I have really liked this author's books in the past, but this one didn't work for me. From reading the blurb and it describing the book as a "cat and mouse thriller" I was expecting a fast-paced story. Unfortunately, it was rather slow and kind of boring. I did like the ending though and how things came together and were revealed.

This was the first book I’ve read by Hank Phillippi Ryan and I was not disappointed. I overall give this a 3.5 because it did hold my attention the full way through.

I listened to the audio version of this and the narration by Stephanie Willing was good as well and she is one of the reasons it didn’t take me long to get through this book.

We start off meeting Alyssa who was recently dumped by her wealthy and powerful husband Bill. He practically leaves her alone, and without friends because of his power and influence. She goes to a bar one night when she is feeling super down and she meets Bree. They get to talking and it turns out Bree also has a pity story of her own having just gotten out of an abusive relationship, hence why she is at the hotel bar. Alyssa and Bree hit it off, and in no time Alyssa has invited Bree to stay in her guest house.

Soon after, Bree discovered she has a brother through one of those DNA/genealogy sites and an attorney named Dez, has been trying to reach her via phone for days with information.

On top of all this, the FBI reaches out to Alyssa and they are going after Alyssa’s husband for some shady business. Her new friend Bree and Dez, who seemed to latch onto them rather quickly, are ready to help her take him down.

It really felt like Alyssa let these people into her life so fast but to me, everything they did seemed super shady and I wouldn’t have trusted them. It made the book a little less believable because of that. Who would be that naive?

This book had quite a few twists and turns which kept it interesting however a lot of things that happened were not super realistic and again the trust that Alyssa had in the people she just met annoyed me. The ending was alright, and overall I was satisfied because it was hard to guess how it would end and kept me reading/listening.

Thank you Macmillan audio and NetGalley for providing a copy to review. I’ll be on the lookout for other novels by Hank and other books narrated by Stephanie.

Alyssa Macallan is figuring out all that is being subtracted from her life after her wealthy husband asks for a divorce, lifestyle, friends, and a loving partner. What she doesn't expect is to add a house guest and maybe even a friend when she encounters Bree at a hotel bar. In Bree she thinks she has found a kindred sprit, someone else that is subtracting things, an abusive boyfriend. A series of events, unexpected wealth, the FBI, and a man that offers to help makes Alyssa question everything. Who can she trust? What is real? How can she survive and create the life she wants?

The narrator does a good job of conveying emotion and immersing you in the experience.

Reading Between the Wines book review #13/115 for 2023:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The House Guest
Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASES February 7, 2023!!

Sipping thoughts: Who can you trust? Alyssa is going through a divorce when all these weird things start to happen? Is her soon to be ex-husband to blame or the new friend who she just let AND offered her to stay in her guesthouse? I did not predict what was going to happen with this ending, and it kept me on my toes. I appreciated how all the ends were tied up so the reader had an explanation for everything.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @MacMillanAudio and @MacMillanTorForge for an advanced copy of @TheHouseGuest.

#TheHouseGuest #HankPhillippiRyan #MacMillanAudio #MacMillanTorForge #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

“Money itself wasn’t a bad thing. Not until bad people used it.”

Alyssa Macallan is terrified when she's dumped by her wealthy and powerful husband. With a divorce looming, she begins to suspect her toxic and manipulative soon-to-be-ex is scheming to ruin her. And when the FBI shows up at her door, Alyssa knows she really needs a friend.

And then she gets one. A seductive new friend, one who's running from a dangerous relationship of her own. Alyssa offers to let Bree Lorrance stay in her guest house, and the two become fast friends. Then Bree makes Alyssa a very tempting offer. Maybe they can help solve each others' problems.

But no one is what they seem. And you can't always get what you want but, sometimes, you get what you deserve.

This was a super quick read that kept me guessing until the very end. I both read and listened to this and I LOVE doing that because that means you are never without your book! The audio was great and I enjoyed the narrator.

Just when you think you can trust someone BOOM, a twist. And you’re like damn I didn’t see that coming. None of the twists are mind blowing, though, but I was definitely surprised at multiple points throughout the story. If you enjoy twisty thrillers this is a solid one.

“The Mass Turnpike was insanity on wheels in any weather.” #IYKYK

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, Forge Books, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

The House Guest was a twisty, turny psychological thriller that had you guessing until the very end!!

The story begins with Alyssa, who we find out is going through a rough divorce from her very rich and controlling husband, Bill. While having a drink, she strikes up a friendship with Brie, who also seems to be going through a tough time personally. Brie needs a place to stay, and hence we have our house guest.

Next thing you know, the FBI shows up at Alyssa’s door, and we find out that Bill may be in deep deep trouble…

This was so good! The pacing was fantastic, and I absolutely was not able to guess the ending. Alyssa is a complex character who was described wonderfully.

I listened to the narration of this and was incredibly pleased with the narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This one was interesting! I listened to the audio book and I think it made all the little twists and turns even better. It’s a strong thriller that sucked me in from the very beginning. Highly recommend!

I can’t wait to read some other books by this author! I enjoyed this intense book so much that I would say it is one of my favorite books. No one is who they seem and just when I thought I had things figured out, a new twist proved me wrong.

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Alyssa Macallan is at her wit's end. She's terrified that her wealthy husband is going to divorce her and get revenge. Revenge for him seems to be leaving her without money. Alyssa is at the bar where she meets Bree. They hit it off and become friends in which Alyssa invites Bree to stay in her guest house.

The story pulls you in as the two women become friends and they talk about seeking revenge on the ones who screwed them over. For Alyssa it is Bill. There are some really good twists in the story some I was surprised by. I like that the story was engaging and easy to follow along. It felt like the story moved quickly to get to the end.

I like thrillers that have twists that I wasn't expecting and this one delivered on that for me. The story was narrated by Stephanie Willing who does a good job bringing life to the characters. She made it easy to follow along in the story and add to the enjoyment of the story. This was a four-star read for me. I recommend this book to people who like books like Girl on The Train it had the vibe to it.

Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan audio for a free audio copy of The House Guest for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I hate giving bad reviews. I really do. But honestly, this book was long and drawn out and just plain ridiculous. Alyssa (former name Alice) Macallan seems to be getting divorced. The ex, Bill, left her lonely and so what does she do? She invites a total stranger to live in her guest house. It just gets weirder from there. Bree seems to be on the run from her ex but gratefully takes Alyssa up on her offer of lodging. Oh and Bree seems to have inherited a bunch of money from a brother she didn't know she had. And now the lawyer involved with that is all up in their business and "friendship." And then the FBI is investigating Bill and is threatening Alyssa for her her cooperation. I just don't think Mr. Ryan knows how to write women very well. None of these characters seemed believable and the only reason I kept listening was a smidge of curiosity about how this dumpster fire was going to turn out. And the ending was also ridiculous. I'm aggravated that I wasted 11 hours of my life listening to this audio book.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-book.*

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Are you suspicious of EVERYONE when you read a thriller? I hate giving too much information when recommending a thriller but I’ll tell you a little about how this psychological thriller made me feel. As I listened to The House Guest while cooking dinner, I felt like I was going along with the story, enjoying it all. But I realized my shoulders were creeping up near my ears with mounting anticipation and tension - it was almost like I was holding my breath waiting for something to happen. I was SO suspicious of everyone and found myself trying to predict which of the characters were lying because too many things were just falling into place… I loved that the setting was close to where I live (the moneyed Weston outside of Boston - and one character mentions having a condo in my town), so I could easily picture it all.
This is my first book by the author, and I'm excited to read more of her work. The narrator, Stephanie Willing, was excellent - her narration was so smooth and it added to my mounting anticipation. The House Guest comes out Tuesday, 2/7, and I plan to attend the launch day event at Brookline Booksmith, one of my favorite Boston-area independent bookstores - I'm sure that will be fun!

I absolutely positively very much enjoyed this book. I love the narration. It cannot wait to buy myself a physical copy of this book. I love the characters, and I love the plot line from beginning to end highly recommend this book please tell your friends and book friends to check this one out.

2.75⭐

Featuring ~ 3rd person POV, secrets, lies, gaslighting

Alyssa and Bree have just met and Alyssa is already offering her a place to stay. Who in their right mind would invite a stranger to live with them? Crazy birds that's who.

Meh, I wasn't overly thrilled with this one. I can't think of one character I liked. It was on the slow side for quite a while, but then eventually picked up a bit. Repetitiveness galore ~ I felt like I was hearing 'soon to be ex-husband' or 'we're separated' a bazillion too many times. While the narration was done well, I think I might have liked it better if I read it, but I'll never know because I'm not a re-reader. I might have zoned out for a few minutes because I am not even sure if the loose end of Tammy (I think that's the housekeepers name) was tied up. I'll round up to 3 since I didn't see a twist coming. This is my first experience with this author and while I wasn't thrilled I will read another one to see if she's for me.

Stephanie Willing was our narrator for 10 hours and 46 minutes.

Nothing to do with anything, but I like how the lipstick matches the author's name on the cover.

Living in New England, I have long been acquainted with Hank Phillippi Ryan. I remember hearing her name on local news during live broadcasts for much of my childhood. I've always meant to read her books, but it wasn't until I stumbled on this title on NetGalley that I decided to finally give her a try. This well-plotted twisty domestic thriller is a solid read that packs quite a punch at the very end.

The audiobook is extremely well done and highly recommended. Four stars!

<i>The House Guest</i> is a thriller filled with maniuplation and deceit. So much so, it was hard to keep track of who was who and what role they were playing. Hank Phillippi Ryan has a knack for sending the reader down a twisted and very suspicious trail until you get comfortable to think "Oh! I see what's going on here." but do you actually?

I was entertained enough to want to know how this story ended. But I must admit that some of the twists had me confused and wondering how necessary that really was. It was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to those who want a good mysterious thriller without much psychological and suspense.

Loved, loved this book!
I was lucky to get an audio version of this book so my drive to and from work was very enjoyable. The narrator was great and really added to the story.
Alyssa is getting divorced from her husband. She has no friends and no job. She meets Brie at a bar and they quickly become fast friends. I got drawn into this drama right away.. I wanted to yell at Alyssa many times during the story- she made so many dumb choices. This book had me guessing until the end!
If you like a book with lots and twists and turns, this is for you! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. All of my thoughts are my own.

This book was a good one and I am so thankful to have received an ARC. This book kept me on my toes and had one twist after the next, sometimes I had to pause my reading to think about what just happened. To process it. Just when I thought that was the end, another twist happened. Such a unique and fun plot. Thanks again!

I was excited when I got a copy of this audiobook. I absolutely loved the narrator. I thought she really brought the story to life, even when it was moving too slowly for me. There were some good twists and the last fifth of the book or so was completely full of twists and turns. The first chapter completely got me, but the story moved more slowly than I would have liked. I also didn’t really like the main character Alyssa. She was a very sweet and kind person but despite showing intelligence she had no common sense. Listening to her journey through these adventures was a little like watching a future victim in a slasher film. I wanted to scream at the recording, no don’t you see these obvious red flags. She did not, friends, she did not see any of the red flags. Alyssa is separated from her husband, she never saw it coming and still doesn’t understand why things fell apart. She walks into a dumpy hotel bar and meetings Brie and the two women strike up a friendship. Which leads Alyssa to inventing Brie to stay in her guest house instead of the cheap hotel. But you should always be careful exactly who you let into your home. Overall I gave it 3.5 stars rounded up.

This whole story is like a subtle fever dream that just takes you on this wild ride. I’m still not sure if the twist is the best thing or the most random thing ever. This book was good, but I won’t read it again. It felt a little too slow burn for me and it felt like it took me ages to get through it.

Hank Philippi Ryan always delivers! Her psychological thrillers are always a treat to read and The House Guest certainly kept me on my toes until the very end.

This is a story of 2 women, Alyssa and Bree. They meet in a bar when they are both having a rough time of things. Alyssa takes pity on Bree and invites her to come stay in her guest house until she gets back on her feet. She is happy to help and could use the company after her husband left her, a move that she did not see coming. But both women have their secrets.

There is so much going on with this book… friendship, trust, love, money, lies, deceit, betrayal, and so much more. Thriller lovers will devour this one like I did.

A big thank you to Macmillan Tor for my advanced copy to read from a NetGalley. An absolute page turner