The Guest was quite clever. These characters have so many secrets that there's something new around every turn. I certainly was kept guessing!

Laure, the houseguest who overstayed her welcome, had me anxious for Iris and Gabriel. There's nothing quite so uncomfortable as wanting your space back to yourself when someone just won't leave! The storyline did get a bit bogged down with the day-to-day of these characters' lives, but from the prologue the reader knows something fascinating is coming. It's worth it to stick out the slow parts!

While not my all-time favorite from this author, I enjoyed the read and will certainly pick up her next novel.

Well… B A Paris has done it again!

Although I wish the first half of the book would’ve gone a bit quicker, it was building up to all that would happen in the second half.

Iris and Gabriel are married and have a daughter (who does not live with them). They live in Britain, and she in Greece ( I think…)

They have friends who they’ve known for years, Pierre and Laure, who live in Paris. They vacation with them often. They have no children.

One day Laure arrives at their home stating that Pierre has fathered a child…and she’s just found out about it… She’s distraught…
But worse than that, she’s moved into their home!! And has no plans to leave! 😮

Add to this that Gabriel goes for a run one day and finds a young man who has fallen to the bottom of a quarry…and dies in his arms. (Did I mention, he’s a doctor?!?)

And this is all in the first few minutes of the book!

We branch out into their daily lives and all that’s going on around them…as well as how the boy’s death affects Gabriel…

And then people start to go missing…
And then people are dying…
And the police are involved…

And the book ends…and you say. Wow…really?

And then the epilogue begins…and everything literally falls into place…and holy sh**t…where do they come up with these things????

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which releases today, 2/20/24!

#TheGuest by #BAParis and beautifully narrated with a British accent by #EmilyJoyce.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. Probably would’ve been 3 stars due to the very long/slow buildup, but the epilogue definitely made up for lost time! 😬

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Thanks so much for reading!📚⭐️📖

Don’t let the domestic suspense vibes fool you into thinking this story won’t deliver one stunner of a twist—the ending is so well-crafted and surprising, I can’t stop thinking about it!

About the Book | The Guest

Married couple Iris and Gabriel return home to their house in the English countryside to find their friend Laure in their house. Laure and her husband Pierre have been close friends with Iris and Gabriel for two decades, ever since they met on vacation in the Bahamas. But Pierre has done something that caused a fight, and Laure has fled to their home unannounced.

Recently, Gabriel happened upon a local teen named Charlie who had a tragic accident in the quarry near their home. Gabriel was with Charlie for his final words, and is haunted by what he saw and heard. Iris is doing her best to support him, but Gabriel hasn’t shared the whole story with her—or with anyone. So when the couple arrive home to find Laure unexpectedly in their home, the timing isn’t great for a guest. Especially one who has no clear timeline to leave.

Iris feels too guilty to turn Laure away when she learns that Laure discovered her husband Pierre had an affair that resulted in a child. Laure is cagey on the details at first, prompting Gabriel to reach out to Pierre and try to talk through what happened. Laure and Pierre are such a wonderful couple—Iris and Gabriel can hardly believe this isn’t something they can work through.

But their good intentions wear thin as Laure continues to involve herself in every aspect of their lives. Iris’s only break from Laure seems to be when she goes in to take a bath. Her other respite seems to be with a newer friend, Esme, who is expecting her first child. The only troubling thing seems to be their gardener, Joseph, who they refer to do some work with Gabriel. It appears Joseph has a checkered past, and there is more than one skeleton in his closet that is yet to be revealed.

Review | The Guest

The three storylines—Pierre’s affair and Laure’s unwelcome visit, Charlie’s death and what Gabriel is holding back, and Joseph’s shady past—are just the beginning of what will unfold in this book. The story moves quickly in my opinion, and before long the mysteries evolve and combine into a twisted web of lies, secrets, and deception. Iris finds herself at the center of it all, trying to repair Laure and Pierre’s marriage, help Gabriel work through his trauma, and find out what is going on with Joseph.

As the story progresses, twists and turns make the storyline even more complicated, and it’s clear that there are secrets being kept on all sides. Iris is a sympathetic character. She’s rational and level-headed, doing her best not to show her frustration with Laure or Gabriel to them. After several weeks of Laure’s stay, Iris and Gabriel set out to nudge her and Pierre towards a resolution. But there are more twists in store that may change everything… The narratives intertwine and become tangled as the story proceeds. The ending ties everything together into a beautiful final chapter.

There is a good amount of character-development which is almost always a pre-requisite for me to give a psychological thriller my top rating. The characters are all intriguing in their own way. Pierre is the least present in the story of the four central characters, but his figure also looms over the story. Laure absolutely fascinated me, and she was the character I most wanted to learn more about. Characters like Esme, Hugh, and Joseph start more in the background, but become more present as the story progresses. Esme was a good foil to Laure as a close friendship for Iris, especially since her relationship with Iris is still relatively new.

Sometimes the husbands in these stories can be throwaway characters, but that is not the case with Gabriel. The secret that’s eating him up regarding the death of Charlie and what happened in those final moments is the hook, but he also is a support to Iris and a close friend to Pierre who wants to resolve things.

The relationships are complicated and intertwined. Some relationships seem so strong to start out and eventually reveal how fragile they were all along. Others move in the reverse direction, growing stronger as the secrets, lies, and betrayals unfold across the pages. They are also filled with moments that lend authenticity—sometimes they are grateful for their friend or partner, and other times exasperated by them.

I wish I could spoil this book because this is a twisted, dark, character-driven psychological suspense novel with an absolutely jaw-dropping ending! I re-read it twice to make sure I captured all of the delicious details that Paris dropped in. The suspense was high by that point in the book, with tension mounting from the very first chapter. The last line (which I won’t reveal here) is absolute perfection. I savored it! I thought about it again and again…

A tense, gripping psychological thriller about secrets, lies, and betrayal, and how no one escapes unscathed by them.

Audiobook Narration | Emily Joyce

If you’re an audiobook listener, this is a book I definitely recommend grabbing the audio copy for. Emily Joyce brings her extensive acting experience to her work on this book, and she captures Iris brilliantly. In the book, Iris has quite a bit of internal monologue, particularly as she is navigating sensitive moments with other characters like Laure or Gabriel. Joyce shows the exasperation Iris feels with Laure’s extended visit to perfection, balancing the kindness she feels for her friend with the frustration this imposition has caused. Joyce’s excellent narration combined with Paris’s expert plotting make this book impossible to set aside!

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio & B.A. Paris for this audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

B.A. Paris is one of my all time favorite thriller authors and once again she didn't disappoint! This one kept me engaged the entire way through and I couldn't put it down. I love how she throws in lots of twists and turns, but the story is still easy to follow along with! I think the narrator did a fantastic job of telling the story and I loved every second of this one. I cannot wait until B.A. Paris' next one! Solid 4 stars for me!

This felt like more like a domestic drama than a suspense novel even though people kept dying. I know, I know that sounds weird but it really read a little laid back about Iris and Gabriel's life and I was never concerned for anyone's life. Even though maybe I should have been.

It's filled with secrets and lies and no one telling the truth to each other. None of the characters are very likable in this slow burn. I was ready to give this one 3 stars because of the slow pace and my apathy for the characters, but that twist. I am not normally a fan of having things explained to me, but I will seriously forgive this one for pulling the wool over my eyes. I'll add a star just for that ending.

Emily Joyce is a new to me narrator and I enjoyed listening to her. She voiced all of the characters and hit the ups and downs of the story well.

Know when you pick this one up that it is a slow burn drama with a bang of a twist at the very end.

What a wild ride. Didn't see that twist coming! This is my first B.A. Paris book and it definitely won't be my last. Great book. Thanks net galley for the opportunity to listen.

Excellent narration makes this fast paced mystery difficult to stop listening to. Iris and Gabriel seem like a happy couple. A beautiful home in the countryside, a successful daughter, and good friends. Things soon change when a tragic accident occurs and an unexpected house guest arrives. Although Iris is fine with the new pregnant house guest, things soon change. With many twists and turns, this novel is not to be missed.

"It doesn't get easier. It just gets different."

It isn't easy to stay alive in this slow burn web of secrets and lies in the domestic drama The Guest by psychological thriller author B.A. Paris where everyone fears losing something or someone.

Iris and Gabriel are shocked to find Laure in their English countryside home when they come back from holiday. She's left husband Pierre, who has confessed to fathering a child with another woman. She's sleeping in their bed, moving their furniture around and has no plans to leave.

As Laure seems more unhinged with time, Iris makes friends with pregnant Esme and much older Hugh, who also have a guest, Joseph, helping them with their new home's landscape.

Meanwhile, Gabriel is wrestling with a moral dilemma after he finds a young man, Charlie, lying in a quarry, who dies in his arms. Charlie's last words haunt Gabriel. He's debating telling them to Charlie's Mom. It's caused him to be closed off and is hurting his marriage to Iris.

Got it?! So we have 3 tangled couples, a dead young man, and a guest gardener. By the end 3 of them will be dead!

I was captivated listening to voice actress Emily Joyce distinctly be each of these complicated characters who struggle with communicating the truth and the fear of loss; loss of themselves and the ones they claim to love.

The explosive epilogue put it all together, leaving me shell shocked with the WTF reveals. I knew one but the others were creatively hidden from my blown away brain. It's my favorite of the writer's thrillers and has left me changing the guest room into a library!

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this twisty novel and was surprised when my guesses weren't correct. I enjoy that about B.A. Paris; the story is never what it seems. But I don't like that it is the author's style to just spew all the answers in the epilogues. I would love to see pieces of these with in the book with the action on time. You don't have to give away everything at one time; twists can be separated and make an even better impression as readers have time to absorb them.
I received an Audio Arc for review and I have to say I really enjoyed listening to The Gues than just reading it. The narrator is great. She has the perfect accent for the story and her voice sounds buttery like I imagine the main character would be.

What a wild ride this was! Just when I thought I had it all figured out, another twist was waiting around the corner. It was a bit of a slow burn, but the second half really picked up speed. I became more invested in the story and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The epilogue was mind-blowing, and I did not see those plot twists coming. This was my first B.A. Paris novel, and I will definitely be reading more.

I alternated between reading on my Kindle and listening to the audiobook read by Emily Joyce. I thought she did a great job narrating the story and building the tension and suspense. She had a lovely speaking voice and made this an enjoyable listen.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my gosh! This book had so many twist and turns sometimes I didn't even know which road to take! It was so good, but then again pretty much all B.A. Paris books are. I'm definitely did not see the ending coming I don't want to ruin anything I love a review that doesn't tell you what's going to happen. But if you're looking for a book that keeps you Entertained and keeps you guessing this is it because literally everyone is a suspect.
Now for the audiobook part, this narrator was amazing!! I actually had both the audiobook and the hardcopy of this book and I would switch between the too when I couldn't listen to the audiobook, but I think I preferred the audiobook because I felt like I was there, that doesn't really happen a lot with audiobooks, this one was absolutely amazing! I will recommend it till I die!

THE GUEST review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

🏠Happy pub day to THE GUEST!! Having read all 7 of B.A. Paris’s novels, this one is solidly in the middle. Not my absolute favorite but still a good, bingeable read!!

🏠Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Iris and Gabriel have a happy, quiet life as empty nesters living in the English suburbs. When their good friends Pierre and Laure are suffering a marital crisis, they open their home to Laure as they work through their issues. But Iris can’t shake the feeling that something about Laurie’s behavior is off and her story isn’t adding up. And when Gabriel tries to contact Pierre for his side of the story, there’s no response… What is actually going on with Pierre and Laure?? And can you truly ever know just what your friends are capable of??

🏠I truly had zero idea how this book would end. I like for thrillers/mystery books to have little crumbs pointing to the plot twist that I can look back on after finishing a book and think “wow I can’t believe I didn’t put all that together!!” This one had no clues as to how it would end at all. The plot twist seemed to come completely out of left field and I wasn’t really a fan? It took a while to get to the mystery/suspense part of the story and there were a looooot of characters to keep track of. I enjoyed this one overall and like the final ending. It makes you wonder if you can ever truly know what your friends/family are capable of. Overall I’d recommend this one if you want a family/domestic suspense!

🏠Thanks to @ and @ for my advanced copies! THE GUEST is available today!

Iris and Gabriel have just arrived home from a holiday to find their good friend, Laure, in their house. She has left her husband, Pierre. He has had an affair and Laure has discovered he had a child from this affair.

“What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” is quote that comes to mind when I think about this book. Secrets, lies and more lies are rampant.

If your are familiar with this author, you know her books are slow burns. This one moves a bit slow, but y’all…I gasped at the ending. And I am going to have to be very careful and not give anything away. This is definitely worth the read…just for the ending! Just keep in mind…everything is not as it seems!

The narrator, Emily Joyce, is wonderful! She has been on my radar for a while and this book has moved her into the top 10 of my favorite narrators.

Need a good read with a surprising ending…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I did enjoy the narrator although the story itself was a bit dull until the epilogue. Overall i think it was fun but something was missing from this book that would have made it great.

B.A. Paris threw us right into this story from page one! I did struggle a bit in the beginning to keep up with the characters but after a few chapters it all started to make sense. I was captivated from the start and really enjoyed trying to figure out what happened, emphasis on trying. I was not expecting the ending at all! If you like short chapters, murder mysteries, and a good plot twist, this is the book for you :) Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillian Audio, and B.A. Paris for an audio arc of this book in exchange for my honest review! Emily Joyce did a wonderful job narrating this novel.

B.A.Paris does it again! There were so many twists and layers to this novel that I struggle to unpack them at the risk of spoilers. When young physician, Gabriel, finds a teen at a quarry near his home, his life is changed dramatically. The boy shares last words that will haunt Gabriel for a long time, Meanwhile, when his best friend’s wife turns up at his home after an argument with her husband, Gabriel & his wife, Iris, invite her to stay as their guest until she can resolve her marital problems. Enter a young, pregnant couple, a handsome gardener, a missing husband, mix in more deaths and hold on as the stories intertwine in some unexpected ways. Might make you think twice about hosting a guest in your home. Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

I loved the premise of this one and was drawn in by the mystery.

However, I found nearly every character to be insufferable!

Iris and Gabriel end up with an unexpected houseguest, Laure. She is having marital issues with Pierre. Laure overstays her welcome and is on Iris' last nerve. And mine as well. Another family in town has a mysterious guest as well.

The big twist took forever to get to and was a bit unbelievable. Yet, I still found myself invested and continued on. I did enjoy the narration on the audio.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh wow! That ending 🤯
I did NOT see that one
coming at all. I thought for sure I had it figured out, but that twist was a shock!
The book was a slow build but it wasn't boring at all.
There was enough mystery to keep you interested and clues (or what you thought were clues) planted everywhere to keep you guessing about how it would end. When that epilogue came, my jaw hit the floor.
I also really enjoyed the narration! She did a good job of creating unique characters so it was easy to follow along with who was speaking.

Whew ok I really enjoyed this one, note that it was slow to get going, and I wasn’t sure what to think but then... By the second half bodies start falling and it gets Ca-Razy as I started to wonder what in the sam hell is going on here?! I did almost figure it all out and my goodness that epilogue was WILD! Each of these characters definitely has something to hide, and it was interesting to figure out just what it was.

I have read all of Paris' books and this is now one of my favorites. I listened via audio and thought the narration was great as well, definitely enjoyed reading it this way.

This one comes out tomorrow and you do not want to miss! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

Hmmm….how to write a review for this book without giving anything away? I had some definite ideas about what was going on with Pierre & Laure but I was oh so long. I really didn’t like Laure and her inability to realize how much she was imposing on her friends by assuming she could stay indefinitely. When she rearranged the cabinets in the kitchen I was offended for Iris. I liked Gabriel and felt bad about the secret he was holding in to his detriment. Esme & Hugh added some variety to the cast of characters as did Beth. It seemed like a nice story of an unwanted guest but then people started dying and the story got wild. The epilogue blew all my theories out of the water. I can’t really say more without giving away the twist but it was so good.

The narrator was excellent and I enjoyed the accented lilt of her voice.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook.