I'm just not sure I am the target audience for B.A. Paris books. While they read okay, I'm just never blown away by them and greatly dislike the information dump at the end of them! This is the second time I found myself reading one of her books and being completely disappointed by how we solve the mystery, if you will, at the end by being told exactly what happens all in the last chapter instead of being fed information throughout the story. I felt zero connection to any of the characters which made it all the less shocking when one would die, especially when we figure out how the murder is. While it was an easy enough read, it just didn't check the boxes that I need when I'm reading an intense and fantastic thriller. I do believe that the narrator did a fantastic job, however, of bringing this subpar book to life. I think it was more entertaining listening to the book than it would have been reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced audio copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

In "The Guest" by B. A. Paris, slow burn takes on a whole new meaning, yet strangely, the deliberate pacing works! I spent the majority of the book frustrated with the characters or the monotonous pace of the storyline, but I could not stop listening because I HAD TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!

None of the characters in "The Guest" are particularly likable, each evoking frustration and a desire to shake some sense into them. Yet, this blend of irritation and intrigue keeps you hooked until the very end.

The plot does feel repetitive at times, but the story kept me invested. The narratoe truly shines in this story. The narrator's skillful delivery breathes life into the flawed characters.

I'm glad I stuck around to the end because the last few chapters deliver an unexpected surge of adrenaline, setting the stage for a jaw-dropping epilogue that left me gasping. I'd be surprised if anyone guesses the twist. I enjoyed this one and give it 4 stars!

"The Guest" is a must-read for fans of secrets, lies, unlikeable characters, and slow burns with shocking endings.

Thank you to the author, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Short synopsis: Iris and Gabriel get home from a trip to find their friend Laure staying at their house. Laure soon overstays her welcome, because she’s left her husband she’s accused of an affair.

My thoughts: I did most of this on audio and really enjoyed the narration. This is definitely a fun psychological thriller, and the multiple POV kept the story rolling. This was completely bingeworthy and the twists kept me guessing until the very end.

It did drag somewhat in the middle to me, but the wrap up totally came out of nowhere and was completely unexpected. I recommend to those wanting a fun fast paced thriller.

Read if you love:
- Psychological thrillers with mystery elements
- Houseguests
- Multiple POV
- Quick paced story’s
- Secrets

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

Iris and Gabriel have just returned home from holiday to find their long-time friend, Laure, in their house. Laure gives them the shocking news that she’s left Paris and her husband, Pierre, after learning he had an affair and had a child with another woman.

This was more of a slow burn mystery with a large portion of the book giving us insight on Iris’ day-to-day life and her growing resentment towards Laure for being a bad houseguest. It did pick up in the later half of the book with the mystery growing and more storylines being woven. I did not find a single likeable character in this book which made it a little harder to connect. Overall I did want to keep listening to get all the answers but I think had I been reading the physical book I may have struggled.

This story starts strong, drawing you into the fast paced thriller. This is my first read by this author. I have found myself devouring thrillers and mysteries left and right, and based on the author’s reviews, I dove into this with very high hopes.

When Iris and Gabriel have a surprise house quest, their friend Laure, they feel bad because she is going’s through an emotional phase, after discovering her husband Pierre has a child. Believing that their houseguest will be short term, they decide to support her, giving her time to decide what she wanted to do with her marriage. But as days turn into weeks, Laure becomes more irritating as she takes it upon herself to reorganize the kitchen, cut her hair to look exactly like Iris, and wearing the same clothing Iris owns, quickly wearing out her welcome. But still Iris and Gabriel don’t tell her to leave. The book reminds me of the 1992 movie Single White Female. They can’t stand her staying there, but keep their mouth shut, never asking her to find a different place to leave, even after several weeks.

The characters are a bit annoying. They seem to have no backbone, first not standing up to their houseguest and then allowing their houseguest to hire a gardener named Joseph that they didn’t want. They are tedious and boring, including their dialogue. If someone stayed in my house, friend or not, you can’t let them change your house to what they want. The characters didn’t have anything that made me really like them. They either seemed tedious weak or pushy.

The questions arise early in the book. Is Pierre choosing a new woman and his child over his wife? Why is Pierre not answering anyone? Where is he? Why are Iris and Gabriel letting Lauren run all over them? They don’t like Joseph but keep employing him? And what were the last words that Gabriel overheard by Charlie? Who is the She? And what is Joseph’s connection to so many characters?

I enjoyed the narrator and liked listening to her.

I felt that the book had many boring spots and started to lose interest. Overall it’s an ok book but it’s not one I would reread. The story did have twists that are revealed as the book unfolds, which makes this more of a three and a half.
I couldn’t get into the characters and that had a large part of not loving the story. It is definitely worth a read but not the first one I would reach for.
I do plan on giving a different book a chance because her reviews are great overall.

I love BA Paris, but her last 2 books just haven't been for me. This book is about a couple named Iris and Gabriel. They get home from vacation and find their friend Laure staying at their house indefinitely after a break up with her husband, Pierre. Of course, things get a little sketchy and she overstays her welcome, but this is in no way a thriller. This is a drama about a bunch of people keeping secrets from each other for no real reason and then a massive epilogue that finally has some action. The book is very very slow and I didn't like any of the characters. They were all very flat and boring to read about. They were unlikable, but I can get behind a good villian. Most of the time all of these characters were just blah. I like the way it all worked out in the end, but the journey getting there wasn't worth the pay off.

Gasp!!! The ending!!! I did NOT see that coming.

I was given advance access to The Guest in return for an honest review. The beginning was a bit slow, but I'm so glad I stuck around because I ended up really enjoying the book. This was the first book I've read by B.A. Paris. I will definitely be adding books of hers to my TBR list in the future!

An interesting take on what happens when someone takes a friendship too far. This book was a ride. I felt like I was comparing relationships in my personal life to this.

I enjoyed this story about a family hiding many secrets. I thought the writer did a good job making the characters come to life, and I enjoyed the twists and turns in this story. I figured out (sort of) what was going on early on in the story, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I also loved the epilogue and final little twist to the plot. The narration was excellent. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this audiobook, in return for an honest review.

This was a very easy and quick listen on the way to and from work. I loved the narrators accent and will listen to more by her. The books had my attention from page one and I was anxious to hear more every day. If you are looking for a good suspenseful novel that has a little twist at the end , then this is it. I have enjoyed most all works by this author and will continue to request more ARC of hers. Thanks NetGalley!

What a ride The Guest book was! I loved this domestic drama/psychological thriller. Overall, this book is everything you want from this genre.

Iris and Gabriel arrive home from their holiday trip and discover their close friend, Laure in their house. She explains to them that she has just discovered her husband, Pierre, has a child! She gave up the idea of motherhood because they both agreed that children were not for them. Laure plans to stay more time with them as she tries to figure things out, but starts becoming annoying burden to keep having at their house. She’s constantly draining them about her relationship. Iris meets her new neighbors one day as she’s out for a walk on her own. She finds the couple lovely and fun. The new neighbors brought a friend of theirs to help landscape for them. It’s one deceptive thing after another. I did not see the ending coming! There are so many layered secrets. I feel like the pacing of the book was perfect. Everything is slowly unraveled when we finally learn about all the drama.


Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the audiobook copy.
I loved the audiobooks narration. Once I had all the characters sorted, I found the story easy to follow. I was able to listen to this in one day because I found the drama so interesting.

B.A. Paris continues to be one of those authors i automatically want to read their books. They don’t disappoint!

This was a nice read, a bit meandering at times with a nice payoff at the end. The narrator was engaging and fit the mood of the story. I love BA Paris books and will happily read her next but this one was not my favorite of hers.

The Guest follows the story of husband and wife, Gabriel and Iris. When they return home from a trip they find their friend, Laure, living in their house. Laure tells them that she has left her husband after finding out that he had an affair many years ago and has a secret child. Iris and Gabriel open their home to their old friend but quickly Laure starts to out stay her welcome. Many secrets from the past slowly come to the surface in this psychological thriller.

This book was full of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. While I was intrigued I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. I felt that the pacing was off at time. Sometimes the book was slow and other times it was full speed ahead. I also didn’t connect with the characters and didn’t find them likeable. The ending came out of nowhere and really surprised me. Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

I listened to the audiobook. The narrator Emily Joyce did a great job, I would definitely listen to books narrated by her in the future.

When Iris and Gabriel return home from a holiday, they are surprised to find that their close friend Laure has unexpectedly taken up residence in their house while they were away. It seems Laure has recently learned that her husband and Iris and Gabriel’s close friend, Pierre, has a child with another woman. Iris and Gabriel want to support both their friends, despite Laure’s inconvenient and invasive presence in their lives and in spite of their own issues with which they are grappling.

Add in some other events that have recently impacted their lives, a new pair of friends in town, and the gardener that lives with those friends, and things become more and more complicated for Iris and Gabriel.

This one wasn’t exactly what I was expecting based on the published description, but I enjoyed it. Like Iris and Gabriel in the story, I wasn’t quite sure how far Laure would push their hospitality; had I been in the same situation, I also would have chafed at her apparent disregard for boundaries. I expected things to take a different kind of nefarious turn, but it was interesting to see how B.A. Paris wove all the seemingly disparate pieces and parts together to connect all the characters and happenings.

I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed Emily Joyce’s narration. It was easy to keep track of the different characters. This one is set in England and France, so expect accents to go along with those locations.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I listened to the audio version on the Netgalley app.

The Guest by B.A. Paris was my first book of hers that I read/listened to and I loved it. The story starts with Iris and Gabriel returning to their home after taking a holiday trip as they realize they aren't alone. Although they have used each other's residences when the other is on holiday, their good friend, Laure decided to do just that but neglected to inform them that she would be there. After they realize why she is there, the story begins with more background to the couples, new characters in the neighborhood and apparently secrets everyone has been keeping from each other.

Emily Joyce did an amazing job as the narrator. My attention on the story was held all throughout and never felt a lull. The story kept me guessing of who may have done certain deeds (not giving anything away), who told who what and although I was sure I knew what had happened, B.A. Paris fully surprised me! Just as you think you know what is what, all that changes and you're left wanting to reread/listen to it again to see how you missed certain clues. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. This book is now available as of February 20, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the ARC. Also thank you to the author, B.A. Paris for the great read! Looking forward to reading some more of your books!

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and MacMillan Audio for the gifted audio-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Multiple POV, mysterious characters, slow burn

I liked it. There was a lot going on, though, so it became a bit confusing. It started off really strong, but somewhere, it lost me. The epilogue was the best part.

BA Paris is such a great writer. As usual, I was pulled in from the beginning. The characters were so complex and all had secrets to hide. When their friend Laure shows up at their home unannounced and claims her husband cheated on her and fathered a child with another woman, Iris and Gabriel agree to let her stay, not realizing it may become a permanent arrangement. Things quickly become complicated, and even more so when they hire a handsome gardener who lives close by. There are many twists and turns throughout the story, which kept me invested. Honestly I didn’t love the ending and wish it had gone a different way, but I can’t say anything regarding that without giving it away. Others will no doubt love it. Overall I really enjoyed this book and recommend. I listened to the audiobook, thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, and loved the performance by narrator Emily Joyce!

I enjoyed this one, but it wasn't my favorite by this author.

Plot -
Gabriel and Iris return from vacation to find their friend Laure staying in their home. She had just walked out on her husband, Pierre, after he confessed to an affair and a secret child. Iris and Gabriel try to be supportive, but Laure's behavior becomes more and more unhinged, and she has overstayed her welcome.

Audio -
I thought the narration was fine, but it doesn't always work for me when female narrators attempt to fake a male voice by making theirs deeper. There has to be a better way to do that. Overall, the pace was steady and easy to follow.

Thoughts -
This book was just okay in my opinion. I thought the whole thing dragged on for a long time with nothing happening. This author's books are usually more tense than this was. I wasn't entirely sure where the book was going. I don't want to give any spoilers because it does take a few wild turns, and then there is one massive plot twist at the end. I personally don't like the plot twists where everything is wrapped up, and then a character is like, "but here is what really happened." The best I can say is that it is a reliable thriller, but probably won't be memorable for me in either a good or a bad way.

I enjoyed this audiobook. There were a few twists that I didn't see coming! I think the author did a great job of building up the characters - everyone in my opinion was likeable but flawed in some way. This book was not fast-paced at first, but once things started unfolding, the plot started gaining momentum. I looked the narrator, and I think she did well with the French and English accents.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Going to go with 3.5 stars for this and rounding up because I kept reading in a rush and honestly the twist was good, but the way it was revealed was not (which is why I am struggling to rate this).

The reasoning for not going all-in on giving this 4 stars is the way the twist is revealed. The Epilogue is almost an hour long and is where the twist is revealed. It is told in facts such as person did this thing and they had to do this, that, and the other to hide it from everyone. Person also did this other thing and followed up with premeditated actions one, two and three. Yawn. Instead of this almost hour-long epilogue with word vomit style reveals and explanations, it could have been built into the story in a more fun-for-the-reader way.

All that said -- I did like the story throughout and kept reading as I was interested in finding out what happened. I think most readers will really love this story and the twist, regardless of how it is revealed and explained at the end!