3.5 stars. This book is full of secrets and the lies needed to keep them. THE GUEST follows the unraveling of relationships and has a web of lies up to the bitter end. It was a little less exciting than other B.A. Paris books I've read such as Behind Closed Doors. I'm glad there were some epilogue twists to add a little excitement/shock value.

Whew! This one has left me speechless.

Iris and Gabriel have arrived home from holiday to find their friend Laure staying in their house. Laure has recently learned that her husband of 20 years, Pierre, has fathered a child with someone else, and he wants to be part of his child’s life. Laure is not accepting of Pierre’s choice and decides to continue staying at Iris and Gabriel’s instead of returning home to Pierre. But Laure is not the ideal houseguest and tensions begin to run high.

B.A. Paris had me guessing and following red herrings all throughout The Guest, and the jaw dropping twists revealed at the end left me speechless.

Ultimately, this book is on the lower end of 4 stars due to a slower pace than I’d prefer and my utter dislike of nearly all the characters but is one I’d recommend if you’re a fan of domestic thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of B.A. Paris’s The Guest.

I think I overhyped myself up to read this novel. I have always heard great things about the author and was excited to devour this book. Unfortunately, I found myself hoping for this book to be over. I thought the plot was a bit repetitive and a lot could have been cut out to make the book a better reading experience. This book is also very dialogue heavy and I found that made for a slower read. I also found the characters to be a bit annoying. I think if the book had lacked some dialogue and moved at a quicker pace, it would have been a more enjoyable read. Knowing that this was labeled as a mystery/thriller book, the reader has to be well into the book to pick up on where the twists were coming from. I was actually really disappointed in the ending until I finished the Epilogue and thought "ah, I did not see any of that coming!". The epilogue saved my rating and I wish we had more of that style of emotion and twists in the heart of the book. At the same time, I found how she got pregnant completely unbelievable. The loose ends were all wrapped up by the end of the book and the author did not leave you with any cliff hangers.

This domestic psychological thriller checked all of the boxes for me. While it was a slow burn, it kept me engaged and had me questioning everyone and everything. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about all of the characters and unraveling all of their secrets and the secrets between them. I admit that there were times where I felt that certain events didn’t make sense/mesh together and that some questions I had throughout wouldn’t be answered, but the epilogue wrapped everything up tight in a perfectly wrapped bow! And the final twist 😮‍💨. Did not see that coming. Well done, B.A. Paris 👏🏻
Don’t miss out on this one!

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and B.A. Paris for a #gifted ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Reading Between the Wines book review #6/130 for 2024:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: The Guest
Author: B.A. Paris
RELEASES on February 20, 2024

Sipping thoughts: I always enjoy Paris’s books and this book was not any different. After getting to the twist, I don’t see how I didn’t see it from the very beginning. There are some twists that are revealed that most thriller readers will guess because of just being great thriller sleuths but I definitely missed something that was right under my nose. One thing I really liked about this book was the character development and that fact there was not any real likable characters so you just didn’t know what to expect.

Cheers and thank you to @MacmillanAudio, @StMartinsPress, and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @TheGuest.

#TheGuest #BAParis #MacmillanAudio #StMartinsPress #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I liked this! I found the pace to be quick with short punchy chapters. About 75% in I thought, ‘Okay, what IS going to happen here?’ and found myself devouring the epilogue once we finally got answers (and they were even juicier than expected). Fast, easy to follow and not too many characters in the mix.

This one started off slow for me. I was also confused by so many characters in the beginning. A couple of times, I found myself going back to the synopsis to remind myself what this book is about. But, I'm so glad I pushed through. The story eventually comes together. If you think you've got it figured out, the epilogue will blow your mind. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan of B,A, Paris her novels never disappoint. I always find a good story and lots of twists and turns. This story isn't any different. We have a story of friends who find themselves forced against the wall when a secret could be revealed. However when a murder happens anyone could've done it, but who was it? I was stuck to the pages til the very end to find out what happened.

After her husband has confessed to an affair and secret child, Laure comes to stay with their good friends Iris and Gabriel. As they try and work out why Laure’s husband would do this, Laure begins to overstay her welcome and step on toes. As things grow tense, Iris’ only escape are new neighbors who bring with them secrets of their own. As tensions grow, secrets are revealed that could turn out deadly.

Another fabulous domestic thriller/suspense read from Paris! The build up of the tension between the characters and their inner turmoil was palpable and unsettling at times. The ending will leave your head spinning!

So, I have a couple thoughts. First, I'm sorry to say I was not into the plot at all. It was really complex for no reason. For the first part of the book, I was trying to figure out what she was trying to accomplish by building ties between a few different characters. Honestly, I couldn't even determine who were the main characters and there seemed to be a separate subplot for each one of them. That being said, I am such a fan of B.A. Paris's previous work that I kept reading and ended up finishing it in one day. I kept thinking maybe I hadn't got to the "point" of it yet, but by the time I got to the epilogue, nothing had been revealed. It seemed as though she didn't follow through with her ideas so she had to wrap it up in the epilogue. I was not a fan of that method. It left me feeling very unsatisfied. I'm giving it a 2.5 rounded up.

"The Guest" by B.A. Paris offers an average reading experience. While the inner turmoil of the characters may come across as unrealistic at times, the intricate interweaving of the storyline proves interesting. The titular guest can be quite annoying, adding a layer of tension to the narrative. The true strength lies in the unexpected ending, which delivers a surprising twist, concluding the book on an intriguing note.

There are two parts to this one - the first 90 percent and the last 10 percent. The first is a fairly typical family drama with just a little bit of thriller aspect. Then - the epilogue (much longer than most) is the major twist I just never saw coming. In no world, was I expecting what I read. Still deciding how I felt about it taking so long to get to that point.

This was an engaging book that kept my interest the whole time. I did find some of the plot a little hard to believe. For example, Laure’s behavior as a guest was uncalled for, yet the couple continued to excuse it and allow her to stay. In addition, when the mystery is revealed and the murder is known, the idea that he/she could have gotten away with it is difficult to believe. There would have been blood, etc. that he/she didn’t mention at all and would have given them away. All in all, though, I still love this author for always keeping me entertained and telling a great story.

This book was a solid read! I found it weird how involved the main couple was with their friends relationship. Maybe I’m the only one who finds that level of involvement to be unnatural though. This was a slow book from beginning to end, and the ending was fairly predictable. There were a lot of different puzzle pieces to this that was a lot of fun putting together! All in all I would recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I was really excited about this book as I liked Behind Closed Doors. I felt as though a lot of the chapters were repetitive moping of Laure and irritation of Iris towards Laure and Gabriel’s guilt. Some of the chapters could have been eliminated. The saving grace was the twist in the end but only saved it enough for me to gave a 3-star rating.

BA Paris gives us another thrilling bestseller to devour!!!! This one will have your head spinning in the best possible way!!!!!!!

Some mixed thoughts on this one. I feel like it started a little slow; though I was very intrigued! Then a lot of stuff started happening about midway through- some of which felt weirdly off to me, almost like it just happened too fast and jumped around too much. I did enjoy the epilogue though and everything being revealed.

When Iris and Gabriel return from their vacation, there is a surprise guest at their house. Laure has come to stay while she works things out with her husband Pierre who has recently found out he has a child with another woman. The circumstances surrounding Laure and Pierre's marriage issues is very mysterious and Laure's behavior is concerning to both Iris and Gabriel. Not a lot happens in the first half of this book, but it definitely kept me wondering about what was going on. The twists in the book were very unexpected. This wasn't my favorite psychological drama, but it was an interesting and quick read.

B.A. Paris is back at it with another amazing story. “The Guest” is a page turning story that keeps you guessing till the very end. This is a great psychological thriller that you don’t want to put down.
Iris and Gabriel have just gotten back from some time away, when they return home their friend Laure is staying at their house. As they begin to navigate their lives with Laure staying with them, things start to come into the light. Gabriel is dealing with a tragedy and Iris is trying to help him cope while not having time to herself. As more events begin to happen you will never believe who is behind it all.

Great read and highly recommend to fans of B.A. Paris

I've read several B.A. Paris books and particularly liked Behind Closed Doors. This title, The Guest, thrilled me like that one did. I found it creepily suspenseful and I could not put it down. Highly recommended if you are a fan of B.A. Paris (and even if you are new to her!). Thank you for my copy!!