This was a pretty good read from B.A. Paris. I was underwhelmed at first- the plot line seemed to drag on- but the twist at the end was solid.

This book left me on my toes and guessing til the very end I loved it I did not see the twist coming

I found this book and it’s characters incredibly entertaining. The short chapters made it so easy to keep saying “just one more chapter” and I ended up flying through the book. It was so easy to slip into the story and get taken away into Iris, Gabriel, Laure, and Pierre’s world. This would make for a perfect vacation or summer weekend read.

2.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and B.A. Paris for my #gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was … uneventful. God I had such high hopes, I wanted a thriller that shocked me and kept me on my toes, but this one just … wasn’t that. I enjoyed the writing style and the flow of the short chapters, but the plot was severely lacking.

The characters weren’t all that developed and honestly didn’t have much personality besides being kind of miserable and in their own little worlds. I kept waiting for something to happen, but they kept just living their little suburban lives until the bitter end. Joseph’s storyline felt entirely unnecessary and so the reveal of the prologue at the end was anticlimactic and had me staring at a wall like “Really, this is what we were waiting for??.” It wasn’t until the epilogue that anything interesting happened. It felt like the entire story was told in the epilogue - it was wrapped up so quickly but felt anticlimactic because the rest of the story didn’t have me on edge waiting for the reveal. If there had been some reveals of twists in the main chapters of the story I think I may have been more interested.

Unfortunately, this book was too much of a slow burn with not enough action for me, but if you like slow-burn domestic mysteries, this could be for you!

Thank you so much for this ARC! I am a forever fan of B.A. Paris - nothing beats Behind Closed Doors for me it, is truly a perfect example of domestic suspense.

I was having trouble getting into this one while reading so I decided to listen on audio. A very enjoyable story. Was so curious about Laure and Pierre and I made up so many possibilities in my head while listening. Esme was also a mystery to me and I thought something was fishy. I was definitely not prepared for the ending! A very satisfying epilogue!

The story is more a of a slow burn but it absolutely held my interest. Just enough drama to keep me intrigued until the shocking end.

Although I've enjoyed B.A. Paris' previous books, this one fell a little short for me. The story meanders along at a slow pace, and there is no indication of the ending that is thrown at you - in which one of the main characters, who you wouldn't suspect in the least throughout the entire book, suddenly does a 360 when she begins to tell her story. It was like reading 2 different books - the first long drawn-out story and then a quick totally different offshoot of a different story. I did become invested in the story and did want to see the outcome. Overall, a 3 star rating for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Would recommend for fans of…
🏠 The Wife Between Us
🏠 The Soulmate

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with B.A. Paris. I really enjoyed her early works but her last few have not been my cup of tea. And while her latest, The Guest, wasn’t a runaway hit for me, I think it would be the perfect beach read for many people this summer.

The Guest has a lot in common with your typical domestic suspense novel — a marriage is on the rocks and as more stressors are introduced, things begin to unravel.

I really appreciated how Paris created enough characters and motives to keep the reader guessing. However, with so many characters and so many events, the story and mystery got a little bogged down by seemingly inconsequential action. I also didn’t love the ending. I won’t say much to avoid spoilers, but if you’ve read this, I’d love to discuss!

The Guest is out now. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a few of B.A Paris' books & I'm a big fan of her writing. It's very easy to get into & follow along. Compared to some of her other books that’s I’ve read, I wasn’t as invested in this one. I had a hard time keeping up with the characters at the beginning & didn’t feel connected to any of them, I got weird vibes from all of them right away & when people started dying, I was suspicious of everyone. At times it felt like it was dragging on & the characters were all starting to annoy me (especially Laure). I was waiting to get more into the mystery part of it. Around 50% things really started to pick up & right away I was more interested in the story. I love unexpected twists in thrillers & the ending really shocked me so I really enjoyed that part. Although this wasn’t the most “thrilling” book of hers for me, I did really enjoy it overall. I’m always excited to read more of her books! Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you, Macmillan Publisher's for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of "The Guest List" by B.A. Paris. This book is a gripping psychological thriller with an intricate plot, well-developed characters, and unexpected twists. It's a page-turner that leaves readers guessing until the very end. I, for one, was blindsided by the ending, and I love it when an author takes me by complete surprise. I haven't read many books by B.A. Paris, but I will certainly be looking out for her other books. This was published in February of 2024, and if you love a thriller that plays out like a real head game, put this in your to be read pile.

I preferred "The Therapist" and "The Prisoner" over "The Guest". It was a slow-burn book. I finished three other books before getting to the end of this one. The epilogue takes you through the story a second time explaining what happened.
I received this galley from NetGalley.

This was my first b.a. Paris book but it will definitely not be my last! Though I did feel like the book was a bit longer than it needed to be, some unnecessary bits could have been taken out and still got the desired effects of the book as a whole. It gave off none of this is true vibes by Lisa Jewells and made me love it all the more with the differences. Had me guess up until the end and the whole epilogue blew my mind. Overall I’d highly recommend to a friend and a book club, would be a great discussion book. Thanks for letting me read and review for my honest feedback! 4.5 stars from me!

If you’re looking for that thriller that you just can’t figure out, but love a good challenge, then you will love this book! The ending was a little different than anything I’d ever read before, but it really hits home that you can never really trust things to be the way they seem at first. The characters in this book were well developed over time. It felt like these people could have been my actual neighbors, and what was happening could actually be happening around me right now. That’s what made me keep going. I wanted to see what happened to them. What kept going on were things I actually see happen every day, but what made it so unforgettable? Unable to be put down? It was simply that I had to know what and why it all happened. I never saw the end coming. Ever. It was one of those books you feel you need to read all over again to see how you missed it. If you like those kind of books, like I do, then you will definitely enjoy this one!

I was given a copy of this book, from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and I was not encouraged or swayed, in any way, for a positive review, only an honest one.

When Iris and Gabriel return from a holiday to discover Laure, an old family acquaintance, has been covertly staying in their home following a spat with her husband, Pierre, you just know things are about to spiral out of control. What begins as a brief visit quickly morphs into an extended stay as marital strife rocks Laure's world. Meanwhile, Iris and Gabriel grapple with their own relationship issues, exacerbated by Gabriel's recent traumatic experience involving a tragic accident and a heavy burden of guilt and secrets.

As the narrative unfolds, layers of secrets and lies, both past and present, blur the lines between truth and deception, leaving you guessing until the very last page. This is a gripping tale that refuses to be abandoned unfinished! And that ending? Completely blindsided me!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy!

The first half of this book was a bit boring but the 2nd half made up for it. This definitely had me second guessing who was the culprit and the epilogue left me in shock.

Thank you netgally for this ARC.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Love this author and this book did not disappoint. What a bizarre and creepy situation to come home to a friend taking over your home. Plenty of domestic suspense and surprises.
Well written and easy to read. Another great job by this author.

2.5 stars.

Started off much stronger than it ended.

A couple returns home from vacation to find their friend has left her husband and moved into their house.

I was intrigued at the start of this book. I am drawn to books that revolve around intricate friendships and family relationships. The storyline is questionable from the beginning, leaving the reader wondering what they are missing. The mystery pulls the story forward as you try to figure out the missing pieces of the family and friendship dynamics.

I enjoyed how the story unfolded but I was frustrated a few times when new pieces of the story were revealed that contradicted what happened prior (wait, that’s not the way it actually happened, etc.). The narrative misleads the reader several times and instead of finding these reveals twisty, I found them annoying.

I feel this novel wasn’t the authors usual strong and engrossing writing. After the first 25%, I found myself rolling my eyes at the decisions, dialogue and inner thoughts of the characters quite often. This always takes away from my enjoyment as I need to be able to believe what is happening could be real. The unrealistic plot points were disappointing for me. The Epilogue was what made me round down my 2.5 star rating to 2 instead of up to 3.

Overall, this was not my favourite by this author. I’ve read all of her books and most have been great but a few have not worked out well for me including this one. I remain a fan and look forward to what she comes out with next!

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!

I am a huge fan of B. A. Paris but this one fell a bit flat for me. It kept me engaged while reading but even though there weren't too many characters, at times it felt like they were endless and hard to keep track of. Overall it was decent and a fun read.

For Iris and Gabriel life could not be much better; they have a charming home, successful careers, and a beautiful daughter named Beth. Things take a bit of a turn, however, when Gabriel finds a young man–Charlie–after a tragic accident at the local quarry. Not only is Gabriel with him during his final moments, he is also given a message by Charlie, a message that is weighing heavily on Gabriel. Iris is desperate to help her husband get past what happened at the quarry, but when an unexpected house guest arrives, their good friend Laure, Iris is left to pick up the pieces of two people’s lives. Seems Pierre, Laure’s husband, told her about a secret child, which is why Iris now finds her at her door. Of course she can stay as long as she wishes, but she soon overstays her welcome when she begins to imitate Iris, all the way down to her hair. Secrets have a nasty way of making their way to the surface, and can affect all involved, sometimes in life-altering ways.

I kind of struggled with this novel. I liked the basic premise of the story but I really found myself struggling with the characters. I honestly found them rather annoying and weak. Iris was way too nice and was unable to stick up for herself in any way; I often had the desire to yell at her and shake her if I could. Laure was just beyond self-involved; she is someone that I would not only never be friends with, but she is someone I would refuse to include in my life in any way. The pacing was a little too slow for my tastes as well. When things were happening, they were happening, but there were too many slow sections that took away from my enjoyment of the story.

I really enjoyed this twisty thriller. The story started out slowly as I got to know the characters and gradually began to realize that all was not as it appeared to be in this tightly bonded group. How far would you go to keep a secret if revealing that secret would shatter not only your life but everyone you love as well? The epilogue left me breathless and parts of it literally gave me chills. This was definitely one twisted, shocking ride! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy.

Wow! I’ve been impressed with BA Paris’ work before, but this one made me gasp aloud. Iris and Gabriel’s perfect life has been shaken by a traumatic event that shuts Gabriel inside his own grief. Despite Iris’ best efforts, Gabriel remains unreachable until their closest couple friends, Pierre and Laure, hit a huge bump in their marriage. Laure comes to stay with them, and Iris and Gabriel are reconnected by their exasperation with Laure’s constant need for soothing. A new couple moving in down the road is the perfect distraction for the claustrophobia of their everyday life. But something is not quite right with their gardener….

BA Paris loves to set up a series of seemingly disparate connections amidst a tight community. While I’ve loved this in some books, in others, it’s been the reason for a lower rating. This time, Paris strikes an amazing balance that leaves the reader guessing what is chance, what is tragedy, and what is murder. This novel moves quickly and the final twist was shocking, satisfying, and chilling. BA Paris is now on my must read list!