I had such a hard time getting in to this book. I kind of thought it was because I didn’t like the narration of the audiobook, but the more I thought about it the more I realized it wasn’t. The book was all over the place and had so much going on it was hard to follow at times. It honestly did not get good and mind blowing until the epilogue!!! My jaw was on the floor with the twist in the epilogue, but there was no reason for it to take that long to get good.

BA Paris always knocks it out of the ball park! Fabulous characters, twisty plot line. Highly recommend for anyone who loves thrillers.

B.A. Paris does it again. This book like her others had me captivated to the end. I had no idea what the next twist was going to be. I was literally shocked by the turn of events in the last chapter.

Quick read. Highly recommend.

The characters in this book deal with all kinds of issues: depression, distance in a marriage, learning a partner has a secret child, loneliness, and lack of boundaries to name a few. Iris and Gabriel want to help Laure, but she soon outstays her welcome. She makes herself a little too much at home. Iris and Gabriel want to help but they also want her out but feel bad so don't ask her to leave. It sucks when one feels uncomfortable in their own home. I thought the author did a great job showing their annoyance and discomfort with their guest.

I meant to read this a while ago. This book was okay. I listened to this book. I thought some of the characters got boring. I didn't believe everything that the characters did.

I didn't like the ending too much. I would agree it was slow and a light read.

I did enjoy the twist ending in this story- it took me by surprise. But I struggled getting there. It felt like it dragged on a lot, and I really almost DNF multiple times. I’ve read B.A Paris work before and enjoyed it so maybe this one was just a miss for me.

I will always pick up a BA Paris book and have not been disappointed yet. This one is no exception. I really enjoyed this one

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can always appreciate a B.A. Paris novel. They always hold my interest immediately and are good palate cleanser books that get you over that hump. Make sure you read the epilogue!

This was probably the most tame plot I've read by BA Paris. It was a long wait to get the plot fully moving but I definitely didn't see the ending coming.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for this review.
Good, but not great nor one of my favorites from B.A. Paris. I enjoyed the second half of the story more than the first. I wasn’t quite sure what direction this story was heading in at first, and it definitely took a few unexpected turns! The epilogue completely caught me off guard—I didn’t see any of it coming. Overall, the story unfolded in a really engaging way. I’d definitely recommend giving it a read, especially for those who enjoy surprising twists.

Uninvited guest that keeps you guessing. I found this one to keep me interested but it was a bit too unbelievable to me. Still had a good time reading it.

A suspenseful psychological thriller about dark secrets and dangerous neighbors. Fast-paced, tense, and highly bingeable.

Unfortunately this was not a favorite, it wasn't exciting and not my cup of tea but I'm open to reading more from this author.

Really enjoyed the overall story. I was pretty hooked, but the pacing was tough at times due to the characters talking/ monologuing. I had a hard time enjoying the characters. They just were not likeable for me.
I loved the short chapters, I think that was the biggest pro to this book in regards to pacing.
The ending had a good wow factor that I always enjoy as well - really redeemed a lot of the annoyances I had with the characters.

Story overall was really decent. The drama kept me hooked - I needed to keep reading.
It was the characters in this one that fell short for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review *

Iris and Gabriel have an unexpected and frankly unwanted houseguest. Laure is a friend so they try to look past all the chaos she brings with her after her split from her husband. But things just aren't adding up and Iris decides to do some investigating. This book is full of twists and turns! I loved this book!

“The Guest” by B.A. Paris is a psychological thriller about Iris and Gabriel, whose lives unravel when their friend Laure moves in after a personal crisis. As tensions rise with Laure’s erratic behavior, new neighbors, and a suspicious gardener, buried secrets surface, turning their home into a web of deception and suspense.

Highlights:
- The beginning of this story drops you right into the action with our houseguest making an early appearance, and as time goes on, things just get more and more…weird. You know something is off but can’t put your finger on it.
- Stick with it for the suspense leading up to some pretty good twists.
- Psychological thriller elements are there but a bit muted, but for me this wasn’t a huge deal. I kept wanting to find out what was going to happen with Laure, and beyond.

What Could Be Better:
- This took a while to get into beyond the opening for me, but this could be personal preference.
- There was some general repetition which didn’t make sense to me until the very end, but at the moment felt a bit much. Lots of going back and forth between houses and gardens.

In summary: if you like psychological thrillers, this one may be a good one to pick up - stick with it till the end for the good plot twist. Esme may have been my favorite character?

I make sure to look for BA Paris’ latest books. While this one was not my favorite of hers, it was still a good read. There were several twists throughout it to keep the interest of readers and picked up quite a bit towards the middle of the book. There were some repetitive areas of the book but overall it was an entertaining read.

I was slightly disappointed in this read as I really enjoyed B.A Paris’s previous mysteries. This felt a bit bland for the authors usual style.

B.A. Paris is one of my favorite authors. The Guest was truly an amazing book. I found myself getting angry with a few of the characters. Paris does an amazing job eliciting emotion from the reader. Although I truly enjoyed the book, I'll admit I did find parts of the book to be predictable. However, I will say Paris does a great job building anticipation early on in the book. I would recommend the book regardless of the predictability. If you enjoy suspenseful books, grab a copy of The Guest.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free ARC to read and review.

Overall, this story felt more like a domestic drama than a thriller, a day to day experience of Gabriel and Iris’s married life, one that seemed to have slowly fizzled out. Except, when they return from holiday, they find their good friend Laure upset with her husband, Pierre. He has just revealed that he has a child from an affair that occurred years ago. This story was filled with secrets that each person was keeping from others. Iris also befriends a neighbor who has a sketchy gardener with secrets of his own, and all throughout the book, people die. It can’t be coincidence, so which secret is the biggest and who has the most to lose?