Here for this! The Guests was the perfect storm (pun intended) of sinister characters, drama, and suspense throughout the book. The idea of having strangers in your house that may want to cause you harm is deeply unsettling and this book layers on a hurricane that leaves you sheltering in place. Very enjoyable!

This is fast-paced and packed with tension! Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the early copy to read and review!

I liked this story. Was it perfect? No. Were the characters shallow? Yes. Did I care about what happened to them? Eh, not particularly ,if I'm being totally honest. But the story was fast-paced and packed with high-tension, mid-thrill moments. There are a LOT of twists and this gets CRAY CRAY so buckle in, friends. Like, the reasoning/ full story is WILD. All that said, I did keep turning pages in a rush because: 1. it is an easy read 2. short chapters helped and 3. I wanted to know what happened for one character in particular :)

I liked that the author left some breadcrumbs about some characters. There were twists that were out of left field but it was a good mix of "I guessed that" and surprising.

Overall, would recommend if you like high tension as this is all set in one SUPER stressful day and night spent locked in a house in a hurricane.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Mercer for the chance to read this book. It starts as a category 5 hurricane is about to hit the coast of Florida. The big house is secured and the family inside is safe. Until they spot a boat heading for their dock. With little choice they take in the three "guests" - two brothers and a bikini clad young woman. All is jovial as they eat, drink and chat until one of the brothers makes a pass at June, the 16-year-old daughter of the homeowners. Her twin brothers' best friend Zack intervenes, and one push is all it takes for Zack to fall, hit his head and die. Then the story takes a turn and the reasons for the guests to appear and motives and lies are uncovered. There's plenty of action as tension builds and the storm rages on. Once the storm eases up and the family being held hostage looks for a way to escape, the truth is out, shots have been fired and it's a situation there seems to be no escape from. It's scary to think this could happen to you kind of thriller. I enjoyed the book and would easily recommend it.

3.5/5 ⭐️
A family decides to weather out a serious hurricane instead of evacuating and find themselves hosting strangers that have secret, deadly intentions.

This one started out slow, but it had some good twists! I think in general the writing didn’t build suspense enough, but once I got to part two, it picked up enough for me want to continue.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Guests by Margot Hunt is a page-turning suspense novel.
This well-written psychological thriller kept me enthralled through the entire book.
Her writing flows seamlessly and I was drawn into the story immediately.
The character development in this one was brilliant.
This book was so good I didn't want it to end.

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

Thank you Netgalley, Margot Hunt, and Thomas + Mercer for the advanced reader ebook!! This book was great! I love a good thriller with the setting during a raging storm! I couldn’t put this one down and there were some great great twists! High recommend!

Margot Hunt is one of my favorite authors so when I saw The Guests, I knew I had to read it.

It didn’t take me long to get into the story and get completely enveloped in the plot. I am a big fan of locked-room mysteries if they are done right, and this one was! I liked the idea of the family being locked inside because of the hurricane however the bigger danger isn’t outside, it’s in the house which is way more frightening.

Synopsis:

When a Category 5 hurricane is poised to hit their coastal Florida town, the Davies family takes refuge in their waterfront manse. Marlowe, Lee, and their teenage twins invite their close friends to wait out the storm in comfort and style.

Uninvited are the three strangers who dock on the family’s shore right before the storm descends. Brothers Jason and Bo—and Bo’s girlfriend, Darcy—are a charming, helpful trio in need of a safe haven that the family is only too happy to provide.

But as the storm outside grows more threatening, so does the tension in the house.

Soon, the lines between family, friends, and strangers blur. Danger mounts with every pointed finger and broken confidence, and long-held secrets are revealed one after another until only one truth remains: not everyone is going to make it out alive.



Due out on January 9.

I loved Margot Hunt's "Lovely Girls" so I was dying to read her latest, "The Guests!" It did not disappoint! I could not put it down! The Davies family decides not to evacuate during a Category 5 hurricane. Marlowe, Lee, their children and a few close friends decide to hunker down and wait out the storm. But right before the storm makes landfall, 3 strangers dock their boat in front of their home. Why were they on a boat during a Cat 5 hurricane? They were cold, wet, and traumatized. Marlowe thought it would be horrible manners to not invite them to stay at their home too. I mean, could you turn your back and leave people outside in a hurricane? But as the storm becomes dangerous, so do the guests. Action, suspense, and a plot that will keep you guessing- this is a good one! Thank you NetGalley and Amazon publishing for the ARC. I just reviewed The Guests by Margot Hunt. #TheGuests #NetGalley

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this awesome eARC.

The Guests cements Margot Hunt's first place standing as the Queen of the psychological thrillers. This story has so many clever misdirections and shocking discoveries, as well as a steady dose of CONSTANT spellbinding suspense!

As the characters in the story decided to stay in their home despite a hurricane (of the most destructive rating) I too have held firm when hurricanes were headed towards me, more times than I really care to consider).

However in this case, the hurricane is the LEAST of this families worries when they open their home to strangers, two men and a woman, who are much more deadly than they initially appear.

Don't miss this one, it is among the top thrillers of the past year (or two). I will be er miss future offerings from this author - rating it an easy solid 5 stars!

I really liked the premise of this one. Cat 5 hurricane on it's way, too late to evacuate, unexpected "guests" arriving that need help.

It started out good and I was invested. Then things just got crazy and not really in a good way. Too much happened to make it believable. Just too much! I would have enjoyed it more if there was less happening and it was more realistic.

I did like a couple of the characters. But most of them not so much.
I liked how it was told from multiple points of view.

If you like over the top, crazy books then this one is for you.!

This is my first book from this author. I would read more by her only because of the great reviews fellow readers have given the other books.

Thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc.

When a lower-grade storm suddenly turns into a Category-5 hurricane, Marlowe wonders if she and her family should’ve evacuated. But it’s too late as the hurricane bears down on them. And to make matters worse, a boat suddenly appears at their dock. Unable to turn the three strangers away, Marlowe is forced to offer them shelter during the monster storm. But something is wrong right from the start. And it’s not just the three castaways that are going to be revealing secrets during this hurricane.

Margot Hunt knows how to craft a good story. What seems straightforward at first never, ever is. And that’s what is so good about her books. You can never, ever take anything at face value, because there’s always a good twist coming. And this book is no different. I was frantically turning pages by the middle of it because I was so into it and had to know how everything untangled in the end.

And the ending was worth the wait! There’s no rushed endings here, things are carefully crafted to make sure that everything is done just right. That’s what is just as important as the twists and the story itself. If the ending isn’t up to par, it can ruin the whole “experience;” but that’s not the case here. It ends with the appropriate outcome for the story as a whole.

For some South Florida intrigue, I can’t think of a better author to turn to than Margot Hunt. And “The Guests” is another great entry to her impressive catalogue. Full of intrigue, twists and chock full of surprises, you’ll want to keep reading far into the night…..and never invite another guest into your home again.

4.5🌟
On the hunt for a tension-filled thriller that will have you white-knuckling your kindle? Well, this is that book!!

Heart pounding! Edge of your seat! Reading late into the night! That and so much more!

The Davies family missed their chance to evacuate for the cat 5 hurricane bearing down on Florida, and their home is directly in the path. They’re on high ground and boarding up every window, so fingers crossed, they’ll safely ride this monster out.

But what if the hurricane itself is the least of their worries? Believe it or not, there are far worse dangers than what a hurricane can blow in.

As the Cat. 5 approaches, three strangers dock their boat at the Davies’ pier. With nowhere to go, of course the Davies will welcome them into their home to ride out the storm.

Locked in a house with strangers. No phones, no power, no way to call for help. Who will survive?

Once again Margot Hunt delivers a chilling and suspenseful read! I did have a few guesses along the way that were correct but was shocked at the absolute unexpected twists!

Already looking forward to her next read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer

I really loved this and couldn’t stop reading! A locked room thriller but during a category 5 hurricane. What could go wrong? I loved the storyline and the ending as well.

Secrets lies, and a hurricane add up to a surprisingly unsurprising thriller from Hunt. The characters felt like caricatures and the scenario forced. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A miss for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I found "The Guests" by Margot Hunt
to be an addictive & twisty suspenseful thriller that pulled me in right away & didn't let me go until its final page.
I enjoyed the author's writing style, how she told the story by connecting her main characters through
alternating chapters.
This is the 2nd book that I have read by Ms. Hunt & I will definitely be on the lookout for her next book.

This thriller just didn’t hit for me. I was hoping for more tension and that ever present sense of foreboding, and I just never felt that. I just wasn’t connecting with the characters and their motivations, and because of that I wasn’t rooting for them to fight and survive.

All in this book just wasn’t for me sadly.

This isn’t really the thriller I was hoping for, but it still was fast paced and interesting. I do think the motives of some of the characters were highly unrealistic, but I guess you need a certain level of disbelief with this kind of premise.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely a simple locked room style mystery.
I’ve absolutely loved all of Margot’s previous books (all 4.5-5⭐️) but The Guests just wasn’t my favourite.

What I did enjoy was the characters and general plot.

I found the twists in this one a little too predictable, and the writing just wasn’t the same as I’m used to based on Margot’s previous work. Perhaps it was the specific trope and that just didn’t lend itself to Margot’s writing style?
Either way, it honestly pains me to write this review and I wish I had loved this book.

I will 100% still read every book she writes in the future, but sadly The Guests just wasn’t for me.
2.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Margot Hunt for an ARC of The Guests! When I started reading, Margot Hunt was one of the first authors I got addicted to and it still holds true! What a terrifying and gripping thriller this was! I’ve been through my fair share of hurricanes and this hit the mark and to go through what Marlowe and her family went through?! Oh man. This will hook you from the prologue to the very last page. Usually you only have to worry about surviving the hurricane - but the secrets and danger are inside your home as well. Either way, you may not make it out alive.

This was gifted to me by Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This book follows a family as they are in survival mode, as a large hurricane is headed their way. They take refuge inside of their waterfront property, and they invite their friends because what else are you going to do with all that free time on your hands? But then some uninvited guests also appear and the family isn't about to let these strangers be out in this hurricane. However, they did not prepare for the danger that they let into their home.

I think that this was a fun time, but it was not an all time favorite. This is easily bingeable, and is what I like to call a popcorn thriller, so it was enjoyable. I think if you are looking for a fun and predictable time, then I would recommend picking this up.