room to retire for the night. The next day Jamie and Victoria wake up to find the hosts are gone and so are their car keys and cell phones? Also the doors are all locked. What is going on here?

Wow, this was an intense thriller! The writing was superb and the setting descriptions were perfectly detailed. You could really picture the guesthouse and surroundings. I could not put this book down and I read it in one day. THE GUEST HOUSE checked all the boxes for me, I loved it and highly recommend it. 5 STARS!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc of this good book.
This is a new author for me but I hope he continues to write these taut mysteries with the interesting twists.
Jamie and Victoria decide to take a short trip and stay in a guesthouse nearby. She is nearly to her due date on their much wanted baby. What insues with the landlords of the vacation home is thrilling! I recommend this book to anyone who has loved other domestic thrillers.

Heavily pregnant Victoria and her husband Jamie are trapped in a house with no way out when Victoria starts having labor pains. The couple who welcomed them into the guest house is nowhere to be found. Until they are.

I spent about 2 to 3 hours with this book. I started reading it and got to about the 7% mark, and I did something I haven’t done with a thriller in, like forever. I skipped to the end to make sure the baby was alright. Then I went back and started reading towards the end to understand what happened and what was going on. Then I wanted to learn more so I read randomly. I guess this just wasn’t the book for me. At least not for me at this time. For those with more fortitude than I had, I think this was an excellent, suspenseful thriller with some legitimate shocks for most readers. While it was very well-written, the justifications as to why the main couple felt so trapped with no way out didn’t hold water with me. The story the other couple expected the authorities to believe was inconceivable. and it seemed there was less and less reason to take action as events occurred. I’m still giving it 4 stars. The fact that the suspense was just too much for me at this time, probably speaks well for the book. The problems I had with the plotting might not have been so bothersome had I read it cover to cover.

This book was amazing! I enjoyed every single chapter, and it kept me hooked the entire time, which I loved!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. What a crazy story- twists up to the end!! A couple goes on a weekend retreat and their lives change forever!! Definitely recommend !!

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but it had several twists that I did not anticipate, which I always appreciate. It was very fast-paced and a quick read. I also thought having a main character with a disability was interesting and added to the story.