While I'm a big B.A. Paris fan this wasn't a favorite for me. I do enjoy a good slow burn now and then, but this was a little too slow for me. It wasn't a bad book by any means, just a little slow for me. Still enjoyed the overall plot though.

Fun and fast paced thriller! Made for a quick read and would recommend for anyone looking for a fun mystery to read on a road trip (like me!).

I enjoyed the mystery and twists throughout. In this case I actually really enjoyed the final epilogue twist - not all books can pull that off!

Unfortunately, this book was not my favorite. I am bummed, because this was my first book from the author, and I had heard great things. This one definitely missed the mark for me, but I will give more chances with other books.

BA Paris is well known to this reader as I've read many of her titles. Classified as a mystery/thriller, THE GUEST features many elements of drama and women's fiction as the characters are developed and their attitudes and opinions add to the overall story. It reads as an episode of the television series Dallas or Falcon's Crest with every character hiding behind an assigned place in the story but having designs on each other's life and ultimately ready to pull down the whole show. Instead of "Who shot JR?" the plot is "When will they kick Laure to the curb?"

Many of the reviews I read were disappointed that there was not more THRILL in the thriller but this was a very good soap opera that would make an excellent series. The characters were a mix of good today, who knows about tomorrow, that I found entertaining and it kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. Lots of mixed messages and clues designed to identify the villians. Good read all around.

B.A. Paris did not disappoint in this book! I could not put this book down! It had me on the edge of my seat and I read it in one sitting! I would definitely recommend this book.

This book was a slow building psychological thriller and it took me a little while to get into it while author Paris was laying the groundwork. A tragic accident, a missing person and lots of shady characters with secrets- all the makings of a good mystery but it just wasn't a page turner. Minus points for the pacing and somewhat repetitive chapters in the first half. This book had me feeling like 'oh this is it?' right before it slammed me into a brick wall with the shocking last chapters. So, all in all, a great ending but the ride there wasn't the most interesting. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an earc in exchange for my honest review,

This story dragged a little for me. I'm glad I received it as an ARC, but i had a hard time staying interested in the characters and their unwanted houseguest. The ending seemed to come out of nowhere. I'm going to check out other books from this author hoping this one was a fluke.

When Iris returns home with her husband to find their good friend Laure is living in their house they are surprised. They soon find out that Laure and her husband are having marital problems and Laures husband. Pierre, has some secrets. Not long after coming home a new neighbor moves in bringing with them a suspicious landscaper. As the days go on there are many internal battles within each family and they start to run into everyones lives. And then things take a ugly turn and two people end up dead.

This was a fantastic book that kept me jumping for more! It was one of those books that you never wanted to put down. I was reading well into the midnight hours just to finish and find out what exactly happened. BA Paris does a fantastic thing in her books that makes it so you never know what the next page is going to hold. This holds true even more for this novel! Highly recommend!!

While I have really enjoyed other books from this author, this one in particular was not for me. Or, let me rephrase. It wasn't for me, right now. I'm very much a mood reader and I struggled to really get into this story. I didn't feel especially connected to the characters, which left me feeling disconnected from their outcome. All that being said, the twist at the end really did get me, and I devoured the last 40 pages.

Another BA Paris psychological thrillers of sorts. I like this one way more than previous release.
A well weaved plot with shocking twists. The ‘coincidences’ that pile up.
This is worth a read if you’re looking for a twisty, tense plot. BA Paris rarely disappoints!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

When Iris and Gabriel welcome their friend, Laure as a houseguest they assume it will be temporary. After all, Laure and her husband, Pierre should be able to work out their problems. Then there is Gabriel's recent trauma of witnessing the tragic death of a young boy in the community. It still haunts him that he wasn't fully honest with the boy's last words. Meanwhile, Iris makes friends with new neighbours, Hugh and Esme and employs their gardener, Joseph to help Gabriel with his walled garden. It soon becomes apparent that none of these characters are what they seem.

This was the perfect domestic thriller to curl up with this weekend. The prologue had me hooked and the epilogue left me with a lot of anxiety. Future readers will find that B.A. Paris creates an atmosphere of second-guessing and twists, I was so confident that I knew what the big revelations would be, but there was no way I could have guessed it all.

B.A. Paris has another absolute hit on their hands!


Publication Date: 20/02/24
Goodreads Review 17/03/24

HOLY SECRETS! 😱

Never thought B.A. Paris would be able to top Behind Closed Doors but I was wrong. The Guest is officially my new favorite by her. 😍

I’m usually not a fan of slow burns but this one sucked me in and swallowed me whole. Reading this one felt like I got hit upside the head with a 2x4 and completely blindsided by the twist! 🫨😵‍💫🤯

So freaking good for my fellow thriller lovers!!
👏🏼

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a free ARC from MetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This plot moved a little slow but when it finally picked up speed, it was so good. There was an amazing twist I didn’t see coming. The characters were well developed. A good read!

As always, this is a home run. She's an auto buy and go to author for me. Loved it! Thank you Net Galley for this advanced copy

I have always loved this authors books but this one didn't appeal to me! It seemed all,over the place with characters that didn't add to the,story!
I will continue to read her books and look forward to the,next!

I seriously love how BA Paris writes these stories of these super mundane lives and then twist them to become absolutely diabolical!

The epilogue was insane! When I want a twisty ending, that is what I mean.

Getting into the story may have taken a little longer than I would have liked. Also there is no way to figure out the ending with clues until you get the end where everything just unfolds.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for this ARC!

As an avid follower of Paris's work, I couldn't wait to dive into this latest release, and it did not disappoint.

Iris and Gabriel's life takes a sharp turn when they return from vacation to discover their friend Laure occupying their home, their bed, and even wearing Iris's clothes. Laure’s abrupt arrival is triggered by her husband Pierre’s confession of an affair and a secret child. Will she ever leave?

As the story unfolds, Paris weaves together a web of deceit, introducing new characters and subplots, including intriguing new friends and a hot gardener. Now HERE is where it gets interesting! What could these new characters possibly have to do with Laure and Pierre’s drama? Oh, maybe they just add a little more edge and keep you questioning what on earth is happening in this book I am reading!?

With each chapter, the tension escalates. What I appreciated most about "The Guest" is its ability to surprise me at the very end. How well do we really know our friends?

This book is for anyone who likes a good friendship/domestic drama/thriller/mystery vibe.

Thanks to the St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Absolutely chilling page turner! I think this is my favorite suspense book I’ve read in months. I did NOT guess any of the twists and turns and my brain was going a million miles an hour the whole time I was reading. Reminded me why I loved the other BA Paris books I’ve read.

Iris and her husband Gabriel are just coming back from a getaway a few months after Gabriel found a young man who had fallen into the quarry near his running trail and was unable to save his life. Gabriel is a surgeon and Iris thinks he has distanced himself from her because of his guilt at not being able to save him. Gabriel has been hiding the truth from his wife. Charlie's final words are what Gabriel has lied about and he can't figure out what he should do. When they arrive home, someone is in their house. It turns out to be their very good friend Laure who has gotten shocking news from her husband Pierre and needs time away from him. Iris and Gabriel are trying to navigate how to be there for their friend in her time of need while they also figure out their own problems.

I thought I knew where this book was heading but I couldn't have been more wrong. Such a fantastic thrill ride! I could not put this book down! There were so many layers to each character's story and then hairpin twists that all came out of nowhere. Absolutely fantastic!!

My introduction to B.A. Paris was "Behind Closed Doors," and I could not put it down. That pattern has continued with each subsequent novel she puts out into the world - she's become one of the authors whose releases I impatiently await - and "The Guest" was no exception. It is a characteristic slow burn of a mystery, with untrustworthy characters abounding (some of them are actually just plain annoying, honestly, but that is likely part of the point); the journey to the truth is meandering, often doubling back on itself and causing the reader to second-guess any conclusions they might be drawing, but at its moment of denoument, it is a cannonball unapologetically rocketing into the reader at full-force. In some ways, everything feels too neatly wrapped up by the last dozen or so pages, when the rest of the book has tiptoed - almost playfully, like a cat batting around a mouse - towards the big reveals of the truth; side-plotlines, too, are wrapped up succinctly and cleanly, and in ways only somewhat satisfying. Overall, though, this is a solid entry in Paris' catalogue of work, and while it isn't the strongest of them, it's still a great read.