DNF. Talked about the same topic for the first 20% of the entire book and I was so bored that I had no interest in the characters or the storyline … will not be finishing unfortunately. loved work from this author, but not this book unfortunately

Iris & Gabriel had a beautiful life in the British countryside until he happens upon the tragic accident of a young man that alters his life forever. Trying to help ease her husband's trauma, Iris straddles a fine line between giving him space and being supportive. What neither of them need in this moment is an unexpected house guest. Nevertheless, their friend Laure seemingly moved into their home while they were on holiday. Separated from her husband Pierre, Iris & Gabriel open their home to Laure for as long as she needs...even if Laure insists on wearing Iris' clothes and following her every move. The only bright spot in an otherwise challenging time is the new couple that moved into the neighborhood. Their gardener, on the other hand...it seems trouble follows him wherever he goes. How much can these couples take and who will survive?

As usual for B.A. Paris reads, I finished this in one sitting. I really enjoyed this book, even though it didn't feel like a thriller to me. I enjoyed reading about the countryside, the neighborhood, getting to know the residents...but I wasn't on the edge of my seat, by any means. So, the ending felt a little abrupt. But it was still an interesting read & I've already recommended it to some friends.

My first BA Paris book and I have to say I enjoyed it. The writing was good and the characters were interesting and easy to be invested in. The story itself was a tad slow and the ending fairly predictable. There was quite a bit of build up and I was slightly disappointed that a good amount of the story was wrapped up in one not very important character. The end of the story was a bit far fetched but I did enjoy this while reading it. This one doesn't stand out as much as I wish it had- but it's a solid read.

I have read many BA Paris books and to me this one didn't really stack up. I found it painfully drawn out with a lot of effort and attention to details that seemed irrelevant to the story line. I feel like i read 3/4 of the book before it started to get interesting.
The twist was great though, I did not see it coming.

I have read a few books before from B.A Paris but this is my favorite one yet. I flew through this book, staying up late because I couldn’t put it down. It was a wonderful domestic mystery and every time that I thought I knew what was going on another twist would pop out! Fabulous read,
Iris and Gabriel have returned from vacation to one of their friends staying in their home. Why is she there, and how long does she plan on staying? What secrets lay beneath their friendship and under Iris and Gabriel’s marriage? I loved uncovering all the twists and turns this book had to offer.

What an exhilarating journey this book took me on, and I reveled in every moment of it! Right from the outset, I found myself captivated, attempting to piece together the enigmatic elements that perpetually eluded me. Unlike some books where the destination is evident early on but still enjoyable to witness unfolding, this one kept me perennially one step behind until the climactic revelation that left me utterly astounded.

Iris and Gabriel seemingly have it all – a picturesque home, a grown daughter, and wonderful friends. However, their idyllic life takes a tumultuous turn when Gabriel stumbles upon a young man during a run in the quarry. In his final breaths, the young man imparts a weighty secret to Gabriel, who grapples with the dilemma of whether to disclose it and potentially devastate the young man's family or bear the burden in silence.

As Gabriel's silent struggle intensifies, it strains his relationship with Iris, who finds herself grappling to comprehend his downward spiral. Adding further strain to their marriage, their friend Laure unexpectedly seeks refuge after discovering her husband fathered a child with another woman.

While Laure and Iris share a close friendship, Laure's prolonged stay becomes increasingly taxing. Wearing Iris's clothes and delving into inquiries about the young man's demise, Laure pushes Iris to her breaking point. Secrets, deceit, and lies unravel, testing the foundations of Iris and Gabriel's marriage. The stakes escalate with the mysterious deaths, leaving them questioning whom they can truly trust.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley for providing this Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest and insightful review.

Approached this as a sorbet following a rather heavy read, and boy did it fill the bill. There was a sneaky plot and a whambam of an ending, but I knocked off points due to lumbering pacing, repetition, too much attention to food and clothing. I know the food was included to set a certain tone, but it was over used.

I enjoyed this one on both audio and ereader, it was excellent! I was immediately drawn into the story. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, there’s a twist. And then the Epilogue throws everything upside down! Is it possible for something to be both a slow burn and a popcorn thriller? The story starts off a bit slow and builds but I was engaged and entertained the entire time. This was a quick read that I finished in about 2 days with short chapters that kept me going.

⚠️ Tropes may be considered spoilers, you’ve been warned.

🥰Read this if you enjoy: popcorn thrillers, domestic thrillers, shocking twists, epic epilogues, British countryside settings (and accents), lots of red herrings

❤️‍🩹What I didn’t love: I wish the pacing was a little better. This book had a slow start but once you get to the end reveal you understand all the setup.

📳Single Narration - Emily Joyce- may have the most perfect narration voice for this book. Her ability to take on the personalities of each character and give them each their own distinct voice was amazing.

Thanks to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the ARC and ALC in return for my honest review.

British couple Iris and Gabriel are best friends with a couple they met in their one year anniversary, Laure and Pierre from Paris. Now 20 years later, Iris and Gabriel come home from vacation to find Laure sleeping at their home. Her and Pierre have been fighting since Laure learned that Pierre has a child she never knew about. Iris and Gabriel tell Laure to stay as long as she needs, but now she never wants to leave and secrets keep unfolding.
The first half of the book was stressful and full of mystery, but it was a little slow paced. I would hate being in a situation where you want to support a friend, but you can't have them living with you. It was in the second half of the book where the story takes a turn and becomes a real thriller. This is where I really started to enjoy the read. The pace felt a lot faster and the story became more interesting.
I found some of the characters a bit irritating. A few are dealing with issues that they keep bringing up and end up feeling redundant. However, a lot of characters also appear shady. I had no idea who I could trust.
I wasn't sure how the author was going to wrap up all the loose ends, but she did really well with the ending and left me completely surprised.

Having read all of B.A. Paris' other books and enjoying most of them I was really looking forward to her newest "The Guest". I was pretty sure I knew where this was going for the first 2/3 rd's of the book only to be thrown a major twist. Initially I had a really hard time getting into this, it is a slow starter but the last 1/3 of the book really picks up and pays off. If you have liked her other books you will definitely not be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to enjoy this book in advance of publication!

𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 🖤

📖- The Guest
✍️- B.A. Paris
𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲-February 20, 2024
𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲-⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝕊𝕪𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤

Iris and Gabriel return home early from their trip, as they arrive home an unexpected guest has made theirselves at home. They’re greeted by their longtime friend, Laure. Laure informs them that she decided to leave Paris due to finding out, Pierre, had an affair years ago and discovered he fathered a child 20 yrs ago. She plans to stay for three weeks but it gradually expands and she makes herself at home (literally) borrowing Iris’s clothes, rearranging the kitchen. Iris desperate to get away from hearing Laure’s problems, starts to run around the neighborhood. She meets new neighbors, Esme and Hugh as well as their gardener, Joseph. It all becomes intense as everyone harbors their own secrets and death starts surrounding them.

𝕄𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 💭
I LOVED Behind Closed Doors. However, this book fell short for me. It was very slow paced and it dragged out far too long. Nothing really happened until the Epilogue which is why I gave it a 3.5. Overall, I enjoyed it and would definitely like to hear the audiobook in the future. The twist I did not see coming!!! I loved how it was well weaved into the story and it all made sense at the end.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC in an exchange for an honest review 🫶🏼☺️

#domesticdrama #theguestbaparis #bookreview #mysterybooks #thrillerbooks #coffeetime #coffeeart #caffineaddict #bookworms

I liked this more than her previous book, but overall this was just strange in not an intriguing way? I think it was maybe the pacing that made it clunky versus heart thumping. Definitely readable th0ugh

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Wow! This is a fast paced, quick, well written must read. I can’t imagine an uninvited house guest staying in my home for weeks on end, never mind the never ending drama accompanying them. There are lots of ‘unique’ characters to keep track of but ohhhh so intriguing. I thought I’d figured the story’s secrets/mysteries out but apparently not!
I’m embarrassed to admit how much I liked this twisted book!
Thank You to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and B.A. Paris for the opportunity to thoroughly (but guiltily) enjoy this ARC.

I really wish this was more organized and stuck maybe to one story line but it was kind of 1 thing after another that really just didn't feel necessary. Up until the epilog this was 2 stars and that bumped it to 2.5. Marking 3 stars only because I still really enjoy BAs writing style and while it was all over the place, it was still easy to follow

I’ll start by saying that I generally enjoy all books by B.A Paris and this one was no different. In it you have two couples. Gabriel and Iris and Laure and Pierre. Gabriel and iris come home one night to find someone in their house. It turns out to be their friend Laure. She turned up unannounced while they were away, leaving her husband Pierre behind at home after uncovering a secret about him. At first, Gabriel and Iris are accepting of their new houseguest, because of course they’re all friends, but dealing with issues of their own, she quickly starts to overstay her welcome. I rated this book 4/5 stars. I really enjoyed it. I was shocked by the ending which I didn’t see coming at all. At times it did seem like it was a little slow moving but other parts I felt like I couldn’t keep with all that was going on. If you are a fan of this author I recommend this book.

Iris and Gabriel’s friend Laure shows up unannounced at their home and settles in. Suspending disbelief is necessary once it becomes clear that Laure has no intention of leaving anytime soon and neither the long/suffering Iris nor Gabriel will ask her to. Factor in some interesting new neighbors and a hot gardener and the result is way too much unhealthy over-involvement in each other’s lives.

I didn’t love any of the characters, which was maybe intentional. The dialogue got a bit heavy in places, with a lot of inconsequential detail thrown in, which weighed down the pacing.

While not the most intricately plotted book, there were enough twists and turns to keep me interested. The ending was unexpected and strangely satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advance eGalley book in the exchange for a fair review.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the ARC #TheGuest by #BAParis. I enjoyed this book of manipulations and murder and the big plot twist at the ending. I loved how the author put together the story and how it all blew up at the end. Highly recommend.

“The Guest” was my first B.A Paris book, and it certainly won't be my last.

The first half reads as a general fiction kind of drama, but then people start dying, and nearly everyone feels like they could be a suspect.

The entire storyline was intriguing and easy to read. I didn’t see the twist coming even a little bit.

In hindsight, it was a brilliant plot that was well-planned and executed. 4.5 stars rounded up!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve heard a lot about B.A. Paris so i was very excited that I got the chance to read an advanced copy of the this book. I did find the book to be a little slow and wasn’t as suspenseful as I’d hoped it would be. I did enjoy some of the twists but I still found my self struggling to finish this book. I’m still looking forward to reading other books by her. Thank you Netgalley, B.A. Paris and St.Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Absolutely amazing read! I could not put this book down for the life of me! It caught my attention from the first chapter and I binged this bad boy so hard! Strongly recommended and of course a 5 star read!!!!