Such a fun book! There were so many twists in the second half. I thought I'd guessed all of them, but most were a surprise. I liked the pace of the story and just how quick I was able to read it (in 1 day). The last chapter caught me off guard completely! Great read!

At the airport, the Mewrrit family are welcoming a guest, a foreign exchange student, but Tanya looks so much like Anabel; their daughter who has passed away.

Paige becomes suspicious and with her brother, they decide to find out the truth.

Lamarr writes a novel told through multiple points of view with twists throughout.
I did think this novel was slow in places and changed paces but I found myself turning the pages wondering what the secrets were, this is the first novel I have read by this author and one I enjoyed.

This book reminded me of many other books with the same subject.
I like it that the book is written through multiple point of views, the daughter, mother and the guest. This makes it interesting to read, because you slowly find out the truth. The ending was very predictable and it lacked tension for me. I did like the idea of the book but I expected a bit more to the story. But still it was fun to read!

3.5 ⭐️

never seen a more insufferable mother. she hates half her kids and ruined the other, and then she goes on to love her exchange student more than her own children🙏 the kids also hate their own sister, and not "siblings hate" but more "I don't care that she's dead and didn't cry at her funeral" hate 🚶‍♀️

I thought it was a bit longer than necessary and Tanya's character felt too cliché but there were enough secrets and plot twists to keep the story entertaining so it wasn't so bad

There was plenty of twists and turns through the book! I would recommend it to any one who enjoys psychological thrillers with plenty of twists and turns.

Thank you Netgally and Bookouture for the ARC of this book!

If you like Freida McFadden then you’ll like this!! Similar vibes and similar story themes. While I did love this book and thought it would be a 5 star book, I ended up only rating it 4. Quite often the writing seemed shallow as if it was rushed or a early on author wrote it. That’s totally okay but I felt it was a bit rushed in the end.

I enjoyed how fast paced this book was and will definitely try another by the author.

What a thrilling and absolutely wonderful book! Stunning. Sharp. Addictive. A brilliant and gripping read. Five well deserved stars.

The Family Guest

What is it about domestic thrillers that make me want to eat them up with a spoon??

When I read this blurb? I had to read it!

Who is this women? Why does the daughter have bad vibes about her? Are the eek feelings legitimate? What is the main character hiding???

I had to read and find out. I love the multiple threads to chase. It kept me chugging, which, let’s be honest, is not the easiest thing for me. (Did somebody say squirrel???)

Super solid 4.4!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

THE FAMILY GUEST is a juicy domestic suspense with jaw-dropping twists of dark family secrets where the past and present collide. Author Nelle Lamarr cleverly weaves a labyrinth of deception, manipulation, and wicked family secrets for an utterly absorbing tale of revenge and obsession.

THE PERFECT MARRIAGE IS THE PERFECT ILLUSION.

Meet the Merritt family. Natalie and Matt with children, Paige and Will with dog Bear. They are wealthy, and Matt comes from old money. Natalie married into money with a secret past. She likes the lifestyle, but how long will she put up with her husband's behavior? There is more she does not know yet. The older sister (15 months older than Paige), Anabel, died from a mysterious accident two years earlier, and Natalie had a breakdown. Anabel was the mom's favorite.

Set in Los Angeles, as the book opens, the family is at the airport to pick up Tanya, their new foreign exchange student, staying with them. She is tall and blonde, looks like a supermodel, and resembles Anabel. Is Natalie looking for a replacement daughter?

As they settle in, Natalie and Tanya bond. Tanya slowly turns out to be a nightmare to Paige and Will. She is manipulative and creepy and begins gaslighting Paige. They think something is off, and Paige and her brother (love these two- the dynamic duo) begin sleuthing and discover Tanya is not who she appears. They must gather more information. What does she want with their family?

Tanya has snowed her mom and dad but not the grandmother (Matt's mom).

We slowly learn of Natalie and Matt's relationship and what happened with Annabel. What about Natalie's past?

Paige and Will are in danger as they get closer to the truth. Tanya is a character that you will despise! Told from alternating POVs: Paige, Natalie, and epilogue from Tiffany. Red herrings and many twists keep you glued to the pages to discover how this mystery suspense will turn out.

Diabolical, delightfully wicked fun! A chilling glimpse behind the façade of the perfect family.

AUDIOBOOK: I enjoyed the e-book and the audiobook, narrated by Lynn Norris and Cecily Bednar, which were exceptional for all the voices. Engaging! I highly recommend audio!

I adored Paige, Will, and the grandmother, Marjorie (the pearls)—my favorite characters. I enjoyed the author's writing, which was crisp, fast-moving, a psychological thriller blended with dark humor, making you laugh out loud.

Not sure which character was more evil: Matt, Natalie, or Tanya. I'm not sure how Pagie and Will turned out to be so normal and smart! Tanya is a character readers will love to hate with her teen drama and manipulation.

For fans of authors Freida McFadden, Miranda Rijks, Daniel Hurst, Emily Shiner, Kimberly Belle, and Kaira Rouda. My first book by the author, and I look forward to reading more.

Thanks to Bookouture, Hachette UK, and NetGalley for a gifted e-ARC and ALC for an honest opinion.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Sept 21, 2023
My Rating: 5 Stars
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A marvelously twisted sordid story!!
My eyes were riveted to the pages as I read with glee, satisfaction, and anger.
I didn’t like Tanya from the first sentence she appeared.
I didn’t like Natalie either. She retreated into her wine and pills and ignored her children except her favorites.
Matt was a complete scumbag.
The heroes of the book who I cheered on were Will, Paige, Bear, and Grandma Marjorie!
The Thanksgiving Takedown was very satisfying.
I predicted the ending but I’ve read enough of these types of books to know.

The Family Guest is a fast paced, gripping page turner that I could not put down. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

Natalie and Matt Merritt are a wealthy couple living in Los Angeles. They are parents to Paige, a rising senior, and Will, age 12. Two years ago, their beautiful daughter Annabel died.

Natalie has arranged to welcome a British exchange student named Tanya who will be attending her senior year at a local private school with Paige and Will.

Tanya is a beautiful, confident tall, thin, blonde girl. Her father is a British diplomat and the chance to attend school in the U.S. instead of boarding school in the U.K. is so exciting for her.

Natalie and Tanya immediately bond while Paige is irked that she is there and worse that she will have to share a bathroom with her. Tanya will be staying in her sister’s room which also irritates her. Tanya quickly learns what makes Paige angry and never misses a chance to “get” her.

Tanya is a piece of work as are Natalie and Matt. So many crazy characters here and I did not like Tanya and Matt. But I really loved Paige, Will, and Bear. Paige’s grandmother is an awesome woman. So wise. This is truly an edge-of-the-seat novel and one that you won’t want to miss. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

WOW! This was a super fast paced and exciting read and I had to know what was happening! It pulls you in from the very first page and keeps you entertained until the last sentance!

I love books that are so out there and make you kinda hate the main character but also just have to know what is going on and this is exactly that book!

If you lost your teenage daughter would you let another one move into her room? Especially if she reminded you exactly of her? Well look no closer because this is exactly what happened to this family.

This book has lovable characters and characters you might hate, but the fun part is figuring out who is who!

A must read!

Pub Day Review!

The Family Guest
Belle Lamarr
Pub Date: September 21, 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️

When an elite LA family suffers a tragic loss, they seek to fill the void with a foreign exchange student. Little do they know, they are not the only one with secrets.

This book was a fast paced domestic thriller with multiple POVs. I feel the characters, diction, and predictability of the twists were geared towards a YA reader.
If you love a quick read, domestic thrillers, or are looking for a gift for your YA bookworm, keep The Family Guest in mind!

Thank you Bookouture and NetGally for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Family Guest was an okay read, I didn’t really feel a connection with any of the characters and it was somewhat unbelievable at times. I don’t get bored but I wasn’t engrossed by the story.

I love a great thriller! I enjoyed the plot of the story, however I had a hard time connecting with the characters.

I found Tanya unlikeable (maybe that was the point?), and the parents came off as very disrespectful which was irritating.

I like that it was a fast read, and not like other books I've read recently.

Fun, fast paced thriller about an exchange student from hell and the hapless family that tries to survive her. I had a lot of fun with this thriller, even though there were parts that clearly needed work. The plot of this is almost identical to a Lifetime movie I saw, and those movies are my guilty pleasure so I enjoyed this one. The primary narrators are Natalie, a wealthy mother in her 30's who has lots of secrets, and Paige her 17 year old daughter who always feels left out by her parents. The book starts with Natalie and Paige going to the airport to pick up their exchange student from England. Tanya is blonde, sleek and beautiful and reminds Natalie of her daughter Anabel who died in a tragic accident. Natalie is not at all close to her other children Paige, who is artistic and wears thrift shop clothes, and 12 year old Will who is a tech nerd. Natalie and Tanya bond over shopping and become close very quickly.

Tanya starts her visit by immediately complaining and pouring herself a glass of wine without asking. I would think Natalie would be upset and try to establish some rules but instead she seems to love everything Tanya does including stealing Paiges boyfriend and belongings and insulting Paige in front of her parents. Natalie and her husband Matt were pretty awful people and I think have more normal parents would have made the suspense factor higher. As the story continues Tanya acts out more and more, stealing Paige's college essay and wrecking her car and Matt only blames Paige. I did feel sorry for Paige and Will and was happy they at least had a loving grandmother who cared about them.

There were may twists and secrets that were revealed towards the end and I thought there was one too many twists. There are also a couple of things I couldn't quite wrap my head around and they are minor spoilers so don't read on if you haven't read the book.

How would Tanya be admitted to a very expensive school with no payments made, a made up identity with no contact information, passport or birth certificate? Natalie was a pretty awful mother but would she really be fine with Lance cheating on Paige considering her views on cheating? And, at one point Tanya tells Matt she is his biological daughter and points out that they look like each other but then she is isn't and doesn't look like him. I know this is to throw off the readers but it doesn't make sense. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

I really liked the sound of this book and it started off well. Unfortunately I really struggled to relate to or even like the main characters. The way Tanya spoke and acted was so unbelievable but nobody ever questioned it. Found it very hard to have any sympathy for the parents. It also infuriated me the way they referred to Tanya as our exchange student constantly rather than her name! I did however read it quickly as I was keen to find out what happened and I did enjoy the end.

A riveting and captivating thriller. I was hooked immediately and totally forgot invested.The twists shocked me and altered my view if the story and where the plot was headed.

The Family Guest by Nelle Lamarr is her first debut thriller. And I’m very excited.
Lamarr, did an excellent job here creating a tense and interesting atmosphere.
I thought The Family Guest was a wonderfully written page-turner with well-developed characters that kept me flipping the pages until the very end. The characters are interesting and the pacing well timed. This is a tense, gripping and compelling read. This story will capture your attention from the first page.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!