The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan is a gripping and suspenseful tale of two women who come together to help each other through difficult times. The story is full of complex characters and unexpected twists, leaving the reader guessing until the very end. Despite the heavy themes of divorce and manipulation, the author manages to infuse the book with some faith in humanity and the power of friendship. The writing is engaging and easy to follow, making it a great choice for those who enjoy a good mystery novel. Overall, The House Guest is a satisfying read that will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

If you love a good story with suspense, intrigue and interesting characters The House Guest is worthy of your time. This is the perfect read for a lazy, relaxing weekend as you will not want to be distracted as your follow the twists and turns! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

great book and I enjoyed the characters growth. Loved the friends and how this all worked out. I enjoyed the characters journey to finding oneself and others. I hope to read more by this author again.

From the beginning the people coming into Alyssa’s life seemed off to me. Too much of a coincidence. I almost stopped reading but wanted to see what would happen. Money makes people do strange things.
I honestly thought it was a long convoluted story to get to the end. I had higher hopes. I enjoy a twist and a surprise but this book just seems too far fetched.

This book fell flat for me. I didn’t feel connected to the main character at all. I didn’t feel like the conversations between characters were realistic at all. It did not feel like a true thriller in the least.

Thank you NetGalley & the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Devastated and heartbroken Alyssa’s life is shattered when her husband leaves her. Alone in her huge house by herself she decides to grab a drank at a local small bar. She soon finds herself talking to Bree, soon Alyssa finds herself inviting Bree to stay in her guesthouse until she gets back on her feet. Alyssa and Bree become fast friends and when Bree discovers on an ancestry website she has a half brother, Alyssa goes with Bree to meet him. This is where the story kicks off! Alyssa finds that her life is anything but boring she gets a visit from the FBI that informs her that her soon to get ex husband is hiding things, Bree may be hiding things as well. Alyssa is finding it hard to trust anyone and she may have to trust her own gut to figure out everyone’s angle!

This book was a very good cat and mouse story. I thought I had it figured out a few times. This book will leave you questioning every person you meet!

After 8 years of marriage, Alyssa Macallan's wealthy, powerful husband Bill has subtracted her from his life.

In a bar, Alyssa meets Bree, whose troubles seem even worse than her own. Wanting company, Alyssa asks her to stay in the guest house.

After the FBI show up at Alyssa's door, layers of complication and confusion follow.

No-one and nothing is what it seems in The House Guest, but Alyssa does eventually find out what's going on, as she also finds her way to a better life.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of The House Guest. I am a big fan of Hank Phillippi Ryan and absolutely loved this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a thriller that is unpredictable and will keep them engaged throughout. I flew through this and couldn't wait to figure out the ending. Highly recommend!

Hank Phillippi Ryan creates a page-turner set in beautiful Boston that pulls in the reader with twists and nuances that are both timeless and contemporary. The trustworthiness of relationships formed and nurtured when we are vulnerable is a question well worth considering, and Ryan succeeds in answering the question through her fast-paced plot and believable characters. Highly recommend

I'm being generous in giving this 2 stars. The story was sluggish, and the MC was a tough character to relate to or sympathize with. This thriller is anything but thrilling.

Not for me.

I enjoyed the overall concept of this book. It was a enjoyable read that helped me to pass time and escape from reality for a bit. Overall, it was a good book.

Alyssa is divorced by her wealthy and powerful husband and suspects he is trying to ruin her. Without giving away the storyline, no one is who they seem. This page turning novel of suspense and choices will have you continuing to turn the pages to see what is coming next! I recommend this book and the author.

This book had such an intriguing synopsis, sounded like something I would enjoy like a popcorn thriller almost. In the beginning, I was immediately drawn in and enjoyed reading and the characters. However as the book went on and these two strangers just basically are around you all the time?? And you don’t question anything? And then I felt like the wheels were falling off. It just got so crazy and messy. It was a little too far fetched and not believable for me. It wrapped up nice enough, but just feel like it wasn’t executed very well.

Alyssa Macallan is terrified when she’s dumped by her wealthy and powerful husband. He is out to get her and leaves her penniless, alone and scared until a chance encounter leads Alyssa to a new friend, Bree. Alyssa asks Bree to stay in her guesthouse and soon things take a turn for the worse. Was Alyssa targeted by Bree? Is she out to help her or destroy her?

A few twists and turns that kept me reading but a disappointing ending.

I enjoyed this book but I couldnt say I loved it. It started off well but at times it became a little repetitive. It was very slow paced.

2.5 stars.

I did not enjoy "The House Guest" by Hank Phillippi Ryan. I found it to be quite a bore, apart from the first and last 15% or so. The writing is stale when it's not repetitive, the pace is sluggish at best, and the characters are incredibly grating. In fact, I did not connect with anything in this book. I found Alyssa to be insufferable. Ryan goes out of her way to let her readers know Alyssa is educated, but...she's sort of an idiot? She is so inept at nearly everything in life that I just wanted to SCREAM at her! Is that a purposeful choice on the part of the author? Because she was essentially a trophy wife, she's book-smart but not life-smart? If so, great for Alyssa! If not, Alyssa is such a moron! She is a bored, ex-rich housewife with nothing better to do than to meddle in the life of some random stranger she met at a bar. Her ex-husband, Bill, is no saint. He's a power-hungry egomaniac (as most rich, white men are). He dumped her and left her for broke and straining to find a way to live without him. That's when she meets Bree in a bar one night and offers to let her stay in her guest house so she can save up money and figure out her next steps. I guessed all of the twists and turns. I found myself getting more bored by the chapter. I get that the point is for us to question whether we really know the person sleeping next to us or not, but the middle-end portion takes soooo long to unravel that by the time the book reaches its decent-enough conclusion, I was already checked out by then and didn't care what happened.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

When I read the synopsis, I truly thought I’d get a kick out of this book. Fast paced from the start to end. However , I was disappointed. I was really irritated with the main character, Alyssa. She’s rich and high maintenance but not that intelligent. She had made ridiculous dumb mistakes. I have a hard time when her husband abandoned her and FBI shows upAnd how she wanted to be friends with a woman, Bree she just barely met in a bar! Even made Bree her house guest after the second meeting. And the make overs? Wha what? My head’s already spinning! One thing after another like a roller coaster ride.
Was not impressed especially with the endings.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan for a copy of a digital copy of this book.

I loved this book. Hank Phillips Ryan is an amazing writer who draws you right into the story and keeps you there. I was excited to tell my friends this is a must buy.

I loved this book! It’s the ultimate cat and mouse domestic thriller that grabs hold of you from the beginning. The characters are not to be trusted and motives are not always what you think they are. I will definitely be reading more from this author!