Dark and convoluted thriller that I couldn’t put down. I thought I had it figured it out but has some good twists that I didn’t see coming. It’s all completely explained at the end which I appreciate.

Iris and Gabriel have the perfect life. When they return from out of town, they discover that one of their friends, Laure, has come to stay with them after splitting from her husband. They invite her to stay as long as she needs. It isn’t long before she overstays her welcome though by following Iris around, and borrowing her clothes.

With secrets piling up all around them, including what really happened to Laure’s husband, can Iris and Gabriel’s marriage survive?

This was a fun slow burn domestic drama. I have enjoyed B.A. Paris’s other works so was excited for this one to hit my inbox.

The characters were a lot of fun in this one and it was interesting to figure out all of their dynamics. None of the characters were what I would consider reliable, and that made for a fun twist. It was a little confusing at first to understand whose point of view was being shared in each chapter until I got the hang of things, but when I did it worked. Normally I prefer clearer roadmaps, and while that would have been nice, I was able to figure it out. I would categorize this book as being more character focused instead of plot focused, so more time was spent on character development. I think that a little bit of the story could have been cut out to make the story flow a little more concisely, but it wasn’t horrible.

I enjoyed the twists that occurred throughout the book. I did see a few of them coming, but they were still really good and worked. The big one at the end was amazing and I didn’t see that one coming. The epilogue on this one was so fun and really made the story.

The pacing was on the slower side, but the short chapters and constant point of view switching did help keep things moving. It did take a little to get into the story, but when I did I didn’t want to put it down. The writing was also well done as to be expected from this author. I don’t think that fans of her work will be let down.

I recommend this book if you are looking for a slow burn, character driven suspense read.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press @Stmartinspress and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A copy of this review will be posted on my blog close to publication day.

B.A. Paris never disappoints with a thriller. This one was just as good as her last, or better. Can't wait for her next book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.

This was a slow burn which I normally do not enjoy (short attention span). I became fully invested at about the 100 page mark.

I'll make this short and sweet. Good character development. A bit twisty (extra star for that) but ultimately very predictable.

3stars

The Guest follows Iris and Gabriel , who come home from vacation and find their friend Laure in their home. The couple often open their home to Laure and her husband Pierre when they’re away, but this time Laure is alone. Her and Pierre are going through some marital problems and Laure finds herself quite at home with Iris and Gabriel. Gabriel is having some problems of his own, after finding a local boy near death in the quarry and being with him as he said his final words.

This was a captivating read and I really enjoyed it. The epilogue was a bit long and it’s a pet peeve of mine when books kind of word vomit the reasoning behind everything in the last 10 pages, so I knocked it down a bit. Overall I really liked it and did not see the twists coming! definitely recommend it!

Probably my favorite book thus far from B.A. Paris! I thought I was giving up on thrillers and that I’ve “read it all” but no, I was sucked in again! You can’t help but get hooked in the first few pages so I don’t recommend if you have somewhere to be! Kept me up into the wee hours for “just another chapter”!

This book had a unique murder mystery storyline and every other chapter alternated between a husband and wife’s perspective. I found the book to be slow paced and tired of the repetitive worries and problems the characters were facing. I will say that I didn’t foresee the major plot twist so I appreciated the story telling and shocking ending

4.25ish stars

As with many other readers, I was totally captivated by Behind Closed Doors and have been, I think, searching for something else that gives me the same thrilling intrigue from this writer. However, I haven’t quite found that yet; although I’ve enjoyed some of her other books, they haven’t quite lived up to that high standard for me. That being said, I did like the twisty details of this book, and it worked way better for me than the author’s last one. I didn’t quite see the ending coming, which was great, and although the reveals/unrolling of the explanations felt a bit heavy-handed, it was largely still a satisfying conclusion. I’ll be looking forward to what comes next.

Iris and Gabriel have a marriage under stress. Gabriel has witness the death of a young boy who was riding his bike near the quarry, With his dying breath, they boy gives Gabriel a message for his mother, The weight of of this experience has Gabriel withdrawing. Iris and Gabriel return from a trip to find Laure, their friend from Paris, staying in their home, wearing Iris's clothes. Laure explains that she did not know where else to go, Her husband, Pierre, has told her that he has child from an affair that he had not known about. Pierre did not want children and although Laure did, she wanted Pierre more, and so it was decided.

Iris and Gabriel are sympathetic and tell Laure to stay as long as she likes - this is something that they will regret. Laure is inserting herself into Laure's life, wearing her clothes, drinking too much. This is becoming a real life version of Single, White Female. There is no space for Gabriel to heal from his experience and he continues to pull away from Iris. Gabriel reached out to Pierre, but he only texts back saying her needs time to think. On top of this there are new young neighbors with a newborn and friend of theirs who is a troubled, handsome gardener who comes to work with Gabriel on their garden.

As things begin to fall apart even more for all the characters, more of a mystery begins to reveal itself. More than one mystery, in fact. The tense psychological energy leaps off the pages until it concludes with something I think no one will see coming,

A story of grief, betrayal, and secrets galore. This starts off a little slow as Paris builds the characters, but it becomes a delightful slow burn as the body count rises. The combustion comes with the shocking conclusion and a great payoff for the readers.,

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love B.A. Paris' writing and this book is no exception. The book starts off a bit slow, so I will say its a bit more of a slow burn, then what I am used to. I think one reason I felt that way was because there was a lot of characters, and plot elements that are introduced. in more of a telling then showing kind of way. But once the book starts to get going, there are so many twists and surprises that made me glad that I stuck around to keep reading. As one does while reading a thriller novel I made a lot of theories, which I did narrow it down at the 80ish percent mark and discovered that I was right. I definitely think fans of this authors work will like this one!

I was very excited to get to read The Guest being a fan of Behind Closed Doors. The Guest is more of a slow burn, but I found myself intrigued the entire book. The ending was the icing on the cake and it was something I had not predicted. I also enjoyed the different mysteries happening at once and figuring out how everything tied together. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

Thanks to St Martin's Press & NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ARC! I’ve been a huge fan of Paris’s books since I read Behind Closed Doors a couple of years ago.

I really enjoyed The Guest, but I will say it’s more of a slow burn than her other books. I felt this book was very dialogue heavy and at times felt repetitive. That being said, I definitely didn’t see the last chapter coming and I liked how she tied everything together.

I would recommend this book to fans of domestic dramas!

I have enjoyed all of B.A. Paris’ books including this one. So many secrets and twists that I didn’t see coming.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martens Press for an ARC of this book.

Now that was twisted!!! So many plot elements that all merged into an explosive ending!

Iris and Gabriel are empty nesters with their daughter Beth taking a gap year in Greece before she starts uni. Unexpectedly, one day, their good friend Laure shows up stating that her husband Pierre has confessed to fathering a child with another woman but won't say who. He and Laure are taking a break so he can decide what to do. Meanwhile, Gabriel is on leave from his work as a doctor. He is out for a walk when he comes across a young man who is near death after riding his bike off the ledge of a quarry. Just before he passes, he tells Gabriel something, which causes him to spiral. New to the neighbourhood are Esme and Hugh who are expecting their first child. Living in their carriage house is their attractive gardner, Joseph, who comes with a checkered past. As Iris befriends Esme, she starts to learn more about the couple and Joseph.

I will admit there were a lot of characters and plot elements introduced at the start, which made it initially confusing and difficult to know who was who. However, once I was able to sort it all out after a few chapters, the book was unputdownable! I was utterly gripped by the cryptic plot, unsure where it was going.

I would've given this book five stars except I guessed the reveal at about the 80 percent mark. So bummed! Nevertheless, it was a fantastic domestic suspense that I would absolutely recommend!

A gracious thank you to @Netgalley, and @St.Martin'sPress for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

B.A. Paris's latest psychological thriller, "The Guest," revolves around Iris and Gabriel, a seemingly perfect couple with a beautiful home in the British countryside. However, their idyllic life takes a dark turn when Gabriel witnesses a tragic accident in a nearby quarry, burdening him with a guilty secret. The tension escalates further when their friend Laure becomes an unexpected house guest.

As always, B.A. Paris excels in building an atmosphere of unease and suspense. Even though I did not find the characters particularly likable, the mystery kept me turning the pages eager to see what was going to happen. But the reason I will recommend this book to everyone is because of the ending alone! As someone who reads A LOT of thrillers, I was truly caught completely off guard by this one. Overall this was a great book and further solidifies why I will continue to read anything B.A. Paris publishes!

Iris and Gabriel are a happy British couple whose life was impacted after Gabriel came upon a young man who had just suffered a horrible accident. They take a getaway to try and ease Gabriel's distress, and when they return home, they find their friend Laure has unexpectedly been staying at their house while she processes the news of her husband having a child with another woman. Laure's stay begins to stretch longer than expected, with odd events happening quite often. New characters and new developments keep this story moving along quickly and keep the reader guessing.

B.A. Paris's new releases are always an immediate read for me (and for good reason!) This one was deliciously wicked and shocking. I loved getting to know all of the characters and thought the dynamics between them were expertly laid out. I was so intrigued by each of them and what their inner motives were. I was completely shocked by the reveals at the end. I think those reveals really wrapped up the book perfectly. This was really well plotted and executed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This has to be one of my favorite books this year! I’ve grown so used to guessing the twists and plot points of most domestic thrillers but this one, I did not see coming. The story is a bit complicated to follow at first because we’re introduced to quite a few characters. But once you get past that, you will be tangled in their web of drama, lies and mysteries. Gabriel and Iris are a married couple going through a rough patch when their friend Laure shows up asking if she can stay with them a few weeks. She’s left her husband Pierre and needs some space. We also meet a new couple down the street named Esme and Hugh who are expecting their first child. The beginning of this book CAN get a bit repetitive but I feel at the end it all ties together so perfectly and you see why the author put emphasis on certain things the characters did or said. I was so impressed with some small details and things I should have caught and didn’t! Loved it!

The Guest by B.A Paris
My rating:
3/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Iris and Gabrielle return to their home after a trip, they realize someone has been in their house. To their relief and confusion, it is their friend Laure, who has been staying there while they were gone because she was having issues with her husband Pierre. The couples had said that they could stay at each others places if they ever needed to while the others were away.

Honestly, this book was not my favorite and that’s a bummer because this was my first book from the author. I had heard great things about some of her books, so I will be reading a couple more even though this missed the mark for me.

I didn’t really relate to any of the main characters and nothing in this book actually happened for the first half of this book besides Laure being there and overstaying her welcome.

The second half of the book did pick up, but I still have questions even after a hefty epilogue. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised with the twisty ending, but it was too cookie cutter for me to find realistic. There was so little happening during the actual book and the epilogue went out with a bang it was just too much going on at once for it to be satisfying.

I was able to read this and also listen at the same time as I was approved for the audiobook version in edition to the kindle version. I really enjoyed the narrator and felt she did a great job! Overall this one was not my favorite but still entertaining and I definitely wanted to see how everything played out.

Thank you netgalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan audio for the ARCS! This will be available in late February of 2024!

This was a 2.5 star for me. I normally have liked b. A. Paris books but this one missed the mark for me. It felt like the author wasn’t into it and that the characters just feel flat all the way around. The first chapter was intriguing and then it’s not really referenced at all until the very end. I thought it might have been better if they did a flash back at the beginning to weave some teasers in throughout like perhaps the killers point of view chapters (without knowing who that person is). Otherwise I didn’t see the point of the flashback beginning. The end felt just copied and pasted in there, like oh let’s just go with this ending with no real tie ins during the entire book. Usually they weave something in earlier to at least make it make sense. I didn’t find myself really liking or enjoying any of the characters either they all lacked life and dimension. I will keep trying b. A parks and hope the next one is a little better.