In The House Guest, USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan masterfully weaves the story of the newly separated socialite Alyssa Macallan and all the drama and turmoil that goes along with a high profile divorce.

Add in Bree Lorrance - a woman she meets at a bar, whom she doesn’t pick up but brings home, helping to track down Bree’s inheritance from an unknown relative, and an FBI investigation into Alyssa’s ex’s high roller business dealings, the fallout from which could also land our protagonist in prison.

With all Ryan’s twists and turns of the thread, like the best of artisans, you don’t see the true beauty of the pattern until it’s finished.

Even though I know what it is like to separate and divorce and had empathy for her character, I wanted to smack Alyssa several times throughout the novel and tell her to put the wine away and think straight. The cat and mouse and rat game, however, is superb.

I received this advance reader copy from Forge Books, courtesy of NetGalley. This review is fair and impartial.

I loved the book title and cover. Who is this house guest? Is she innocent or does she have nefarious intent? As you read the story, you definitely go back and forth trying to figure this out. Alyssa and Bree are both desperate women trying to cope with what life has just thrown at them. Poor Alyssa's husband has just walked out on her and is trying to destroy her and the life she had. She is off balance and doesn't know who to trust or what to do. Bree is being stalked and is naturally scared. They immediately form a friendship and try to help each other out. But what is the right thing to do? Who can be trusted? What is the truth? I loved the greater Boston settings and the Caribbean island home. There were parts that were repetitive but I felt those were realistic as you mull over to yourself and out loud what your plan should be, what is sensible, and what is a step too far. You can feel Alyssa's panic jump off the page as the story unfolds. This book will keep you turning the page until the very end. Another winner for Hank Phillippi Ryan.
I received an advanced reader copy for my unbiased opinion. Thank you Hank and NetGalley.

Thank you @macmillan forge books and @netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book. My thoughts are my own.

This is a domestic suspense story with an intriguing storyline. I thought it would be predictable, like so many other books in this genre, but I was WRONG!

Alyssa Macallan has it all: a wealthy husband, multiple homes, beautiful clothes, jewelry, and a country club membership. That is until she is suddenly dumped by her husband! She is not sure what her next steps should be when she meets Bree Lorrance in a bar. When Bree tells her she is in hiding from a dangerous ex, Alyssa offers to let the beautiful stranger stay in her guest house. The two women quickly become friends. Then the FBI makes a visit and Alyssa begins to suspect her husband is trying to ruin her. Alyssa is concerned about her future when Bree makes a startling suggestion. How far are these women willing to go to help a new friend?

The publisher’s synopsis sums it up best: “But no one is what they seem. And the fates and fortunes of these two women twist and turn until the shocking truth emerges: You can’t always get what you want. But sometimes you get what you deserve.”

You won’t guess the conclusion to this one!

You may want to up your anxiety meds before you read The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan. Books are sometimes described as keeping you on the edge of your seat. It may be a cliché, but The House Guest does keep you perched precariously in just that position. I love the unreliable narrator in a book, but it wasn’t so much the narrator here but all the other characters I never could quite trust. I expected betrayal and deceit around every corner. If that’s not suspenseful, well, nothing is.

Alyssa Maccallan is a young, thirtyish woman whose husband of eight years has just left her. She doesn’t have a clue as to why he’s left, and he’s only talking to her through their lawyers. Alyssa was a first-year law student when she met Bill Maccallan, and she fully intended to finish law school and pursue a rewarding law career, alongside her friend Mickey. But, Bill was a hugely successful fund raiser for charities, someone who came from riches and seemed to be paying it forward, so to speak. He was able to convince Alyssa, who was Alice before Bill changed her name, that she could do more with charity work than a law degree, and they married and moved into a house of everyone’s dreams. With this house in Boston, a house on Nantucket Sound, and a house in St. Bart’s, Alyssa was living a life she could have never imagined living. She planned and arranged events where other rich people would gladly give to a cause. Then, everything came to a sudden stop when Bill announced he was leaving. No more handsome husband, financial security, or friends. The “friends” all stayed with Bill, along with the social life.

Alyssa is despondent and not crazy about rattling around in a huge house by herself, and the feeling that Bill has been slipping in and out of the house when she’s gone is weighing on her. She finds a bar at a hotel where her old “friends” wouldn’t be seen and gives herself a few moments of being surrounded by people. She meets another woman, Bree Lorrance, who is so down on her luck that Alyssa, in commiseration, wants to help her. Alyssa ends up inviting Bree to live in the guest house while Bree gets back on her feet.

Being a friend to Bree brings even more new people into Alyssa’s life. Alyssa gets involved in Bree trying to find a relative, and in connection to that Dez Russo becomes a fixture in Alyssa’s house and life. Of course, at this point in the book, I’m having trouble reading for all the red flags I’m seeing. Or am I just being paranoid? Maybe going from alone and lonely to having people who seem interested in her, even concerned about her is a good thing. However, when the FBI takes an interest in Alyssa, who’s interested in her welfare and who’s planning her downfall is anyone’s guess. This cat and mouse game needs a score card.

I had a bad feeling all the way through this book, just waiting for the bogey-man to jump out of the closet. I can’t remember ever reading a book where I distrusted so many characters. Even Alyssa is suspect at times, and there were plenty of times when I wanted to shout at her to do something different or not do something. I found myself wishing the story was one of those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books where I could choose what I thought was a better path for Alyssa. Of course, the fun, or excitement, of a book is those wrong choices that build the suspense and make us cringe. Hank Phillippi Ryan has been called a master of suspense by many, including Publisher’s Weekly, and it’s a well-earned title. The pace at which she discloses information and suspicions about the different characters through a glance or dialogue or odd action keeps the reader on the fence of hope that the particular character isn’t going to stab anyone in the back, literally or figuratively. The cat and mouse game between characters is a thing of beauty, an art that Ms. Ryan is particularly adept at. I’ve been unusually reticent in this review to describe the characters much, as their well-paced reveal, or should I say reveals, belong to the reader to discover. Besides, how does one describe shape shifting as it changes from one form to another.

The House Guest is a story of misdirection and deception that bring the twists to the reader with a jolt. Some readers will be familiar with The Twister, an amusement park ride popular in days past. You would be riding around in the ride’s car and suddenly be jerked or twisted to one side. Well, this is the image you might want to keep in mind reading The House Guest. You will not expect it, but just know that the twists will come and you will be surprised, often. You will not guess the ending, with the final delicious twist awaiting. A perfect thriller.

I’m grateful to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for an early copy of The House Guest. I still will have my own hardback from a favorite bookseller because it’s too amazing of a read not to have one.

this was my first Hank Phillippi Ryan book and it just wasn't for me. The characters were annoying, especially Bree and the story was very repetitive until about 85 % and even than, the "twist" was nothing special. I will still give her another shot, but this one just wasnt for me

Ryan’s latest is a diabolical thriller that will keep you off balance from the first sentence to the last.

The House Guest is a lot of fun, you don’t know who to trust and everyone seems suspicious. How much do you really ever know anyone? That’s what I kept asking myself while reading this, they all seem good but then they say or do something and I was whoaaa wait what? I really enjoyed the way it all smartly came together at the end!

Amazing thriller! I normally go for fantasy unless a book synopsis is interesting enough that I cannot resist myself. That was the case of this one. The House guest is a pretty intriguing story that will keep you in the edge of your seat questioning your own sanity.

The way everything turned out it was pretty crazy, I would of never guessed the the course this one took.

If you’re looking for an unpredictable story that will keep you 100 percent invested, you should check this one out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange of my honest review.

I ended up really enjoying this!!! Hank Phillipi Ryan is such a talented author. This one kept me on my toes, kept me guessing.

I was excited about this book, but unfortunately first 3/4 of the book was too slow and repetitive. If it weren't an ARC, I probably wouldn't have finished it. That being said, the last 1/4 picked up the place and finally had some action, with some good twists.

Poor "Alyssa", in a toxic and emotionally abusive marriage, where he even changed her name to suit his narrative, then left. I felt her anxiety, wondering what was real and how she was being manipulated. Getting to the end, I thought it was ending how I guessed, which was disappointing almost - then that last chapter! Great read.

I listened to this whole audiobook but never felt interested in it. I did not find it to be suspenseful or thrilling. I can barely recall what happened. two stars instead of one because nothing was offensive or off-putting- I just never felt engaged or interested.

Hank Philippi Ryan is a must read author. Her latest novel, The House Guest, keeps you on the edge of your seat and up all night to finish just one more chapter. This is probably one of my favorites of hers, she did such a great job with it!

I love a thriller with very twisty twists and a rich unlikable character trope. This was just what I was looking for. I love the desperate housewives vibes and private jet life. I think my only complaint was that about 80% some elements could have been edited to be a little more clear but I enjoyed the way the story ended up!

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan took me a bit to get into. There are a lot of moving pieces with each character having their own secrets. What I enjoyed most was the ending was not predictable. The author does a great job with lots of red herrings and distractions. This is likely an unpopular opinion, but I found Alyssa to be. very likable. I enjoyed watching her growth across the book and felt her experiences were authentic to her character. Her transformation upon meeting Bree felt believable. She was being harassed by her soon to be ex-husband, she's slowly being cut off from all her comforts her marriage has afforded her and she's kicking herself for how "on hold" she's allowed her life to be for her husband. Bree seems down on her luck and Alyssa is at best empathetic, but under the surface, I think her initial interaction with Bree stems from her deep loneliness.

The way the story unfolds mixes in mystery, light-hearted fun, and a good bit of paranoia that drives these characters. I want to thank Macmillan Forge Books for granting me access to the novel to review.

I’m always a little nervous to read domestic thrillers/mystery novels like these because a lot of them seem to run together. While this book did feel like many others I’ve read before, it was still enjoyable and worth the read.

The beginning is slow and pretty repetitive until it really picks up over halfway through, but when it does it DOES and it’s good! It was fairly predictable to pick out certain things that were going to happen and who to trust or not to trust, but even still I enjoyed my listen and would recommend it to lovers of domestic thrillers.

I’m always a little nervous to read domestic thrillers/mystery novels like these because a lot of them seem to run together. While this book did feel like many others I’ve read before, it was still enjoyable and worth the read.

The beginning is slow and pretty repetitive until it really picks up over halfway through, but when it does it DOES and it’s good! It was fairly predictable to pick out certain things that were going to happen and who to trust or not to trust, but even still I enjoyed my listen and would recommend it to lovers of domestic thrillers.

Oo y’all… such a good suspenseful read! Definitely kept me on my toes from the very beginning. The characters were crazy and really kept you intrigued the whole time. Must read!

Entertaining, twisty, and fast-paced, THE HOUSE GUEST is a highly enjoyable thrill ride of a novel. I love how the author made me question everybody’s behaviors and blurred the line between fact and fiction so perfectly I had no idea who was telling the truth. The middle did slow down a little but it picked up with an ending I didn’t see coming. This was my first read from this author but certainly won’t be my last. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reading copy.

WOW! No one, I mean not a single character is who they seem to be. (This is not a spoiler, it states it in the synopsis). This book had me on the edge of my seat. I could not wait to get home from work and read it and then I would read way past my bedtime. I devoured every word, every page, every chapter.



The House Guest is an amazing thriller where every character could be the one, even the main character, Alyssa, is not quite as she seems. I loved that just as I thought I had some of it figured out another twist would come and I would be unsure again. Until the very end, what an ending, I never had it quite right.



This book… just go get your own copy! It is one of the best thrillers I have ever read.