Slow, Slow, Slow - And Then A NASCAR Race Through The Mountains. This is one of those mysteries that perhaps spends a bit *too* much time in the "setup" phase, letting us get comfortable with - though never *too* comfortable with - an unlikely budding friendship. Then, in its final quarter or so, the twists and turns and flips and flops and zigs and zags come so rapidly paced that it will feel like someone let loose a NASCAR race on the roads of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. (Some of the twistiest roads I've ever personally driven, for those who don't quite get where I'm going there. :D) Ultimately it all works and works great together, if a bit tried and true in its ultimate design. Still, the process of getting there was new-ish and done quite well. Very much recommended.

HPK never fails to give that BADABIMBADABOOM plot.
It went a bit slow for me. I am not gonna lie there are times that I wish I can just fast forward some chapters but as I go on and read, everything just makes sense.

HPR has been a long time favorite author of mine for when I need a solid thriller with some twisty twists and rich unlikable characters! Thi House Guest was no different!

We had a naieve wife, a scandalous husband with a pristine country club reputation, shifty bar characters, FBI, fake dogs (just go with it) and a stint in St. Barths. What more could you ask for?!

I think my favorite subgenre off of thriller is: filthy rich behaving badly, thriller. I love the desperate housewives vibes and private jets galore. HPR weaves a great tale - unreliable narrator? You'll have to read to find out, but this was GOOD!

My only complaint, about 80% in, I do think a few elements could have been edited out to avoid some minor confusion, but it all tied together nicely in the end. Another great ride from HPR!

This book had a very suspenseful and promising start but then it became very drawn out and the plot became quite unbelievable. It's about a woman going through a divorce who accidentally (or so it seems) meets another woman down on her luck and decides to let her move into her guest house. They become friends and hope to help each other with their problems but not all is as it seems.
I've enjoyed the author's other books but I just couldn't get into this one. I ended up skimming the pages just to get to the end.

A thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat!!!!!!!! I could not put Hank Phillippi Ryan's new book down!!!!!

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan (book review)

There's no denying that The House Guest is a banger! This book has it all: money, divorce, lies, and greed. It checks all the boxes for a fantastic thriller. I enjoyed this book to the fullest. It's a cat-and-mouse game you don't want to miss.

Synopsis:
In addition to being beautiful, Alyssa Macallan is also terrified. As she and her emotionally abusive husband separate, a devastating divorce unfolds. Alyssa realizes he is trying to leave her destitute.

Alyssa is shocked when the FBI knocks on her door. She wonders what her husband has gotten himself into. It's nice to have Bree, a new friend who can help her, but will Bree prove trustworthy when she moves into the guest house?

The House Guest is available on February 7th.
5/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan - Tor/Forge (Forge Books) for sharing this book with me. Your kindness is appreciated.

#TheHouseGuest #HankPhillippiRyan

Hmmm… Once again I think I may have read a different book than everyone else!🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ve read plenty of this authors’ works and enjoyed (most) of them. So after seeing such glowing reviews and high ratings for this latest I quickly moved this one up my TBR list and jumped right in.

But then came the overwhelming thoughts of what am I missing here that everyone else is raving about?

Alyssa is heartbroken. Her husband has left her and she never saw it coming! No explanation. All communication is strictly through the divorce lawyers. However, one major stipulation is that he cannot enter their home without her permission. Alyssa begins to set small ‘traps’ if you will, to determine if he breaks the contract. I’m thinking a nanny-cam would work just as well…but that’s just me.💁🏻‍♀️

Drinking her sorrows away in a lowly, cross-town bar she befriends a fellow lonely woman and in a drunken stupor proceeds to take her home. What ensues from there is just 🙄🙄

I struggled with this one (as you can see), Alyssa had no common sense whatsoever. The storyline itself never seemed to go anywhere (except in circles) until the final 80%. I thought Ooh, now it’s going to get juicy! And did... for a moment until it just went too OTT for me by the end.

So…since I am truly an outlier in this read take a look for yourself at the many five star reviews and hope you’ll have a much better experience.

2.75⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan - Tor/Forge.

What a cat and mouse game!! Several times in the story you switch allegiance and just don’t know who you can trust, who is telling the truth or who the good guy is!!! Such a fun story where you definitely won’t see the ending coming!!

Alyssa is facing divorce from her very well off husband and he seems to be trying to leave her high and dry. She meets Bree at a bar by chance and strikes up a friendship that leads to Dez, who says he is a financial advisor but can he be trusted.

Enjoyed the different storyline for sure. Thanks to Netgalley, Hank Phillippi Ryan and the Super Reader group for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Hank Phillippi Ryan has done it again with her latest psychological thriller, THE HOUSE GUEST. Just when you think you've figured things out, you haven't, because more plot twists follow to keep you guessing all the way to the end. Another entertaining read from one of the best.

3.5 stars This cat and mouse story gave me The Last Mrs. Parish vibes; however, I had a hard time connecting with the story. The last 20% is what encouraged me to round up to 4 stars. Other readers seemed to enjoy it more than me, so maybe this is a me problem.

3.5 stars for me. I did enjoy this book, it definitely picked up as it went but this book started really slow for me to where I had a hard time getting into it. Things picked up about halfway through and i enjoyed all the twists the second half of the book had.

Normally, I love Hank Phillippi Ryan's books, but this one really lost me. There isn't so much of a plot as there is a series of events happening so quickly that it's hard to follow what, exactly, is going on. Because of this and the overall lack of character development, when the twists did occur, it was hard to feel surprised.

The concept was intriguing, but this feels like a first draft. With a heavy edit, stronger pacing, and a more-defined plot, The House Guest could meet the standard of Hank Phillippi Ryan's other books.

Hank Phillippi Ryan has done it again. The House Guest is full of twists and turns and and you are are constantly questioning the motives of all involved. Just when you think you have it figured out — you don’t!

Alyssa is a little naive for inviting Bree to stay at her guest house. But, when life isn’t going your way, you tend to make some unexpected choices. And, even though they become friends, Alyssa starts to wonder if Bree can really be trusted. Can she?

This thriller is a winner. It keeps you guessing until the very end.

I was given the opportunity to to read and review an early copy thanks to NetGalley and Hank Phillippi Ryan.

I recently finished reading The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan and I can honestly say it is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The plot was captivating and the characters were incredibly well-developed. The story was incredibly suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. The story was full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thrilling mystery novel.

What a fun, roller coaster of a book!! This book had me wanting more as soon as I started reading it and I just couldn’t get enough of the twists as turns as I kept reading!! I really thought I had some good guesses of the ending but none of them were right. I also loved the string female characters in this book!

I was happy to receive and advance copy of this book from NetGalley as I'd read other books by Hank Phillippi Ryan and knew that it would be a good story. I didn't warm up to it initially as I found the main character to be kind of clueless. But the story progressed nicely and had some good twists and turns to it. I think Ryan's readers will be excited to pick up this latest book.

This is a twisty thriller that keeps you guessing throughout the book. You know there is a con going on but who is conning who? Alyssa was a little too trusting for me. She tries to help another woman and brings her to her guest house. That sent up so many red flags. It was a slow burner at the beginning but it kept me interested enough to keep reading it. I had to know where this was going. The ending was very satisfactory and not what I was expecting.
Thank you to #HankPhillippiRyan and #NetGalley for my early ebook copy. After reading this I bought Ms. Ryan’s last book Her Perfect Life! I’ve read a few of her other books and have always been satisfied with them.

The perfect whodunit for this season! This is the game of cat and mouse even the most seasoned reader won’t have a clue (pun intended!) how is going to end.

The house guest was a great mystery.

Alyssa meets Embry at a random bar one Friday as her world was falling apart. Her husband was divorcing her and the world as she knows it is turning on its head. Never would she have guessed that things would never be the same again and she would need to stick to her guns to prove she was an innocent in a messed up situation.

As this book goes on it keeps you on your toes, you don’t really know what is going on but you feel Alyssa’s confusion and concern and it just gives the book just that much more of an edge.

An utterly amazing thriller showing the effects of a scary marriage combined with some toxic female friendship! A delight of a read for all thriller lovers!