Quick listen, the plot line was and held my attention but none of the characters were especially likable. Especially Laure. Laure was an absolute bore.

This book is very twisty and when it comes to drama - overload city. It reads like a soap opera - which will be fantastic for a very large number of readers.

I have yet to be totally entranced by B.A. Paris - if recommended to me I would give a different book a chance but I do see myself gravitating toward her novels at a book store.

I just reviewed The Guest by B.A. Paris. #NetGalley

I was interested in where the story was going. The twist didn't surprise me, but I didn't guess it either. I definitely liked it more than The Prisoner and look forward to more. Paris is an auto-pickup for me. (3.5)

I was hesitant to agree to read this book early as I had some issues with the animal violence in Behind Closed Doors, another title from this author. Luckily, The Guest, does not have that type of content. I personally found the pace of the novel to be slow which led to a waning interest on my end and a three-star rating. However, I predict that psychological thriller aficionados will enjoy this book with its twists and turns once it is published to the masses.

This book was something else! I was not sure what was happening here. Lots of deaths and misunderstandings.

This was not a traditional mystery, but it kept me guessing and wondering what was happening. The ending was quite shocking.

Great narration for this tense Thriller!

**4.5-stars**

B.A. Paris is back and she's bringing my favorite kind of suspenseful Domestic Drama with her. I had so much fun reading The Guest. Frustrating in the best ways, I found it to be completely addictive and one heck of a gripping roller coaster ride.

In this story we meet Iris and Gabriel, a married couple living in the British countryside. They have a grown daughter who is currently working abroad in Greece, so all is fairly peaceful on the home-front. That is until the day a local boy suffered a terrible accident, falling into a nearby quarry. Gabriel was the one to find the boy's battered body and even though Gabriel's a skilled doctor, there was nothing he could do. The boy couldn't be saved, but Gabriel did get to be with him in his final moments, so he wasn't alone.

Gabriel hasn't been the same since that tragic day, and even though Iris is trying to help him cope, it's definitely put a strain on their relationship. As they are grappling with this, an unexpected house guest arrives. Their old friend, Laure, has shown up from Paris. She says that she and her husband, Pierre, have had a terrible fight and she needs a place to stay. Iris and Gabriel have been best friends with Laure and Pierre for many, many years, so they tell Laure that she is welcome and that she can stay for as long as she needs.

Laure moves herself in and makes herself as comfortable as possible, wearing Iris's clothes and shadowing her every move. As the days and even weeks pass, the couple begins to question Laure's story and her motives. What is she really doing there and when the heck is she going to leave?

As tension mounts, more people get drawn into the twisted drama; the new couple in town, their handsome gardener and even Iris and Gabriel's daughter. As mentioned above, I really enjoyed this one and found the narrative to be compulsively readable. From the Prologue, Paris had absolutely hooked me. She definitely has a gift for drawing the Reader in.

From the initial set-up, with Laure arriving at the house, you can just tell it is going to get freaking wild. There's a vibe under the surface of constant tension and intrigue. No matter how crazy things get though, I always find Paris's main characters to be relatable. I never have a problem putting myself in their shoes and imagining what I would do in any given situation. This one had me biting my nails with tension, yelling at Laure, yelling at Iris. I would have done some major clean-out of my house, that's for sure.

I really got sucked into all of the interpersonal drama in this story, but also loved the mystery running throughout. It was hard to tell who you could trust and some of the connections were also shady. There were some real strong reveals and I was happy with the way it ultimately concluded. This did feel more reminiscent to some of Paris's earlier works as well, which were a little stronger for me than her more recent releases.

I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a taut, twisted Domestic Drama, particularly if you have enjoyed B.A. Paris's earlier stories. I would also recommend reading this one with a friend, or Book Club. I actually Buddy Read it and thought it was exciting to discuss it with someone else as we discovered the twists and turns together.

Overall, I thought this was such a great read. I'm so happy Paris continues to write these types of stories. As long as she is writing them, I'll be reading them.

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. The Guest is releasing on February 20, 2024, and IMO, this one should not be missed!!

Another suspenseful domestic drama story from B.A. Paris. It was difficult to really like or feel invested in any of the main characters in this book, but the story had so many twists and turns that it just compelled me to keep reading - and just as I thought I had it all figured out - the ending proved me quite wrong! Highly entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

You come home from holiday to find someone in your house. She is wearing your clothes, and sleeping in your bed instead of a perfectly suitable guest bed. Yes this guest is your friend, and yes you gave her a key to your house. You understand she is going through marital problems and you want to be a good friend and support her, but when is she going to leave? Why did she rearrange your kitchen cabinets/drawers? After weeks, why is she still wearing your clothes and why did she cut her hair to look like yours?
This novel felt like a drama until about half way through, then boom death, after death, after death. Could it be accidental or is it murder?
There are many characters in the beginning of the novel to get fimilar with. Iris & Gabriel are the owners of the house. They have a daughter named Beth who is away. Gabriel found a boy named Charlie as Charlie was dying. Laure is the guest and Peirre (her husband). Then a new couple in the neighborhood, Esme and Hugh. And then Joseph is the gardener. All these people play a roll.
Twists kept coming in the second half of the book and I enjoyed all. The epilogue was a longer chapter which I needed desperately to wrap things up and answer all my questions. The main answer in the epilogue I didn’t really care for, but it was the only one that made the most sense.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for an ARC of this novel. I liked the narrator’s voice, and her accents were great, however sometimes it was tough to tell if she was talking for Iris or Gabriel. I love B.A Paris, her novels never disappoint.

(I ended up requesting the ebook and audiobook so I posted this review to both, and changed this to add my opinion of the narrator)

Iris and Gabriel seem to have it all: a beautiful home in the British countryside, a daughter happily working in Greece, and good friends Laure and Pierre. That is until Laure and Pierre's relationship becomes rocky and Laure comes to stay with her dear friends. Unfortunately, the majority of her stay nothing much happens, except the slow fracture of relationships, and just like Laure, this part of the book stayed around a little too long.

I have really enjoyed some of B.A. Paris' books in the past, The Breakdown and Behind Closed Doors being my favorites... But The Guest, was just okay... But the ending was its saving grace. Once you get past the slow burn buildup, the last quarter of the story is is revelation after revelation and had me turning up the audiobook speed, and stuffing popcorn in my mouth as secrets and craziness was revealed.

I've been in the mood for a fast paced thriller, which is why I was probably a little disappointed with the buildup, but if you're in the mood of a good slow burn and have enjoyed Paris' books in the past, I recommend giving this one a go.

I listened to the audiobook, thank you Macmillan Audio, and was very pleased with the narrator, Emily Joyce. This is the first time I've listened to one of her narrations, and I'll definitely be adding her on my narrators to watch list.

This book was for sure a quick read/listen! I did become so tired of Laure, and I wanted her to go back home! She was annoying me, lol. However, the end of the book SHOCKED me! This wasn't my favorite work by BA Paris, but I still really enjoyed it. I kept wanting to listen to find out how everything actually played out. Thank you, Netgalley for this audio-book ARC

The story dragged on for too long that by the time the big reveal happened, it wasn’t that interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to The Guest by B.A. Paris. This book started off slow but when it picked up it was well worth the read.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley for this ARC/ALC copy!

I think there needs to be a new genre for this type of book. This is NOT a thriller, nor a suspense, and barely a mystery. I'd call this a slow burn Domestic Drama. Misrepresenting the genre of a book will only lead to disappointed readers and lower overall reviews, but I will not lay that blame on the author.

In any case, I thought The Guest was okay for what it was, and was planning on giving it a nice 4 stars...until the epilogue. The pacing was a little off throughout the story, but then we hit the end and it's like Paris had a deadline and was forced to write the final 50 pages under duress. Suddenly we were served the most egregious "tell didn't show" info dump I've ever read, and I was SO disappointed. I love twists in the epilogue, but when so little interesting happens in the book proper, and you are then *told* everything exciting in the last few pages it leaves you deflated. Such a shame, because I'm a fan of BA Paris' other works.

I wanted to love this, but I didn't and i'm sorry. I'm giving it a 4 because I do think people WILL like it, it just wasn't me.

This book was a little too cookie cutter for me at first, and then wham— bring on the plot twist. This book was a little too cookie cutter for me at first, and then wham— bring on the plot twist.

Loved this book! It was well paced with small twists and turns to keep me intrigued and invested in the story. The ending cemented the 5 star rating. (I know a book is 5 stars if I immediately text my mom and tell her to “read this book ASAP!”)

The story is told through the POV of husband and wife, Iris and Gabriel, over the course of several months. A mutual friend shows up unexpectedly and, even more surprising, has no plans to leave for weeks on end. Iris and Gabriel are amazingly kind and hospitable, especially since their guest recently received life changing information, but their patience is wearing thin as the weeks drag on. (They have way more patience than I would have.) Eventually one tragedy after another strikes making them question how well they really knew their friends after all.

Thank you to NetGalley, B.A. Paris, and Macmillan Audio for providing an audio ARC.

Pub Date 20 Feb 2024

This is THE definition of slow burn. There ended up being a ton of twists but it took wayyyyy too long to get there, by that point I no longer cared and just wanted to finish. There wasn't much to redeem it throughout, as the MCs (and also many side characters) were pretty insufferable.
*
There's a lot going on...first Iris and Gabriel return from vacation to find their friend Laure is staying in their house, after finding out her husband had a baby with someone else. And she basically refuses to leave. I was mostly frustrated by this because they keep saying Laure (and her husband) are their best friends, but it was more tell than show, and the book only showed Laure outstaying her welcome but Iris flat-out refused to stand up for what she needed.
*
Then they had new neighbors (who also became instant best friends?) whose gardener seems suspicious. And to top it all off, Gabriel just can't get over the fact that he was with a boy while he died in an accident, and then lied about the boy's last words.
*
There was far too much day-to-day stuff going on, and it really wasn't clear what the actual mystery aspect was supposed to be, or what the reader should care about. And Iris's constant judgment of other people's relationships (or assuming a relationship) got old pretty quickly.
*
I"ve loved other books by this author, but this one just did not live up.

This was domestic thriller with quite a few hateable characters. I was confused what the real point of this story. An annoying house guest? Okay. A husband recovering from seeing something tragic? Umm sure? Kind of a snooze fest. • Oh but then theres dead people. A few dead people. Gasp! Still struggling with the pace. And then BAM. A jaw dropping epilogue. Totally made up for the slow pacing.

I absolutely loved the novel! The complex relationships and drama were nothing short of intriguing. The final twist was simply mind-blowing. Gabriel was by far my favorite character, and I couldn't help but feel the need to protect him from the world, just like his wife, Iris, did. However, her extreme solution to the problem left me unsettled. But I must admit, her actions made the book all the more thrilling.

I must say, the confession at the end of the novel was absolutely amazing. I had a completely different idea of how the story would end, but the way it actually played out is a testament to the brilliant mind of the phenomenal queen of mystery, BAParis. Thank you for this beautifully crafted work of fiction. I enjoyed every chapter and the story stayed with me long after I finished reading it, which is a clear indication of how impressed I was with the book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with a free and advanced copy of the novel.

This was an engaging domestic thriller that had a slow burn mystery undertone. Iris and Gabriel seem like the perfect well-to-do couple with a lovely home and good friends, Laure and Pierre. But after Gabriel witnesses a boy die at a local quarry and Laure becomes their unexpected house guest as she and Pierre have problems, their lives seem to be slowly unraveling. What follows is a friend overstaying her welcome, doubt of whether or not Iris truly knows her friend, and a gardener who just might be bringing secrets of his own to the neighborhood. While this was a decently paced read, I didn’t feel overly invested or intrigued by any of the characters, who all were having an incredibly rough go of things. I recommend for those who like domestic dramas and thrillers where you doubt the characters the whole time.

B.A Paris does it again. I thought I had figured out what was going to happen, but I was surprised at the end again. The book kept me engaged and guessing what was going to happen next.

I found this one very mysterious. Paris wrote it in such a way that I was always wondering not just about all the secrets but more so why?! This kept me listening, kept me engaged and kept me coming back until that very surprising epilogue! I have always enjoyed BA Paris’ work. I feel this one was a bit different, slower burn and more tangles to untangle. Will continue to look forward to whatever she comes up with next. Great narration on this as well. Thanks NetGalley for the chance to review the ALC