I'm a big B.A. Paris fan but this one wasn't my favorite. The pacing was a bit slow for me and I didn't find myself sucked into the mystery of it all like I normally am with her prior books. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you so much NetGalley and St.Martin Press for letting me read this ARC.

This is the second book that I have read by B.A. Paris and again, I’m extremely disappointed! I just don’t see the direction she is trying to go in with her books.

None of the characters were likable, everything was super repetitive and the pacing was just off. Also not a fan of the super long epilogue, like what was the point of that!!

While I may not have enjoyed this one, I’m sure that there will be others that will feel differently and that’s okay! Sorry B.A. Paris but I will not attempt to read anything by you again.

This was another great story by B.A. Paris. While I guessed the "culprit" and motive pretty early on, I was intrigued with how the story would play out. Paris can definitely weave a tale, and the characters are always fully developed and not one-note. Nothing knock your socks off; but this was a worthy read.

this book was so slow. it felt like nothing ws happening and when it did it was so predictable. I had really high hopes because I heard close door was amazing, but I don't think im even going to waste my time unfortunately.

OOO another B.A. Paris book under my "read" list hehe. Sooo, the guest. How would you react to your best friend of multiple years staying at your place without an invite? Although she has a valid reason, she is going through marriage problems with her husband and needs time to herself. BUT she starts to overextend her stay without even asking... and of course while this is all going on, you're dealing with your husband who recently found a body while on a bike ride. So yeah easy to say your marriage isn't going too well considering the grief, guilt, and now your best friend overstaying her welcome in the middle of all this.

I was really wanting some sort of twist or surprise, but I found I was becoming bored as the story continued. I didn't really care to finish it because it felt bleh. There was the whodunit type of questions in my head throughout the book, but even after finding out I was kinda like "oh okay" well then.

Characters were okay in this book, I can't say I really related to any of them and found some obnoxious (mostly the best friend oop). The plotline was too simple for my liking, with extra details added that wasn't exactly adding anything for me.


okay, sadly I've come to realize that I think most of her books are more so domestic thrillers and I'm starting to notice that I don't necessarily like that. I don't know, this one just fell short of really providing me much oofph

This book had taken me by surprise. Although I felt the beginning had a slow start the several murders that happened without really grappled my attention and kept me hooked till the last word.

When Iris and Gabriel return from their holiday, they're surprised to find their friend Laure living in their house. She has left her husband for fathering another child and would like to stay with them until it is sorted out. But even the best of friends can outstay their welcome.
After several "accidental" deaths and a murder come to light, Iris and Gabriel realize that they've found themselves in entangled in a spiderweb of lies, only no one is quite sure whose doing the spinning.
This story starts off pretty ordinary. Iris and Esme are just your average couple living in a quiet and mundane small town until a terrible tragedy occurs. But then there's another....and another. With no real link between these deaths, this couple is stunned at how bad their luck must be to be surrounded by this all.
Of course the reader knows that there aren't any coincidences. Someone has a secret they don't want coming out. A secret to kill for.
B.A. Paris is once again the queen of domestic thrillers with titles such as The Therapist and Behind Closed Doors. She will again throw you through a loop and you'll have no idea what's hit you until the very end.

I am usually a big BA Paris fan and will always pick up the latest. BA Paris books are usually the perfect mix of pacing, suspense, and twists.

This one wasn't my favorite. I felt like the book dragged and the pacing was off for me. I found myself bored through the first 65%. Also, I guessed the twists too early. I would skip this one and go to some of the back list books.

Thank you to Netgally & St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

I gave this book two tries. The first I couldn't make it through the prologue without getting bored so I decided to re-shelve it and try again in a few weeks.

I wish I hadn't.

The book was boring and redundant. We know Beth is taking a gap year. We know Joseph was fired from his jobs due to drinking. We know Gabriel feels guilty about Charlie's last words. You don't have to repeat it in every chapter.

None of the characters had any redeemable qualities, and I forgot about them as soon as I finished the book.

And this may be personal opinion, but I am not a fan of books that have long epilogues explaining the twists. I dunno.

This book was not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this early read. Well..how do you give feedback for this this one??? I liked it and I loved how it and I liked how it was written. The book has the everyday mundane life parts in it and it also had the shocking parts in. It as well. This is a. Book that I feel if you give too much it will pull people away from reading it. It is worth the read, go and give it a read.

The epilogue was really satisfying and I loved the major twist! I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the pacing was a little off for me. I appreciate the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book.

I was lucky enough to receive an ebook AND audio for this advanced copy. I loved having the option for both because I almost never had to set the story down.

I’m not sure how to go about this review without leaving little spoiler bread crumbs everywhere but I shall try! The blurb made this one seem like a complex and fast paced thriller. However, I found this to be a very easy to read slowwww burn. Luckily, I am coming off of back-to-back holiday romcoms so my “thrills” standards were set low. Speaking of romance, we’ve all become acquainted with the term “closed door” on here, yeah? Well this was a “closed door” thriller. Chapters would end and the next chapter would pick up during the aftermath of a huge plot point. It did keep me hooked for answers though! It’s not until the epilogue that the “door” is kicked opened and you get all the details.

This was a wild ride. This was a highly anticipated book that I could not wait. There were twists that I did not see coming. It is a bit slow to start, but keep pushing though. This is not my favorite by B.A. Paris, but still a good read. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for a copy of this book. 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of B.A. Paris’ latest, The Guest.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This book fell flat for me. It dragged on and on, there was no “thrill” in it for me. I couldn’t stand any of the characters, none of them were likable or possessed any redeeming qualities. The “twist” wasn’t really that surprising. This made me sad, because I’ve liked several of the last BA Paris novels. If you’re new to this author, maybe skip this one and go with a previous one.

One of Iris and Gabriel’s friends (Laure) show up at their house while they are on vacation. She plans to stay 3 weeks while she is in a rift with her husband, Pierre. 3 weeks turn into more and things get more complicated between Gabriel experiencing depreciation, the gardener (Joseph) moving into the village and the new neighbors (Hugh and Esme).

I felt like the storyline was slow, and I had trouble deducing what the plot was. The end helped to tie it all up. My mind was blown.

Thank you to B.A. Paris, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC copy.

Another clever twisty turny domestic thriller from B.A. Paris. I read this one in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down, I needed to know who dunnit!!

The Guest by B.A. Paris
Pub date: February 20, 2024
Read by: Emily Joyce
Duration: 8H 14M

I both read and listened to The Guest by B.A. Paris, one of my favorite psychological thriller writers, and while this was more of a slow burn domestic suspense, I enjoyed it immensely.

Iris and Gabriel are close friends with Pierre and Laure; Iris & Gabriel living a quiet life in the British countryside while Iris and Gabriel reside in Paris. This hasn’t stopped them from vacationing together and swapping keys, and Pierre and Laure are God Parents to Iris & Gabriel’s college aged daughter, Beth.

When Iris and Gabriel return home after a getaway to help Gabriel cope after finding an acquaintance dead from an accident near their home, they’re surprised to find Laure staying at their home. She is distraught and without Pierre, stating that he’s told her he has just found out that he has a child from a previous one night stand, refusing to give her any more information. Needing to get away from his betrayal, she decides to leave Paris, and Pierre, and spend some time with her good friends.

Things begin to get a bit awkward as Laure extends her stay, making herself completely at home, wearing Iris’s clothing and rearranging her cupboards, just to begin with her level of Iris implied transgressions. When Pierre barely responds to any of their attempts to reach him, things seem even odder to Iris and Gabriel. They’re able to take their mind off some of the weirdness, though, with the addition of new neighbors, Esme and Hugh, and their lodger, gardener, Joseph.

There are so many secrets and this entire story is a tangled web of deceit and lies but from who and why? This is the beauty of getting to the heart of this slow-burn complex story.

This is read impeccably by Emily Joyce, who did a spectacular job with all the characters, moving the story forward. Well done, Emily!

My thanks to @MacMillan.Audio & @StMartinsPress for these gifted copies to review

I am writing a review based on an ARC provided by the publisher. This review is based on the unpublished version and the final product may vary. Let me premise this by saying that I have read all but one of BA Paris' books, so I have a fair sample size for comparison. I generally enjoy her books, but this one fell short for me. While the premise of the story is interesting, the sequence of events that make up the book require the suspension of disbelief. Nearly every scene, relationship and interaction is "too" convenient. Additionally, there are story lines that seem to make no sense and have no place in the book. Some of these are tied up in pretty little bows with an over-complicated epilogue, but the shocking end wasn't shocking enough to compensate for the tedium beforehand.

The guest mostly follows two couples who met on vacation twenty years prior, and have remained fast friends ever since.

Iris and Gabriel return home early from vacation to find their friend Laure inviting herself to stay at their home after a big falling out with her husband Pierre.

I feel sorry for Iris, her husband is in the midst of a mental breakdown and her friend Laure is sucking all the oxygen out of the room with her never ending discussions about Pierre. Not only that but a new mysterious neighbour who’s inserted herself into their lives is harbouring secrets.

Although the book starts off relatively slow as we are getting back story from all the chatacters, once everything clicks into place around the 40% mark, the momentum picks up and we are thrusted into a world of endless lies, deceipts and twists. Everything is connected but we don’t see it until it is all revealed to us. I would recommend sticking with this one as it is worth it in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for a copy of this book.

3.5 stars. I am a big fan of B.A. Paris so I was excited to get an early copy of The Guest. This book was a page turner, but not in the way that I expected it to be. I often felt like the plot was slow moving and dragged out. Luckily, the ending made up for it. Definitely not my favorite of hers, but still recommend.