I was thrilled to see a new title for Emma Cline in the works, and "The Guest" absolutely did not disappoint. Alex's wanderings in an unwelcoming social sphere felt in turns both dream-like and hyper-realistic. Cline's ability to cautiously distribute details throughout the journey felt like breadcrumbs leading to an unavoidable chaos, a destination about which the reader feels increasingly anxious despite the protagonist's assumptions. I couldn't put it down.

This book follows a 22-year-old woman named Alex, who is living with her rich boyfriend in a wealthy beach town. After he kicks her out, she decides to stick around for a week, despite having nowhere to stay, no money, and no working phone, so she can try to win him back. She survives by stealing, lying, and manipulating people.

The premise sounded interesting, and when I read Cline’s THE GIRLS back in 2016, I remember being hooked. I was a different reader back then so it’s hard to compare, but I think THE GUEST is a big decline from that.

I will say that the writing style made it easy to fly through this book, and it was a good one to dip in and out of when I just had a few minutes of reading time. There are some windows into the lives of the ultra-wealthy, which can be fun to read.

However, nothing really happens in this book. It lacks a clear narrative arc and meanders for 300+ pages. The lack of plot might have worked if it was instead an interesting character study, but it fell short in that regard too. Alex makes terrible decisions, including avoiding the options that would actually help solve her problems. We don’t get enough of her backstory to empathize with where she came from or understand her motives, which you really need if you’re going to write an unlikeable character.

The other phrase that comes to mind is “lack of specificity”. This book loosely touches on a lot of sensitive issues, but instead of digging in and exploring them in a fresh way, it felt like the author hand-waved over all of them and didn’t say anything new. The lack of details made it hard to feel like Alex was a real person or to feel grounded in the story.

I stuck it out until the end, hoping that’s where the payoff would be, but let’s just say I was unsatisfied (read: I wanted to throw the book across the room). In a world of sky high TBRs where there are so many other good books to read, I just can’t recommend this one.

Emma Cline does a brilliant job of drawing you into her world almost instantly. Her characters and settings are so richly rendered, you can't help but dive right in. As usual, her characters are complex and flawed, in a way that makes them both intensely relatable and not entirely lovable. A wonderful read!

I loved Emma’s first book, so I was really excited to read this. And boy, was it a wild ride! We follow the main character, Alex, as she drifts without money and much on her, through the social standings and parties in Long Island. This was a slow burn and then writing was well done.

I fell in love with Cline's writing while reading The Girls. Just as in that book, the writing here is beautiful and gauzy. The sense of place and time is immaculate.

I'm not sure how the plot (as much as there is one - this is more of a character study) will hit with most though. If you love watching someone constantly make bad decisions while having no idea why then this is for you. Cline keeps us at a distance and in the dark for much of the story. It did help create tension, but the repetitiveness of the week and abrupt ending break this.

Weeks later and I still question what the point of it all was. It was a wild ride though.

I think this would be better as a summer, all in one sitting read. The feeling of listlessness is captured perfectly, but maybe too much so as I found it difficult to get invested. The ending was a bit too abrupt and perhaps a little too open for interpretation. While I noted bits of foreshadowing throughout, it was almost as an after thought and left the plot really feeling weak. I wish I could've had a bit more of Alex and Jack, or more of a resolution as that was the plot line I found the most interesting.

Emma Cline is a talented writer, but I am still waiting for her to tackle something a little more weighty. This book is entertaining and at times funny and interesting, but it never seems to arrive at anything even hinting at profound.

Emma Cline has written a full and messy quite rage woman. This is an unlikeable but human character that takes you on rides of not understanding why she’s doing what she’s doing.

as a fan of Emma Cline I really enjoyed this, I love her pacing and her ability to write books that feel anxiety inducing but realistic at the same time, for me the perfect comparison would be that this book makes you feel exactly how the film Uncut Gems makes you feel

thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback

This book started out really good and was intriguing. The middle sort of lost me a bit and felt a little repetitive but I liked the ending a lot because it was thought provoking. I found myself searching for others opinions on the ending to see if what I thought happened really happened. Overall ,it was a quick, entertaining read.

I felt let down by the ending and wanted more after making it to the end. Alex's user behavior got old fast to me and it's hard to feel any sympathy without any backstory or reasoning as to why she acted the way she did.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

At first I thought this was going to turn into a pulpy page turner without a lot of depth. The turning point was in how the author steered clear of tropes and pity. I never felt sick of this character who keeps making bad decisions. Great, fun read.

This book swept me away with its focus and almost hypnotic character and setting. The impending sense of self-destruction amidst the glittering Hamptons resulted in a feverish and stylish read I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Alex is 22 and getting by on beauty and acting ability - as in, who she can pretend to be. She knows how to find someone to take care of her, and she knows when things aren't working and she needs to leave. With nothing and no one to fall back on, Alex is at a loss when her "boyfriend" kicks her out. She only has $400 to her name, so she's gotta win him back... she can figure it out, right?

This book is all character and atmosphere with no plot, and I didn't think I had strong negative feelings about that kind of book, but after reading this... maybe I do. I only pushed through this book because I knew it was less than 200 pages, but I wasn't really interested in what happened to the main character. The ending didn't make sense either. Basically, I wouldn't recommend it. The only reason it isn't zero stars is because I liked a couple side characters.

CW: mental illness, drug and alcohol use

Thank you to NetGalley, Emma Cline and Random House for allowing me early access to The Guest.

Mixed feelings about this book. Like many people, I loved The Girls and was really excited about this one, which probably contributed to my vague feeling of disappointment. I do, however, feel like this is a worthwhile book and would absolutely purchase it for a library. I think it's also one of those books that would deepen with a reread; the action is so slippery, almost dreamlike at times, that it almost seems to disappear behind you. Overall, glad to have read it and think it would make for a great book club discussion.

this was a disturbing book, but in a good way. This is one of those books that you keep thinking about after you put it down which in my opinion is the best kind of book. I am giving it four stars because the ending wasn’t my favorite. But I highly recommend this book this
I am giving it four stars because the ending wasn’t my favorite. But I highly recommend this thought-provoking book. The writing was phenomenal.

thank you, net galley and random house publishing for a digital copy of this book for my honest review

"The Guest" follows Alex, a girl that's trying to solve (or not) her problems after things get complicated with the guy she was staying.
It hard for me to pinpoint exactly what I disliked about this. There was this something missing that I can't make up, ever since you start the book until you finish it, it's the same thing, nothing changes the slow pace and there's nothing to explore aside the things the main character does and I don't think that's a bad thing at all, this could serve as a character study type of book but it just didn't do it for me. The slow burn was fitting, this happened in just one week and the writing was very good, something that will for sure make me read more from this author, it definitely makes you want to keep reading and there's something intriguing about it but, overall it just was okay and I feel like it's going to be a very forgettable story for me.

Emma Cline is an author that never disappoints. Each novel of hers is captivating and gripping as the next.
There is a nuance, a complex nature to her narrators that leaves myself pondering on how relatable some of her characters are. And The Guest is no different.
If you liked The Girls, then you will like The Guest. There is a sense of suspense that lingers throughout the novel while also questioning the unreliability of the novel’s narrator, Alex.
It is a fantastic novel and one that I think is better than her previous novel. My only criticism is the ending. While I was enthralled at beginning and middle, the ending loses its strength.
Nonetheless, The Guest is another great novel by Emma Cline, and is not to be missed.


Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinions.

Sharp and vivid writing, an off kilter narrative, and a fascinating character at the heart of this novel. Cline's writing is always so fascinating as is her grasp of the representation of women's lives.

Just as brilliant as “the Girls”, Emma Cline is back again with all the moody relationships she writes so well. This will be a best seller!