I’ve liked other books from this author so I was excited to get approved for an ARC of this one.

It kind of fell flat for me though. I didn’t like the characters. I never really got invested in the story. The epilogue did a nice job of wrapping it all up and explaining what happened, but at that point I didn’t really care.

This was so so. I probably wouldn’t recommend it to others.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

The Guest by B.A. Paris is a psychological thriller that will be released on February 20th. This book follows a couple, Iris and Gabriel. The book opens up with a scene and then, we are transported back 6 months. The story picks up with Iris and Gabriel returning home from a vacation, only to discover there is a person living in their home. They are immediately fearful. They quickly realize that it is their close friend, Laure. Iris and Gabriel have a very good relationship with this couple, Laure and Pierre. Things start to seem amiss. Laure becomes comfortable staying in their home. Laure explains that she found out Pierre had an affair and she needs time to figure things out. Through the course of the book, there are certain situations that just seem a little off. Gabriel reaches out to Pierre multiple times to check in with him, only to be sent to voicemail. There are mysterious things occurring between these two couples and their gardener, Joseph. The author takes the reader on a journey to solve the mystery of what is really going on with the guest. This book is full of unexpected twists. You might think that you have it figured out only to realize that you have it wrong.

I liked this book. This storyline has a flowing plot leaving the reader to question what is happening. The writing in this book is excellent. The author delivers this entire story in a very fascinating manner. There are tidbits of information thrown into the story to confuse the reader from figuring out the truth. I would recommend this book to someone interested in reading a captivating thriller. This author writes in a way that makes you want to keep reading. The Guest is going to leave you feeling shocked, once the truth is revealed.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. A day away from its birthday (2/20!), we all know the drill with B.A. Paris books. BUY IMMEDIATELY. Ever since her first novel, I've been hooked and haven't been disappointed yet. I always look forward to the next release and this one got me through my slump.

4⭐️ B O O K R E V I E W
Genre: Thriller
Pub Date: Today!

“Iris and Gabriel seem to have it all: a beautiful home in the British countryside, a daughter happily working in Greece, and good friends Laure and Pierre from Paris, who they often vacation with. But when a young man has a tragic accident in a nearby quarry, Gabriel is the one to find him and hear his final words, leaving Gabriel with a guilty burden.”

This book was so good I read it in two days. Unputdownable, twisty, and had me suspecting someone else until the very end. If you’re one of those people who skip the epilogues, you’re not going to want to skip this one! Such a satisfying ending.
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Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

WOWWWWW!!! I did not see that ending coming. I thought I had it all figured out but boy was I far from wrong.
Iris and Gabriel return from their quick holiday together to find their good friend Laure had moved herself in after finding out that her husband had an affair and another child during their marriage. Confused, uncertain, and upset, Laure latches onto Iris and Gabriel and overstays her welcome. When Pierre doesn't show up for their meeting to talk about their marriage, Laure is hurt and tensions rise in the household. Secrets come out, secrets pile up, and lots of questions are asked. When will Laure move out? Where is Pierre? Pick up this gripping, page-turning, to find out what happens!!!
This book kind of slowed down for me in the middle but when the plot twist hit, I could not put it down! I was itching for the next page and the next chapters to find out what happened next.
I highly recommend for fans of thrillers with murder mysteries, marital issues, plot twists, and surprise endings!

B.A.Paris does it again! There were so many twists and layers to this novel that I struggle to unpack them at the risk of spoilers. When young physician, Gabriel, finds a teen at a quarry near his home, his life is changed dramatically. The boy shares last words that will haunt Gabriel for a long time, Meanwhile, when his best friend’s wife turns up at his home after an argument with her husband, Gabriel & his wife, Iris, invite her to stay as their guest until she can resolve her marital problems. Enter a young, pregnant couple, a handsome gardener, a missing husband, mix in more deaths and hold on as the stories intertwine in some unexpected ways. Might make you think twice about hosting a guest in your home. Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

When I say I could not put this book down, I absolutely mean it. I read this book in just a few hours.
They way the story comes together is really incredible. We have multiple points of view from Iris & Gabriel and it was perfectly woven to give us a lot of details but now flush everything out until the very ending. I had no idea what the twist was going to be and when the final piece slotted in, I was absolutely shocked and thrilled.

If you enjoy twisty stories where you might not be getting the full story and lies are stacked on lies to create a full sense of mystery. this is a good book for you. I am still reeling from the epilogue.

I freaking love B.A. Paris's plot twists!! Literally finished this book just a few minutes ago and was floored at how it ended. She uncovered everything, down to the very last detail. I'm still shaking my head. :)

Is there anything worse than a house guest who overstays their welcome?

Gabriel and Iris seem to have the idyllic life living in a countryside estate in the outskirts of London. He is a physician and she is a designer who have just sent their only child abroad to study in Greece for the summer. Things start to go south when they return from a holiday where they were unsuccessfully able to reconnect with each other. Their marriage is on the brink as Gabriel continues to struggle with being the only witness to a tragic accident in a nearby quarry. He is haunted not only by the fact that he wasn't able to save the boy but also by the whispered last words that Charlie reveals to him just before he takes his last breath. Are some secrets better off taking to your grave? Iris tries her best to be supportive of what her husband is going through but starts to unravel when an old friend from Paris, Laure, sh0ws up unexpectedly and becomes the house guest who just will not leave. Laure is always underfoot, wearing Iris' clothes, infringing on her space and even sleeping in her bed and befriending the new neighbors down the street. When Laure's husband, Pierre, suddenly disappears, more questions than answers arise. Did Laure have something to do with his disappearance? Is there more to the accident in the quarry than first thought? What is the deal with the neighbor's gardener and his checkered past? This one has a slow burn that leads to an unforgettable epilogue with a twist that you absolutely will not see coming! The ending was more tell than show but it worked. Pick this one up if you enjoy a twisty psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator, marital and friend drama, and characters that you can't completely trust.

Stand out quote: "Regret is such a waste of emotion. No matter how much we want to, we can't change the past. We need to acknowledge the mistakes we've made but not allow them to cloud every moment of every day."

This is a bit of a slow burn, building tension and suspense as Gabriel and Iris get more and more frustrated with their uninvited house guest, Laure, and secrets start coming out. B.A. Paris always seems to have another surprise around the next page. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I was gasping out loud and turning back pages to see how I missed the clues leading to each twist and turn.

Wow…wow…wow…B. A. Paris has done it again! I could not put this read down and stayed up half the night to finish it. What a rollicking ride at the finish line! So many connections between characters that are peeled away and revealed so very slowly. So many secrets and relationships kept secret that affected almost every single character, except Hammish, the infant.
Iris and Gabriel’s relationship must have been faltering before Charlie in order for it to be totally decimated. The future does not look rosy for them, particularly Gabriel. Loved the addition of Esme and Hugh, but most especially Joseph. Every story needs a gorgeous bad boy. The perfect number of characters that twist, turn, and intertwine carrying their secrets with them.
My expectations for this read were high given my total enjoyment of her earlier books and this read did not let me down. Keep writing B. A. Paris! Readers do not miss out on this domestic drama/thriller.
Many many thanks to B. A. Paris for another thrilling read, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this engrossing read to be published on February 20th.

The Guest is a domestic suspense novel that focuses on Iris and Gabriel, who are both adrift in their lives and marriage. They are parents to a college aged daughter, Beth. They have a close set of old friends, Laure and Pierre who are facing their own issues.

Gabriel is left reeling after being the one who finds a young man, similar to his daughter’s age, who has fallen to his death in a quarry. Gabriel witnesses the last words the young man speaks, and must deal with the aftermath of what he is told. Iris struggles when Laure moves in with them amidst troubles in her marriage.

B.A. Paris weaves a narrative of intertwined secrets and motives that kept me intrigued throughout this novel. This is more of a slow burn than some of her more intense novels, such as Behind Closed Doors. I typically really enjoy this author’s writing and The Guest was no exception. I especially enjoyed the epilogue at the end of the novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I definitely did not see any of that coming! This book started off innocently enough, letting you get to know the characters and their history. You will definitely form some opinions, but do not hold on to them too tightly because, once all is revealed, you will definitely see some people very differently! I really enjoyed this book! It kept me engaged and flying through the chapters to see what was going on.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

The Guest by B.A. Paris is out tomorrow, February 20th!

I loved the premise of this one and was drawn in by the mystery.

However, I found nearly every character to be insufferable!

Iris and Gabriel end up with an unexpected houseguest, Laure. She is having marital issues with Pierre. Laure overstays her welcome and is on Iris' last nerve. And mine as well. Another family in town has a mysterious guest as well.

The big twist took forever to get to and was a bit unbelievable. Yet, I still found myself invested and continued on. I did enjoy the narration on the audio.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

BA Paris is a master of the pyschological thriller! This book had me on the edge of my seat and I took my time reading this book because I did not want it to end. If you have enjoyed other books by BA Paris this needs to go at the top of your TBR pile. I do not want to give anything away but the ending of this book... well you will just have to read it for yourself. Awesome book, highly recommend!

The Guest, by B. A. Paris, is a dramatic psychological thriller that takes you on a slow-burn journey to a riveting, explosive conclusion!
The prologue introduces most of the cast of characters—couples Gabriel and Iris, and Hugh and Esme—who are neighbors and friends. They enjoy living in a peaceful village in the English countryside. When an old friend from Paris, Laure, drops in unexpectedly and takes up residence in Iris’ home, everything becomes unbalanced by her presence and personality. The ripple effect on their lives plays out in sinister ways!
This is a long, winding story, with strong themes of parenthood, planned and unplanned, its joys and complexities, and its effect on partners and friends. I really liked the slow-burn buildup of relationship tension and the limited number of characters that were well-formed. Some were devious, some mysterious, and all were intriguing in their own fashion.
There are plenty of complicated plot twists and a conclusion that left me stunned! I recommend this to readers looking for mysteries with character-driven plots. This is another great suspense novel by the talented B. A. Paris!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

The Guest
By B.A. Paris

4/5 ⭐️

After reading Behind Closed Doors, I was psyched to get my hands on an ARC copy of B.A. Paris’ newest book, The Guest (thanks Net Galley!).

Synopsis: Gabriel and Iris are on the rocks. They return home from vacation to find their friend Laure has been staying at their house. Turns out, her husband Pierre has admitted to having a child from a previous affair and Laure left him. With nowhere to go, Laure overstays her welcome and starts to get on Gabriel and Iris’ nerves. With even more people involved, secrets spill out and some find themselves dead - all for a coverup of the ultimate deception.

Review: I love the plot twists and tell-alls that occur at the end of Paris’ books. The plot of the normal tale keeps you on your toes and has you questioning “who’s done it” and “what happens next”. While some of those questions become answered predictably, there’s always some sort of twist around every turn and everything connects back in the end.

For your next thriller/suspense/mystery novel, check out The Guest (out tomorrow!)

The Guest is my first read from B.A. Paris, and I really enjoyed it.

Iris and Gabriel return home from a vacation to find their friend, Laure, has moved into their house. She says her husband, Pierre, has a secret child and she needs to stay with them until she figures out what to do.

The weeks go on, and Laure still won’t leave. Iris and Gabriel start to doubt her story.

This book gave me so much anxiety.  I’m an introvert and the idea of having someone in my house who won’t leave is my personal nightmare. 

I’ve been bored lately with domestic thrillers that all feel the same, but I had no idea where The Guest was headed.  There are three major plot lines (in addition to Laure’s marriage, one involves creepy new neighbours, and one is about the death of a teen boy that Gabriel witnessed). I buddy read it with a friend and it was a blast trying to figure out how the stories all related.  

I’m not sure how I feel about the epilogue and how the mystery resolved — in places, it seemed a bit implausible — but I really enjoyed the novel overall, and will be checking out more of Paris’s writing in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for my review copy of this book.

Whew ok I really enjoyed this one, note that it was slow to get going, and I wasn’t sure what to think but then... By the second half bodies start falling and it gets Ca-Razy as I started to wonder what in the sam hell is going on here?! I did almost figure it all out and my goodness that epilogue was WILD! Each of these characters definitely has something to hide, and it was interesting to figure out just what it was.

I have read all of Paris' books and this is now one of my favorites. I listened via audio and thought the narration was great as well, definitely enjoyed reading it this way.

This one comes out tomorrow and you do not want to miss! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

Hmmm….how to write a review for this book without giving anything away? I had some definite ideas about what was going on with Pierre & Laure but I was oh so long. I really didn’t like Laure and her inability to realize how much she was imposing on her friends by assuming she could stay indefinitely. When she rearranged the cabinets in the kitchen I was offended for Iris. I liked Gabriel and felt bad about the secret he was holding in to his detriment. Esme & Hugh added some variety to the cast of characters as did Beth. It seemed like a nice story of an unwanted guest but then people started dying and the story got wild. The epilogue blew all my theories out of the water. I can’t really say more without giving away the twist but it was so good.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook.