This is a novel of sun, sea and secrets. The Hamilton family have travelled to the Maldives to celebrate Zach's 50th birthday but they are using it as a getaway for Cara as well; and their teen daughter Alexa. But all is not champagne and fun at this exotic resort. All manner of lies and deception are lurking under the surface. Throw in some extra characters and you are in for a great read. I devoured this book.

The Hamilton family (Zach, Cara, & teenage daughter Alexa) arrive at the Asana Fushi resort in the Maldives for a luxury holiday. The resort prides itself on being luxurious yet environmentally friendly, & Skye Elliott, a 'Green Influencer' is also there to provide an in-depth review. Add in a professional rival of Zach's & the stage is set. Beneath the gilded exterior, everyone has their secrets & some might kill to keep them hidden.

I thought this was quite an absorbing thriller with a small cast of characters. The strong points included the plot having lots of different strands & no-one seems to be quite who they say they are. Nor are they very likeable & it made it a tense read. I also really liked the eye-catching cover. Weak points though were that the characters were rather stereotypical (i.e. moody teenage daughter, menopausal mum, etc) & I think the ending let it down a little for me as it was too open-ended. Overall it was very readable & kept my attention well but the character tropes & ending mean that I rate this one 3.5 stars (rounded down).

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Penguin, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

The Guests was a book I flew through, yes it’s a little far fetched in places but it could get away with it.
Cara and her husband, Zach and their daughter Alexa are heading to the Maldives to Asana Fushi a sustainable resort that is the height of luxury. Zach feels the two women need a break after suffering a traumatic break in at their home and being left tied up. Zach is a business owner that he has built from the bottom up but he’s hiding a fair few secrets but to what lengths will he go to, to make sure they stay secrets as his life will never be the same again should they surface.
This was a book I flew through, it was very twisty and I loved it for that. I wasn’t keen on Cara at the beginning of the book but the more you learn about her and what she has suffered and is trying to protect her daughter from the more I liked her as a decent female lead character. A decent storyline with not too many characters, quite short chapters so very easy to pick up when you’ve not got long.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin General UK, Fig Tree for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The Guests was a great read. Plenty of twists and turns and set in an idyllic location it kept me hooked. I didn't particularly like any of the characters but I enjoyed reading about them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

The book began strong with the discovery of human remains. It then took us back to before the event, giving us a countdown till the big crescendo.
The story followed Zach and his wife and daughter in the Maldives. A family trying to forget something that had happened and rebuild their relationship. For me the book slowed down a lot during this part. None of the characters are likeable but they aren’t meant to be. They are all equally flawed. However, I felt like I was constantly waiting for something to happen. The ending was a little predictable and left too many open ends. Nevertheless, this book is a pretty taut thriller that will definitely appeal to fans of T.M.Logan. A quick summer read.

Imagine a dream location - The Maldives.
Sea, Sand, Luxury hotel
But every guest there has a secret and soon everyone is watching everyone including the staff.
Who can be trusted?

Unfortunately my copy was missing the prologue!

This book started a little slow for me, but it was really just introducing the characters before the main plot started. Gradually you got to learn why they needed the holiday and about the secrets every one kept from each other. I didn't expect what happened towards the end and felt a twinge of sympathy towards a member of staff who got a bit sandy (no spoilers here). The ending was relatively easy to guess, but not until near the reveal. A good read

I was so excited to see the next destination thriller from Nikki Smith after loving The Beach Party. The Guests is a brilliant almost unbearably tense read - especially if you like your to be families dysfunctional and any new friendships toxic…. Set in the Maldives, a dream holiday destination soon turns into a nightmare, with some deliciously unlikeable characters pursuing their own agendas. I stayed up all night to finish… perfect reading for the beach…

Set in a luxury holiday village in the Maldives, the arrival of a sea plane brings another clutch of rich guests. Life in the village is vividly portrayed. I could almost imagine being there among the palms, enjoying the beautiful backdrop of sun, sea and white beaches. Then there is the opulence of the resort, the accommodation, and a service catering for every creature comfort. Sadly, all this luxury was in some instances, spoilt by the arrogant entitlement of a few of the guests, but I guess that's only to be expected. No one was likeable; in fact some of them were downright awful.

Three sets of new arrivals are central to the story, which incorporates a rich selection of issues, including business ethics, environmental issues, marital infidelity, and blackmail. The structure of the book is set as a countdown between the group’s arrival and the date/time when some unknown event occurs. And when it happens, lives are changed for ever.

It's an unputdownable read which does not disappoint. There are the usual twists and turns to throw you off course and an ending I didn’t see coming. Another great read from Nikki Smith.

Highly recommended.
I would like to thank Penguin, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of The Guests in exchange for an honest review.

After a break in at their family home that left them traumatised, a family heads to the beautiful Maldives for a chance to refresh, relax, and reset. They seem like the perfect family, but appearances can be deceiving, and everyone has secrets.
I felt like this one had the potential to be great. However, it missed the mark for me. Every single character was unlikeable, and a lot of their actions really baffled me. There were plenty of twists throughout the story. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough to make up for the fact that I was a little bored throughout a lot of the story. And to top it all off, it ended on a twist and didn't really wrap anything up. Which is probably going to bug me until the day I die. Unless there's going to be a second book, which I will have to read just to find out what happens, despite not overly liking this one.

This is a good read and a thriller with a beautiful setting but for me it failed to deliver and although I enjoyed it I found the characters mostly unlikeable and the countdown to the ending a bit lacklustre.

There is some great writing and the descriptions of the beauty of the reef are particularly good but the plot lacks believability for me.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.25*

I needed some glamour in my life so I knew as soon as I read the synopsis that I needed to read The Guests and it didn't disappoint - I devoured this exotic thriller in one day.

This, to sum up from the start, is a proper holiday read thriller with the massive bonus that it's well written too.

Set in the Maldives, we follow a group of guests including the Hamilton family as they try to get away from the stresses of everyday life to relax and enjoy the beauty of their luxury resort. Unfortunately, as is often the case, their secrets and lies aren't quite so easy to leave behind.

This book was glamourous and trashy in all the best ways. The characters all fit classic thriller tropes but feel human and flawed - and incredibly annoying at times. Despite these flaws I didn't get to the point of not caring about them.

I enjoyed the glamourous setting that also managed to feel seedy and dark. There's also plenty of hidden information that is drip fed to us as the story unfolds and I kept reading to see what would come next as the lives of the characters unravelled before my eyes.

This book is all about the sun, sea, sand and secrets. There's lies, deceit and plenty of twists which makes for a fun and compelling read that you need to pick up to read by the pool when you get away this summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business | Penguin for a digital review copy of "The Guests" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

A dark twisted thriller which takes you off to an exotic location. I really wanted to love this but it just felt a bit flat for me.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

The Maldives, a dream destination. A place where wishes and fantasies come true. Unfortunately this is not the case for the Hamilton family who are on a much needed break to distance themselves from a recent break-in and bring together their fractured relationship.. Tagging along is their teenage daughter Alexa who would rather be back at home. The resort is filled by what seems to be rather unsavoury guests out to broker business deals rather than enjoy the beauties that this island has to offer. Cindy an ex co-worker of Cara Hamilton and her sneaky, portentous husband Ryan are particularly shady and one does not warm to them at all. Similarly Skye the eco warrior and influencer manages to highlight issues surrounding the planet using dubious methods. A regular poster of sumptuous breakfasts while in reality she only drinks black coffee.
Even the staff, the resort manager Marc and butler Devi lack an real moral values. It is however through their portrayal that we see the darker underbelly of the working and living conditions that many workers experience in those high end establishments.Being at the beck and call of entitled guests who have nothing better to do than to make their lives miserable.
The plot has deception and greed at its heart as we see Zach's betrayal of his family in his quest to build a business around sustainable projects. He however is anything but squeaky clean with his double dealings and affairs soon to be his undoing. Is everything about to turn on its head, of-course it is. After all secrets can only remain secrets for so long.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this. Definitely a book for the beach.

A holiday of a lifetime in the Maldives.. or is it!? Tampered with diving equipment. Unusual accidents. Are they being targeted? Setup? This edgy thriller will make your heart race!

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- Destination thrillers
- Countdown timeline chapters
- Fiction that gets your heart racing
- Can they all return home fiction!?
- Bribery stories

With thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

This is a gripping thriller that I couldn’t put down. We follow a family on a trip to The Maldives, right from the start we get hints that something isn’t right. The daughter has a mysterious injury, the mother is dealing with something traumatic that’s causing anxiety and the father keeps getting mysterious messages. The pacing for the reveals was excellent and there was just enough hook to keep it interesting without being overdone.

The setting was fantastic, the juxtaposition of the beautiful island paradise with the ecological concerns, the inequality seen, the characters’ inability to relax thanks to their own secrets. It was so well done and The Maldives was a fantastic location to explore the book’s narrative around climate change and green washing. The family meet an eco-influencer while at the resort who seems to already be familiar with the father. Although she is thoroughly investigating the resort to check they are as eco-friendly as they seen, she has her own ambitions and it looking for an explosive story.

The book makes some observations around selfishness and inequality. The way the butler is treated by some of the guests, a glaring lack of courtesy, unreasonable demands and an expectation that he will be available immediately 24/7. There’s commentary on how little the staff are paid in contrast to the extravagant wealth of the guests. Also the callous treatment by senior management and the precariousness of staff positions. The family’s own selfishness and callousness to each other, keeping secrets and lies. This alongside the eco commentary made for some really interesting parts to this story.

I really enjoyed this, I wasn’t sure about the ending but I would definitely read more from this author.

After having mixed feelings about Smiths's book The Beach Party I was interested to see what this book would offer

While I'd say it is better, the plot was more developed and there was a vast improvement in terms of creating suspense I still felt the book was lacking. It was really quite far fetched with loads of loose endings however I'd did hold my interest and I liked island setting.

It not ground breaking but it had some interesting relevant themes running on the background which added to the overall plot and as it went on really made you dislike some of the characters.

The ending was good but very unbelievable that being said I wasn't dissatisfied by it

All in all an improvement from the book but still room for improvement. Will no doubt be a best sellers at airports all over, it does make for a great holiday read. Not too tasking with enough suspense to keep you on the sun lounger a bit longer than you should.

Side note- kinda loved how the author did a bit of self promotion by mentioning her other book as the "best seller" one of the characters was reading. I admire the sheer cheek and boldness of this

Thanks #NetGalley and Penguin publishers for an #ARC of #TheGuests.

This is a great summer beach thriller. Following a family in a luxurious eco-friendly resort in the Maldives, there are dark undercurrents and grudges to be held by everyone they meet.

Good writing, each chapter is a time countdown and as it neared the 0minutes I read faster!

The ending was slightly anticlimactic for me.

Are you ready to go to paradise? The Hamiltons are off to the pristine shores of the idyllic Maldives and a luxury resort. Snorkelling in the serene blue sea, enjoying champagne picnics on the powder-white sand with moonlit walks under the stars all sounds perfect, but what secrets and lies are lurking under the glamorous luxury? Every single one of the resorts guests is keeping a secret, whatever causes a once-in-a-lifetime trip to turn into the holiday from hell?

I love that it’s holiday book season and wow, this is one you can’t miss out on, I devoured this in one sitting over the Bank Holiday, I just couldn’t put it down! It’s safe to say that none of the characters are particularly likeable but they’re not supposed to be, they’re all just trying to outdo the other and it’s a lot of fun trying to figure out why!

The countdown element gave each chapter a timeframe guide to the final reveal, a little snippet of information in each chapter keeping you reading and figuring things out until the time runs out - quite literally for some in the book! A fast-paced adventure with a twisty turning plot in a beautiful, well-described location, the author’s detailed writing style a stand out element of this title.

I have no doubt that this is a book cover you will see adorning the sun loungers around the pool this summer (although maybe not the best pick if you’re going to the Maldives!😛) and it’s an enjoyable read.

The Guests by Nikki Smith can only be described as the perfect beach read. Set on an idyllic and luxurious resort island in the Maldives, the descriptive narrative made the location come alive in such a way that I could almost feel the sand between my toes as I read this book on a rainy day in London. But things are not so peaceful for the characters in this story, there is plenty of trouble in paradise and as the story counts down to the conclusion, secrets and lies come to light. The characters' motivations and histories are cleverly interwoven throughout the narrative and keep the reader guessing from start to finish. I would recommend going into this story knowing as little as possible and prepare to suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow. This is an intriguing and enjoyable thriller with plenty of twists, I found it very compelling and each chapter left me wanting more.

Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this sundrenched summer read in exchange for an honest review.