The Guest House

This was a good one! It immediately got my attention. It was suspenseful with a bunch of good, surprising twists! It was a very unique plot with well developed characters. I definitely recommend this book to other readers.Thank you NetGalley and Orion Publishing for the ARC.

Ding ding ding: we have big winner!

This is so much more than I expected : a psychological, thought provoking, unconventional, argumentative, heart shattering thriller that is also mind blowing, twisty, intelligent, surprising! You easily connect with the characters, pick a side, feeling their sorrows, hearing their inner turmoils, guilt feelings, angers, resentments!

This is so far: one of my best reads of the year! Don’t you dare this book get rooted at your tremendous tbrs! Go blind, explore, burn your grey little cells to find out what happened, form theories, share them with your loved ones even though they didn’t read a page of it, encourage them to read it so they will be thankful to you forever!

I will do my best to keep things to myself for not ruining your future reading journey!

I can only summarize this plot:
A couple: Jamie ( running start up called “KnowScam”- fraud prevention company), suffering from cerebral palsy and his wife Victoria( musician, hardly finding proper gigs) decides to take a weekend off as they are expecting their baby after several failed attempts and IVF treatments later. Victoria chooses a small countryside guesthouse which is close where she grew up. They meet with older couple ex police officer and ex midwife who lost turn son in the past.

When Victoria’s contractions start earlier than they expected, they try to find a way to take her to the hospital but the couple realizes they’re locked in their guest house. Jamie cannot find his car keys and the owners of the house seem like nowhere to be seen.

Then we move forward to one month to see they returned back to their old lives and they seem like grieving their child and they also get threats via post cards, letters mentioning they’re involved into a serious crime. Both of them seem like suffering from guilt, pain. Their marriage is about to crumble into pieces.

What happened at that guest house? Did they lose their child? If they why they act like they’re hiding something terrible? Did somebody die? Did the old couple try to take their baby?

I already spilled a lot! I’m shutting my mouth! Please just read it, read it and read it! Enjoy the heart throbbing, shocking ride!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

What a delightfully twisty tale this was! Every time I thought I had it figured out, a new twist dropped. I loved how even at the very end, a twist was revealed to change my whole perspective of the story. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

From the opening words to the very last word of the story, I was captivated.

I was completely besotted with the lead character, Jamie. The author was able to convince the reader to care about him and what he was going through. The rest of the characters were well written and completely worked with the storyline of the book.

The plot of the story was ingenious, and I was unable to put the book down as the tension kept building and building to the point, I thought I was gonna explode. The author did an excellent job surprising the reader at just the right moment. I admit to several jaw opening moments, as well as the sweet satisfaction at how well the author wrapped the book up.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions expressed are
my own.

A tense thriller with not just one twist… but lots of them! Robin is on to a winner with this book - it’s a little bonkers but in the best way possible. I can easily see this book being turned into a TV series.

I found the writing very engaging and the dual timelines worked really well to ramp up the tension. I didn’t like any of the characters to begin with but I warmed to Jamie as the story progressed.

Although the book wrapped everything up nicely, the epilogue left me feeling like there could be a follow up… definitely something I would read.

*small spoilers ahead*
A few things I didn’t enjoy and feel like I should mention them because it’s an advance copy: The book is a little repetitive in places (shoutout to chapter 7 “in the near distance I can see the guest house”) and the wife killed her uncle but it doesn’t really get into why?!

Thank you so much to Robin, PPP and Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Wow. Just wow. I didn't think I was going to like this book this much. I am so grateful to be able to read this ARC.

I've been reading a lot of thrillers lately and this one definitely satiated my cravings. It starts by jumping right into the action and keeps you interested page-after-page. I sometimes don't like how writers weave in and out of the past and present because I'm wanting to get back to the main plotline, but I found the quieter parts of the book just as fascinating as the high paced ones. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to devour a good story or get out of a reading slump!

An intense thriller about a pair of flawed but relatable parents trying to save their son. I enjoyed this story and was excited to see how they would resolve the situation they found themselves in.

What I liked:
- It takes the story a little while to start up but once it does, it doesn't stop. The plot could get really suspenseful and tense, especially right before the middle point
- The pacing is very slow in the beginning (with a bit too much filler dialogue) but picks up in the second half
- I like that the husband's job of stopping scams actually comes into play during the story
- I quite enjoyed the twist. It explained a lot of coincidences and questions I had.

What I didn't like:
- The dialogue can be repetitive and a tad awkward at times, particularly in the first half. However, it seems to level out halfway through when the plot actually gets moving
- The first quarter of the book was a very slow start
- [Warning: Spoilers ahead] The main reason the main characters don't report their son to the police is because all the evidence is stacked against them (and the threat of the child dying). However, this changes when the killer sends a text/letter outlining her threats and includes a picture of her threatening the baby. There's your evidence! The fact that the husband doesn't even think about this broke my immersion.
- I didn't love the main characters in the beginning. Their personality traits were largely negative (rude, judgemental, constantly getting offended) so it made it hard to like them at the start. This is generally evened out in the second half but made me annoyed in the first half.
- I don't think the epilogue was necessary.
- [Warning: Spoilers ahead] It was never explained why the wife killed her uncle, especially because she was in on it. I assume it's a plot hole because it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, unless I missed something.

Overall, while the pacing was slow at first, I really enjoyed this book. It feels rooted in reality and has a lot of tension. It could get frustrating at points to see the main characters struggle but their plight was relatable and had me on the edge of my seat. The twist also made everything feel planned out and interesting.

[This book was kindly provided as a free e-arc and I appreciate it.]

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4664514458

Publishing date: September 13,2022
😳😳😳😳.5/5
While reading The Guest House, I was put in charge of finding a vacation spot for my husband and I. After reading this book, I’m scared to go anywhere!!!! I was wanting to go to an air bnb with a cool host but no way, no how! This book gave me all the anxiety! I also fell in love with Victorias husband Jamie! Something about how he was towards his wife had me feeling all the feels

#theguesthouse #theguesthousebook #bookstagram #books #recentlyread #netgalley #netgalleyreads

Jeez, this book was nuts!! Not at all what I expected...tbh, I'm not even sure what I expected, but it wasn't that! The Guest House was nightmarishly gripping and wildly entertaining. I was hooked from the first paragraph and could not stop reading! Most of the time I was questioning the stupidity of the characters' thoughts and actions, but that did not stop me from devouring this in less than 24 hours! I highly recommend it!

This story centers around expectant parents, Jamie and Victoria, who after multiple failed attempts, are finally due to have their first baby in a few weeks' time. (Oh honey, let's go on a weekend getaway to a secluded guest house in bumblef..k!) Stupid decision #1!!! And it only gets worse from there. On their very first night, Victoria goes into labor. They find themselves locked inside the house, cannot seem to find their phones or car keys and the couple that runs the place is missing. Let's just say that it doesn't end well for any of them. Expectant parents beware! This book will become your worst nightmare.

Thank you to the author, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this eARC!

I wanted to like this book, and it was well-written, but I found it increasingly unbelievable and I disliked the characters.

Very fast past read. Kept my attention the whole time. I like the twists and turns thrown in there. Would recommend for reads who like suspense and thrillers

I got chills just by looking at the cover, and it appears like it would be a fascinating novel, with its sinister guesthouse in the middle of nowhere. The design makes me suspect that nothing good could happen there.

Robin Morgan-Bentley wrote the Guest House. The owners of this remote guesthouse are Barry and Fiona Johnson. It’s located seven hours away from London by automobile, towards the North Pennines, called Choristers Lodge. Barry is a retired Chief Superintendent of the Police, and his wife, Fiona, is a midwife. Twenty-seven years ago, Fiona gave birth to a baby boy named Harrison, who sadly passed away only a month before his first birthday.

Victoria and Jamie Rawlinson planned to get away from London for a few days. The couple traveled somewhere quiet and remote before the birth of the baby. They had been trying for a long time, and it was a miracle that they were finally pregnant. However, Jamie only walks with a limp, despite being disabled by cerebral palsy. He owns a business called KnowScam. Victoria is a relatively unknown pianist.

Arriving at Choristers Lodge in the dark that night, everything seems wrong from the start. Why did they go there in the first place? Why all the lies, and what happened to their newborn baby Danny?

I enjoyed this novel a great deal and appreciated how the story unraveled. It’s a fast-paced novel that’s almost impossible to put down. There was nothing negative I could say about this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the mystery and suspense genre. Congratulations on a well-written book, and I give it five out of five stars. Nice work.

Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first child in a couple of weeks when they go on a mini break to a remote region. Victoria goes into early labour and Jamie, who is handicapped, looks for the hosts of the Lodge they staying in, and the place is empty and locked up. He is unable to find their car keys and cell phones. He breaks out to look for assistance.
Things go from bad to worse, the hosts are truly evil and Jamie and Victoria return home without their longed for baby.

A very gripping read, I enjoyed this, and it had a good twist at the end. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, there is a lot to absorb. A great read.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a rollercoaster of a tale. I couldn't put it down. It kept me guessing through the whole journey. And what a journey it was! Brilliantly told!

I really liked this book. It was a good mystery and I liked the use of both dueling points of view and flashbacks. It gave insights into all the characters and I really liked the twist at the end.

Thank you for the ARC, Poisoned Pen Press! As a big thriller lover, I can be hard to please when it comes to a thriller. I get tired of the same tropes with predictable endings. that being said, this book was NOT the case! What a breath of fresh air. A unique story with (awful) unique characters and multiple big twists that weren't expected. It kept me reading the whole time. I really enjoyed this one and recommend for other thriller-lovers. It will keep you guessing!

What is life but a series of decisions? But what if one decision in your life changes the course of everyone around you for decades to come.

In The Guest House, we are taken on a roller coaster of a ride as Jamie and Victoria become new parents while on their baby moon. But what should have been a quiet, relaxing weekend, turns into the worse night of their life.

From the first page, you are filled with dread as you realize that things are not going according to plan. As you flash backwards to that dreadful trip and to their current day activities, you are brought through a journey of new parents deciding how far they would go to protect their baby.

The author of this book was able to translate the raw emotions of each character throughout this book, whether you enjoyed the character or not. I couldn’t put the book down once I started it because I was so invested to each character and what was happening with them. I also didn’t know what was going to happen around each corner. Nothing was what it seemed.

Putting this book on your preorder list will not be something you regret. The only regret you will have is speeding through it so fast and not being able to experience reading it for the first time, again.

5 out of 5 for an amazing story, written by an incredible author.

The Guest House by Robin Morgan-Bentley is a thriller that takes familial love and puts it through the wringer.
Jamie and Victoria have been wanting a family for a while and now it seems their dreams may be coming true...until they spend a week at the Guest House.
The writing in this book progresses the story along at a good clip and moves between varying viewpoints letting us experience the tale from both Jamie and Victoria's perspectives. I rather liked this as it allows us to see that while Jamie and Victoria experienced the same thing the effects of it on them were filtered through their own pasts and personalities.
And that ending--Wow.
Thank you to #Netgalley #Orion and #RobinMorgan-Bentley for the ARC copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

Wow, what a disturbing, sad story. There was honestly not one character that I liked in this book but I loved it at the same time. Being sick of so many of the same recycled plots in books, this was such a great breathe of fresh, original air that was also so unpredictable it left me gasping. I truly applaud this author for such an entertaining read.