Thank you to St Martins Press, Net Gallery & B.A.Paris for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book! I finished it in two days. It kept my attention the entire time.
Iris and Gabriel appear to have an ideal life until Gabriel comes upon a young man who has had a fatal bike accident . Gabriel sits with him while they await emergency medical assistance. Gabriel is the messenger of his last words to his mother when the young man dies. Gabriel is consumed with guilt and this affects his entire life and marriage.
Trying to cheer Gabriel up, his wife plans a couples trip for them. When they arrive home from this trip they are shocked to find their friend, Laure has made herself at home in their house to the point of sleeping in their bedroom!
She is there because she has left her husband.
Then they meet their new neighbors, and Gardner, who lives on their property. They all have secrets! I definitely did not see this twist ending coming!
I have read all of this authors books and she still shocks me with her twists and turns!

Can’t go wrong with BA Paris and this book is no exception! The friend that overstays her welcome.. the main character is way nicer than me bc I would have asked her to leave a long time ago! Quite a few twists I definitely didn’t see coming. All of the characters were interesting and this book had me hooked from the beginning. Great read!

This was a very good, suspenseful story. Plenty of characters with well defined roles in the story. The twists were well thought out and creative. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I've read all the B.A. Paris books and she is most certainly an auto-read author for me. I typically love her character development, pacing, and slow twists. For her latest book, The Guest, it fell firmly in the 3.5 stars category for me - it was entertaining, held my attention, and was a good book I'd recommend to readers who enjoy family drama and high-stakes twists. There were moments where I didn't love the characters and their choices felt outlandish, but again, it was entertaining. Solid thriller from an author who knows how to craft a story and keep the pages turning.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the providing a copy of this book - I always appreciate it!!

I felt like this book was a bit slower paced which was similar to me as The Therapist and her past few books. Paris' earlier books had quicker pacing which are more my taste and I highly recommend! Some of the problem may have been I never got to a place of liking the characters, which isn't always necessary, but I found it hard to be invested.

While a good storyline and interesting read, this was a sllllooowwww burn. I never felt full immersed and wondered when more would happen. Felt long and drug out. Worth the read, but don't expect it to hold you for dear life.

I have just recently discovered this author; she has already become a favorite. I like her writing style - it is typically skilled as to language use, plot sequencing, and character development. I didn't like this book as well as others I have read by her. The timeline was not always clear to me, and the action seemed too repetitive. Overall, though, it was an interesting read, largely due to the character-driven plot. The reader quickly "knows" the characters and wants to see what happens to them.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This wasn't my favorite, but it got better as I read. Iris and Gabriel have some major secrets, but so does Joseph. Who is telling the truth and who is the murderer? You will be surprised to find out.

3.5⭐

I had the chance to read an ARC of The Guest by B.A. Paris, coming up on February 20th, 2024.

I love B.A. Paris. I read all her other books and they were all between 4 and 5 stars. She mainly writes psychological thrillers.

The Guest is more of a mystery. Just like her other books, it's written in short chapters that are super easy to read. It's a domestic suspense, told from a dual point of view. This book felt pretty different from everything else she has written. I still enjoyed it, but it's really not what I expected.

I feel like it was quite a slow start. It only started to pick up around 50% of the book, to get to a medium pace. The characters also felt kind of flat. They were lacking the dimensions her characters usually have.
I wasn't expecting the final twist, but at the same time, although I was a little surprised, I wasn't shocked. I feel like the twist came too late or it was too rushed.

I still enjoyed B.A. Paris' writing and I was still into the story. It's still an entertaining read, and you want to know what's gonna happen next. I just felt like it was lacking the oomph her books usually have.
In any way, I'll still keep recommending her to anyone asking! 🤍

Thank you to Netgalley, St Martins Press, and B.A Paris for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

An entertaining read but predictable. That being said, it sucked me in and I finished the whole book in one sitting in a span of 3 hours! I like this author's writing style, it keeps you on your toes.

Iris and Gabriel, a married couple that live in the countryside, have one daughter, Beth (adult, taking a gap year). Gabriel is a GP, who, one evening finds a local child (Charlie) dying, from a fall off a nearby cliff. He’s unable to save Charlie but the death and interaction with Charlie at the end haunts Gabriel. Gabriel lies to the police about Charlie’s last words.

Gabriel is hit by the death of Charlie and takes time off from being a GP. Iris is a home decorator and works out of their home.

One evening, after coming home from some time away (arriving home earlier than anticipated), they find that a friend of theirs, Laure, has let herself into their home. Laure and her husband, Pierre, have been friends of Gabriel and Iris’ for some time and they’ve always had an agreement - when one couple is away, the other couple has free reign to any of the properties unoccupied by the other couple. Laure took advantage of this agreement.

Laure proceeds to tell Gabriel and Iris and that she has left Pierre because Pierre has told her that he has a daughter, but won’t share with who. Laure is very hurt by this statement as early on in their courtship, Laure and Gabriel agreed that neither of them wanted children.

Time goes on and Laure starts to overstay her welcome with Iris and Gabriel. A new couple has moved to town (Esme and Hugh) and Iris has made great friends with Esme, who is expecting a child. Iris and Gabriel make a connection with Esme and Hugh’s friend Joseph, who is a gardener.

Gabriel decides, at Beth’s insistence, to redo their walled garden. He knows this is a large undertaking on the small time window he has promised Beth to have it done, so he enlists Joseph to help him.

Time passes and Joseph starts to create a relationship with Laure. Laure takes a trip to Paris to have a conversation with Pierre, who doesn’t show up at the arrived upon location/time.

The story lays out the connections of these people, their subsequent pasts, and their intertwined lives. The end drops an unexpected bomb which I very much enjoyed (and admittedly was not expecting).

4 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

How well do any of us really know our partners, friends and family? In this domestic thriller, B.A. Paris explores themes of guilt, honesty, and betrayal. The story centers around Iris and Gabriel, a seemingly ordinary married couple who have several inner demons with which they struggle. As their lives become increasingly tense and strained, their marriage and friendships are put to the ultimate test.

When I started reading this book, I felt confused by all of the characters who are introduced all at the same time. However, I quickly figured out who everyone was and became completely invested in the story. I enjoyed the pacing throughout the book, but the thrills really escalated closer to the end. As the story unfolded, I constantly attempted to predict what really happened; however, I never saw that twist coming!

The author skillfully writes in such a way that readers can really feel the characters’ inner and outward struggles. The characters weren’t the most likable, but I did empathize with all of them (yes, even Laure!) to a varying degree. Overall, I give The Guest a 4-star rating and highly recommend it if you enjoy domestic dramas and psychological thrillers! This was only the second novel I’ve read by B.A. Paris, but I really enjoy her writing and plan to read her other novels. Her bestseller Behind Closed Doors is another psychological thriller that I have read and highly recommend!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

Per usual, BA Paris absolutely nails this psychological thriller. I was constantly changing my mind in who I thought was involved with what, and so what degree-and was truly not prepared for who killed whom 😱😱😱

Nestled in the idyllic English countryside, Iris and Gabriel live a good life. Their daughter, Beth, has flown the coop to Greece, their careers are fulfilling, and their friends--especially French couple Pierre and Laure--are the best sort. Things couldn't be better.

On the outside, that is.

On the inside, secrets of all kinds are simmering just below the surface. Gabriel, still haunted by the final words of a young boy who died at the nearby quarry, is holding onto more than just grief. Laure, whose unexpected appearance at Iris and Gabriel's house with no intention to leave soon, appears be telling half-truths of what really happened between her and Pierre. And Pierre, he's vanished into thin air.

In a way only she can, B.A. Paris weaves a character-drive, suspenseful tale yet again in "The Guest." Here, readers, the setting and characters are everything. While the couples are compelling enough and easy to keep track of: Iris and Gabriel, Pierre and Laure, Esme and Hugh, the pulse-pounding, jaw-dropping element of Paris' earlier work is all but absent. "The Guest" felt like a story I've read many a time before; surely with a few new elements, but not enough to join the ranks of this year's memorable thrillers. Though the ending is undeniably strong (a little over-explanatory perhaps), I predict most readers will find this one fine and not much more.

3.5 stars. I have mixed feelings about this book, and based on my past reading experiences with B.A. Paris books, that tracks as a pretty standard reaction for me.

I’m not even sure how to go about summarizing everything that was going on in this book and all the players involved so I’m just going to jump into my review.

The first half of the book was hard for me to get into. There didn’t seem to be much happening other than the main couple’s friend showing up uninvited while they were away to become a horrible houseguest. The second half was a marked improvement as things picked up. I will give the book a ton of credit for not going down what appeared to be the obvious route. After the truth is revealed, thinking back the signs are all there and it’s smart. I have a lot of appreciation for that.

My biggest problem is I just simply didn’t care about any of the characters. I wasn’t rooting for a positive outcome for any of them. Some I disliked and the rest I was mostly indifferent toward. I don’t know if there were just too many parties involved and they all felt very surface level on development or if it was something else that had me struggling to connect.

Overall, the book eventually had me turning the pages to find out how it was all going to play out, so if you can push through the slower first half, the payoff is pretty good.

Another great psychological thriller by bestselling author, B.A. Paris. An unexpected houseguest overstays her welcome and Iris and Gabriel’s already fragile life slowly turns tragic as the secrets of old friends and new begin to tangle with deadly consequences.

The premise was certainly not unique, but that’s what made it interesting. Paris always makes it feel like these stories could happen to anyone… just a regular family. I like that I can put myself or people I know into the situations; it helps paint a better picture in my mind and adds to the chilling factor.

At times the pacing felt a bit slow. I caught myself checking to see how much was left versus hoping it never ended. That being said, there was a good sprinkle of chapters that left me with the, “well now I need to keep reading to see what happens next” feeling. The mystery plot was great, but there was a lot of unnecessary dialog.

Overall, a 3.5 star, but I’m not willing to round up to 4. I loved the twist at the end, but the build was a little too slow for me and the characters were bland.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.

Will post review to socials closer to the February 20th publishing date

I read and loved “Behind Closed Doors” so when I saw that this domestic thriller was being released I new I had to read it immediately. I was hooked and could not figure out what was happening until the end. B.A. Paris does not disappoint!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had really high hopes with this one as it's B.A. Paris but I felt like the story was a little slow at the beginning. I know that in some instances that is important when it comes to story building but I just couldn't really connect with the characters in the first bit of the book.

But, I kept reading and I was pleasantly surprised - so please don't let that slow start make you put this down. It will blow your mind! There comes a point in the book where there is no stopping and you will have to read till the very last page, I know it did!

If you love domestic/psychological thrillers then this is the one for you!

I've read every BA Paris book there is, and she has never disappointed! I'm thrilled to give this book 5 stars. The Guest is a slow burn mystery with a surprise twist. I can honestly say I didn't see it coming. I got quite attached to the characters, and truly enjoyed the change in perspective. I won't talk about the plot because the less you know, the better! Just read it! Thanks to #Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC of this great book!

Another great novel by B.A, Paris. I close friendship between couples Iris and Gabriel and Laure and Pierre is full of secrets, jealousy, and desperation. This novel keeps you engaged until the very last page.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book.