The Family Guest is a psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of grief, deception, and the consequences of trying to recreate the past. The story centers around the arrival of an exchange student, Tanya, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the deceased daughter of the host family.

Initially, the novel captures your attention with a gripping premise and an atmosphere charged with tension. The writing is engaging, and the eerie similarity between Tanya and the lost daughter, Anabel, creates an intriguing sense of foreboding. As the story unfolds, you can't help but be drawn into the family's emotional turmoil and the secrets they hold.

However, as the plot progresses, the story starts to lose its momentum. The story becomes predictable, and by Chapter 11, the major twist can be anticipated.

One redeeming aspect of the novel is the transformation of Natalie towards the end. Her evolution adds depth to the story and challenges initial perceptions of her. Nevertheless, this development might not be enough to fully redeem the overall reading experience.

Readers who enjoy stories of complex family relationships and secrets may find elements to appreciate, but it may not fully satisfy those seeking a gripping psychological thriller. I would rate it between 2.5 to 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for honest feedback!

Very good narrator! I listened without being able to hit pause -- lots of secrets and twists! I don't usually enjoy books with multiple teen girl POV, but I really loved this one.

Fun thriller with lots of twists and turns! I was left guessing up until the very end! At the beginning I just couldn’t like any of the characters, but they had great character arcs and definitely redeemed themselves to me!

I hate Natalie so much.
The narrator was perfect for the role though. Just fabulous.
Anyway, Natalie is shallow, a liar, and the worst mother. She brought in an exchange student for attention because she is self serving. UGH.
And Matt is nearly as bad. He is a horny rich loser who spends his time making money and being a giant jerk. So they're basically perfect for one another.
Paige is a sweet baby angel who definately doesn't fit this family. And her brother is perfect.
Anyway, so this exchange student shows up and she is clearly faking her entire life. She has a fake accent and she is trying to basically replace the dead daughter in the family. Also we don't know what actually killed this child.
There is a ton going on and a dog get poisoned and a charred body gets found and Natalie finds out Matt is cheating.
Like everything bad that can happen to a really rich family with terrible parents and a couple of good kids - does.
It is all twists and drama. Loved it. Loved the narrators.

The Family Guest, written by Nelle Lamarr is a ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐read for me and here is why…

This psychological thriller follows the story of a wealthy Los Angeles family welcoming, Tanya, a foreign exchange student from the UK, into their home as a guest. It doesn’t take long for the red flags to start flying. A plot filled with lies, manipulation, ulterior motives, and deep-rooted family secrets will lure you in and have you questioning everyone.

The characters were well developed enough for me to have strong feelings (not always good) regarding them which kept me wanting to know more. I find many times the characters I despise are often the ones that intrigue me the most. I wanted answers! Curiosity coupled with a dose of skepticism were the driving force in enjoying this book in 1 day. I simply couldn't pull away.

The narrators did a fantastic job in bringing the characters to life in a way that didn’t cause confusion for the reader, as this story is told in multiple POVs. Well done!!

Publication Date 📅: 09.21.23
Thank you kindly NetGalley, Bookouture, and Nelle Lamarr for the ARC of The Family Guest in exchange for an honest review.

I was torn between giving this one 3 & 4 stars and I ended up going with three. There are plenty of twists and turns and the plot has a ton of potential. Where the story falls a little flat for me is the fact that Tanya (the exchange student) basically comes in and runs this household. No ma'am. If an exchange student came to live with me I wouldn't put up with half of her crap. (The dog for example.) Tanya is definitely up to no good and she is very manipulative.
I feel so bad for Paige (the daughter) for most of this book. She gets treated like a second rate citizen in her own house and by her own parents. Lance (her boyfriend) is also a total tool. Paige definitely has some dark thoughts about getting rid of Tanya which I was surprised with.

I did like the suspense in finding out what Tanya was up to and how Anabel died. I saw the epilogue coming a mile away so no surprises there.

I did enjoy the book even though but I was frustrated half of the time, but maybe that was the author's intent? It definitely kept the pages turning.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and Nelle Lamarr for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great premise and writing, but the narrative tension was missing here. I also didn't love the narration, the accents weren't quite on point.

I was provided an ARC audio copy of this book and am providing my honest feedback.

As far as the audio experience goes, it was great. The different voices used never had me questioning who was speaking. I enjoyed the narrator.

As for the book I enjoyed it. The last 10% was phenomenal!

For most of the book though, the events are just way too unrealistic.

Nat (the mom) needs to see an optometrist asap for all the red flags she just let fly around her and did nothing about. The dad was not much better.

Let’s start with Paige’s boyfriend. The moment that boy responded to “is she your girlfriend?” With “kinda.” There would have been a fight! No way in hell would Nat (who has been cheated on) ever push her daughter’s boyfriend to carry around another girl right in front of her like that. Also the hanging out alone in another’s girls room alone all the time. There was zero in the boyfriend that made him appealing. Don’t get me started on the constant references to “She stole my boyfriend.” I’m pretty sure the guy should be held accountable as well.

Next how in the world did this girl fake her way into a foreign exchange program? I feel like this book makes everyone super dumb to fall for this girl’s weak manipulations.

Also the parents freaking out and grounding Paige for the essay thing (to a college she doesn’t even want to go to), but being flippant when Tanya crashed the car was unrealistic.

Also what parents preserve their dead child’s room to that extent and then just let a random stranger move into it? No one, that’s who.

The mom was just infuriating. She is one of the dumbest characters I’ve seen in a minute. She lives in lala land constantly. She literally is like “oh that’s suspicious, but anyways I love her like my own.”

The dad is just gross. I’m not even sure why he was mad about the divorce. If he wasn’t willing to do whatever he needed to get help with his problem he had no business being married.

Also the twist was super confusing. Why would she care if they divorced? Why would Paige be her target? Why did she tell the dad he was her dad?

2 stars for a good idea not well executed.
Plus an additional star for the ending which was great.