Jamie and Victoria from London are holidaying in the North Pennines, staying in a guest house owned by Fiona and Barry. When they get up the morning after their arrival, they discover that they are locked in and their car keys and phones are missing. The chapters go back and forth in time, with plenty going on to fuel your interest. This nailbiting, if a little OTT book, with its shocks and well-disguised twists, will keep you on the edge of your seat until the great, unforeseen finish.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and held my attention. I will be reading more from this author :)

4.5⭐

WHAT A RIDE!

Ok. So this book was totally unexpected. I started it a while back and just couldn't get into it -- the problems of being a mood reader. However, when I tried again recently, I LOVED it.

This was thrilling and suspenseful and I didn't see what was coming. Possibly one of my favorite thrillers I read this year.

Jamie and Victoria have been trying to have a baby for a very long time. Que in IVF treatments. They finally succeed after some time and decided to take a "babymoon" before the baby is born. They go off to some isolated cottage in England to get away (which may not be smart but that's like my perfect vacation lol).

Victoria starts going into labor when they find themselves locked in the house and their phones and car keys are gone.

It turns out Fiona, the woman who was hosting the couple, is a midwife and helps Victoria through the labor in a very creepy manor and setting. When Barry her husband returns, they start making a scandalous demand.

I don't want to give anymore away than that! Read this book! It's absolutely worth it!

This book had so many creepy twists and turns that kept me reading, but it wrapped up nicely in the end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Guest House drew me in from the first chapter. I loved the unique premise of the book. Jamie and Victoria have longed for a child and are finally pregnant only to have the baby kidnapped by the owners of a remote guest house.

I loved the alternating character timelines. I also really felt for all of the characters. Even though some of the characters committed bad acts, I still had a soft spot for all of them because of past trauma. I did take away one star because the ending was a little too far fetched for me, however the book in it’s entirety was a twisty page turner that I’m sure I will continue to think about long after I start my next book!

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was unique compared to any books that I've read in the past. I was very intrigued the entire way through the book and was surprised at the way the events unfolded. The multiple POVs helped move things along and keep the story straight. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Fast-paced and entertaining. The Guest House is a recommended purchase for collections where thrillers are popular.

This was my first book by this author and it didn’t disappoint! It was fast paced, the plot kept me intrigued, but the plot fell a bit short for me in the end! If you like isolated settings and plots that are in a race against time then you should enjoy this one!

I just... I have no words about this. I loved it.

It's been a while since I've read such a twisty, mysterious, gripping book.

Victoria and Jamie aren't the world's most likable characters, but, in thrillers, let's be honest, they never are. They seem real, though, flawed. They're just a couple who has struggled to conceive and it turns out the baby comes at the worst possible moment. Or does he?

I had a bit of a hard time with it between 40-60%, because I felt like there were some obvious plot holes there and it annoyed me a lot.

But I continued reading (because I could hardly put it down) and I wasn't disappointed. Oh, but not at all.

I totally, full-heartedly recommend this book to all lovers of the genre. It's so good.

This is my favorite book by Robin Morgan-Bentley, but it will probably not be my last.

<i>Thank you, NetGalley, for providing a free copy in exchange of an honest review.</i>

4.5 ⭐️ Twisted freightening domestic family thriller

Going into this book blind, I had No expectations and was immediately exhilarated when a twist in the story was thrown in the second chapter.
Told from husband and wife perspectives, and from before and after they visited The Guest House and Victoria went into labor. You slowly learn what happens and why.

I was completely thrown at the ending and didn’t see that twist coming until it hit me in the face.

Frightening as a parent, this had me on the edge of my seat and finished it in a day.

Really enjoyed this. Gripping with tension and biting my nails from the first page to the very last! I don't even know what else to say. One of the best psychological thrillers I've read in awhile, with extra ick factor. Probably won't be for everyone. TW include hostage, kidnapping, child endangerment. You are never quite sure who to trust and the alternating timeline gives clues to a terrible tragedy while also building tension and curiosity about the events that lead to this. Once you find out what happens, you're both horrified and relieved, only to be thrown through another fast-paced twisty loopy build-up to a perfect last page ending, in my opinion, but might be a bit over the top for some. If you like twisty psychological thrillers, give this one a go.

Wow!!! This book was full of surprises and suspense. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the climatic finish! Readers will be happy that they chose to read this book. Couldn’t recommend it more!

Wow. As a new mother, this book gripped me like no other because it was such a nightmare. I kept putting myself in Victoria’s shoes and needed to keep reading to find out what was going to happen to Danny!! I enjoyed the twist, but felt it was wrapped up too quickly. Overall, this was a gripping read that caused many sleepless nights because I just had to keep reading!!

This is a fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing. The characters, the atmosphere, the suspense, the creepiness are all top notch. I devoured this book wanting to know what happened. There are twists and turns throughout the story all the way up until the end. Well done!

Whew. Some darkness lies within. Both heart wrenching and anger inducing, suspenseful, and fast paced, this book will keep you reading to its conclusion.

Allow me to quote the American classic Billy Madison and say . . . . I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul.

Sometimes my addiction to all things house covers really bites me right in the keister.

The Guest House, by Robin Morgan-Bentley, is a tension-filled psychological thriller that is wrought with anxiety and anticipation as events unfold.

This novel contains a rather terrifying premise, a couple, Jamie, who owns a fraud protection company and suffers from cerebral palsy, and Victoria, a musician who only occasionally performs, are expecting their first baby. They decide that a final getaway is needed and they choose a countryside getaway, similar to a bed and breakfast. They awake the first morning to find their hosts gone, devices taken and their doors locked. The panic is palpable on every page, and as Victoria goes into labor soon after arriving, the situation rapidly escalates.

This story is told from two primary timeframes, until the ending. The sections from the past divulge the intense and mystifying events that occurred the first day at the Guest House. The second perspective is a month later, in the aftermath of the tragic events that the couple underwent. They have come home without their expected son and lies are told to all, but why?The conclusion takes us into the present just as all the events are culminating and what has actually transpired is revealed.

The Guest House is a menacing, creepy story, and while reading it, I found myself filled with dread, hesitation, and oddly a bit of boredom. Halfway through the novel, I found myself wanting to skip through to the end to see how it all wrapped up, and when I eventually reached the conclusion, I was a bit underwhelmed. Though the story was eerie and certainly unique, I felt rather detached from the characters, and the manner in which the plot played out didn’t quite captivate me and motivate me to continue reading, like I’d anticipated. I’m sure others will be thrilled with this atmospheric story, and I enjoyed elements of it, but it wasn’t an instant and overall hit for me.

𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 to Poisoned Pen Press & Sourcebooks for a complimentary ARC!
——
What an absolutely fun ride domestic mystery-thriller with a clever twist in the end!

Jamie and a very pregnant Victoria vacation to a secluded guest house (AirBnB?) before the baby is due. However Victoria’s contractions become imminent next morning. Victoria needs to be taken to the hospital right away. But the problem? They are locked in the guest house and their car keys are stolen as well. The book is divided into the past - with everything that happened in the guest house, and the present - life after the guest house.

Obviously we learn early on that the couple made it out alive but something terrible has happened during their stay, and the only way to remedy the situation is going back. However Victoria and Jamie also unravel a lot of skeletons in their closet and must come to terms with events that took place in their past, as well as solve the imminent crisis they’re facing as parents. I was extremely surprised to learn that the author is a man because he describes the pregnancy pains and a mother’s grief SO REMARKABLY. I am not a mother but even I felt very emotional reading about Victoria’s pains. I also felt that the women in the book - even though they were unlikeable and questionable - were treated with so much respect, which in turn really makes me respect the author. I really loved one character and hated the other. However throughout the book, I kept wondering why Jamie and Victoria made stupid decisions as parents, but you will understand when you read to the end. All in all, a great story that shows you sometimes even your most trusted partner really isn’t what they seem.

This is a Psychological Thriller. The beginning of this book was slow to get going, but once I got into the story I was pulled into it. There was something in this book that made my TTC journey and my twin boys NICU stay memories flash back. I have never been trigger while reading any books, but this one got me. I do not think there was anything super triggering in this book it was a lot of the stuff in this book I could connect with. One of my twin boys has CP because he stopped breathing just before the doctor got him out during the c-section. He falls a lot when he gets tired, and he is slower than kids his age. Lucky, his twin will tell everyone to stop and wait for him. I feel this book did a good job showing CP. The ending of this book was just wonderful, and I did not see it ending like it did. I really enjoyed seeing this story unfold even if it took me a little bit longer to read because I had to put it down a couple of times when the flashbacks of things from my past became too much. I really loved the character that had CP. This book takes you on a wild ride, but I also think it also brings awareness to CP. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Poisoned Pen Press) or author (Robin Morgan-Bentley) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

The Guest House by Robin Morgan-Bentley. Pub Date: September 13, 2022. Rating: 🌟🌟🌟. This is the story of a couple who struggled with IVF, had a surprise pregnancy and then take a “baby moon” to a remote guest house. While there, the woman goes into labor but their locked into the house without their cell phones or car keys. The owners are nowhere to be found. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 for premise, 🌟🌟 for execution. Thanks to #netgalley and #poisionedpenpress for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.