This book was excellent. So many twists and turns! The plot was thrilling and hit like punch after punch after punch. I think some of the characters were kind of unnecessary and extraneous, but otherwise, the story was really good.

I did not see that coming.... no spoilers but this book definitely got me! It was a compelling read and kept me wondering what was next throughout. The dynamic between Esme, Lor, Beth, and Iris was super interesting. So many mind games! 4 stars and would definitely recommend! Audio book - the narrator was fantastic!

Thank you for the advanced reader copy Netgalley!

I found the pacing of this book to be quite slow for the most part, but despite that, it was still highly readable and I was quite happy to stroll alongside the characters. The final 10% of the book takes this suddenly into high gear, and was a satisfying pay off.

I initially found the book to be a bit slow-paced, but I'm so glad that I persisted in listening. As I progressed through the book, there were countless unexpected twists and turns at every corner which kept me guessing what would happen next. The ending though was intense and shocking!

I was so excited for this book as B.A. Paris has written a couple of my favorite books. However, The Guest is my least favorite book of hers to date. It seemed needlessly long with a bunch of unnecessary storylines that didn't add to the story but instead just made it messy. The "twist" wasn't one at all. I had it figured out early on and almost didn't finish the book a few times because I was so bored. I was relieved when the book was over.

Happy (belated) Pub Day to BA Paris and her newest novel, THE GUEST! I just read & listened to it in two days. It was hard to put down, and I think this one is her best yet although the end of Behind Closed Doors leaves me satisfied (I’m not sure if that makes me a psycho 🤷‍♀️). The end of The Guest left my mouth open— totally didn’t see that one coming. Suspend your disbelief and enjoy the twists and turns.

Quick synopsis: Laure shows up unannounced to Iris and Gabriel’s home to get away from her husband for a few days after he confessed to a previous affair where he fathered a child. Laure overstays her welcome and starts inserting herself more and more into their lives and the lives of their new friends/neighbors. Meanwhile, they all have secrets that start to unravel. Some innocent secrets and some dark secrets.

If you’re looking for a good, riveting suburban drama/suspense, look no further. I enjoyed both audio narration and reading the book with my eyes. I was able to go back and forth between the two modes seamlessly. Many thanks to @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the galley and early audiobook!

Laure is spending a few weeks with Iris and Gabriel after discovering her husband Pierre had cheated and had a child out of wedlock. Iris and Gabriel are happy to host Laure at first until her stay gets extended. Suddenly, she’s staying indefinitely and as the weeks stretch on, it becomes too much. Laure becomes part of every aspect of their lives. Things get worse as secrets are revealed, friends begin disappearing, and we begin to wonder who can be trusted.

The beginning is slow and the ending is kind of rushed, but I can honestly say I never guessed who was responsible until the “tell all” at the end. You truly don’t know what some people will do in desperation. I wanted a little bit more from the pacing, but I’m somewhat picky with my thrillers.

The audio is a great option. The narrator did a great job of distinguishing voices and giving things the perfect tone.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you so much to @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the ALC and ARC!

🚪 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 🚪
Iris and Gabriel return to their home to find their friend Laure there unexpectedly. Laure and her husband Pierre are having marital problems, so Laure wants to stay for a few weeks. As time goes by, Iris and Gabriel wonder if Laure will ever leave or talk to her husband again. In the midst of their houseguest, Gabriel is having some issues with knowing someone that passed away recently.

The Guest is definitely a domestic suspense story, that starts off as a slow burn. We learn a lot about the characters slowly as Laure stays with them. New neighbors also move in and make friends with the main characters, which adds to their friend group and circle of stories.

The book really picked up halfway through the story! More twists and turns are explored, and it made the mystery more intriguing. I had my guesses as to who may have been doing what, but I did not guess the ending of this one! I definitely love an expected ending, and this one delivers!

🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🎧
Emily Joyce does a fabulous job narrating the role of Iris and voicing her husband Gabriel as well. The story is told in 3rd person, and Joyce was able to flow through the characters and storyline with ease.

🎧 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🔹 Slow burn thriller
🔹 Domestic suspense
🔹 Murder mysteries
🔹 Explosive ending 🤯

Unfortunately this is my lowest rated BA Paris book.

Was over the moon to read a new one because her writing always has me hooked. For some reason this just was not it for me. I had expected some sort of squatter situation at the onset of the story, but turns out Paris’ friend was just a semi-unwelcome guest. It seemed like they didn’t build Laurel as toxic and troublesome as the could have so it all kind of fell flat. The whole storyline seemed tedious and I felt like I was on the path to nowhere. The reason I gave three stars is because the epilogue did provide some interesting turns and twists, but by the time I got to it I already felt fatigued by the lack of excitement throughout that it just didn’t wow me.

This book follows our main characters Iris and Gabriel, as their friend Laure invites herself to stay with them for a while because she is having marriage problems with her husband Pierre.

Throughout the book we learn the details of Laure and Pierre’s problems, and how they come to involve Iris and Gabriel.

Overall, this book was full of twists and turns and I really enjoyed it! The epilogue tied everything together beautifully. This is definitely my new favourite book by B.A Paris.

If you like…

😈 Domestic Thrillers
🇬🇧 an English countryside settings
🤐 Secrets & Betrayal
🔎 an addicting, slow burn mystery
🎭 Twisted neighborhood drama
😱 a blinded sided ending
🎧 Audiobooks

Let’s start with the audiobook is a 5 star listen. Emily Joyce’s narration was so on point to capture the internal monologue of Iris and her ability to give each character their own voice.

This is a SLOW BURN mystery/thriller— especially the first half. You are driven mad by the characters, kept on the edge of your seat with anticipation, and constantly thinking you have it figured out before a twist is thrown at you. B.A. Paris did a great job writing a page turning, fast paced read that was easy to get lost in. While the entire book was enjoyable, the EPILOGUE bumped this book from 4 to 5 stars. I didn’t see it coming. BRAVO!

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for this complimentary audiobook, all thoughts expressed here are my own.

I listened to the audiobook from NetGalley for this one. Loved the narration! Really brought the story to life. I thought it was well written. Great characters, a great study of human nature. I would go nuts if someone just plopped themselves at my house uninvited!! 🤣🤣🤣
A huge twist I did not see coming, maybe it’s because I did the audio. I really enjoyed this one!! Highly Recommend this one!

I liked the narrator on this one, but the story was quite slow. It really didn’t get going until about 2/3 of the way through. Not my favourite by this author.

The Guest
by BA Paris
Published Date Feb.20,2024

What a crazy book full of interesting characters who have lots changing in their lives. Laure is at Gabriel & Iris house when she finds out her husband, Pierre, has a child with someone else and is spiraling out of control. She began to re arrange their kitchen, wears your clothes, walks around naked, clingy and was a guest who stayed past her welcome.

Gabriel was going through grief of his own while his house guest was making their home her own. He was taking a leave of absence from work due to death in his family and community. He knew a secret and didn't want to hurt anyone with this secret even though it was eating him alive. He began to retreat inside and not giving his wife the attention she needed. He was trying to find out what was going on with Pierre and why he was radio silent during this split.

The story dragged on at times in the beginning but the shorter chapters kept it moving along quickly until it took off. What a crazy wild ride once the story started to picked up and then I had to whole hold tight. What a crazy summer with deception, death, more crazy twist. Be careful who your friends are and what secrets that they have and hold on to because everyone has secrets and some are big whoppers.

Thank you to NetGalley, St, Martins Press and MacMillan Audio for the ARC & Audiobook in return for my honest opinion. Keep Reading and finding your next adventure in black and white.

Iris and Gabriel seem to have the perfect life until Laurie arrives on their doorstep seeking refuge after her husband’s infidelity. However, their life in the serene British countryside is far from perfect, and what begins as an act of kindness with this unexpected houseguest soon spirals into a tense and unsettling situation as Laurie’s presence becomes increasingly intrusive, stirring up buried tensions and unresolved mysteries.

The arrival of new neighbors, Esme and Hugh, along with their enigmatic gardener Joseph, further complicates matters.

As the intricate web of deception tightens, new neighbors and old friends become entangled in a tale of betrayal, suspense, and the devastating consequences of hidden truths.

The Guest is full of plot twists and well-developed characters, and it keeps you guessing until the very end. It is a must-read for anyone who loves domestic psychological thrillers.

The narration by Emily Joyce is wonderful. Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the advance copy!

If you’ve ever had a house guest who felt a little too at home at your house or stayed just a little longer than planned, you’ll be thrilled Laure didn’t come for a visit! Gabriel and Iris have been through a lot recently, so when they find Laure has left her husband, Pierre, and moved into their home while they were on vacation, it’s more than a little unsettling. And it will get worse… Meanwhile Esme and Hugh have moved into the same village and they also have a guest who is named Joseph. Once I was able to keep everyone straight, the story moved along nicely. The twist at the end really got me...Holy soap opera! 😂 As long as you are okay with suspending disbelief, enjoy!

The narration by Emily Joyce on the audio production is excellent. With so many characters, I often wish there were multiple voice actors, but she was able to pull it off on her own and her performance was entertaining and added to my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio and @baparisauthor for an advance listening copy of The Guest.

Great twists and turns in this one! An awesome thriller that keeps you on your toes. I enjoyed how the first part was slow moving but let us get to know the characters a little deeper before the wild twists at the end! I only rated it 4 stars because im not sure why they just did not kick the house guest to the curb. I love a story with short chapters that make it move along at a better pace!

I was super excited to receive an audio ARC of The Guest because BA Paris wrote one of my favorite thrillers, Behind Closed Doors. That was such a gripping and intense thriller I was expecting nothing less in The Guest. Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me. I’m a huge fan of thrillers that are slower and more domestic, but this one has really no thriller vibes (besides a few murder) until the epilogue really. It’s mostly a little drama and characters being annoyed and suspicious of each other for 90% of the book. I also didn’t 100% buy the epilogue and what we are told happened.

Overall, this was just an okay read for me. I can see people really enjoying this one if a slow domestic thriller is your vibe!

This story was insane. I really enjoyed the plot and story. The dynamics of the story really sucked you in. I did not guess who done it and was surprised with the ending. This was a fun one.

This psychological thriller told the story of a couple who returned home from a trip to find a friend of theirs crashing at their house. And then all kinds of chaos ensued - death, lies, deceit. This book was bonkers. I thought it was going one way and that it was all wrapped up and BAM, that ending came out of nowhere. It was a slow burn, with many questionable characters, little hints dropped along the way and so many red herrings. I did the audio and really held my attention.