Very engaging! I had a hard time keeping up with the characters but the ending was perfect! BA Paris is back!

I really loved the prologue of this book that foreshadowed the events that occurred at the end - without it, this probably would've been a DNF for me.

The "mystery/thriller" part of this novel didn't really start until about halfway through the book and there was a lot of hinting that something might happen.

The twist at the end was a fun add, and I loved that the epilogue was long enough to explain it.

I struggled to make it through this one simply due to the overly involved friend trope. It was obvious the entire time that Laure was hiding something and that something was off about the situation she described with her husband. The ending did shock me but didn’t impact my overall rating.

DNF @40%. This book was terrible and I couldn’t even finish it. I normally love books by B.A. Paris but I just couldn’t get into this one. It is so slow and I didn’t find it very interesting.

BA Paris has been one of my favorite writers since I read her debut novel, Behind Closed Doors. I’ve enjoyed her books and The Guest was no exception.

I loved the short chapters as it made me feel like I was reading much faster than I do. I wouldn’t call this a thriller even though it does have some thriller aspects. To me, it was more a character study, which I love. But I will say I never saw the ending coming. Maybe a bit unbelievable, but it kept me turning the pages.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for my e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this one! It has a great twist and kept me on the edge on my seat. Just like this authors priors it was dark and engrossing.

An engaging read that I thoroughly enjoyed! I adore B. A. Paris and this latest book is one of the best! Highly recommend and will purchase several physical and digital copies for library collections. Thank you!!

This book had me guessing lots. Suspecting I was seeing the twist, to reveal another. My favourite read.

I did find it to be a bit drawn out at points so not a solid 5 ⭐️ for me.

"The Guest" by B.A. Paris is an electrifying rollercoaster of suspense that will leave you breathless until the very last page. From the moment Iris and Gabriel return home to find their friend Laure taking refuge in their house, the tension is palpable and the stakes are high.

Paris expertly weaves together a complex web of relationships, secrets, and betrayals that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Laure's unexpected presence sets off a chain reaction of events that force Iris and Gabriel to confront uncomfortable truths about their own lives and those of the people closest to them.

What makes "The Guest" truly captivating is the way Paris delves into the depths of human nature, exploring themes of loyalty, forgiveness, and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love. As the layers of deception are peeled back, the characters are forced to confront the consequences of their actions, leading to shocking revelations that will leave readers reeling.

With its gripping plot twists and expertly drawn characters, "The Guest" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. Paris proves once again why she is a master of the gene, delivering a pulse-pounding story that will keep you guessing until the very end.

I ended up listening to the audiobook, and it was wonderful. I think it helped keep all of the characters straight for me due to their different accents. I was definitely entertained throughout this story and was kept guessing until the very end!

This was a fun and entertaining read. I wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters, which was probably the author's intent. I found them irritating. Yet, it was hard to step away from this one. I couldn't tell where this story was going, but I was pleasantly surprised. There is a big twist that was completely unexpected. Over the top? Slightly, but it was still good and unpredictable! And that epilogue?! EPIC!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I ate this shit up. Wow talk about toxic characters. This book ended up being a wild ride and I loved how fast the pacing was for the reader.

This was a pretty good read from B.A. Paris. I was underwhelmed at first- the plot line seemed to drag on- but the twist at the end was solid.

This book left me on my toes and guessing til the very end I loved it I did not see the twist coming

I found this book and it’s characters incredibly entertaining. The short chapters made it so easy to keep saying “just one more chapter” and I ended up flying through the book. It was so easy to slip into the story and get taken away into Iris, Gabriel, Laure, and Pierre’s world. This would make for a perfect vacation or summer weekend read.

2.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and B.A. Paris for my #gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was … uneventful. God I had such high hopes, I wanted a thriller that shocked me and kept me on my toes, but this one just … wasn’t that. I enjoyed the writing style and the flow of the short chapters, but the plot was severely lacking.

The characters weren’t all that developed and honestly didn’t have much personality besides being kind of miserable and in their own little worlds. I kept waiting for something to happen, but they kept just living their little suburban lives until the bitter end. Joseph’s storyline felt entirely unnecessary and so the reveal of the prologue at the end was anticlimactic and had me staring at a wall like “Really, this is what we were waiting for??.” It wasn’t until the epilogue that anything interesting happened. It felt like the entire story was told in the epilogue - it was wrapped up so quickly but felt anticlimactic because the rest of the story didn’t have me on edge waiting for the reveal. If there had been some reveals of twists in the main chapters of the story I think I may have been more interested.

Unfortunately, this book was too much of a slow burn with not enough action for me, but if you like slow-burn domestic mysteries, this could be for you!

Thank you so much for this ARC! I am a forever fan of B.A. Paris - nothing beats Behind Closed Doors for me it, is truly a perfect example of domestic suspense.

I was having trouble getting into this one while reading so I decided to listen on audio. A very enjoyable story. Was so curious about Laure and Pierre and I made up so many possibilities in my head while listening. Esme was also a mystery to me and I thought something was fishy. I was definitely not prepared for the ending! A very satisfying epilogue!

The story is more a of a slow burn but it absolutely held my interest. Just enough drama to keep me intrigued until the shocking end.

Although I've enjoyed B.A. Paris' previous books, this one fell a little short for me. The story meanders along at a slow pace, and there is no indication of the ending that is thrown at you - in which one of the main characters, who you wouldn't suspect in the least throughout the entire book, suddenly does a 360 when she begins to tell her story. It was like reading 2 different books - the first long drawn-out story and then a quick totally different offshoot of a different story. I did become invested in the story and did want to see the outcome. Overall, a 3 star rating for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Would recommend for fans of…
🏠 The Wife Between Us
🏠 The Soulmate

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with B.A. Paris. I really enjoyed her early works but her last few have not been my cup of tea. And while her latest, The Guest, wasn’t a runaway hit for me, I think it would be the perfect beach read for many people this summer.

The Guest has a lot in common with your typical domestic suspense novel — a marriage is on the rocks and as more stressors are introduced, things begin to unravel.

I really appreciated how Paris created enough characters and motives to keep the reader guessing. However, with so many characters and so many events, the story and mystery got a little bogged down by seemingly inconsequential action. I also didn’t love the ending. I won’t say much to avoid spoilers, but if you’ve read this, I’d love to discuss!

The Guest is out now. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a few of B.A Paris' books & I'm a big fan of her writing. It's very easy to get into & follow along. Compared to some of her other books that’s I’ve read, I wasn’t as invested in this one. I had a hard time keeping up with the characters at the beginning & didn’t feel connected to any of them, I got weird vibes from all of them right away & when people started dying, I was suspicious of everyone. At times it felt like it was dragging on & the characters were all starting to annoy me (especially Laure). I was waiting to get more into the mystery part of it. Around 50% things really started to pick up & right away I was more interested in the story. I love unexpected twists in thrillers & the ending really shocked me so I really enjoyed that part. Although this wasn’t the most “thrilling” book of hers for me, I did really enjoy it overall. I’m always excited to read more of her books! Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!