Finally read this one and thought it was overall very well done. I had previously read Behind Closed Doors by her so I was expecting greatness. I still enjoyed the read and there were a couple twists and turns I didn't see coming but thought there was going to be more depth based on her previous novel. Interested to see what she writes next as I'll still read it but this was a 3/5 star for me.

The Guest by B. A. Paris is your classic unreliable narrator story. Unfortunately, I found the pacing and writing style to be difficult to get through. I love the author’s book Behind Closed Doors, but The Guest pales in comparison. I set this book down so many times to read something else.

This one had a lot going on and took me a bit to get into. By the middle, I really needed to know what was going on. I predicted some of the end but not everything. Overall I gave it a 3.5 because it was a little underwhelming overall.

B.A. Paris never disappoints! An excellent psychological thriller that grabs the rrader from the beginning. Although the pacing was a bit slow at times, the ending was satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an Advanced Digital Copy in exchange for an honest review. I haven't met a B.A. Paris book that I didn't like. There were so many twists and turns in this story, but the final one was absolutely unexpected. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to suggesting it to others.

This was a book that I read quickly. There's nothing better than a psychological thriller (my favorite genre) that is an easy read. There are 8 characters in this book with different subplots that are all connected. I found the character of Laure intriguing because she is the "guest" who moves right in to her best friend's house when she is having marital problems. And trust me, she MOVES IN. I love my best friend, but I don't need her wearing my clothes or rearranging my house as a guest.

Halfway through the book, I went back and reread the prologue. I kept trying to figure out how it was related. The last chapter brought it all together, and what page-turning twist! All of the secrets and lies come out, and now I need to talk to someone that has read it! If you are someone who reads the last chapter before the you read the rest of the book, please don't be that person this time. It will ruin it for you.

This book was published in February 2024.

I gave this book four out of five stars. I was given this book for my honest review.

This book centers around a couple, Gabriel and Iris, who have an unexpected guest come to stay their house. The guest is extremely annoying and won’t leave. Gabriel also had previously witnessed a neighborhood boy’s death and has his own issues stemming from that. The two mysteries throughout book are: what is going on with the guest and what happened to the neighborhood boy. This book was pretty slow paced the first 50% of the way. But after that, it picked up and I did get into it. The ending caught me by surprise. Overall, I usually love BA Paris books but this was one was not my favorite. But, I still think it is worth reading. Thank you netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy!

3.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed this book. Most of the story follows couple Iris and Gabriel and their friend Laure who comes to stay with them after experiencing some martial trouble finding out her husband has fathered a kid outside of the marriage. Throughout the book the pacing was slower in places for what I’m used too but there was a nice twist at the end that I truly had not expected. My only takeaway is that I wish the twist would have unraveled organically throughout the end of the story vs. being told back to us at the end from the character’s perspective.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for my ARC.

BA Paris never disappoints! While I wish there was more suspense and a bit faster paced, I enjoyed it overall and gasped at the twist at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I found this book to be much slower than the pace I am used to. It was difficult at first to hook into the storyline. I liked the multiple storylines of Gabriel and his past trauma, Joseph and his sketchy behavior, and Laure who doesn't seem to realize what overstaying your welcome actually means, among other situations. I did love the ending and the twist that I never saw coming. Not just one twist….I’m talking so many twists and turns, gasps and OMG moments. It may start off slow, but once it hits the fan, it’s non stop! I didn’t like it as much as Behind Closed Doors, but the ending/epilogue was insane. Definitely give it a chance and open mind and push through to the end. It will not leave you disappointed.

My head is still spinning from this twisty read. Never saw the ending coming. Very, very craftily plotted. Just another outstanding thriller by this fantastic author. Wow! Loved it !

Stretching this one to three stars ...

The mysteries and twists to this one were pretty good - it went in a lot of different directions and kept me guessing throughout the end (and it was a great twist at the end). What really sank this one for me were the characters. I couldn't find any connection or likeable qualities to any of them (primary or secondary). Iris and Gabriel were such utter doormats that I wanted to slap them both before I was even half way done with the book. And while the interwoven storylines were clear and laid out in a way that they were easy to track, it was all just so implausible and far-fetched, I rolled my eyes throughout they entire story. So all my stars go to the twists and ending; the rest of the book was pretty difficult to get through.

BA Paris's newest domestic thriller, "The Guest," invites readers into the lives of Iris and Gabriel. They return from a trip to discover an unexpected houseguest, Laure, staying in their house. What begins as simply helping out a friend in need soon leads to a tangled web of uncertainty.

At first, Iris and Gabriel are happy to open their home to Laure, who is dealing with the collapse of her marriage and the absence of her husband, Pierre. Yet, as time goes by with no communication from Pierre, Iris's doubts start to grow. Could Pierre be missing, or is there a darker mystery developing?

"The Guest" creates an intriguing storyline with surprising twists, but the narrative feels inconsistent and sluggish at times. Overall, I found the book to be an interesting introduction to the author. While it didn't top my list of favorites, I'm looking forward to exploring more of BA Paris's work.

I recommend "The Guest" to anyone who enjoys a good domestic drama with a shocking twist at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest and thoughtful review.

This is my fifth B.A. Paris book now, so I’ve kinda got her style of books figured out now. They are slow burn domestic-type thrillers.

With the exception of The Prisoner (which is probably my favorite and has more action than the others), most of her books make you start to wonder if the book is worth finishing.

There is usually some mundane daily routine stuff where it feels like nothing is really happening. You don’t really connect all that much to the characters because you’re kinda in this limbo where you’re not really sure what you’re trying to figure out or where the story is even going to go.

But then Paris usually throws in some twists/revelations at the end that draw all the threads together and turn all the mundane into meaningful details. Turns out most of it matters.

The Guest followed this pattern to a T. But unfortunately, I’m not entirely sure if the ending was worth it like it was for The Therapist or The Breakdown.


The main premise is that a long-time friend from Paris (Laure) shows up at Gabriel and Iris’s house in the London area citing marital problems and asking if she can stay there for a bit…. the guest.

She overstays her welcome— like so hard… even I wanted to punch her in the face— and Pierre (her husband and also their friend) isn’t communicating with them. They have no idea what is going on other than Pierre has admitted to having a child with someone else and now wanting to be in that child’s life. Laure has given him an ultimatum- me or the kid.

Things only get weirder when Laure seems to have developed some sort of crush or relationship with the (young) landscaper friend who has been working for Gabriel and their neighbor.

Then a body is found. And another one.

This one is quite the tangled up domestic mess.



When the ‘bomb’ was dropped in the epilogue (not the other bomb), I was like ‘Oh that’s pretty crazy, but also, that actually is crazy.’

I didn’t see it coming but at the same time it felt quite out of left field. While there is pointing back to ‘clues’ we had read about, I wouldn’t really say it’s one that the reader can really figure out. You may guess the right person, but there’s no way to know exactly what happened until it’s all laid out.

The upside is that the book is a really quick read as hers tend to be. So if you’re on the fence about reading it, it is at least a low time commitment book. I wouldn’t call it a must read, but if you tend to like B.A. Paris’s books normally, you’ll probably feel at home with this one.


I’m not sure if I will read her future books or not. Maybe if I’m in the mood for a slow-burn with a twist reveal, but I may have had my fill. Although, I might go back and read Behind Closed Doors because I’ve heard that one is really good.

If you have never read Paris before, maybe start with The Prisoner or The Therapist.

She is not an author I can universally recommend because her books are hit and miss for me, but at least they’re pretty clean!



Now for a few MAJOR SPOILER COMMENTS so keep scrolling if you don't want to know!!

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Okay, so what the ‘big reveal’ tells us is that Iris is the person Pierre had a child with. Beth is Pierre’s, not Gabriel’s. And what makes it so messed up is that Pierre was on his honeymoon and Iris was on their first anniversary trip when they had sex! And they had already met as friends!

Who decides to go for a naked swim?! By themselves?! On their honeymoon/anniversary?! Nobody. That’s who. And even if they did, who would see someone else and then immediately have a sexual desire for them and act on it?!

Furthermore, how could it have zero impact on their friendship as a couple? It makes no sense. Unless both of them are sociopaths.

And beyond that… there’s no way she would have any idea that she was actually pregnant that night. She didn’t even have a pregnancy test. She just ‘knew’ she was pregnant and told Gabriel she took a test before they left. And then they told Pierre and Laure that they were a month pregnant. Without actually knowing FOR SURE that she was! There is no way to know you are pregnant at conception. That’s crazy pants.

And ALSO how could she really keep Beth away from them for 20 years? They were such good friends they had keys to each other’s houses, but Pierre never sees pictures or videos of Beth? Ever? He never wondered before now?

And all of this is just the ‘source’ of the conflict. It’s like two paragraphs in the whole book. But all the killing Iris does as a result of such a crazy/stupid encounter is just… out there.

To be honest, I’ve never really been a fan of the unreliable narrator trope. Sure, it makes for a big surprise, but I don’t like the bait and switch of how you perceive and relate to the main character being turned on its head. The first one of these I read was Gone Girl and when that was revealed, I was like sick to my stomach.

I guess I just don’t like being lied to, especially by someone I’m supposed to be empathetic towards.

Besides, when I’m reading a whodunnit, it feels like cheating to just be like- oh and I’ve been misleading you this whole time so you were never going to figure out the clues because you trusted that when I said I took a bath and when I said I went to lunch with my friend Jade, you would have no reason to question it. Gotcha!

That’s not the kind of twist I get excited about. Especially for the reason that it was in this book.

I didn’t like it in Gone Girl, and I didn’t like it here.

And ANOTHER thing. Gabriel’s secret. How could he keep that even from Iris? It’s not even about her OR him. It’s about other people’s lives. I would immediately tell my spouse and have them help me figure out what to do. It’s clearly causing major issues in their marriage.

I think it’s stupid that he didn’t just tell her. There was nothing to be afraid of. There were worse things that could (and did) happen by keeping it in. Speculation is usually worse than the truth. If you can’t tell your spouse every thing, there is a problem.

And ANOTHER thing. When Gabriel and Iris get home and Beth asks them what happened, clearly distressed by the sound of the explosion, Gabriel says- “It’s Joseph. He blew himself up.”

Just like that. I get Gabriel is in shock… but it felt very random to just say that someone blew themselves up. ‘Sorry Beth, I know you became really close friends with him and all, but he’s like totally blown up right now, so your friendship is over. Want some dinner?’

So. Yeah. I had a few issues with this one. I don’t like mysteries as much when it all just boils down to domestic dysfunction. For some reason a serial killer is more appealing to read about than a fornicator.


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SPOILERS OVER!


[Content Advisory: 0 f-words and 2 s-words]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

I am the biggest fan of B.A. Paris. I get all her books as soon as they are available. I love the domestic thrillers as well as the ones that are more like domestic dramas with a bit of mystery. She is always a winner. The Guest will end up on the lower end of my rankings of the author's books, but I still really enjoyed it. I think what held me back from liking it as much as I have others of her novels was simply that I didn't relate to any of the characters or the choices they made. I couldn't understand being ok with a friend showing up at my home and moving in with my husband and myself INDEFINITELY with no notice or even reassurance of when they will move out. I couldn't understand Laure's actions with regard to Pierre. I couldn't understand the reason for the depth of Gabriel's depression making it to where he couldn't even imagine ever working again. It seems to me that a lot of what seemed like unlikely emotions or choices were probably written in order to make the mystery play out appropriately. And while I do not mind suspending disbelief, it is less enjoyable to me than if motives of the players actually made sense. That said, I was engrossed the entire book. I think the red herrings were occasionally very clever and the ending made sense even if I didn't love it. Good luck to anyone trying to figure it out. It was a crooked/twisty path to get there.

My mom always says that guests are great, but they start to stink after three days – and in B.A Paris’ new book, this holds true.

Iris and Gabriel return home from a holiday away to find family friend Laure has been squatting in their house after a fight with her husband, Pierre. Add to that Gabriel’s struggle with being witness to a tragic accident in the nearby quarry where he hears a boy’s last words before dying, new neighbors and a gardener with a mysterious past, and you have yourself the makings of a great domestic drama.

I love B. A. Paris’ style of writing, with short chapters that make for fast-paced reading. This book had great character development, a strong setting that had me yearning for a lovely garden and enough drama to keep me going, but the ending felt a little abrupt. While it was a shocker, I wish that it had been fleshed out a little more. This book was good, but I feel like it falls in the middle of the road of the author’s books for me. I'm eager to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you to B.A. Paris, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of the book for an honest review.

I liked this one, but didn’t love it. The pacing was good, and I kept wanting to turn the pages. I loved the setting in England, and going over into France. There was a lot going on, multiple storylines to keep track of, and that’s what I didn’t love. It all came together in the end, but was a ride to get there. The ending was shocking! I didn’t see it coming, which I like.

This was a good read but not as good as it could’ve been. I did not love the pace of this story. Overall there was something missing with mystery. If you have read by this author you will enjoy this. It was a quick read.

B.A. Paris is an auto-buy author for me so when I saw that a new book was releasing, it was a auto-request as well. This thriller had me at the edge of my seat and I could not put it down. What starts off as a family in Greece for humanitarian work and making friends, slowly unfolds with dark secrets as the story unfolds. You cannot pass this one up and will have you enthralled to the final word!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

A genre bending murder mystery/domestic thriller. Quick short chapters; plot and pacing that keeps the reader guessing. Things come together a bit quickly at the end of the novel but overall an entertaining read