Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for the digital arc.

This story is a slow-burn mystery with drama and twisty friendship dynamics. What prevented this story from getting a high rating was the ending. We get the entire story of what actually happened in the epilogue. This made me realize that I am not a fan of this. I love twisty endings that have hints and red herrings throughout the story, but this one did not have that. It was the opposite of what happened, and I cannot rate it any higher than 2.5 stars.

Not my favorite book for sure. There were a lot of loose ends that weren’t tired up in the end. It was a very light and quick read but I like books that get a little deeper.

I went into this one blindly. I tried really hard not reading any reviews because Behind Closed Doors was such a solid read. The Guest didn't disappoint! Talk about someone over staying their welcome! I was getting so frustrated! haha. Overall, great thriller with a lot of twists and turns!

Thank you NetGalley and B. A. Paris for an ARC copy of this page-turning thriller!

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ [ 4 Stars ]

— “It seemed to Gabriel that roots=, like lies, were insidious” (The Guest, pg. 82)


[ Spoilers ahead...duh ]


— Okay, I have SO many thoughts, and not all of them are so great. I think the premise of this book was really good, and this having been the second B. A. Paris book I've read (Bring Me Back being the first), I had high hopes for this. I was expecting twists and turns I didn't really see coming. and was expecting to pretend like I knew what was happening, and for all of that to be a lie.

And unfortunately, being right did not bode well for me, especially a second time. I am all for mysterious twists and characters coming clean, but when the entire plot of the story is laid out action by action in an epilogue - that is also first person which derives from the rest of the entire book being in third person - there's something about it that grinds my gears. Like yes, were the signs there? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I am not a thorough of a reader as I'd like to think I am sometimes playing detective, but Paris does this thing where she fools you ...and it doesn't feel good. It feels dubious, like the entire thing I just read was a lie. Especially when they bring up the tropes of alcoholism and mental illness. I am thinking of Bring Me Back as well when I say it, and it seems to be a common thread in Paris' writing.

That being said, I think the premise and what was happening kept me reading. I really liked Iris and Gabriel, and glad we got to see the story from both of their shoulders, but I wish we had gotten more hints from Iris. Again, I go back to saying it felt blindsiding, and not in a good way.

And also, Laure was so fucking annoying. Like borderline I almost was skimming some of the scenes with her annoying cause she made my eye twitch. And that goes to show the depth and style that Paris holds in their writing and characterization, but I wish they would stray from the one note female character isn't all what they seem, with the entire thing being unraveled in an easily skippable epilogue that does not tie in to the other 275 pages we read. But overall, it kept me (semi) engaged, and I think despite its flaws, its a nail-biting tale that you really feel gossipy about in wanting to know every little detail about everyone.

This is definitely a case of wearing out your welcome. Iris and Gabriel come home to finding a friend Laure in their home. She doesn't want to leave either.
A lot of twists and turns.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and the NetGalley for the ARC.

An interesting story, with lots of possibilities for the who, where & why … the ending a slow burn. I found the beginning of the book a little slow, that picked up in the middle, and a fantastic twist of an ending (although looking back there were signs throughout that I didn’t catch). I liked the multi-person POV, however I didn’t like that they were not “announced” and I never quite knew who was narrating until a few sentences into the chapter. I found most of the characters annoying, which I feel was intended, and it pushed the story forward wondering which secrets belonged to who, and what was still hidden. Overall a good read.

I loved the guest by BA Paris. Behind closed doors is hard to beat for me but this was a close second for me!

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my honest review.*

Iris and Gabriel have just returned from holiday and found Laure has taken up residence in their bed. As shocking as this seems to the reader, it is explained that Laure is a long time family friend who has had access to their home in the past while they are on vacation as they have had access to Laure's and her husband Pierre's home in Paris. But wow! Laure has had news of Pierre's one night stand from years past that resulted in a child that she was unaware of. And Iris and Gabriel can't kick Laure out of their house while she is in crisis, right?

Laure seems to be very overbearing and low-key obnoxious with wearing Iris's clothes and rearranging the kitchen without asking among other things. I won't lie that as a reader it gets a little irritating how much Iris and Gabriel let Laure get away with. I feel like everything at the beginning of the story pays off quite well.

As mentioned above, the first part of the story drags a tad, but sets up the rest of the story. At the end, I couldn't put it down and couldn't read fast enough! Paris writes a great twisty story with surprises.

Review: The Guest by B.A. Paris
⭐️⭐️⭐️

As usual, especially with thrillers, I went in to this knowing nothing… absolutely nothing. That normally works out for me because I’m intrigued enough by knowing zero about the book to propel me forward.

That wasn’t exactly what happened here. I found the first half, if not a bit more, very boring. It seemed repetitive and like the story wasn’t going to go anywhere, and I couldn’t figure out how this could end having thrilled me. I also couldn’t have cared any less about all the characters.

The ending of the book really turned it up a bit, and I did end up not being able to put it down. There are a lot of subtle hints throughout the book about what’s happening and what I did like was that the ending was thoroughly fleshed out and explain, every detail added up at the end.

I was a bit surprised by a few things, I wasn’t shellshocked and, in my opinion, it wasn’t mind blowing. The author definitely tries their best to distract from what’s really going on. I think someone who doesn’t read a lot of thrillers or is not one who normally guesses what’s going on will love this book.

Thank you @stmartinspress for the review copy!

(This will be shared on my IG at 9am MST on March 13)

The ending saved this book that is otherwise a quite tedious domestic drama with a ton of characters than don't have a lot of character (pun intended!). The writing is basic -"he did this, she did that" - which is acceptable for a thriller but nothing to be thrilled about. The pacing was slow and I found myself disengaging throughout. I still wanted to see the story to its end, and it surprised me in a good way.

This could have been a decent thriller, however the execution fell short for me. If you like domestic dramas with the suburban setting and don't mind slow pacing, this book may be for you.

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.

The Guest by B.A. Paris was quite the book. This book was a rollercoaster of who did it with plenty of twists and turns.

The read was so much fun, there were a lot interesting characters and I was enjoying trying to figure out who did it. There were quite a few characters but it was easy to keep up. I’m normally good at figuring out ending but this was like wow.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

The Guest had me constantly guessing and trying to figure out who was the murderer in the story. Every time the clues pointed to one person, something would happen which would change my opinion. I did enjoy how the mystery was all wrapped up in a neat little package at the end. A speedy read I enjoyed until the end.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC copy of the guest. I really love B.A. Paris and was excited to read The Guest. This book was a slow burn for me but I found the dual POV interesting and how it all wrapped up paid off. Check out The Guest today!

Just finished “The Guest” by B. A. Paris. The characters immediately drew me and I was dying to know more about Iris and Gabriel Pelley, their daughter Beth, and married couple Laure and Pierre (friends of the Pelley’s).
The story starts off with Gabriel being distracted by the sudden death of Charlie, Charlie’s last words he mumbled before he died and Gabriel lying to everyone about what Charlie said. Laure shows up on Iris and Gabriel’s doorstep without her husband.
She’s left her husband because he revealed he’s had a daughter outside of their marriage. After numerous attempts, Pierre has left on holiday and can’t be reached to get his side of things.
Hugh and his wife Esme and their Gardner Joseph have moved to the village and become Friends with the Pelley’s and Laure. Things are happening and it’s not adding up. Lies, deceit, manipulation, and murder start from page 1 all the way to the end of the epilogue. I had to know what in the world was going on, who were these people, and who was responsible for it all. I didn’t see any of it coming and was shocked at how it all came together. B.A. Paris is back and this sucked me in just like her novel “Behind Closed Doors”. Readers will not be disappointed with this one.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I did find myself wanting to know more, although I found it a bit slow at times. I found most of the characters kind of irritating (which might be the point) and the plot felt a bit lacklustre at times. The ending, however, really turned it around for me. I wasn’t expecting that plot twist AT ALL and I’ve always LOVED an unreliable narrator. Not my favorite, but still an enjoyable read.

When Iris and Gabriel arrive home from a getaway, they are surprised to find a dear friend at their house. Laure and her husband, Pierre, have been the couple’s friends for 20 years, and the two couples have often stayed at the other’s homes. But Laure is alone this time. She is devastated because Pierre has told her he’s learned he had a child from a brief affair. Iris and Gabriel are shocked and saddened but willing to help support her in this difficult time.

But Laure’s supposedly short stay turns into days and then weeks. And as she wears Iris’s clothes and talks exclusively about her distress and heartbreak, it wears on Iris and Gabriel. They have their own problems, and those certainly aren’t going away as time moves on.

When a couple move into a lovely house at the other end of their small town, Iris is especially happy to have the prospect of good new friends. Esme and Hugh are open and fun and equally eager to get to know Iris and Gabriel. They also have brought along an old friend of Esme’s, a handsome landscape gardener who is helping them shape up the yard. But Iris and Gabriel each find out that he and possibly Esme are hiding some things.

All the secrets and stresses eventually come to a head, with fatal consequences.

I’ve enjoyed some of B.A. Paris’s previous books (like The Breakdown), and I like particularly that most have been clean. The Guest fell flat for me (well, so did The Prisoner), with a continuous thread of unvaried prose and uninspired dialogue. The only thing I really liked was the end, where the author serves up a pretty delicious twist. But given that the other 90 percent of the book was just so-so, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it just for the last part.

This is exactly what I want when I read a psychological thriller. <i>The Guest</i> had just enough intrigue and suspicion to keep you wanting more. The storyline wasn't overdone and was completely believable. Paris set up these characters to be just likable enough to not question their motives or decisions. I was floored at the end. Actually had my mouth drop. Extremely well thought out. Definitely add this one to your list.

This book took some time getting into but once I was in it was a good enough read. The plot twist wasn’t super unpredictable but a good solid storyline nonetheless. Thanks for allowing me a first read!

I was really excited to receive this arc because I am such a big fan of Paris. However, The Guest was not one of my favorites. This book was different from many books I’ve read recently because it wasn’t told from one of our main characters’ POVs. We had a narrator instead. I will say book did have me questioning what was going on and I really didn’t see it all coming.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free digital copy of The Guest by B.A. Paris. This was my first B.A. Paris book. and it did not disappoint.

I'd describe this book as a domestic drama involving Iris, Gabriel and their guest, Laure. Laure stays with Iris and Gabriel after she and her husband, Pierre, began to have marital problems. After a while, Laure seems to have worn out her welcome. I really enjoyed the mystery and the ending.....what a surprise!

I'm going add all B.A. Paris' books to my TBR!