Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of The Guests by Margot Hunt. If you like locked room thrillers this is the book for you! I had a hard time putting this book down after I started it and the story was so compelling I was willing to overlook how obnoxious Marlowe was. This is a good, fast read and was one of the few books I've read recently that had real twists, A couple of them made my jaw drop. The weather isn’t the only wild thing in this book! I don’t think this is one of the most memorable books I have ever read, but it was fun reading it.

Absolutely five stars all the way for suspense, unbelievable story twists and superbly defined characters.
The Davies family is hunkering down in their coastal FL home as a hurricane heads right for them when srangers who are trying to get out of the raging storm and off their yacht, tie up to their dock.. The Davies invite them in to ride out the storm.
And the story takes off from here.
As the tension ramps up, no one and nothing seems to be exactly as they appear.
Mayhem and chaos ensure as the story takes twists that amaze,
GREAT thriller.
Bravo to Margot.

The Guests is a terrifying psychological thriller. As it begins a level 5 hurricane is coming in and a family has decided to weather the storm in their home. They invited a co-worker to share the safety as well as a friend.

A trio of folks come in on a boat that is being battered and it becomes clear that it is too late to get them to a shelter.

While you can see what is coming it doesn't make it any less terrifying. I will say that the end was one heck of a surprise.

What a fun ride

A Category 5 hurricane is due to strike a coastal town in Florida, where the Davies family resides. Marlowe, her husband Lee, and two teenage twins, decide to take refuge in their beautiful home. Marlowe also invites her assistant and son's best friend to stay with them.

While finishing the last touches on storm proofing the house, three strangers dock their boat at the Davies family dock. They are in need a safety during the storm. Marlowe and her family are happy to invite the three strangers into their home to wait out the storm.

Once they are stuck in the house, things take a turn for the worse. Tensions escalade. Various revelations come out during the mounting tension of the storm. Who are these people that the Davies family invited into their home?

Wow, I LOVED this book. The author does an incredible job setting the scene, making the reader feel as though they are immersed in the storm. The tension felt real. A new and refreshing take on the classic locked room thriller.

This book has multiple POVs. This can sometimes be confusing and messy. Not with this book. It fit together perfectly and actually contributed to the growing tension and fear. There were so many twists and turns that I did not see coming.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Guests, it was such a tense thriller that engages you from the very beginning. The title and common sense tell you that no good can come of inviting strangers into your home while no one can leave and for an undetermined time But some great fiction and close friends and family with ulterior motives and secrets ramp up the suspense immensely.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I had never heard of the author before, but I thought the premise of this thriller sounded intriguing and was pleased when I received the ARC to read and review. The beginning was a bit slow as the Hunt set the scene, but soon started to pick up. I liked that the novel moved through a variety of different perspectives and the short chapters kept the plot moving along. The swirling hurricane outside gave the story great atmosphere and a constant sense of danger beyond what was going on inside the house. Unfortunately, I did find a lot of elements of the story to be pretty predictable with some relatively glaring holes in the overall pacing/intent behind the crimes.
Overall, a quick thriller read.

The Davies family is preparing for a category 5 hurricane that is scheduled to hit their Florida town. Marlowe and Lee and their two children, along with a few close friends are prepared and hunkered down in their beautiful home. Unforeseeably, a boat pulls up and three strangers dock, seeking refuge from the coming storm. But was their arrival planned? And do they have a hidden agenda? As the storm progresses, the atmosphere in the Davies’ home is strained and tensions begin to rise. Deeply hidden secrets emerge, and the strangers true intentions are revealed. As the story climaxes, it becomes apparent that not everyone is going to make it through the storm. Lots of crazy twists bring the story to an edge of your seat finish.

I loved it! This book was so exhilarating with plenty of twists I did not see coming! And as a Florida lover myself, I loved the setting!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this book. Excellent writing.

THE GUESTS
BY: MARGOT HUNT

WOW! I was so exhilarated to see that my all time thriller writer Margot Hunt had written a new novel called, "The Guests," that I downloaded it immediately without reading the synopsis. I dove into it immediately and it was incredible! I devoured it in one sitting and this is definitely a book that delivers a suspenseful reading experience that had me racing through it but had me sad to finish it. I am very picky about my thrillers which explains why I haven't requested them, but I knew that I would love this and my instincts were spot on. I'm also a lot more likely lately to save my five star ratings for only the best of the best and this is one that fits that criteria.

I discovered Margot Hunt as my must read thriller writer several years ago when I read, "For Better and Worse," which is a top five on my list of lifetime favorite thrillers. It's like this one being truly phenomenal in character development and plot resulting in an addictive reading experience. I also highly recommend this author's "Lovely Girls," as well making all three when including this one as truly phenomenal. What makes Margot Hunt's thrillers so compelling is her writing capacity to imagine uniquely distinctive tropes that aren't like so many thrillers that you have already read before that are sadly common these days. That is the main reason why I don't read as many thrillers as I used to because so many are telling the same story over and over. Believe me when I tell you that this author doesn't recycle or reinvent the same old tiresome repetitive theme. I know that I am guaranteed a story that I haven't encountered before with this rock star thriller writer whose voice is always fresh. At least with the three titles that I have cited above, she delivers a taut propulsive pulse pounding suspense driven edge of your seat roller coaster ride that builds a crescendo that is unforgettable.

This one in particular is akin to peeling the skin off an onion with layer by layer revealing a new revelation about the antagonist's motive for his actions. I would recommend if considering to read this one going into it as blind as I did for a much more exhilarating experience. There are characters to root for hoping that everything turns out okay. Not everybody turns out to be what you are initially inclined to believe who they are making for explosive discoveries as the narrative unfolds. The setting is atmospherically ominous that is richly described and could easily be a character in and of itself. I've seen mixed reviews after I read this so I'm glad that I had enough faith in Margot Hunt's talent that I didn't read them or the synopsis prior to reading this. I loved it! I highly, highly recommend this to all thriller lovers looking for something different but chillingly realistic with some added fantastic storytelling!

Here is my review for "Lovely Girls.":
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4839527055

Here is my review "For Better and Worse.":
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2473980222

Publication Date: January 9th, 2024

A huge thank you to Net Galley, Margot Hunt and Thomas & Mercer for generously providing me with my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheGuests #MargotHunt #Thomas&Mercer #NetGalley

I enjoyed the storyline. The characters are interesting and well described. Would recommend

Thank you to Margot Hunt, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc of this book.

Thin plot, almost non-existent character development, and some pretty terrible dialogue makes for two stars.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62713634

This is a book prime for a film adaptation. I see Reese Witherspoon all over this type of story. A family prepares for a hurricane. They have a mixed bag of people at the house including a hidden teen, a personal assistant, and a group of three people who turn up at their dock looking for shelter. Who would be out on a boat when there's a hurricane warning? What should they do? With one nearly naked woman, a man with some clear intellectual concerns and a smooth talker, the family is given no choice but to welcome them in. But at what cost?

I read this book in a day. Its that delicious feeling of 'you know this ain't right' that made you turn page after page, wondering what was going to happen.

Good plot twists that were well executed and kept you guessing. Very enjoyable!

A thrilling, spine-chilling book about a family trapped in their home with three strangers during a Category 5 hurricane. The situation quickly deteriorates as secrets are uncovered, with everyone becoming more on edge with the threat of imminent danger upon them.

This book was such a shocking, thrilling, and overall great read! I always love a good locked-door mystery, and this one was one of the best. The secrets that were revealed were a bit predictable, but still interesting nonetheless. Every character was flawed in some way, which I greatly appreciated because it made them all more believable. I loved the setting, and the ending tied everything together really nicely and satisfyingly. I would definitely recommend this!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC

So so good! I haven’t read anything from Margot Hunt before, but The Guests definitely won’t be my last read by her! The character development and plot are amazingly well written and this thriller kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish! The twist is one that I didn’t see coming, but made perfect sense once revealed and it isn’t often I can’t guess an ending, but The Guests surprised me the whole way thru!

Book: The Guests
Author: Margot Hunt
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pub Date: January 9, 2024

I have read several Margot Hunt books maybe even all of them. They are very quick easy reads. A category 5 hurricane is headed toward Marlow and Lee Davies home. They had weathered hurricanes before so they decided to ride out the storm at home. Right before the storm hit a boat tied up at their dock and they feel they have no choice but to offer them shelter. Something is off from the beginning and everyone feels it. I loved the premise of this story but I did not enjoy how it was told so much. The dialogue was the downfall of this book. At times it felt so cheesy. There was no character development and that would have made for a much better story. My favorite character was Mick and well he didn’t last long. How many times did they say the police wouldn’t respond to distress calls? It’s murder. It’s a little more than a distress call. I seen the twist coming and that was disappointing. If it had been something that would have blown me out of the water I might have overlooked some of the other things but it didn’t. If you’ve never read Margot Hunt I would start with another one of her books.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is January 9, 2024

Easily the BEST book that I have read all summer! This book was great I loved the plot and all the twists and turns that evolved throughout the whole book! Love love loved it! I will be recommending this book to everyone it was great!

The Guests
Margot Hunt
A category 5 hurricane is headed toward Florida. Marlowe, Lee and their seventeen-year-old twin sons, Tom and June, are preparing their waterfront home for the storm. Joining the Davies are Zack and Isabel. Shortly before the storm hits land a boat tie up at their dock. On board are two men and a woman: Jason and Bo (brothers) and Darcy, Bo’s girlfriend. The young strangers need a place to weather the coming storm. The Davies willingly offer them refuge in their lavish home. MISTAKE!
The plot has a lot of potential but falls short. A magnificent home, a loving family with friends and three strangers. This is potential! But the author failed in creating well written dialogue.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a review copy. My reviews are my unbiased opinions.

Last call for the Stupid Train. Destination: Face Palm City.

Happily married couple Lee and Marlowe, along with their 17 year old twins, Tom and June, have a wonderful life and a beautiful home on the Florida coast. They're preparing the home for a category 5 hurricane that is soon to come ashore. Staying with them is Zack, Tom's best friend, and, Isabel, Marlowe's assistant.

The winds have begun whipping and the rain is pelting down when to their surprise a boat is headed right for their dock. On it are two men and a young woman. Lee and their handyman Mick run out to assist them when an unfortunate accident occurs in which they need the strangers assistance. Marlowe feels it wouldn't be right to turn them back out into the storm after they just helped them in a time of need so they are invited to hunker down in the luxurious comforts of their well appointed home. What could go wrong?

EVERYTHING!!!!

Um, so, yeah, this was not good. Not at all. This book had absolutely no substance to it. Where do I even begin? Let's start with the terrible dialogue. This was so cheesy. These people spoke and acted like no one I know. Character development was basically zilch. I'd rather watch paint dry then to spend even a minutes worth of time with these people. Brand name this and brand name that, please stop it already. Their wealthy we get it. A plot that was incredibly simple to figure out made for zero tension or suspense.

Let me give you an example of how stupid these characters are. This family has been terrorized by these strangers for many hours and what does Marlowe have to say about one of them:

"Bo was handsome, charming, and engaging, and, perhaps most importantly, he had a sexual energy that was hard to miss."

Seriously. He's killed people you care about and is also holding a gun to your head but he sure is dreamy isn't he? 🤦‍♀️ I can't make this shit up. 💩

I wish every single one of these characters had been swept out to sea. Now that would have made it a satisfying ending but, alas, my dreams were dashed. 😞 1 star!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my complimentary copy.

While I normally don't read books with weather as an issue background, "The Guests" was an enjoyable read.