I thought that the story was predictable, got a little twist then got predictable again. I thought that the story could have been shortened. I was getting a bit bored toward the 70-80% mark. Good narration on the audiobook

The House Guest is a great read for fans of Dead to Me with an Ocean's 11 type vibe. Alyssa is going through a divorce from her husband when she meets a stranger in a bar that she invites to stay with her named Bre.
Bre and Alyssa grow close but strange things are happening to make Alyssa jumpy. On top of everything her husband Bill is being investigated by the FBI.

Likable characters and fun twists and turns- loved this audiobook.

I was so disappointed by The House Guest. I was under the impression that it would be an intense thriller with sinister characters. I kept envisioning a Single White Female situation playing out. In reality, 85% of the audiobook consisted of conversations and memories where nothing actually happened. There was a twist at the end but it was a little more complicated than it needed to be and it still wasn’t very thrilling. At the moment that I thought the action was picking up, it was over just as quickly as it started. The exhilaration level of this book was barely a 1 out of 5.

I wasn’t invested in any of the characters. I wasn’t worried about their worries. I wasn’t concerned with their safety or fears. I was simply impassive about it all.

I did, however, enjoy the narrator. The writing style was nice and I enjoyed listening to the story. The narrator gets a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/

I absolutely loved this audiobook! It hooked me from the very beginning and kept me on my toes the whole time.

Wow. This read was a roller coaster of who is the bad guy!!! I was kept guessing until the very end.

The main character is an oblivious moron. You sort of expect the other characters—all more savvy—to begin pointing out how slow she was to realize things. The MC is irredeemable, and I couldn’t root for her.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn’t. I felt like the characters are very shade. The narrative was expected, except a small twist at the end.
I didn’t care for the narrative specifically very cliched and clingy dialogue.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic narrator that brought to life one heck of a story. I loved the characters I loved the plot and that ending was explosive. This was one of my favourite audiobooks of all time. What a great plot, you keep wondering who is not who they should be and then the plot twists and you go what! Your jaw is hanging and then another shift. So many twists and turns give this one mystery and suspense throughout. Absolutely amazing.!

Alyssa Macallan sits in a hotel bar, far beneath her social status drinking her misery away as she worries about the direction her life is about to take. Her very wealthy and affluent husband Peter is divorcing her, and all of the people she once considered friends are following the money—his money. Now she doesn’t know what to do. She gave up law school and her own life the day she married him. As she drowns her sorrows in several glasses of wine, she meets Bree Lorrance another woman running from her problems sitting at the bar. The women quickly commiserate over their troubles, Alyssa with her manipulative soon-to-be ex and Bree with her toxic and maybe dangerous ex.

Before the evening is over, Bree is staying in Alyssa’s guesthouse and the two women are figuring out how they can help each other move forward. They quickly bond over being underestimated and soon make plans to help solve each other’s problems. Things are going well until the FBI ends up at their door.

Full of twists and turns, The House Guest is a fun and quick read. I personally struggled a bit with the intensity of the friendship between these two women in such a short time—really come stay at my home hours after I met you? But perhaps I’m too cynical. Like all thrillers, the book really picks up the pace the last quarter.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and of course Hank Phillippi Ryan for the advanced copy of the audiobook. The House Guest is comes out on February 7th. All opinions are my own.

This book was excellent! It had all the perfect thriller trimmings! It was fast paced & had me second guessing myself! I was rooting for Alyssa & couldn’t wait for her to take a stand for herself! The ending was incredibly satisfying!

There’s no way I could do a great summary without giving some key plot points away so what I will say is I was very disappointed with this new book from Hank Filippi Ryan I usually love in the door this author‘s books but I was so sadly disappointed with Desmond it seem like it was going everywhere and nowhere at the same time without like the author wasn’t sure where exactly she wanted to go with the narrative that maybe she started the book in wandered off in the wrong direction and stuck with it I DK. All I know is Barbie and I still wasn’t positive as the who was who and why they were there when will the document. I got the just of the book but some of the details were confusing… Very very confusing . I knew from the beginning that something was up with her new friend because I thought the lady protest too much end it all just didn’t sound right. I listen to the whole book because usually by the endyour like OMG I get it oh Miss Ryan is a genius but that wasn’t the case this time. You may like it some people do I did not. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

While I love audiobooks, I feel like I would like this book better if it wasn’t being listened to on audio. I will read the e-book and edit my review accordingly.

Update: I tried the ebook version and it still did not capture my attention. It is very slow paced with very little dialogue.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of The House Guest in exchange for my honest review.

Hank Phillippi Ryan at her best. An expertly crafted thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers turning pages. I actually listened on Audible, and the narrator was fantastic. This was one mystery I didn't predict. Did not see THAT coming!

I enjoyed this story but there really wasnt any surprising twist or anything. I kept waiting for it to blow me away and unfortunately it didn't. It was pretty predictable.

I love Hank Phillippi Ryan books; this one was a great read to kick off the new year. Alyssa, newly separated from her businessman wealthy husband, befriends a woman also struggling with some personal issues at a bar, and once she welcomes her into her life as a house guest, some chaos ensues as twists are revealed….a nice fun quick read.

I loved this one. I was tricked twice! I love the double twist and the mystery. Definitely recommend for thriller and domestic suspense lovers. Thank you to the Author, the Publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio ARC of The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan in exchange for an honest review.

Alyssa Macallan's life is rapidly changing as her wealthy philanthropic husband, Bill, has abruptly filed for divorce. Her country club friends have turned their back on her and she can't be sure but think Bill has been sneaking in her house to mess with her sanity. One night she heads out to a local bar where and meets a down on her luck woman named Bree who is hiding from a stalker ex-boyfriend. Alyssa offers her guest house to Bree and the two become fast confidants. When Bree discovers a potential windfall it unexpectedly changes both women's lives forever.

I have enjoyed Ryan's previous works and was excited to jump into her newest venture which was a pretty solid effort. Overall, I liked the characters of Alyssa and Bree and their friendship, even though I was left questioning some of their decisions along the way. I spotted early on that the characters were not what they were presenting themselves to be but there are enough plot twists to keep the story interesting. There are moments that seemed too convenient and required a suspension of disbelief but ultimately I enjoyed the novel. I had the audio version read by Stephanie Willing who was very enjoyable to listen to. Her pacing is good and adds enough accent change to tell which character is speaking. I would recommend more of her work.

This was the perfect audiobook to pick as my first one for the new year. This is so good you will be happy after getting to read this one. I felt like I could have been besties with the girls. They were drawn together by the common thread of being in a mentally abusive relationship, currently going through a divorce. Alyssa will find her husband was embezzling millions from all of his charities. Stealing the life savings from some investors. Alyssa says she never saw anything happening. She was totally Nieve to what was actuallly going on with her husband The FBI was hot on his tail. The cat and mouse game insures. Bill thinks he is smarter than everyone. There are twists and turns galore. to the absolute end.so fortunate to have chosen this as my first thriller of the year. I am recommending this book two arms up with jazz hands that’s ten stars but I can only give five. Yes go get this in a couple of weeks.

Thanks to the following for allowing me to review early.... This is an honest totally my own opinion of The House Guest.

#NetGalley
#McMillan Audio
#HankPhillipiRyan
#TheHouseGuest
Pub. Date: 07 Feb 2023

This was one of my most anticipated 2023 releases and it was better than I could have ever expected. WHAT A THRILLER! Alyssa was a fantastic character and I was invested in her from the very beginning. The twists and turns kept coming and had me guessing until the end. I love a book that keeps me on the edge of my seat and that's exactly where I was for a good part of this novel. The narrator was fantastic and believable and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this story unfold.

I absolutely loved the plot, but the execution wasn’t for me. Every time I feel like an author cannot write a more foolish and dumb female character than the last one I read, they seem to excel at this opportunity. Alyssa has to be the most naive character I have ever read. I totally understand that her naivety is what kept this book going, but come on, give her a little more of a brain. She asked the same questions over and over again. It made the book frustrating and repetitive. This is not an ideal combination for me.

I will say, the ending was great! I love the twists!

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!