B.A. Paris is a must-read thriller author for me. Her books are known to keep me up at night reading late, often seeing the sunrising. The words fly off the page and come alive as I become invested in the storyline.

The Guest is a book that I had to keep reading to try to figure out where I was heading. Who is Laure, beyond being their friend? Is there more to her story than she is telling? Is Iris and Gabriel going to make it through their guest and the secret that is being kept? I had so many questions. I was trying to put everyone together and figure it all out but failed to do so.

The ending, left me feeling ugh… I wanted more. I felt let down and left with more questions.

The Guest is a great thriller/mystery book. I enjoyed the story until the end. I will be looking forward to more from her and will continue to recommend her to my friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a fan of B.A. Paris and was excited to dig into this book. Unfortunately, this is not one of my favorites.

I was bored while reading and found the story to be slow and repetitive. I didn't like or connect with the characters and felt that there was too many of them. I'm glad I stuck with it because the ending was the best part of the book!

Overall it's 3 out of 5 stars for me.

Iris and Gabriel arrive home to fine their good friend Laure in their home. Laure has left her husband after discovering that he conceived a child during their marriage. Iris and Gabriel have recently experienced their own trauma and are trying to get their marriage back on track. Laure mysterious intrusions are an unwelcome surprise and the mystery surrounding Laure's husband only lends to the drama!

The redeeming part of this book is the epilogue, the rest of the book, unfortunately, falls completely flat! The characters are unlikeable and the various plots turn out to be of minimal entertainment!

This book was sooo good! Completely caught me by surprise! Epilogue was longer than I would have thought, but the author did a great job of wrapping the story up nicely.

Important things you need to know about The Guest:

Pace: Medium

POV: Goes between 3rd person (Iris and Gabriel) and 1st person (the killer)

Trigger Warnings: The Guest contains murder, alcoholism, death, infidelity, blood, grief, pregnancy, abandonment, alcohol, suicide, violence, car accident, fire and fire injury, abortion, and adult/minor relationships. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book.

Language: There is mild swearing in The Guest. There is also language used that might offend some people.

Setting: The Guest is set in a small Scottish village. A few chapters also occur in Paris (Gabriel is looking for Pierre).

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Iris and Gabriel are living their ideal lives as empty-nesters in a small Scottish village when Gabriel happens upon a horrific accident. Hearing the victim’s last words weighs heavily on Gabriel since he told the police, the mother, and first responders that the victim said something different. Hoping to help Gabriel overcome his guilt, Iris plans a vacation for them. And it seemed to be doing the trick until they arrived home to find that their friend Laure had moved in while they were gone.

Laure left her husband, Pierre, after he told her he had a child with another woman. But the visit stretches into weeks, with Laure showing no sign of leaving, and she starts behaving erratically. Feeling like strangers in their own home, Iris and Gabriel’s marriage starts to crack. But relief does come when Iris befriends a new couple expecting their first child in the village. But they come with baggage—a family friend turned gardener with a checkered past.

Why isn’t Laure leaving, and where is Pierre? How is the gardener connected to everything that is going on? And will Iris and Gabriel’s marriage buckle under the pressure?

My review:

When I got the widget for The Guest, I was happy about it. I have read and enjoyed books by B.A. Paris before, and I figured that I would like this book. I am slightly ambivalent about it now that I have read the book. I didn’t love it, and I didn’t hate it. If I had to describe my feelings, it would be “meh.”

The main storyline of The Guest centers on Iris, Gabriel, their unwanted houseguest, the death of the boy in the quarry, their new neighbors, and the new neighbor’s gardener. There were parts of this storyline that went on for too long (the whole Laure situation) and other parts that the author seemed to rush through. All of this and the fact that I couldn’t get into the storyline contributed to the ‘meh” factor. And that was disappointing since I enjoy reading books by the author.

The characters were interesting, but I did feel that they weren’t as fleshed out as they could be. All of them felt a little flat. The only character I had a halfway good connection with was Iris, and even then, it was more of a “What the hell. Grow a backbone and throw her out.” connection.

As much as I was “meh” about this book, I will say it had a good mystery/thriller angle. The author did a great job of misdirecting and throwing out red herrings. Why? Because I didn’t see who the killer was until the last chapter. It was such a huge twist and took me entirely by surprise. And when the motive behind everything was revealed, I was shocked. Again, something that I didn’t expect. So, kudos to the author for such an explosive twist.

As I mentioned above, the book’s last chapter had a surprising twist, which I loved. But this is a book that I won’t be rereading. I couldn’t connect with the characters or get involved in the storylines.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and B.A. Paris for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Guest. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

This book starts as a slow burn but quickly turns into a major fire as the character study ramps up and secrets are hinted at but not revealed until near the end. I really enjoyed the twists and unexpected surprises as well as all of the red herrings. Iris and Gabriel are living a good life, as good as it can be with Gabriel having lost his father, his dog and a good friend all in a short time span. As a result, Gabriel has taken compassionate leave time from his job as a doctor. His wife Iris is an interior designer without a contract so she is at loose ends, too. The two of them end up having Laure come stay with them when her husband Pierre announces that he is the father of another woman’s child. The plot continues to thicken as more characters are introduced and more secrets are surfacing. I liked the way each character was hiding something, especially the mysterious gardener Joseph. I did not particularly like any of the characters but I did find Iris relatable and Gabriel a character who evoked sympathy. The thing that made the book an absolute must read for me were all of the revelations made at the end about each of characters and their relationships to each other. The slow start became a runaway roller coaster ride on a dangerous track! What a wild ride this book ended up being and I am delighted that I read it. It would be a great book for a discussion group because of all of the layers and hidden clues.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Another amazing novel by B.A. Paris! This was a slow burn, but well worth the wait. I will most definitely recommend this one to my bookish friends.

Iris and Gabriel seem to have the perfect life, but when their friend Laure shows up unexpectedly, their life together starts to fall apart.

I’ve enjoyed Paris’ previous books that I’ve read, and although I liked this one, it wasn’t my favorite. While listening to the audiobook, I found it hard to keep track of all of the characters and kept having to go back to remember who people were. I decided to read along with my DRC which did help with this a bit.

For the majority of the book, I felt like nothing was happening even though a lot was going on. I don’t know if that was due to it being a slow build up, but I wanted it to be more thrilling than it was. It read more like a domestic drama rather than a thriller, and if I had read some reviews prior to reading this, I would have been better prepared going into it.

Don’t skip the epilogue in this one! Paris packed all the punches into the ending, and gave me the shocks and surprises I was looking for throughout the book. Although this wasn’t my favorite by the author, I still enjoyed it and will continue to read her books because she always surprises me.

Thank you St. Martins Press for a DRC in exchange for my honest review.

This one was just ok for me. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it either. The plot definitely had me invested wanting to see what happens in the end. But honestly the characters weren't likeable at all, especially Laure. Gracious talk about a house guest.
They all had something going on - being lonely, finding out about a secret child, disconnected marriages - but even so I couldn't find myself sympathizing or connecting with them. It got to a point where it seemed like the book was gonna wrap up after being slow and then I was surprised how it changed. I wish the book as a whole was more like the ending, because man what an ending it was! It definitely did a great job shedding light on everything.

I had the ebook and audio of this one and tandem read it. The narrator did a great job at honing in on the personalities in the story.

Thank you St. Martins Press, NetGalley, and MacMillan Audio for allowing me to read and listen to this advanced copy.

B.A. Paris is one of my favorite authors. I truly love everything they write and this book was no exception. I was riveted and hooked from the first page. I won't give anything away because I feel like this book is best read with zero context.

The Guest is the newest psychological thriller by B.A. Paris. Iris and Gabriel seem to have it all. A beautiful home, a successful daughter and good friends with Laure and Pierre from Paris. It all starts to come tumbling down with one tragic accident when a young man dies in a nearby quarry. Gabriel found him and called for help and heard the young man’s final words, leaving Gabriel with a heavy burden. Soon after, their friend, Laure, becomes their guest. Laure seems to make herself a little too comfortable as she begins to wear Iris’s clothes, following her every movie and asking questions. Then a new couple moves into the neighborhood with their gardener with a checkered past.
Psychological thrillers by B.A. Paris are intense. However, The Guest had so much going on that it was confusing and boring. The story just dragged from the opening prologue. I failed to see the connections, despite the epilogue that wrapped everything up, I was confused and had no sympathy for any of the characters especially after finishing the epilogue. Like what?!?!?. The new neighbors didn’t seem to fit into the story and their gardener? Confusing. I also did not like that the story told what happened. Overall, I usually love B.A. Paris and her psychological thrillers, unfortunately, The Guest did not live up to its premise.

The Guest is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

Gabriel and Iris Pelley are married with a daughter, Beth, who is taking a gap year in Greece. Gabriel is a doctor whose workload has become so heavy and demanding that the other doctors in the practice insisted that he take two months off. He also recently came upon a young man who had had a bad accident and Gabriel was with him as he said his last words before he died. These last words have traumatized Gabriel. As they have a large garden, Iris suggests that he redo the walled garden and make it really nice. Gabriel jumps at the chance. Iris is an interior decorator and enjoys her work.

Then, Laure, a friend from Paris pops in to stay with them. She has left her husband Pierre as he has revealed a secret that has her very angry. She asks to stay with Gabriel and Iris. They agree but as she continues to remain with them, wearing Iris’ clothes and changing things around in the house, they are getting tired of it and hope he will return home to Paris.

Iris meets a new neighbor, Esme, and her husband, Hugh. Esme is due to deliver her baby soon. They have an old family friend staying with them as they do some landscaping. Joseph has a problem with alcohol and they are hoping to keep him busy and away from the alcohol. Joseph is enlisted to help Gabriel with some of the gardening work.

For me, this book was all over the place. Other than the shocking ending, I found the characters to be rather wooden, and the dialogue repetitive which is a pet peeve of mine. Gabriel comes across as a big wimp and Iris as cold. Had the characters had more life to them, perhaps this book would have been better.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Oh what a tangled web! B.A. Paris is back with another twisty domestic thriller. This one is a slow burning buildup to the jaw dropping conclusion! The bodies keep piling up and you’re left wondering if we’ll ever really know the truth of why they needed to die and who might have killed them. Thank goodness those answers are revealed in spectacular fashion! B.A. Paris never disappoints!

Can you imagine coming home from a trip and finding someone in your home wearing your clothes ? This is how Author B.A. Paris starts this psychological thriller, “The Guest” …, but is she ?

An anticipatory read about the lives of friends filled with secrets, lies and suspense as truths are in danger of divulgence.
Gabriel & Iris, Pierre & Laure, Hugh & Esme, friends with an intertwined relationship are challenged by finding out the truths hidden so deeply that it could destroy them all.

Gabriel & Iris come home from a trip to find their dear friend, Laure in their home and staying a little longer than welcome. Laure is desperately trying to accept devastating news from Pierre, and finds solace in the arms of her friends. Gabriel, who is dealing with his own anxiety from dealing with a trauma that has left him bereft, seeks healing in restoring a walled garden with Joseph, the neighbors landscaper and houseguest. But as these families engage and friendships evolve, they are faced with assumptions, jealousy and fate.

A fascinating plot kept me captivated by the challenges and conflicts these friends and families experienced. Characters well developed and sequentially introduced including Beth (Gabriel & Iris’s daughter) and Hamish, Hugh & Esme’s new baby.

A nail biting psychological thriller which will keep you guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this read for anyone who wants a book they can’t put down!

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this eARC

BA Paris never misses. I thoroughly and completely enjoyed this book. I read this in one sitting trying to figure out why this woman was in this house and refusing to leave. This author is an auto-buy for me and this book further solidified this.

If you’ve never read a B.A. Paris book then you’re really missing out. Her latest psychological thriller, The Guest, really took me by surprise. It’s a story that slowly builds up giving you subtle clues but you have to be extremely cunning to even acknowledge or pick up on them. It’s not until the climatic epilogue that you say to yourself, “Wow, why didn’t I see that coming!” It’s a story about a married couple whose life is based on secrets. And sometimes secrets are worth killing for. I’d like to thank Austin Adams, Marketing Assistant at St. Martin’s Publishing Group for the invite to read and NetGalley for the arc. Not only did this storyline have me totally blindsided but it kept me turning the pages in anticipation. It’s an entertaining read and a book I’ll be recommending to others. I’m giving it a 4 star rating and I look forward to reading more by B.A. Paris in the future.

The Guest is another of Paris’s psychological thriller that drew me in and kept me reading. There were many twists, which a great thriller always needs. The ending was definitely a shock! I didn’t guess it before the ending, which makes me love the book even more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. I would love to read anything else that B.A. Paris writes! This is entirely my opinion, I loved it!

If you are a fan of domestic drama then this might be for you. It’s suspenseful in the sense that multiple plots and storylines are evolving, characters are complex and it grips you right from the opening pages. While this is typically enough to make a book worth 5 stars, I can’t give this book more than 3. I found many of the characters to be completely insufferable, like Laure and Gabriel.

The book takes several twists and chapters are short to make it feel overall like a quick, fast paced read after the halfway mark.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to review and happy publication day to BA Paris.

The Guest
by B.A. Paris
Pub Date: 20 Feb 2024

I definitely recommend "The Guest" by B.A. Paris. The story has a lot of twists, turns and positive attributes up until the ending. And talk about that ending, what a shocker!

Short Synopsis:

Iris and Gabriel have just arrived home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their closest friends, Laure, is in their house. The atmosphere quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and again: sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris' clothes, even rearranging the furniture.

My thanks to the the author B.A. Paris, the publisher #StMartinPress and #NetGalley for an E-ARC of this novel.

A Roller-Coaster of Deceit and Suspense!"


I just finished devouring "The Guest" by B.A. Paris, and let me tell you, it's taken me a day to gather my thoughts because I'm still reeling from the twists and turns. This book left me speechless, and I couldn't predict the ending if my life depended on it. It's not often that I halt everything to finish a book, but yesterday, life took a backseat until I uncovered every last detail. I've already sung its praises to my colleagues, and I'm eager for a Macedonian translation so my mother can join in on the thrill. I might even replay her reading it aloud once more, despite having just finished it myself.

Let me kick things off by declaring my unwavering admiration for B.A. Paris. Ever since "Behind Closed Doors," she's been a favorite of mine, and "The Guest" only solidifies her brilliance. This psychological thriller is like an irresistible vortex, sucking you in from the get-go.

We're thrust into the lives of Iris and Gabriel as they return from vacation to find an unexpected intruder in their midst. As the summer unfolds, the collision of diverse characters sets off a chain reaction of strained relationships, unveiled secrets, and simmering jealousy and tension.

Paris's character development is superb, evoking a whirlwind of emotions. The rage and frustration practically leap off the pages, making for a gripping roller-coaster ride of feelings. I found myself entangled in a complex web of deceit that only grew more intricate as the story progressed. "The Guest" held me captive until the very last page, refusing to release its grip. Put simply, I couldn't put it down.
Thank you Negalley for this wonderful eArc.