The Guest by B.A. Paris is an almost claustrophobic domestic drama where every character is full of secrets. Iris and Gabriel have just returned from vacation to find their best friend Laure has been staying at their home. This isn't too unusual, Iris and Gabriel met Laure and her husband Pierre on their honeymoons and formed a fast friendship, letting the other couple know their home was available when they were away in case the other couple needed a little get away of their own. However, this time Laure is alone and has been staying in the master bedroom suite, and has even been wearing Iris' clothes. She informs the couple that she found out Pierre has had a daughter and they're splitting up and she needs a place to stay until she figures things out. But as Laure's time at their home extends week after week, Iris and Gabriel feel that something is not right. Then, after Laure returns to Paris to have a meeting with Pierre, the police inform the group that Pierre has been found dead.

I went into this one without reading much about it and I'm glad for that. I found it to be almost claustrophobic, with Laure almost taking over Iris and Gabriel's home, friends, family, etc. There were a number of side plots and I enjoyed that they all tied together pretty nicely. Overall this was a good domestic drama, but not really a thriller.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

When Iris and Gabriel return home after a vacation, they find a guest in their home. Laure, one of their friends from France has let herself into their house and is staying there while she deals with a secret that her husband has revealed. He had a one night stand earlier in their marriage and just found out that he has a child. Laure leaves to have time to think about it, and allow Pierre to sort out what he wants to do. She stays long after she said she would, and she begins to be more and more erratic. Another couple moves into the neighbourhood, and they become friends, but their gardener seems to have secrets in his past, so when there are a couple of deaths (accident or murder?) he becomes a person of interest. Things become more dangerous and there could be another murder if someone doesn't figure out what is happening.

I found this a slow moving story, that seemed more of a drama story than a thriller. It didn't pull me in as quickly as I would have liked, in fact, until the twists began, it was just an okay read. I didn't feel the immediacy that I usually do with BA Paris' books. There were a lot of unlikable characters, including Laure who seemed to be out for herself and took advantage of Gabriel and Iris. I was actually getting worried about their relationship. Then, there was a huge twist that just had my jaw dropping and tied up the story nicely. That is the thing that saved this one for me, although it took too long to get there. Overall, this was a mystery, drama with some suspense that others may enjoy more than I did, especially if you enjoy a slow burn story.

This book was full of surprises!

Upon returning to their home after what should have been a vacation to reset their marriage, Iris and Gabriel find their close friend, Laure, in their house. Laure has discovered that her husband has a child that she nor he ever knew about, and Laure asks to stay while she sorts out her life. A tangled web is weaved between the characters, with more links between them adding to the drama already facing them, not only because of Pierre's adultery and now silence, but also because of the secret that Gabriel has been keeping- the true final words of a teenager that Gabriel found in the quarry, on death's doorstep. As more secrets are uncovered that link the characters together, more deaths occur. What other secrets are Laure, Iris, and Gabriel hiding, where is Pierre, and what does the gardener have to do with any of this? Full of shocking twists, I couldn't put this book down and was truly surprised by the end!

Well done Ms Paris! I did not see that coming! Nor will I spoil it for anyone else. Couples meet while honeymooning and become lifelong friends. One of the couples are going through a rough patch so one moves in with the other couple. So the mystery begins with an unexpected ending (for me anyway).

I’ve been a fan of B.A. Paris since Behind Closed Doors, that was an amazing book with the embers ending I’ve ever read. Ever since then I’ve been a fan, I’ve read all of her books and they keep getting better. This one did not disappoint at all.

Good mystery plot, character dialogue, and the twist at the end could not have been any better. It was a good shocker and it delivered what Paris books are all about.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the advance copy

This book was a slow burn for me and I was prepared to give it 3 stars...until the epilogue! WOW! Just when you think you have it figured out and everything is over, it's NOT! B.A. Paris with the slow build and the big mind explosion at the end!

This book was a solid three stars for me. I thought it was paced well and I did find it engaging. However, I wish the things revealed in the Epilogue had come out sooner in the plot and been developed a little more. I don't usually like when an author waits until the last second to reveal the twists.

B.A. Paris is very talented and this one was no exception. It was such a crazy read, but in a good way. There were so many secrets in this book and twists along the way. I was pretty surprised by the ending about how everything unfolded. You really have sympathy for one character but realize by the end it was misplaced. Of course the writing is done in such a way that you feel that way otherwise it would give away certain things too early. This book genuinely surprised me and I love that about books by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

This is another hit by B.A. Paris! You’ll be guessing until the very end!

This book wasn't my first from this author. The others have been so good, but almost too dark for me. This one was much less distributing which made it easier for me to read. Don't worry, it still has plenty of dark deeds for the tried and true fan. I tore through this book, which was nice because I was having a bit of a slump. I would recommend this book to fans of the author and anyone looking for a dark read.

This is a slow psychological thriller with dual POVs. If it wasn’t for the way things unfolded in the end, I probably wouldn’t have rated it as high. To start - the prologue had so many characters that you don’t yet know and it was confusing and pointless. I want the prologue to engage me and reel me in, but it had me worried for the amount of characters I would need to keep track of 😅 However, it was very easy to keep track of all of them the way it was written! The plot point of having someone stay with you indefinitely is anxiety inducing. I felt for Gabriel and Iris! As someone who values alone time, I was getting annoyed for them. As a whole, I wasn’t super intrigued by the book until about 60% in and then I didn’t want to put it down. It had a little lull at about 80% , but boy was that ending satisfying. There are so many characters and simultaneous storylines that I would have a theory, but couldn’t make all the pieces connect no matter how much I tried. I did not see things unfolding the way they did, but it all came together with a big beautiful psychologically demented bow in the end 🎀


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I am sooo bummed I was hoping this book was gonna be really good but it just kinda dragged and was not holding my attention.
I feel like the author was wayyy off on the pace of this book, and it hurt the whole book for me.
I tried to give another book from this author a chance a while ago and had to DNF it and now this book and how it was I think I am gonna have to be done with this author. :(
I was just so bored and I felt the characters were pretty boring also.

Since I first read Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris I have been reading everything she writes in hopes of getting the same thrilling feeling. The Guest was not the thriller I was hoping for but I did enjoy this drama.

The story follows Iris and her husband Gabriel as they return from vacation to find that one of their friends has moved into their house. The story slow progresses, with a few twists and turns, with an ending I definitely was not expecting!

With many unlikeable characters and slower story line this book won't be for everyone. If you love domestic drama though this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

B.A. Paris is notorious for crafting a thrilling suspense. Her stories have range and no two tales have felt the same.

In The Guest the drama is there from page one. Husband and wife Iris and Gabriel are returning home early from what was supposed to be a fun and peaceful vacation. Things have been better between them. You see, a few months ago Gabriel came across a crashed bicyclist and held his hand as he passed away. Traumatic as that is, he also knew the young man, a classmate of his daughters. He's been haunted by the tragedy and now it's getting in the way of his career. He can't talk to Iris like he usually can. He knows he's pulling away from her and hurting her in the process but he just simply cannot deal with working on their marriage or even maintaining the happiness they had before the accident.

When the couple arrives at home, Iris already disappointed that the vacation didn't seem to help her husband, they're startled at the intrusion of their friend, Laure.

Laure & Pierre and Iris & Gabriel all met on their honeymoon. Somehow they've stayed friends, stayed in touch after all these years. They have a standing agreement that if one couple is out of town, the other should feel free to come and stay, like housesitting and vacationing in one. So it's not unusual that Laure would have dropped in while they were gone. But there is no Pierre here with Laure, because it seems that Pierre has been unfaithful.

Laure implores that Iris and Gabriel let her stay on as their guest while she and Pierre attempt to figure it out. As you can imagine, having a house guest, no matter if it IS a close friend being underfoot while you're dealing with your own trauma isn't easy. And Laure quickly gets on both Gabriel and Iris' nerves. They feel like she's never going to leave.

Of course, some elements of this story come off as odd right away: an unconventional new couple that moves in down the street, a houseguest that doesn't seem to want to leave nor deal with her own issues, a gardener that seems suspicious. All these characters interact and overlap in ways that leave you scratching your head as you try to puzzle out just what is happening here.

Add to all this, a few bodies that start turning up and you've got yourself and real knot of confusion.

Readers will enjoy trying to unravel the story and the twists and be left with another exciting novel by Paris.

When Iris and Gabriel return home from a vacation to find family friend Laure staying at their home after leaving her husband, it’s just the beginning of the characters’ lives unraveling. When Hugh, Esme, and Joseph move into the neighborhood even more secrets are revealed. How will they handle them, and is one of them willing to kill to keep them hidden?

This book was paced somewhat slow in the beginning but picked up towards the end with some twists throughout. A good summertime thriller if you want something easy to read!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

I’m usually a huge fan of this author but this book fell short for me. I found myself struggling with the mystery elements and the pace was slow.. I also had trouble connecting with the characters. I’m still a big fan of this author and can’t wait for their next book .

B.A. Paris has a way of keeping you guessing until the very end. And I find her writing style to be very easy to read - not too simplistic, not over the top in vocabulary - just very down to earth. She has a excellent way of developing a full, rounded cast of characters. I recommend to read all of her novels - they won't let you down.

I tried so hard to really like this book. I truly did. I was lucky enough to receive both the E-Arc and the audiobook. I switched back and forth but I honestly could not get into the book
So I ended up DNFing it. I'm rating the book 3 stars because while it wasn't a book for me it might be the perfect book for someone else.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC. And to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

An amazing story with a truly surprising turn. Keeps you thinking you have it all figured out, then WHAM!! An incredible addition to your TBR list.

I really wanted to like this one after loving Behind Closed doors, but this one unfortunately fell a little flat of me.