I’m a huge fan of B.A. Paris! But this book dragged on…. It was good, but not great.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press!

A super engrossing read you will not want to put down!

I am a fan of B.A. Paris and so I was very thankful to receive an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review.

I will admit the book started out slow for me in the first few chapters, but once I wrapped my head around the characters and the connections between the couples, I got deeply engrossed to see where the multiple story lines were going. But the ending, holy WOW! I personally did not see it coming! I do not want to give away any spoilers, but the book begins with an explosion and ends with an explosive twist (plus a body count of 3)! If you enjoy domestic thrillers with a twist ending, this one is for you!
Publication Date: February 20, 2024. Rating 4.5 stars

B.A. Paris is the queen of psychological thrillers. This one had me at the edge of my seat anxious and guessing until the very literal last page… I’m talking epilogue last page. This seemingly idyllic family is rocked by a string of tragedies and one house guest who is overstaying her welcome… but in this novel there’s many untrustworthy characters and red herrings that will have you questioning everything and everyone until it’s explosive conclusion. B.A. Paris always writes incredible thrillers and The Guest is no exception.

Big fan of this author, so I was thrilled to get to read the story. It did not disappoint. Meet 3 families that lives intertwine and one “OMG of an epilogue” moment.
Can wait to recommend this to my friends.

Wow- it’s been a long time since a book has stumped and surprised me, but B.A. Paris has done it with this one!! A solid 4/5 ⭐️s for me.

The Guest tells the story of three families and how their secrets and lives connect and destroy them. I must admit that once you get a hold on who all the characters are (around 20% for me), the book becomes quite a quick and enjoyable read. And when you get to the epilogue…whoa buddy get ready for your whole mind to be blown 🤯.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded to 4 due to the ending.

This was my 6th book from Paris and it was an enjoyable read. This was an beautifully woven plot with so many strings going in so many directions, but of course connected in the end. Without any spoilers, the ending of this one was not what I had anticipated! My mind was in another direction than where this went because of the complexities of all the characters.

The story begins with Iris and Gabriel, struggling with their marriage because of secrets Gabriel is keeping from his wife. They arrive home after a getaway to try to fix things only to find that their close friend, Laure, is at their house after having found out that her husband, Pierre, has fathered a child with another woman. Laure is an interesting character that I couldn't stand (which I believe is intentional on the author's part). She was not a nightmare house guest, per se, but she has definitely overstayed her welcome. But, not wanting to harm their friendship, Iris and Gabriel try their best to deal with it.

Meanwhile, Iris and Gabriel friend solace in a quickly growing friendship with newcomers, Hugh and Esme, who is expecting her first child. They have their own house guest (well, he lives in the shed), Joseph, who is dealing with his own demons and staying with them as a gardener while he tries to get his life back on track. He ends up helping out at Iris and Gabriel's house a few days a week as well. He adds an entirely new layer of conflict and mystery to the plot,.
Thank
There's some quasi-maybe love triangles, lots of secrets, mystery, and a great shocker ending.

This was a great domestic thriller and worth a read! Thanks NG and St. Martin's press for a chance to review this book!

Thanks to NetGalley, BA Paris, and St Martin's Press, I received an ARC to provide a review of this yet to be released book! Be sure to check it out Feb 20, 2024!
I love the books I have read from BA Paris.
This one was a bit of a slow burn, but I couldn't stop because I HAD to know what was going on! All I can say is I'm happy I read this one, because that twist! My mouth dropped.

B.A. Paris just never disappoints! I was hooked from the first chapter. Compelling characters, great twists and turns and a fantastically satisfying ending! I'd read her grocery list if you offered!

If you love twists and turns, this one is for you! Shortly into this thriller I thought I knew how it would end and it did actually go that way… halfway through the book! With half the book left, I had no guesses as to how it would end and I loved that. Overall, the plot was intriguing and kept me hooked.

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!