Had a hard time getting started due to the slow pace. Not as fast paced as some of the other books written by B. A. Paris. Overall great storyline and kept me intrigued once the story sped up

As always, this book did not disappoint. I love stories where you suspect things, and are completely wrong. There was a part in the epilogue that had me shaking my head and laughing because I just thought it was a little extreme. Overall, it was extremely good. 4.5 stars ⭐️

After Gabriel and Iris arrive home from their trip, they find their friend staying at their house claiming her husband has had an affair and she has left him. As she starts to outstay her welcome and puts strain on Gabriel and Iris’s marriage, secrets start coming to light.

Wow! This is how you do a domestic thriller. I enjoyed all the characters and the pacing of the plot. While not rapidly fast, there is character development and escalating intrigue to keep you turning the pages. The ending is so satisfying and throws a twist you didn’t see coming.

The writing is well done and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

As always with B A Paris, The Guest is fast pace, edgy, and such a twisty suspense that had me fast turning pages. When I thought I had it all figured out the the twists came and left me wanting more!

It is rare when an epilogue ruins a book...but I think this one did just that. I was intrigued for the entire book but the ending was rushed and felt too easy. I will still read anything B.A. Paris writes but this one will not be on my list of favorites.

Iris and Gabriel were not expecting a guest when they got home from their vacation. Yet they find their close friend Laurel inside their house with a fantastic story about how her husband is the father to another woman’s child. Laurel needs space to process this information and asks to stay with Iris and Gabriel as she and Pierre work through their problems. But when Pierre becomes difficult to get ahold of and Laurel seems to have zero interest in leaving Iris and Gabriel’s house they are pushed to the limits of their hospitality. The longer Laurel stays it seems the more that secrets that were meant to stay buried become unearthed. Secrets so dark that murder seems to be the only way to keep them safe.
This is a fantastic story which does a great job of keeping the reader engaged. The characterization is extremely strong, and nothing is revealed until it needs to be. There are some pieces the reader will be able to figure out before the final reveal, but the big reveal is perfect and nothing I saw coming. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

The Guest is more of a domestic drama/mystery which is different from what B.A. Paris usually writes which is psychological thrillers. I felt this book felt flat. I had a hard time staying with the story as the characters were just talking about their problems and not much was changing from chapter to chapter. It was pretty slow. There was some intriguing parts with uninvited guests and mystery and the end was good. I rate this a good book.. 3 stars.

The Guest started out really good, a great premise with Iris and Gabriel returning home from holiday and finding an unexpected guest in their house. They have been friends with Laure and Pierre for 20 years and when either are traveling, they always offer their home for the other to stay in. Unfortunately, Laure shows up after finding out some devastating news about Pierre... and then she stays for weeks while dealing with her marriage drama. The middle of this book is pretty slow, although it was still captivating because as a B.A. Paris fan, I know there will be an unexpected twist. And I loved the final twist... the reveal was long, complex and unexpected. A great psychological thriller if you enjoy domestic suspense and drama with unsolved murders thrown in.

Just wow! In true B.A. Paris fashion, the twists and turns of this domestic thriller will have your head spinning! The beginning does start off a little slow, setting the scene of Iris & Gabriels life/marriage, and the visiting fried (Laure) who adds to their already existing struggles. Trust me though, stick with it & this book will not disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press, & the author for the opportunity to read this ARC.

oh my gawd, I can’t believe how, after reading loads of thrillers, I didn’t see the twist coming! How humiliating! So I’ll put that on the talent of the author!! The story was well written, not too rushed, which I appreciated! Iris annoyed me a lot, always complaining about the grief of her husband, and then it was Gabriel’s turn. The characters were well written, the plot too! It was a great book and I will certainly read more of this author!

Just finished my first BA Paris book. I'm a sucker for domestic thrillers with multiple perspectives and questionable neighbors/friends potentially doing bad things, and this one delivered. I was hooked from the beginning when Iris and Gabrielle return from a trip to find their friend Laure has not only moved in but also left her husband, Pierre.. Add some drama with new neighbors and a charming handyman – let's just say, not everyone is making the best life choices and not everyone is very likable . At times I found myself wanting to shake some sense into them.

It's a bit of a slow burn, but the short chapters had me flipping through like crazy. I had to know what secrets everyone was hiding! The final “act” caught me off guard, and it's presented in a way I hadn't seen before in my usual books. But the more I thought about it, the more I appreciated the unique approach. Definitely adding more BA Paris to my reading list!

The Guest is a multi layered domestic drama/thriller. There are a few different storylines in this one:
First we have Gabriel & Iris, a married couple who get a surprise visit from Laure, a long time friend of theirs who has just found out her husband has a child with another woman.
Then, we have Gabriel & Iris's neighbors - expecting parents, Hugh & Esme, as well as their gardener, Joseph.
In addition, there is the storyline of Charlie, a young boy who recently died after a biking accident and Gabriel was the last person to see him alive...

Though I was intrigued by the story at first, I quickly lost interest as it's about 50% of the way through the book before things really pick up. I had a hard time with the dialogue between characters in this one. It seemed very stiff & unrealistic at times. The story also became repetitive as we would have a conversation between two characters, then one of the characters would recount the conversation to someone else, resulting in us reading the same thing over & over.

A lot of the plot was very slow as well, I wouldn't really classify this as a thriller since there weren't really any suspense/intense/thrilling aspects to it at all. A lot of the plot is filled with mundane tasks & conversations that do not hold any value to the plot. Personally, I felt the Charlie/Gabriel storyline was sort of pointless and doesn't really fit along with the rest of it, in my opinion. The book could do just fine without it.

Next, the prologue. I think having this was entirely unnecessary as it is just confusing more than anything. You are thrown into a random night & a random conversation with characters you don't know and given no context. Only for the same exact chapter word for word to repeat towards the end of the book.

aaaaannndddd, the epilogue. This is one of my biggest issues with the book. Without the epilogue, this is nothing. The book ends with no explanation & no conclusion except the epilogue which is extremelyyy long and takes you through the ENTIRE book ..one more time! As if it wasn't already repetitive enough. We are essentially taken through moment by moment and explained who the killer is, how they committed the murders, and why. I'm sorry, but I hate a mystery book that just tells you the explanation, rather than shows you, and I hate when the explanation is shoved at the end as if it's an after thought 🤦🏼‍♀️

I usually enjoy this author’s stories. This one was not one of those. The main part of the book dragged on and on and the big “twist” at the end did not feel like a twist at all. I didn’t like most of the characters, the plot (not that there was much of a plot), or the ending. This book missed the mark for me on all levels. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book without really knowing anything about it. And the prologue had me hooked right away!

Unfortunately, after a few more chapters, I found it had slowed down. A lot. While I was never bored or having thoughts of not finishing, it was not holding my attention quite like the prologue did or drawing me back in to find out what would happen next.

The burn was definitely slow with this one. It did start to build toward the end, but I found the chapter before the epilogue ended so abruptly and without revealing anything or leaving you on a cliffhanger. The epilogue just explained everything, which felt very drawn out and quite anticlimactic.

This one was a miss for me.

This is definitely more of a slow burn than a quick paced book but still kept my interest until the end. At the beginning, I was confused with all the different names and had to reread it a few times to get who was who. I did not see the ending coming but enjoyed it.

3.5 stars

This domestic drama was overall just alright. I found it to be pretty slow throughout most but I was invested in figuring out what happened. I think the epilogue really shook things up.

I both listened to the audibook and read the book, both versions were good.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

B.A. Paris' books are some of my favorite thrillers. But honestly, this one was not my favorite. I didn't feel like I connected to any of the main characters. I felt like the second half of the book was much faster paced than the first half. So overall, not my favorite, but not horrible.

The Guest was a quick read and it had a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming which left me reeling. In that sense, it was diverting. It started rather slow with almost more characters than I could keep up with, and I had a hard time connecting the prologue with the story line at all until the end, and I have a hard time understanding why the author pulled that section out of the timeline to start the book there. It confused me until the end, even now, I think there might have been better scenes to pull out of the narrative to draw the reader in that made more sense in context of the story.

As I mentioned, there is a twist that I never saw coming - which in the moment, made the book entertaining, but the more I consider everything, the less satisfied I am with the explanations offered. The characterizations don’t entirely line up or rather hold true and in the end, I just felt hoodwinked by the whole of it. If you don’t think too hard, it’s enjoyable and entertaining. If you’re left to ponder and consider all the breadcrumbs leading to the climax, it becomes more and more bewildering and unbelievable. But if you can read and not over think, it was a fun book with a dark and twisty ending that you’ll not see coming.

I’d like to thank Saint Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

B.A. Paris' upcoming novel, "The Guest," offers readers a captivating domestic drama that delves into the lives of three separate couples. While not as fast-paced as some of Paris' previous works, this story gradually builds up tension and surprises readers with its unexpected ending.
Initially centered around the lives of three separate couples, "The Guest" gradually evolves into a gripping murder mystery. As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed, tensions rise, and the characters find themselves entangled in a web of deceit and betrayal. Paris skillfully navigates the transition from domestic drama to murder mystery, keeping readers guessing and engaged throughout.
At first, it took me a moment to figure out the pairings of the three couples, but once I got that down, the everything began to make sense. Paris skillfully weaves their stories together, exploring their relationships, secrets, and the complexities of their lives.
While "The Guest" may not be a fast-paced thriller, it excels as a domestic drama. Paris expertly explores the dynamics between the couples. The author's ability to create relatable and flawed characters adds depth to the story, making it easy to become emotionally invested in their lives.
The ending of "The Guest" took me by surprise, adding an unexpected twist for me. Paris manages to tie up loose ends while leaving room for interpretation, leaving readers with a sense of satisfaction and curiosity.
Although "The Guest" may not surpass Paris' previous novel, "Behind Closed Doors," it still stands as a commendable addition to her repertoire. Fans of domestic dramas will find themselves engrossed in the lives of the characters and the intricate web of relationships that Paris has crafted.

Thank you to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 4 stars

The Guest by B.A. Paris is a tangled web of plot and characters. The first half of the novel begins with married middle-aged couple Gabriel and Iris Pelley arriving home late at night to find their family friend, Laure in their house. Laure has unexpectedly come to stay because her husband and Gabriel's best friend, Pierre, has revealed that he has been harboring a secret from his past that threatens to alter their marriage now. Laure soon becomes a cumbersome guest to the Pelleys. As Laure overstays her welcome, Iris meets new neighbors who also have a guest, Jospeh, staying with them. Joseph has a checkered past and the web gets more tangled.

There are layers of plot happening and a whole host of characters to keep track of in this novel. The first half of the book moves fairly slowly, and I often found myself uninterested. Where the first half was slow, the second half felt rushed. The epilogue is a good 10% of the book, which felt off balance; however, Paris does bring all the little details together as the twist is revealed. Although I'm not gushing about this book, I will likely give B.A. Paris books another chance. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.