3.5 stars. Gabriel and Iris have been best friends with Pierre and Laure for decades. When Laure shows up at Gabriel and Iris’ home because of problems she says she is having with Pierre, she is welcomed with open arms. As time goes on, however, having this “guest” living with them opens up many doors that were previously closed and causes numerous problems. This was an intriguing thriller that definitely kept me reading and turning pages even though the pace at times was way too slow. Additionally, although the ending was a super major twist which I could have never seen coming, I found it to be just a bit beyond the believable. All in all, though, I did enjoy this read as I have many others from B.A. Paris.

I was thrilled to get this book early, Paris has consistently written taut & twisted thrillers so I’m always looking forward to the next one. That being said, this isn’t my favourite one…..that doesn’t mean it’s bad but it didn’t blow me away like earlier books. It tends to be quite repetitive & doesn’t move along fast enough. It started to pick up slightly around the half way mark as some secrets get revealed. By then, I think it was too late for me. And it continues its slow pace again always. Iris & Gabriel are tough characters to follow, neither one is very likeable or sympathetic & I struggled with their negative energy. I wish the book had been as intriguing as the epilogue! Overall I’d say this is just an ok book, not bad for a quick read, but not nearly are good as the author’s previous ones. Those I can recommend you seek out & read.

Nothing quite prepared me for this ending! What a story! I enjoyed the build and knew someone was to blame for all the deaths, but this person wasn’t on my radar! Loved it!

This newest book by B.A. Paris will appeal to those who enjoy a slower paced mystery thriller in a very atmospheric setting.

The mystery itself I felt was a bit bland, but I did enjoy some of the characters, particularily Esme and Hugh, who I found quietly discomforting. Their story didn't sound quite right, their behavior didn't feel quite right, which kept you trying to unravel what the truth was.

I will say the ending did surprise me – I was definitely looking in the wrong direction.

Overall, this was a decent read but not one of my favorites by this author.

**Received with thanks from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

This one was sadly a flop for me. This was my first novel by this author. I found myself starting to skim arbour halfway through. The novel tells the story of a family who becomes caught up in a string of tragedies when a friend comes to stay with them in the wake of her own personal issues. I found this story to be slow and not overly engaging. I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters and I was able to sort out the twist of the story. The entire solution was wrapped up in the epilogue, which is a feature of story telling I find annoying. Sadly, not one I would recommend.

I’ve read two others from Paris, both were 4 star reads for me. I had high hopes for this one but unfortunately this fell short.

I will say that although I kept putting it down (life happened) I found it fairly easy to pick up where I left off which was nice. But overall I wasn’t as invested as I expected to be. I don’t usually take issue with third person POV but I feel like first person POV would’ve made such a HUGE difference. In relation to the twist, the pacing wasn’t my favorite. I honestly felt like this was written for beginners to the genre. Moments that could’ve been very descriptive were condensed to just one sentence- so frustrating. Not terrible, but definitely not her best work.

*I received this book from NetGalley and SMP in exchange for my honest opinion. Paris is a great author and it is unfortunate that this new book is releasing amid the negativity surrounding SMP.

The Guests is an unexpected read. I was not prepared to love Marlowe the way I did. The story twists and turns during a hurricane that is fitting in more ways than one. My emotions felt like they were battling a hurricane.

There are many surprises awaiting you in The Guests. I suggest going in blind and enjoying all this compelling story has to offer.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚.

This was such an interesting and unique story. I did a combo of the ebook and audiobook.

I have read from this author in the past and have had a mixed rating so far. This one was a solid read! I was immediately hooked by the story and couldn’t put it down.

This was sort of a psychological thriller with a domestic drama touch to it (more focused on the drama). I thought it was twisty and suspenseful. This is one of those stories that has you guessing until the end.

There were a lot of twists and turns throughout the book. There’s also a good mystery included, but the characters did get ridiculous at times. Some parts did also get slower and some dialogue in this felt irreverent. Also, it did get confusing with all the characters.

If you’re looking for a story that’s more focused on the drama rather than the thriller, The Guest might be the read for you!

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

was really disappointed by this book. I thought It would be more exciting, and engaging. It was boring, I had to force myself to read it . There was no excitement, no “I need to continue reading to know what will happen,” I almost DNFd this book. The only reason I gave It 2 stars and not just 1 is because of the epilogue. The epilogue was the juiciest part and the most thrilling part of the book. I wish the whole book was as exhilarating as the epilogue.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The book was extremely slow the entire time. The first 80 or so pages I do not feel got to the point. The characters, all grown adults, seemed to have the communication skills of young teenagers and lacked all basic common sense in a caricature-like manner. There were continuity issues and descriptiveness was a challenge. There was too much discussion about the specificities of their garden and other very basic and unnecessary things. The epilogue was way too long and was not very shocking, and I do not feel like the transition into it was smooth. I have enjoyed other B.A. Paris novels in the past, but this unfortunately missed the mark for me.

Iris and Gabriel’s houseguest seems to be overstaying her welcome. And what is going on the the new neighbors and their mysterious handyman? What did Charlie tell Gabriel before he died? This book had a lot going on and I wasn’t sure where all the storylines were going. It made it hard to get into at first but then it picked up. And WOW what a twist!! Loved how everything tied together in an unexpected ending! Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC!

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc of B. A. Paris' upcoming novel!
I was excited for this one because the blurb had me intrigued. While the idea of the story was good, I didn't really like how it was executed. I liked the story in the beginning; how things didn't add up and all the events that occurred. I did get annoyed with the repetitiveness of some things (like Iris & Gabe getting tired of Laure, but continually going in circles of doing something about it and then feeling bad for her) and the slow pace of the story. The story picked up in the middle and the twist was interesting. It did slow down again until the end. The epilogue was great though and I loved the reveal! I do wish the whole book could've been written in the same tone and pace as the epilogue. I feel like that could've made the story more gripping.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. This book was certainly very entertaining but it seemed like they kept repeating details over and over

Iris and Gabriel return from a trip to find their friend Laure in their home. She is one half of the couple Iris and Gabriel are very close with. The two couples met twenty years ago in the Bahamas where Laure and Pierre were on their honeymoon and Iris and Gabriel were celebrating their one year anniversary. Laure and Pierre live in Paris and the two couples often visit each other and have keys to the other’s homes. Iris and Gabriel live in a small village in the British countryside and have a daughter who is working in Greece currently during a “gap year” before heading off to university. So, Laure has shown up at Iris and Gabriel’s home unexpectedly and announces she is distraught because Pierre has told her he has discovered he has a child. Laure asks to stay with her friends for a couple a weeks and of course Iris and Gabriel feel badly for her and tell her she is welcome to stay as long as she needs to. Well, things get a bit tense as Laure never stops talking about Pierre and is constantly following Iris everywhere and borrows Iris’s clothes and rearranges her kitchen cabinets, etc. Iris and Gabriel are struggling in their marriage as well, ever since Gabriel discovered a boy hurt and dying. Gabriel can’t come to terms with the boy’s last words and what he told the police. Another couple, Esme and Hugo, move into the village and become good friends with Iris and Gabriel. Esme is pregnant and they also have someone staying with them by the name of Joseph. Joseph is an old friend of Esme’s and is helping them fix up their house. He also starts working at Iris and Gabriel’s to help fix up their walled garden. A lot of tension is present and then someone dies. Without giving away the plot, I’ll stop there. The book moves along fairly well, just dragging in a few parts where it seems to get bogged down with the repetitive neediness of Laure. I was interested in the story and curious where it was going and I admit being surprised at the end. This was a quick read and I’d recommend it as a decent book - just not great. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel for the most part. The characters are believable and their relationships developed and revealed themselves in a fascinating way throughout the story. The gradual revelations were handled well; the pace and suspense were compelling right up to the epilogue. This was, for me, the disappointing part of the book--I didn't like the switch to first person, with the murderer giving a long explication of events with the missing links filled in. To me, it would have been more effective to keep the third person point of view, using a date under the epilogue heading or a phrase like 'Twenty years previously', or something similar. I felt the novel's intensity really dropped off in the final pages, leading me to give it three rather than four stars. Still, the story was great up until that point, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I enjoyed this psychological thriller, though it felt a little repetitive at times. Overall, it has a strong plot and an excellent twist at the end that I did not see coming.

B.A. Paris is an auto-read author for me and will continue to be after The Guest. This was a quick page turning read with a lot of twists that I did not see coming. I really enjoyed the alternating POV of the main characters and how quick each chapter felt. I would definitely recommend this one 4 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I normally devour Paris's books however this one was much slower paced for me. While there's clearly a mystery from the beginning, this was a lot less action and suspense focused than her other novels. We spend a lot of time with Iris and Gabriel at home with Laure as their guest, but it almost felt a little too static. I did really enjoy the plot and was SHOCKED at the epilogue- I definitely didn't see that coming however it made me question other hints throughout the first half of the book. I s till really enjoyed this but not my favorite of Paris's!

I was shocked at the ending of this book. When I first started to read it.my thoughts were its going to be like Ms. Paris book behind closed doors, but it did surprise me, just when I thought one thing I'd fine I was wrong in my thinking, I read this book in a day, and I loved it. I have been a big fan of B.A. Paris since I read her first book, She sure can keep you guessing who done it ,. My thoughts were the new neighbors were up to know good.

Behind Closed Doors is a favorite but the other author’s books haven’t lived up to that one. I was excited to read this one in hopes it would be as good as Behind Closed Doors and it didn’t disappoint! Although a little drawn out in day to day conversations at time and the guest was super annoying, still an addicting read.

Once I had the three main couples figured out, it was an easy listen. A domestic drama with intertwined characters left wondering who is lying and what each is trying to hide. At first I thought I had it figured out but as the story intertwined I thought there was no way.

The epilogue made the book. Turns out I was right but the last chapter still left my jaw dropped.

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