Hugh and Juliet Mullen live in the sprawling Grade 1 listed mansion, Mullens End on the outskirts of London, the house has been in Hugh's family for generations and is run by a trust fund which declares him to have a living tenancy, he can stay there until he dies or has children of his own, or it will pass to his distant cousin Alexis Lambert. Whilst hosting a dinner party one night there is a knock at the door, a woman claiming to be Alexis is standing there and Hugh invites her in, he is very quickly drawn in by her but Juliet is not as trusting. In the following days as they get to know her, Juliet becomes increasingly wary of their house guest, what is she doing there and what does she hope to gain from this impromptu visit?

The House Guest is the latest thriller by James, it's a fast paced, intriguing read, told from the perspectives of the four main characters in a multi layered plot but, instead of alternating the chapters between them, as many authors do, each of the characters had a part of the book to tell the same story how they perceived it and James executed this perfectly. I was quickly drawn into this story and was hooked throughout as the author delivered twist after twist. The characters were very authentic, none of them very likeable, though I did feel for Juliet as her world came crashing down around her, each having their own agenda but which one would come out on top in the end? This is the third I've read by this author now and once again the story gripped me, if you like a story that keeps you guessing then The House Guest is one for you.

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

This thriller has a great premise and I loved the POVs (which were distinctive and sometimes doesn’t work). It started slow and the ending was a bit….out there. Overall an entertaining and entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Hugh and Juliet live in Mullens End, a beautiful Grade I listed country house . Held in trust, they are life tenants - they live there but can never own it. When Hugh dies, the tenancy will pass to his eldest child. Married for ten years, Juliet has a teenage sone from a previous relationship. They had hoped for a family of their own to continue the ownership of Mullens End, but following an ectopic pregnancy, Juliet is not able to have any more children. Instead, she has made it her life’s work to keep both house and garden in pristine condition. Life is perfect, until a distant cousin of Hugh’s (the glamorous Alexis Lambert) makes an unexpected appearance. Under the terms of the will, and in view of Hugh and Juliet’s inability to produce an heir, Alexis will eventually inherit. Much to Juliet's annoyance, she invites herself for a short stay ‘to get to know the place.’
Alexis’ short stay lasts far more than a couple of days. Making herself at home, she causes so much trouble as she constantly flirts with Hugh. Aware of her husband's track record with young, attractive women, this does nothing to ease the tension within the house.

When unpleasant events and damage to property occur, Hugh puts it down to his on-going feud with local property developer Jamie Molcan. But is it? Or is it someone closer to home?

I really had difficulty putting this book down. It's a thoroughly entertaining read. Narrated from several points of view, as we’re introduced to a new character’s take on events, it gives the reader a clear indication of what is going on and who is doing what to who. The burning question is how are things going to resolve themselves? Who are going to be the winners and who are going to be the losers in all the lies and deception? Nothing is as it appears, so be prepared for some surprises. There was one I certainly didn't see coming. As I said above, a highly entertaining read.

“Mullens End isn’t a house. It’s a way of life.”
Hugh and Juliet live in Mullens End. The house is in a guaranteed trust that as long as Hugh is alive, he and Juliet can live in the home free and if they have children the trust will continue. But then the unexpected happens another Mullens relative arrives at the home.
Told in different points of view this psychological thriller had drama, deceit and a con that reverberates through the lives of the unsuspecting and the suspected. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for an early copy of this book with all of its twisted secrets.

This book pissed me off but in a good way. You end up hating some of the characters but it is because they are written so well. I enjoyed this book some parts I thought weren’t needed but overall a good book.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGallery for this ARC! Wow! Just make sure you don’t have anything too important to do cause you won’t be able to put this book down! The story takes place at Mullins End, the grand generational home of Hugh and Juliet Mullen. When a stranger claiming to be Hugh’s third cousin and heir to the house after Hugh, it all goes down hill from there. This story is told from the point of view from each main character and I absolutely love this concept. Everyone has their own agenda and this story is perfectly weaved together, with plenty of love, lust and greed to go around within all the twist and turns.

Beware of people who show up on your doorstep claiming to be a relative!

Hugh and Juliet Mullen welcome Alexis Lambert, a woman claiming to be a distant cousin, into their home and it doesn’t take long for them to regret their generosity and naivete. Questionable things begin occurring at Mullens End, the Queen Anne-style country estate on the outskirts of London.

We’ve all been there, right?! Suckered in by someone with ulterior motives. Gaslighted.

While we may be able to identify with the feeling, James makes sure to present us with a gripping and original plot. She builds on the intrigue and regret to pull readers into a fast-paced, multi-layered, multi-POV, thriller with twist after twist after twist. You know the late-night infomercial that says, “But wait, there’s more!”? I felt like Slater was whispering from the pages, telling me to gear up for another twist. I didn’t know who to trust and I didn’t know what was going to happen next….I just knew that something BIG was going to happen when one or both of the Mullens got to the end of their rope. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Mullens End.

This is a great psychological thriller and will leave you convinced that author James could write a book about learning the warning signs of gaslighting! 😅

This is my 4th book by this author and she’s quickly becoming an auto-read choice for me!

I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

A book written from multiple perspectives. The author introduced and developed these characters thoroughly. I was guessing until the end who to trust.

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

The House Guest is a twisty, gripping thriller that gets the reader questioning what they would do and how they would think if they were in a similar situation. With all the ingredients of a cracking psychological thriller, this book kept me turning pages. 5 stars!

An improbable story tbh but because it is told well I chose to ignore that mostly and got on with enjoying it
Love a story re wealthy folk and long lost family turning up to swoop on inheritances and cause chaos
Unusually told by 3 characters throughout so say roughly a third of the book is told by one of the 3, in essence you get the same story in triple but told by very different viewpoints
Did like the characters, even the baddies had their good points and loved the description of the main family Surrey Mansion and all the pomp and grandeur went with it
If you are prepared to overlook a few glaring ‘mmmmmm, how could this be’ moments this is a fine thriller with a cuckoo who bites off more than can handle a d characters whose entitlement cant quite fix everything…..

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The House Guest’ written by Alison James in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Hugh and Juliet Mullen are hosting a dinner party for their close friends when an attractive young woman arrives at their door with a suitcase saying she’s Hugh’s cousin Alexis Lambert. As she’s family Juliet can’t very well send her away especially as Hugh is keen to get to know her but Juliet isn’t sure they haven’t made a mistake by allowing Alexis to stay.

‘The House Guest’ is a creepy psychological drama about Juliet and Hugh Mullen and their ancestral home ‘Mullens End’. I found the beginning quite slow but as each of the characters, Juliet, Hugh, Alexis and Juliet’s best friend Belinda, tell the story from their own perspectives it wasn’t long before secrets were revealed and had me totally hooked. The plot has been cleverly thought-out with shocks and surprises, and there’s been enough twists and turns to keep me guessing till the very end.

A great read and storyline with interesting characters which kept me involved throughout and I can thoroughly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

A good psychological story, which I enjoyed reading, but with unlikable characters.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving
me the chance to read this.

This book had my head spinning! It had twist after twist, and I loved every moment of it. I did not see any of the twists coming, and it kept blowing my mind. I would highly recommend to other thriller readers, and I will definitely read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley as well as Bookouture for an advance copy of 'The House Guest' in exchange for an honest review!
This book is set to be released on November 1, 2023.

'The House Guest' is a story that is told through the lens of multiple character's POV, which was pretty cool!
The first 1/3 of the book was from the FMC (Juliet)'s perspective, and then it changes to the perspective of Juliet's husband (Hugh), and continues through other characters as well.
Each character's perspective was detailed in a first-person-POV narrative , so it was interesting to see the same story through everyone's eyes.

I'd absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a story that's equal parts family/marital drama, mixed with a mystery/detective aspect.

The House Guest is a gripping psychological m thriller told several different points of view over a few months one summer. It’s cleverly written with each part giving you more information. I found I couldn’t put it down. A tense and gripping novel that I highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Alison James, I have never read a book by you but will now make it a point to do so. This was a superb psychological thriller. The writing was concise and the characters were so vivid, I could not put the book down. There were so many plot twists, my head was spinning. It was written from the point of view from each character which was a very unique way to present this book. The plot was new and fresh, not the same old same old.

As the book went on, I wasn't sure who I was favoring to prevail here since as each character had their say, I changed my mind. The ending was tidy and wrapped up nicely. I would highly recommend this book. It was exactly what I needed to take me away. Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book is divided in different POV, while reading the first, I thought I had some things figured out haha, I hated a few characters, but the twists ! I really LOVED what happened to those I didn't like haha, it was the best that could happen. It felt a little repetitive sometimes as we read another POV, but it was still a very interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. I didn’t care for the book or the characters. I was bored throughout.

amazing amazing amazing, i loved this book from the very first page and im gutted i cannot experience it again for the first time, a must read for all readers!