I raced through this, I really enjoyed it, but the plot isn’t solid, there were a lot of “but wait, that doesn’t follow” type moments. I laughed a lot, which I’m definitely not sure was the point, but there was a lot of over exaggerated moments and unnecessary explanations.

None the less. I couldn’t put it down, the characters are deplorable rich entitled types twisted up in lies, too much money, sex addiction, cheating, and murder and dark sisters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookature audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

The only good thing about this book was the narration. Both narrators did an outstanding job considering what they had to work with.

The story is very bad YA. The characters – all of them, including the supposed adults – are dysfunctional children and entirely unlikable. I wasn’t rooting for anyone, except maybe for them all to die in the end. Sadly, I was even disappointed there. The author portrays the adults as immoral and stupid. Matt is domineering and tyrannical on top of his immoral stupidity. Natalie is emotionally unbalanced and a raging alcoholic. The children are the only “smart” characters, which lends even more to a YA feel.

The plot itself is beyond stupid. It has a somewhat reasonable kernel of an idea, but it goes completely off the rails. A teenage exchange student comes into town and fools, not just the dysfunctional people she has moved in with, but the entire town? And does so within 2 days' time? Seriously? Not even slightly believable. Other than the over-the-top, ridiculous extremes like the entire community’s gullibility, the story is entirely predictable. There was no suspense, no twists, no surprises. It was dull.

The relationship between Jordan and Paige has a bit of an LGBT feel to it, but Lamarr keeps pulling it back with mentions of Paige’s boyfriend, almost as though she wants to go down that path but is afraid of offending.

There are absolutely no redeeming qualities to this book. If I could give it zero stars or take stars away, this book would deserve it. Avoid it at all costs.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts off with a lot going on. It feels a little like a soap opera. The family has a foreign exchange student come live with them. The student seems somewhat untrustworthy. All these red flags are popping up left and right meanwhile the family has quite a few issues of their own. The secrets keep piling up. I was a bit apprehensive at first but honestly I was interested in what was going to happen to this family. I can say I enjoyed this and can recommend this book.

Beware of strangers with dodgy English accents. They probably aren’t who they claim to be. But then again nearly everyone in this book is hiding and lying about something. This book was disturbing,, which is a good thing for the genre,. However the surprises at the end of the book were all pretty obvious to me, and I was not waylaid by the odd red herring thrown in my path.
This book is definitely worth a read

The Family Guest centres around the Merritt Family as they host an English foreign exchange student, Tanya. Initially Natalie and Matt, the mother and father of the family are thrilled to have Tanya around as she serves as a distraction to the loss of their own teenage daughter but things change and the uneasy feelings about Tanya felt by the family's other children, Will and Paige, prove fitting as we discover all is not as it appears to be in relation to the exchange student!

The story is told from dual POVs and is very well narrated adding to the suspense and intrigue.

The plot turns quite dark towards the end as secrets are unveiled and true characteristics are displayed. The ending is a tad predictable in my opinion but this didn't spoil my overall enjoyment of the novel.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced listener copy of this audiobook and am leaving my review voluntarily.

Tanya, daughter of a British diplomat, comes to stay as an exchange student with Natalie, Matt, and teenagers Paige and Will. Tanya has a striking resemblance to Annabelle, Natalie’s recently deceased daughter. She seems the perfect guest to start, but shows her true colours to Paige by stealing her boyfriend and crashing her car.
It seems Tanya isn’t who she first appears and has an alternative motive for staying. It seems this is a family trait.
A gripping domestic psychological thriller. Some characters are quite unlikeable, which adds to the sinister nature of this read. A new author to me, but will be looking out for more books by Nelle Lamar.

Exchange student, Tanya, goes to the US to live in LA with a new family for a school year. However, the posh life with the diplomat father like she makes out to have isn't exactly like it seems. Tanya comes into the lives of a family who lost their daughter, Annabelle, years prior. However, Tanya has an uncanny resemblance to Annabel. Is Tanya really who she says she is?

I really enjoyed the dual perspectives of this book. I enjoyed getting to hear both Paige's (the daughter of the family) and Natalie's (the mother) sides of the story, along with some background information. I am a sucker for a good psychological thriller, and this is exactly what this book is. I felt the twists and turns until the very end. The narrator also did an excellent job. I also really liked the ending. I hope there is another book! This is my first book I have read by Nelle Lamarr, and it will certainly not be my last.

The Family Guest is a foreign exchange student who seems like the perfect fit for their family. Or at least the Mom and Dad think so. They are still grieving the loss of their daughter, and the exchange student is her carbon copy. Grandma and Paige can see right through her from the minute they meet. This was fast-paced, with plenty of twists and turns. The narrator is wonderful

I combined listening and reading this book as I was so addicted to it but had to get a few things done. It was brilliant - yes the start was a bit hard to get into and I really didnt like the parents (love how the author made me engage with the characters) but the ending was brilliant just suited it perfectly.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

This thriller is a dual-perspective that follows a foreign exchange student and her host family’s daughter. While at first glance, this may seem to be a good idea to house this exchange student, the family realizes that they don’t really know who they have in their home.

I really enjoyed this book - I thought that I had the plot all figured out until an unexpected twist occurred towards the end. I really enjoyed that I could envision the characters through the narration and it was a pleasant surprise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this arc in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

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, 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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Book Title: The Family Guest
Author: Nelle Lamarr
Narrators: Cecilly Bednar Schmidt and Lynn Norris
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: September 22, 2023
My Rating: 4.2. Stars
Pages 378

Matt and Natalie Merritt are hosting a foreign exchange student from London. Tanya is seventeen and seems perfect- she is the daughter of a diplomat who is a widow and sent Tanya to boarding school. Tanya is beautiful and very clever also is a distraction to the family especially Natalie over the tragedy death of daughter Annabelle who would be nineteen. Natalie is so taken with Tanya and wants to believe that Annabelle has come back to her! Tanya, with her long blonde hair and slender frame, looks so much like Annabelle. Natalie seems to be pretending she IS Annabelle.
There are two more Merritt children – Will who is twelve and Page is seventeen same age as Tanya a senior in high school .However Tanya and Page do not get along.

Certainly didn’t take me long for me to love Page, but was super upset with both Matt and Natalie for their unequal treatment.to their daughter
Of course, I knew that Ms. Lamarr was leading me down a rabbit hole as she wanted to create a negative emotion.
But! I found myself yelling at both of the parents.

Love how clever and intelligent both Page and Will are and knew they would come up with something clever in dealing with Tanya the ‘Bad Seed’! With the help of their beloved Grandmother Marjorie Merritt they came up with a plan.
However Matt and Natalie still take Tanya’s side ~ What????
I was almost ready to call it quits at this point.
However I was only ½ way in Hmmm.
Yep there was a lot more drama.
Turned out to be well worth hanging in there!!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this audio eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 22, 2023.

Tanya, an exchange student from England, arrives at the home of Natalie and her family. Told in dual perspectives from Natalie and her daughter, Paige. Natalie chose Tanya because she looks just like her deceased daughter, Anabel. Tanya soon becomes the daughter that Natalie is missing, and Paige doesn’t trust her one bit. Tanya’s accent and background become questionable, and her attitude turns. Paige takes it upon herself and her brother William to find out who Tanya really is and what she is up to. Many of the characters were unlikable, but that’s what made this story. Although this book was very predictable, I still enjoyed reading it. Basically, this was a story about an exchange student from hell and a family taking their sweet time in realizing it. There were some twists and turns, some of which were predictable and others which caught me by surprise. This was a quick psychological thriller that kept me engaged and I did enjoy the ending.

Thank you to the author Nelle Lamarr, Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm still confused how it was brought up that her best friend could be the mother and that Matt was the father.

Definitely kept my attention and I enjoyed the book. Was it realistic....not at all....but sometimes I love fun and mindless reads.

I’ll start off by saying that I did enjoy this audiobook, I’m not normally one to listen to audiobooks and I wasn’t sure if my mind would wander however it did keep me gripped the whole way through.

I loved the authors style of writing and I will definitely be doing some research and looking further into seeing if there’s other books.

The characters were written in a way where you either loved or hated them for what they were doing and how they were acting.

However I have only given this book a 3 star rating as I did figure out the twist about 60% of the way through and I prefer a thriller that can keep me guessing and changing my mind from start to finish.

If you’re into thriller/ya I would recommend giving it a read now it’s out or downloading the audiobook and giving it a listen to! It definitely made my drives more interesting.

I would like to say thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and Nelle Lamarr for letting me have this ARC!

I really enjoyed The Family Guest on Audio; it has kept me engaged since the start. It had a great plot; the twists and turns kept me more engaged. I never saw that ending coming—that Tanya was Natalie's daughter. I couldn't stop listening; I finished the audiobook in one day. Thank you, Netgalley and Bookouture Audio, for the audiobook ARC. Looking forward to reading more from books by Nelle Lamarr.

Well, this kept me obsessively tuned in ! When exchange student Tanya turns up looking eerily like the child they recently lost, the family seem to just fall for charms, or more often than not, put up with her selfish and outlandish behaviour. The parents are as self-absorbed and silly as she is at times. Only the children, Paige and Will, seem to speak any sense. The multiple POV gave voice to the various women. The ending was particularly fast-paced with the reveals and surprises rapidly unveiled. #thefamilyguest #nellelamarr #netgalley #audiobook

Tonya infiltrates herself into another family as a foreign exchange guest. Although I predicted the plot twists early on it was a delight to get to know the characters. I think this would make for a great plot to a film.

I listened to The Family Guest on audio and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is written in two POV and the two narrators did an amazing job, making it easy to listen to.

A family has an exchange student named Tanya from England and while mom Natalie cares for her like a daughter and has a good relationship,
Paige, Natalie's daughter is tired of Tanya and knows she cannot trust her and wonders if she is really who she says she is. Brother Will helps Natalie try to uncover the truth. The twists and turns, secrets and betrayals make this a faced paced book read that keeps you guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with the audio of this in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great story! You do have to suspend your disbelief a little, but this is fiction and fiction is the best form of escapism, so enjoy the ride!

Character-wise, siblings Paige and Will made the story for me, the Sherlock/Watson thing they had going was clever and funny, adding lightness to what was otherwise a very creepy story.

I'll give Natalie the benefit of the doubt and assume she couldn't see what was right under her nose due to her grief over the death of her favourite child, rather than stupidity, although I may be giving her too much credit there!

I really felt the building tension throughout the book - Natalie alludes to not being who she says she is, we know that Tanya has an ulterior motive, but what we don't know is who they really are and what their agendas are - this suspense kept me hooked and i listened to the book in one sitting. Twist after twist delivered, right up until the very end. Will there be a sequel? This story isn't over...

The narration by Cecily Bednar Schmidt and Lynn Norris was excellent.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Nelle Lamarr and Bookouture for an ARC in return for an honest review.