This book is an okay read, and the ending was interesting even though it seemed to come out of left field. It is hard to give an accurate review without spoilers, but I'd like to keep this one spoiler free. I wish I could give it a better rating but pacing and execution fell short.

There is a lot to keep track of here: Gabriel and his recent tragedies, including discovering a boy he knows dead in a quarry. His best friend Pierre stopped responding to him after his wife Laure took residence in his home (and was extremely weird and annoying... it was truly hard for me to understand why Gabriel and his wife Iris ever liked her enough to carry on a 20 year friendship), and their new neighbors, Esme and Hugh who come with the gardener Joseph who Gabriel hires in his own garden.

The stories eventually come together, but it feels convoluted. And the big reveal feels like its own separate novel. Maybe I didn't pick up on any hints but I really didn't see any of it coming, and not in a shocking "Gone Girl" way. I can't say much more without spoiling so I will leave it at that.

I did find myself skimming through chunks of the middle that felt unnecessary just to get to anything actually happening. I think this book would be very good if it was 50-75 pages shorter. I was still enthralled by the end though, and I am glad I got to read it.

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

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

Iris and Gabriel have seemingly peaceful lives until Gabriel finds a teenager who has had a biking accident. Then, an old friend randomly shows up at their house, a new couple moves into the neighborhood, and their relationships and secrets begin to unravel.

The pacing of the story felt odd, as we spent lots of time on their mundane lives and not enough on important events. I did want to keep reading to find out what happened, but I was a bit underwhelmed with how all the loose ends were tied up. I also am not a fan of the particular trope that was used to facilitate the twist at the end. Overall, I was invested in the plot, but the characters were unlikeable, and the twists fell sort of flat.

I have really enjoyed the few B.A Paris’ books I have read so was very excited to be able to read an advanced reader copy of The Guest!

This book is perfect if you like short chapters that keep you wanting to read just a little more and if you like a thriller that will keep you guessing. There were a lot of various plots happening at the same time and I had no clue what was going to happen for any of them. The ending was a big surprise I didn’t see coming as well!

I did find it a bit ridiculous at times so if that is something that bothers you, you might want to skip this one. - lot of the dialogue felt unrealistic but it didn’t take away from the story for me.

Overall, an enjoyable read! 3.5 rounded up. Wasn’t my favorite by the author but I will definitely read her next one- always a fun fast read.

Thank you netgalley for the arc!

Wow - what a twist that I never expected! Love it when an author comes up with a motive that I wouldn’t have put together, and does so without misleading me or using a motive that just seems too far fetched. This book had a nice pace that kept me hooked. Amongst the suspense genre, I rate this a solid 5 stars.

Be on the lookout for this book in Feb 2024. Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and B.A. Paris for sending this book for my review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I ranked this book between 3.5 and a 4. It encompasses three couples and dark secrets and life events that have affected them. I felt like a lot of time was put into just day to day activities with the couples making the storyline drag somewhat. The twist at the end was unexpected and intriguing though.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. I have read many books by this author and she never disappoints. Gabriel is there when a student (Charlie) utters his last words. He feels guilty that he lied about what they were. Laure has marriage troubles and decides to stay with Gabriel and Iris while she and her husband work things out. At first I was a bit annoyed that Gabriel just could not be honest about Charlie really said. Then I wasn't sure why Iris was just allowing Laure to invite herself to stay as long as she wanted. But, without those things the book wouldn't have been as good, as I learned in the end. Once I got past my annoyance and into the meat of the book I could not put it down. And the ending, WOW, I did NOT see that coming. For anyone whose a fan of this author, or of suspense, mystery or psychological thrillers you will enjoy this book.

The story was great, had me invested the entire time. I was just really sad with the pacing. It was more of a domestic drama. The twist at the end though is what completely made my rating go up. I loved it! When you think you know what’s going on, boom 💥 NOPE!
I love all of her books and she will still forever be an auto buy for me ❤️ And will always recommend her books to others!

Thank you so much BA Paris, St. Martins Press, and Netgalley for my arc in return for my honest review.

Iris and Gabriel met their close friends Laure and Pierre on their honeymoon and have remained close although one couple lives in England and one in France. Gabriel is going through a hard time following finding a young man dead in a nearby quarry and is taking time off. When Laure arrives after Pierre admitting that he has a child with someone else and needs a place to regroup it is not the best of times. Quickly their unexpected guest becomes more and more intrusive and fragile and cracks begin to appear in their friendship. Attempts to contact Pierre fail and the doubts and questions mount. Then an unexpected death occurs and the plot takes off in another twisty direction. I have read and enjoyed several of this author' s other books and she has a deft hand at creating twisty complex plots and creating a foreboding atmosphere. I did not get invested in this cast of characters as much as others she has developed in previous narratives. Overall this was a satisfying read and I would recommend to any reader who enjoys a solid psychological thriller.

This will definitely be one to grab in 2024!
This twisty psychological thriller captured my attention pretty quickly off the bat. I grew to love the number of characters involved and with the story moving in a few different directions, it was hard to put this one down. I did not see the ending coming but I really enjoyed how everything played out. B.A. Paris will always be one of my favorite authors that I recommend.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and of course B.A. Paris, for the ARC of this book. I so enjoyed it. The Guest comes out February 20, 2024.

Iris and Laure are best friends but that relationship is challenged when Laure moves in after breaking up with her husband. Is Laure at fault or the victim? Another great tale from B. A. Paris with many twists and turns.

I read one, possibly two thrillers a year. And it’s usually whatever new book @baparisauthor puts out. I’ve been hooked since Behind Closed Doors came out. I was thrilled when @stmartinspress and @netgalley let me know I was able to review her newest work The Guest.
This was, as always, a one sitting read. I can never put these books down because I absolutely need to know what happens.
After Gabriel found his daughters classmate Charlie in his final moments before an accident took his life, he and his wife Iris go away for a weekend to try and find peace. When Iris and Gabriel return home from their weekend away they are surprised to find their friend Laure living in their house. Laure has left her husband, Pierre, after he revealed he had a child with another woman, and she is going to stay with them until the two of them figure out how to move forward. As Laurie’s stay seems to drag on Iris and Gabriel are struggling to have her around. Gabriel is still struggling with Charlie’s final message he left for his mom with Gabriel. And Laure has taken to wearing Iris’s clothes and following her around everywhere. But a new couple in the village might provide both Iris and Gabriel with some new friends and a relief from the tensions in their own home.
There were so many pieces in this puzzle and I could not quite figure out how they went together. I never like to over review B.A Paris books because the pace at which she reveals things is half the fun of reading her work. I will sum it up by saying I absolutely enjoyed every moment of anxiety this book gave me trying to work out what was going on. While I think Behind Closed Doors will forever be my favourite this one was definitely up there too. Look for it Feb 20 2024.
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•The Guest 🚪•

📚Genre: domestic drama
🤔Rating: 🍺🍺.5(2.5/5)
#️⃣ of pages:320
👯‍♀️ read if you like:lots of characters, domestic issues,unreliable characters
🗓️Publishing Date: February 20, 2024

👍🏼:
•it does start off with a bang & got me interested (at first)
•ending was great

👎🏼:
•I was completely uninterested most of the book
•a lot of characters & it got rather confusing at first
•not really a *thriller* as advertised and as I love. Maybe I would’ve had a different opinion about the whole book had I not going in expecting a thriller

Overall…
This was a letdown for me, TBH. Not typical BA Paris & not a typical thriller. I didn’t love it until the epilogue & that wasn’t enough for me. The ending did bring some twists, but again, just still wasn’t enough for me. Some were predictable, others were a surprise. Every book isn’t for everyone & this one just wasn’t one for me, but maybe it will be for you 😝

Special thanks to NetGalley for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review!

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The Guest centers around Iris and Gabriel, a happily married couple who come back from vacation to one of their good friends Laure staying in their house. Why is she there? According to Laure, her husband Pierre has come forward and said he had an affair and with that affair came a child that is his. Soon people keep winding up dead close to Iris and Gabriel. Who’s doing it? And why? All these secrets keep surfacing, any one of them could be responsible.

Honestly.. this was incredibly disappointing. It read as a domestic book with just a hint of mystery thrown in. It was so slow paced that it was hard to get into. I had no problem stopping at any point in the book and struggled to pick it back up. I will say the ending WAS surprising and a great twist but just too slow for my liking. If you can handle a slower paced mystery, the ending certainly won’t disappoint!

Love a BA Paris book! Iris and Gabriel are living a good life- one child away on a gap year trip and happy together -on the surface. Then Gabriel witnesses a boy during his last
Moments with a message to pass on to his Mom. Their mutual friend Laure shows up on their doorstep who just left her husband Pierre. And then there is a new neighbor -Esme and her husband Hugh. Suddenly more people start dying. Why are they dying? And who is killing them and why? These are the delicious questions. I really thought I had this one figured out… but I totally did not. How nice that is to not know!

Wow.... Just wow... this was such a great book. I was suuuuucked in. A good cast of characters. Enough to leave you guessing at who's responsible for what when it could be a couple people at each turn.... then the end... Just floored. Completely worth the read. One of my favorite wrap ups. There was maaaaybe one thing I would have liked to be addressed a bit better, but everything it gives you by the end, it's almost selfish to ask for more!

I love this author so much. Her first book was absolutely epic. It almost makes me not want to read subsequent books, but only almost. I read them all. This one was definitely on a level with the early books. I have no idea how she comes up with all of these unique scenarios with nefarious characters, but I'm here for it.

A couple returns from vacation to find a friend living in their house. Which would be fine, except she didn't tell anyone that she was there and she's been acting like Goldilocks, sleeping in the master bedroom and wearing the wife's clothing. I would be annoyed. The couple pretends like this is okay and lets her stay. That's the setup. The plot escalates steadily from that point.

I highly recommend this one. Especially if you have been slightly ambivalent about the author's more recent books.

Very very slow pace. Especially for a thriller. The third person narration made it harder to follow than necessary.

Wow!!!

What did I just read!?! It all started off innocently enough.

I honestly didn't read the synopsis on this book before I read it. I saw the authors name and knew I'd liked her previous books, so I didn't have a clue what I was getting into. As I was reading, I kept thinking that I didn't have a clue where this was going, but I loved that I couldn't guess how it would end.

And boy, did I not see that ending coming.

If you like a twist, this book is for you!

I've read prior B.A. Paris' books and this was on par. I wasn't blown away BUT it did keep my attention. I felt a bit scattered at the beginning trying to keep up with the characters and what was going on.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

"The Guest" is a psychological thriller novel by B.A. Paris, known for her suspenseful storytelling and intricate plots. B.A. Paris is known for crafting stories that are full of suspense and tension. Her novels often feature unexpected twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Overall, I felt that the story was a bit underwhelming and lacked character development. I could not connect to the characters and did not feel that the story was catching. I tend to really like B.A. Paris's books but this one fell short.