I really like this authors style and I've read a few in the past. This one definitely did not disappoint. There was so much back and forth suspicion that it was hard to tell who I could trust. The main character almost seemed a bit too naive and too trusting so I was wary the entire time. I really liked the ending to this and thought the letter half of the book was very exciting. I do wish there was a bit more development between the ladies before Brees attorney got involved because I think that would have made the relationship a bit more believable. Overall though, I enjoyed this and thought it was definitely worth the read. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very entertaining, if not entirely believable, romp about Alyssa, a recently separated woman, and Bree, a down on her luck woman Alyssa meets in a bar. The narrator of the audiobook does a fantastic job of distinguishing the characters and making them interesting, while Hank Phillipi Ryan as always brings the fun twists and turns, zippy writing, and expert plotting. Those of you who don't like suspending your disbelief too much may not relate to this one, but, as for me, even though I had a sense from the beginning of the unbelievable way this was going to end, I had a great time going along for the ride. The ending is a little over-explainy, but it kind of has to be that way with the complicated plot. I enjoyed the book all the way through and had fun with the red herrings and misdirection. Hank Phillipi Ryan remains one of my go-to suspense authors and this is an extremely well-done audiobook that you will be likely to gobble up in one or two sittings as I did.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this well-written and well-narrated audiobook.

So, Alyssa had the perfect life. She's married to a money guy who makes a lot of it and lives in a beautiful home near Boston, which includes pool and guest house. She's got the rich, snotty, entitled country club friends and a good looking husband. When her husband goes missing, she falls apart. That same night, she meets another woman who seems to have man troubles as well. Alyssa, sweet Alyssa, invites this stranger to stay at her house instead of the hotel attached to the bar because, she's just a nice person. The choppy story unfolds and who knows what to believe. Is her new friend, Bree, trustworthy? What exactly happened to Bill? Who can she trust? There were some holes in the story, though, for example, why wouldn't such a big house with wealthy inhabitants have a generator installed for one. The narration was fine, the story just kind of dragged a little and was not very believable.

3.5 stars

Overall I enjoyed this book. During the middle there was a little ebb in the story, but more towards the end it picked up again. The narration was good, I would definitely recommend the audio version. And the ending was a bit of a surprise, that that was a plus as well.

In "The House Guest," bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan has crafted a gripping and suspenseful tale of cat and mouse, where it's not always clear who is playing which role. Alyssa Macallan is devastated when she is divorced by her wealthy and powerful husband and begins to fear that he is scheming to ruin her financially. Just as she is at her most vulnerable, the FBI arrives at her door, and Alyssa finds herself in desperate need of a friend. Enter Bree Lorrance, a mysterious woman who is running from a dangerous relationship of her own. Alyssa offers her the safety of her guest house, and the two become close confidantes. As they help each other navigate their respective problems, they make a risky and tempting offer to each other that could solve all of their issues.

While I never quite identified with Alyssa--she was a bit too much of a flake sometimes, and WAY too trusting--I did find this to be an entertaining read. There were lots of red herrings that kept me wondering what the end game was going to be. I would have liked more from Bill's perspective earlier in the book, rather than waiting until the very end to include him. The narrator of the audio version did an excellent job. All in all, a good read.

This wasn’t my favorite Hank Phillippi Ryan book ever but it was decent with a lot of unexpected twists and turns that will keep readers surprised. The narrator did a good job of conveying suspense and made the story believable.

This book is a well written fantastic thriller! I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in one weekend. This book had so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Highly recommend!

3.5 stars. Thanks, Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to the book and discover a new author. Do you believe in coincidences? I have to admit parts of the story are a bit weird and unbelievable, but it's a story.

Excellent narration made this audio book impossible to stop listening to. Alyssa is in shock after finding out her extremely wealthy husband is leaving her. With the unwanted divorce looming in the future she meets a new friend named Bree. Alyssa finds herself feeling a little superior to Bree because of her outdated looks, but takes a chance on the friendship anyway. After quickly learning that Bree is in a bad relationship of her own, the two quickly bond with results you will not expect. With many twists and turns that you will never guess this audiobook is not to be missed.

This book certainly had many twists and turns throughout leaving you unsure of who to trust. Although I felt that parts of the storyline were a little unbelievable, I didn’t mind too much because…well, it’s fiction right? I felt that overall this book delivered in terms of keeping you on your toes until the very end. I would definitely recommend giving it a read!

Thanks NetGalley er al for access to the audiobook for an honest review.

Thriller I enjoyed the audiobook made my time cleaning and doing chores go by pretty fast. I knew something was fishy with Bree and Dez. I don’t think women can be that naive but I was surprised in the end. Not shocked just surprised. It was slow and steady until about 65% and then it picked up. Slow paced easy to follow. More of a mystery than a thriller.

I love the narrator she made listening very entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC

Pub date: 2/7/23
Genre: mystery/thriller
One sentence summary: Wealthy Alyssa's soon-to-be-ex abandons her, and all alone in a large house, she meets and takes in down out her luck Bree, who comes with plenty of her own secrets and drama.

This book was such a pleasure to listen to - it reminded me of why I love thrillers on audio. Since there's only one timeline, it's easy to follow, and Stephanie Willing does a great job with Alyssa's voice. It's a little slow until the 60% mark, but then things really ramp up and you get twist after twist! Yes, clearly Bree isn't what she seems (duh, this is a thriller) - but I did not guess what she actually was after. And Alyssa surprised me too - she's not just a trophy wife!

I would recommend this one on audio, and it pairs well with other activities - I listened to it while diamond painting/doing chores.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #Macmillan Audio and Hank Philippi Ryan for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of THE HOUSE GUEST to be published 7 Feb 2023. “You can’t always get what you want. But sometimes you get what you deserve.” This quote describes the domestic thriller better than I could! It’s so twisted, I’m still not totally sure which of the characters was for real! If you like twists and turns throughout your novel, listen to this narration. It was great. #NetGalley #MacmillianAudio #HankPhillippiRyan

Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. I found the writing to be clunky and awkward. The book is touted as a thriller but it didn't feel that way at all.

This one unfortunately didn’t work for me as well as I’d hoped. I found the premise really interesting, but ultimately found this one boring.

Thoughts while listening -
- requires way too much suspension of disbelief (this is a real issue for me with books and film/television) to be viable.
- just how naive can women characters be written? ffs.
- this was too where exactly is this going, and wtf is going on for me, and not in a good way.


As I’ve shared previously, finding a domestic thriller that I enjoy and find realistically possible is notoriously difficult.

Therefore, a reminder to take my opinion with a grain of salt - most of the reviews for this were great.

DNF - thank you Netgalley for the advance copy but I just couldn't finish it. The plot was boring and unbelievable, and the narrator did not do a good job of changing her voice for each character.

Book Title: The House Guest
Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Narrator: Stephanie Willing
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: February 7, 2023
My Rating: 4+ Stars

Although I have only read a few [author: Hank Phillippi Ryan] novels, I went into this without knowing anything about it ~ except that I like the author!
Allyssa and Bill Macallen have been married for eight years in a life of luxury but now Allyssa is heartbroken. Bill has left her and she never saw it coming! No explanation. She’s sacrificed a lot to be with this man. She even gave up her own name Alice, changed into Allyssa.

In the meantime, Allyssa meets Bree Lorrance at a bar. Bree is a banker and also is having ‘guy problems’ as someone is threating and harassing her. Allyssa is concern so at their second meeting she invites Bree to stay at her guest house.
We soon find out that the guy who has been harassing Bree is not a threat but has information about a brother she never knew she had. That man Dez is now also a ‘house guest’ ~ hmmm

Thus begins the story ~ with twists that and turns and more twists! Can Alyssa really trust these new found ’friends’?
Who is who in this cat and mouse game? Allyssa referred to Bill as a cat toying with an injured mouse. There are actually several cartoon type analogies in this story. [author: Hank Phillippi Ryan] is a great storyteller!
I read a lot of psychological thrillers so was sure the title was a big clue in this story ~ if not the title could have been “The Wife who went to Law School for One Year” lol

Narrator Stephanie Willing is fabulous performing the characters- especially Allyssa and Bree. At one point I doubled checked if there were two narrators! I was clear which voice was Allyssa and which was Bree!
This was a great. I love twists and turns. In this case the turn has a turn! How great is that?

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 7, 2023

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan is a solid 3 stars. The beginning dragged on and didn't really get exciting until around 50%, when things started to unfold and it wasn't clear who to trust. I found some of the twists and reveals surprising and others predictable. Overall, I enjoyed the ride, which is the reason for my rating.

Stephanie Willing was a pretty good in narrator. Her voice was distinctly different with Alyssa and Brie, which I always appreciate.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC.

I loved this story. For me this read like a domestic suspense with a twist of a long-con. I didn’t trust a single character (including the main character) and my theory of the story changed several times. This made for an incredibly entertaining listen (also the narrator was fantastic). I felt the pacing was perfect and I would qualify it as a slow burn. Unlike some slow burns- I felt this book had a well balanced ending and was not rushed in any way. The author fully developed all of the twists and explained them in the last 20% or so of the story which is very satisfying.

I love vengeful female MC’s and will be highly recommending this book.