Well this one was quite the ride! The Guest kept me on my toes and was full of twists and turns! There was major whodunnit vibes and loads of drama. The ending completely rocked me, THAT EPILOGUE! WOW! BA Paris does it again!

This was a wild ride and I did not see some of those twists coming! I am not sure how I would deal with a friend that just let themselves into my house, used my stuff, and basically didn't leave for over a month! In addition to fucking up my business. I would definitely not have been nearly as calm and understanding as Iris! I also just knew that gardener was doing to turn out to be a bag of dicks...but Iris did what she needed to do to keep her daughter safe in the end!

3.5 stars

B.A. Paris’ domestic suspense novels are like a comforting, familiar sweater you can reach for when craving an easy yet thrilling read. She weaves suspenseful stories that are effortless to delve into, providing entertainment without demanding too much from the reader. I prefer to listen to her books, finding that even when my mind wanders, I don't miss much, making it easy to stay engaged with the story. It's almost like having a suspenseful soundtrack accompanying my daily activities, ensuring I never miss a beat, even when my mind takes a detour.

The guest trope might have you thinking you've heard it all before, but Paris doesn't stop there. She throws in unexpected twists adding a fresh spin to the trope. The pacing has some ups and downs, much like a witch's broomstick ride with a few twists and turns, to make the ride thrilling.

The characters may not be the most likable bunch and lack depth in their motivation and actions. However, their web of secrets and lies was engaging enough to draw me into the narrative.

That final twist is unexpected in so many ways and I don't think anyone will see that coming. But to be honest I am not sure it was all that rewarding after all the suspense but I was entertained.

This one is hard for me to review because I did enjoy the mystery and all the different ways the story unfolded, but it was very much a domestic story, and I am very much bored with that type of story. I would recommend it to people who do enjoy domestic dramas but if you're not a big fan of that type of story, just know this book is very much exploring a marital relationship and the issues they have.

This book started out really great. I enjoyed the premise and was curious to find out more about what the mystery and plot was going to be. However, most of this book was very focused on unlikable characters, their daily lives and thoughts, and inability to communicate effectively with one another. I like a slow burn, but this was too slow. The plot never really thickened, and by the time I got to the absolutely ridiculous epilogue I was pretty annoyed that I had spent time reading this just to learn that nothing you knew was actually true. Felt like a lazy way to end a boring book to try and give it some interest. I did enjoy the writing and the quick chapters, and the town/house was very well developed so you got a nice sense of atmosphere.

The Guest was a bingeable mystery that had me wondering how all of these loose ends were going to come together.
When Iris and Gabriel return home from a trip to find their friend, Laure, in their house after leaving her husband, a lot of questions and tension arise. The Guest slowly peels back the layers of secrets and mystery surrounding all of the characters in a way that was having me wondering how it was all going to come together by the end. When I reached the epilogue, I was happy to see how everything came together but also felt a bit that the tone change to first person and all explanations to be a jarring change of pace from the rest of the story. Overall, I found this to be entertaining and kept you on your toes until the very end.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. I didn’t care about the characters and the ending wasn’t good.

I started to read this novel, but actually listened to an audio version of this ARC for the majority of the story! This was a very well written story, that had me guessing until the end. I often enjoy reading books from B.A. Paris, and “The Guest” was no exception. I look forward to the next book from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

Happy Sunday book friends! It’s been so long since I’ve posted. Life and work has been insanely busy lately but I’ve still been reading - just not posting 🥹

BUT I couldn’t skip posting about BA Paris’ latest release The Guest. While I was traveling for work, I binged this on the plane. It was full of twists and I didn’t see all of them coming as usual with this author’s books.

Iris and Gabriel have a set of close friends who they house swap with when either couple is out of town. Laure and Pierre live in Paris but Iris and Gabriel find Laure at their house when they return early from vacation. Laure says Pierre has revealed he’s had an affair and has a child with someone else. Things get tense when Laure doesn’t seem to have any intentions of going back. Iris meets a new couple in town and they become fast friends. The new couple have a gardener who starts to help Gabriel with the yard and they realize he has a troubling past.

This for me was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read - it got a little wild but I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to @netgalley , the author & @stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This title is out now. Also flip to the 2nd picture to see what was going on while I tried to take this picture 😅

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The Guest"s opening scenes bring the drama. When Iris and Gabriel return a day early from holiday, they surprise their friend Laure, who has made herself at home in their own bed during their absence. She tells them she has left her husband, Pierre, who also happens to be Gabriel's best friend, and wants to stay with them while she re-evaluates her marriage. Pierre has found out that he fathered a child in the past, and because of this, is reexamining his marriage.

Laure is just about the most obnoxious house guest ever, and it's hard to understand how rather emotionally cold Iris puts up with it. To add intrigue, with shades of Lady Chatterley's Lover vibes, the gardener in the village has all the women in this story in various stages of excitement.

There is a lot of intrigue and peeling back the layers to get to the truth in this story. The story kept me engaged, but I found all the characters extremely unlikable. I did guess the ending well before it came, but it was presented in a satisfying manner.

I would rate this a 3.5 read.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

B. A. Paris is an amazing author. The twists and turns in this thriller makes it quite the page turner. You will be hooked from the start.

I was entertained by the book. I didn't see the final twists. It felt over the top and too much happened.

I always love Paris' stuff and when I saw they had a new book available I immediately requested it.

I am happy to say this one did not disappoint and Paris once again hit it out of the park! Highly recommend this one and I eagerly await their next book.

First off a big thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press as well as to the author B.A.Paris and NetGalley for letting me read and review The Guest . This one I read as a buddy read with 2 friends and I'm so glad I did, because I actually enjoyed this one way more then I did The Dilemma , while this one is a liked and not a all time favorite , there was just something about is one that remind me why I love read this author's books so much and why these ones became my all time favorite ones : The Breakdown, Bring Me Back,and The Therapist. I still need to read The Prisoner ( which will be on April's TBR ) and need to get a copy of Behind Close Doors to read . I will however that her writing style and the way she tells a story and how they aways keep you on your toes is the main reason I love her books, because you can never guess what going to happen next. And in this one she didn't let you down , yes it is a slow pace but that helps with the build up of the story as well as the characters themselves.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC! I am very grateful and happy to explore everything this author will write in the future as well!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for sending along a copy of THE GUEST. This one is out now.

I really love B.A. Paris, but this one didn't work for me. While I was super intrigued and wholly invested in this book, the ending ruined the whole thing for me. If I could have thrown my kindle across the room, I would have. This is just a trope that isn't for me and I should have done more research before reading.

I’ve read a few books by this author, but unfortunately this one didn’t really work for me. To me it felt like the characters were just revealing everything through their dialogue, rather than having clues/twists revealed in a fun way. I thought it was a super quick read with very short chapters (except the epilogue IYKYK😂). The epilogue did raise my rating a little!

I still have a few books from this author’s backlist that I want to tackle and I will continue reading her future books.

I am a BA Paris super fan and this one did not disappoint. I was drawn in from the second chapter or so and couldn’t put it down. I wish I would have started it sooner!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for gifting me an advance copy of this book. I am a hug fan of B.A. Paris’ books, so I was thrilled to get my hands on this! After Iris and Gabriel arrive home from vacation, one of their friends, Laure, is living in their home. The whole situation becomes a little bizarre when Laure tells the couple that she has separated from her husband (and Iris and Gabriel’s good friend) Pierre. When Gabriel can’t contact Pierre, things become even more bizarre… Would recommend this book, it kept me on my toes until the very end!

I wanted to give this book a chance, I was thinking, maybe 4th time's the ticket for liking B.A. Paris - but this was not it. This book reminded me why I don't like her stories.

It was predictable and I thought the writing was poorly done (as is my own).

I could not give two s**ts about the characters and what happened to them.