I could not put this book down! I really loved that the author took the time necessary to fully develop each character to make you believe that you know them and believe you know how it ends. I 100% did not see the ending coming AT ALL. I thought I knew exactly where it was going, and then BOOM, no I didnt.

Iris and Gabriel come home from vacation to find their good friend Iris having let herself into their house (she does have a key). She is distraught that her husband Pierre might have had an extramarital affair that resulted in a child. And the chaos ensues from there!

Laure's character definitely was annoying me from the very beginning, she was very off putting in that she didnt mind infringing on Iris and Gabriel's home life. The entire time I was reading I kept thinking...is she ever going to leave their home? Definitely took advantage of their hospitality! I also for some reason didnt fully trust Esme in her explanation of her relationship with Joseph, I wish the story had dove deeper into that side of the story but that would be my only complaint about this entire story.

I loved the writing style of this book, this is my first by this author and I am SO glad I read it. It is an easy 5 stars for me!

I am a huge fan of B.A. Paris and I was beyond excited to get an arc of this book. The book started out to be a very, very very very slow burn with lots of character development. It took me a bit to get into it, but once I got to 30% in I was hooked, there was no going back. I couldn't put it down, I had to order pizza for the family for dinner. B.A. is a master of twist and turns. The ending was everything! This was a fantastic book and I'd recommend it to anyone.

I love B.A. Paris and "Behind Closed Doors" was the book that set off my love of thrillers, so I was beyond thrilled when I got accepted for an ARC of her latest, "The Guest". Unfortunately, I didn't love it as I did her previous works. I definitely still enjoyed it and read it over the course of a long weekend, but it was a slow burn and I didn't really feel "into" the story until the 2nd half of the book. I will say, I was guessing until the very end which is a mark of a good thriller for me, but the character development was very long, drawn out and there were so many characters that even the proof had some errors in the epilogue. Overall, I'd still recommend to others who are fans of thrillers/B.A. Paris, as it was a quick read that left me guessing, but it was a slower burn than her usual.

Thank you St. Martins Press for the advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of The Guest. As usual B.A. Paris has written an intriguing thriller that keeps the reader wondering what is happening until the very end. I highly recommend this book to fans of this author.

First of all, thank you for the ARC! So for me, this book started off on the slower side. By the time I was about 30% in I was completely hooked. The twists in this left my jaw hanging open. The characters really get you invested in the story, making the twists all the more powerful.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press NetGalley and for this digital ARC copy.
I was very excited to read this book as I have read all of the author’s previous books and have always found them enjoyable. While this was not my favorite by her, it was a quick, dark, and twisty read. The story follows a couple, Gabriel and Iris, and the fallout when their friend Laure seeks solace and sanctuary in their home after her husband Pierre reveals to her that he has a child that resulted from an affair earlier in their marriage.
I can say that this book is definitely a slow burn and it took me a while to get in to it. The second half of the book flew by much more quickly and I can say I was guessing until the end.

I will absolutely read this book again once released!

The Guest
By: B. A. Paris

4 stars

Gabriel and Iris live a charmed life. A good marriage, a smart daughter they adore, and friends to vacation with. A tragedy and an unexpected house guest lead this couple on a crazy journey that will change them both forever.

I really enjoyed this story. It was written in a very gripping way. It had a very awesome thrill factor with twists and turns around every corner. The danger that was present was almost palpable from the pages. I feel that the epilogue held ALOT of information that answered the questions that I had. It also was a shock and not what I was expecting at all. It was a great end to a psychological thriller full of twists and turns in the form of lies, secrets, and betrayals.

Stormi Ellis

This book is definitely a slow burn. It’s not fast paced but the character development is fantastic! And I never expected the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my digital ARC copy.

This is my first read by B.A. Paris. I've heard a lot of good things so I was excited to see for myself. I was not disappointed. At first, I thought I would be and couldn't understand the hype about her other books. But then... oh my, now I understand the why! I can honestly say I did not see that coming.

While reading it, I thought well this is okay but I thought her books were full of suspense and jaw dropping moments. This seemed to just be a story about friendship and moving on from grief and loss. Which it kind of is, but ohhhh the secrets!! Lots of secrets! I want everyone to read this, all of it and I want to tell all of you, do not give up, just wait for it because it will come! Read every word of it because I guarantee you it has an ending you will not see coming. I'm going to go now, I need to pick my jaw up off the floor and go look for my next read by this author.

Thank you for the opportunity for the ARC of this book! Paris does it again with another twisty thriller. I thought I had it figured out… but with every turn of a page something darker happened. Marriage, love, gardens. Which has higher walls and more vines and thorns?

Iris and Gabrielle’s friend turns up at their flat with startling news. Can they help her in her time of despair? Gabrielle is dealing with his own dark shadows and Iris is holding everyone together. A story of friendship, marriage, secrets, lovers, with twists and turns I didn’t see coming.

#netgalley #vinesoflies #gardenofsecrets

I have read all of BA Paris’s books. She is a good writer and her stories are almost always quick reads to me. This one was a fairly middle of the road read for me. It wasn’t my favorite of hers, but I did enjoy seeing everything come together. It did have an interesting twist at the end that I wasn’t necessarily expecting. It’s probably worth reading if you enjoy reading mysteries, especially character driven stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advance copy on exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of B.A. Paris’ works, but I found this book was hard to get in to. The characters were unlikeable, and there were so many characters involved that I found it hard to follow.

The plot was slow and it didn’t really capture my attention, I’m sad to say that this one wasn’t for me, but others may find it more enjoyable!

This was an interesting story following the life of Iris and Gabriel, and sudden guest and long time friend, Laure. The longer Laure stays, the more tense the household becomes. Secrets from the past lure in the background of their lives.

Quickly after Laure comes into their lives, so do their neighbors Esme and Hugh, and their gardener, Joseph. While the days turn to weeks for Iris and her guest Laure, Gabriel struggles with haunting memories in his past.

While the book prologue was captivating, I had a hard time staying interested again until around the 50% point. I would say this is a slow burn at first but does pick up. I was fearful several of my questions would go unanswered, but the end was tied up nicely. I felt the "twists" throughout the book were somewhat predictable and a little undewhelming, but the ending was surprising to me.

This was a good read if you like a slow burn thriller, but if you are expecting mind-blowing, page turning twists, you may not love this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and  Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publish date February 20th, 2024

This is the classic tale of a houseguest who overstays their welcome - with a few added twists, of course! After a long trip, Iris and Gabriel return home to find their friend Laure has been living there. Laure found out that her husband, Pierre, had a child with another woman, and she left him, but had no place else to go.

For the first few days, the couple puts up with Laure moping around their house, eating their food, wearing Iris’s clothes, and generally being an annoying guest. As the arrangement turns into weeks, they are desperate to get her back to her husband. Laure needs to confront Pierre and decide her next steps, but that becomes difficult when nobody can reach Pierre.

This was a relatively generic, but still quite entertaining, mystery/thriller. There is a back story of a boy who died in front of Gabriel, and he is struggling with hearing the child’s final words. The book was probably a 3.5 star book for me most of the way through, then we got to the ending. The epilogue completely came out of nowhere and blew my mind! I had no idea that was coming, and that rounds this book up to four stars.

(Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, B.A. Paris, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on February 20, 2024.)

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advance copy. I've been a fan of B.A. Paris, as she always spins a good psychological thriller and looked forward to this. I found the plot was a little slow in getting started and the characters were not particularly likable. I did stick through it and was glad I did. The ending was totally unexpected and worth the wait!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. I absolutely enjoyed this book and the twists and turns that it took me through.
This story followed Iris, her husband Gabriel, her daughter Beth and their family friends Laure and Pierre through a summer of tragic circumstances and changes for them all.
Laure decides to move in with Iris and Gabriel for the summer and in so was beginning to wear out her welcome, following leaving her husband. Laure begins taking liberties around the home; wearing Iris’s clothes even rearranging the kitchen, when enough becomes enough Iris and Gabriel try to get Laure to reconsider leaving her husband when some new neighbors enter the frame.
Hugh, Esme and Joseph seem like the nicest new neighbors, always welcoming and ready to lend a hand in the garden, but there is more there than what can be seen. Through the summer more and more secrets come to light and actions have to be taken to keep them safe. This novel by B.A. Paris is a wild ride through one summer that would never be forgotten. I highly recommend this thriller to anyone who loves to be kept guessing and enjoys staying on the edge of their seat.

3.5 Stars. I really enjoyed the story line and thought it rather creative. I guessed a few outcomes throughout the book, but the ending was a surprise.
A suspense filled family and friend drama.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The Guest is ultimately about the relationships of three couples, one couple’s daughter, and a gardener. Except, of course, there’s more. Secrets, deaths, unreliable characters…the typical mystery ingredients.

I found The Guest difficult to get into and slow to start. I also didn’t particularly like any character. I found Gabriel irritating and depressing, Iris helpless, Joseph vile and immature, and Laure infuriating and annoying. I still can’t see where Hugh and Esme fit in, other than to “introduce” Joseph. Moreover, adding Beth as a character was superfluous, and could have been kept as the abstract idea of the daughter, rather than another character to follow who didn’t add much value other than the abstract concept. Ultimately, B.A. Paris tried to sew together too many plot lines and interrelationships to these characters. Instead of making them intricate connections, it made each more unbelievable.

Overall, an okay read, despite the unlikeable characters and peripheral plot lines. Though cliché and in this case predictable, I liked how the epilogue tied it all together.

⭐️⭐️💫 rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The author takes the reader on a wild ride with this story about love family and deception. When I is friend Laurie comes to stay with Iris and her family after she claims she just found out her husband has a child. As Laure stays she insinuates herself in Iris's life.

But layer by layer the author reveals more about each character, and the suspicious gardener, Joseph. While all this unfolds, Gabriel is still dealing with the death of a young boy he found on the road and the message he asked him to deliver to his mother.

As the story unfolds readers will discover each character has secrets they don’t want revealed. And if they’re exposed it could be deadly.


This story is a slow burn. Little by little facts are revealed. Until the climactic ending when shocking truths are revealed. My head was spinning at the end. I did not see that coming!

The guest

Fast paced twisty psychology thriller that keeps you guessing right up until the end!

B.A Paris has such an amazing writing style that is easy to read because it just flows well.

When you arrive home to a friend being in your house because of a secret her husband is keeping the only thing you can do is be supportive to that friend. This is what Iris and her Husband Gabriel do even though Gabriel is struggling with a secret he’s kept from Iris since Charlie Ingrid’s accident. So many lies and secrets in this book make you not want to put it down because you keep guessing. Every chapter from about 40% on was a gripping twisty ride.

I loved this book and will recommend to people who love a bit of mystery and thinking outside the box.

Thank you so much to B.A Paris, St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.