Reading in Between the Wines book review #18/125 for 2025:
Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷
Book: The Uninvited Guest
Author: Ruby Speechley
AVAILABLE NOW!!!

Sipping thoughts: Ugh, I was so annoyed and mad at a lot of the characters throughout this book. I did not know what to expect as I love how Speechley reveals unexpected twists in her books. I have to say I did not love this “twist” or reveal. I was hoping it was someone different to offer more juiciness. Overall, I liked the book and can’t wait for the next release.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @BoldwoodBooks for an advanced copy of @TheUninvitedGuest.

#TheUninvitedGuest #RubySpeechley #BoldwoodBooks #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bokreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

This book had an interesting premise and started off strong, but the execution fell flat. The main character, Megan, was frustratingly naive and made unrealistic choices, making it hard to connect with her. The plot was predictable, repetitive, and at times, far-fetched. While it was a fast read, the writing felt sloppy, and there were noticeable inconsistencies. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me.

This book was horrible. The story and plot lines were a mess, the characters were shit, the ending was shit as well. You drag us through this whole story and end in two pages? Just like that. This was one of the worst books I’ve read, felt like something written for a teenager but then even teens wouldn’t waste their time with this. What the heck ..

This was an interesting and unique storyline that kept you wanting to read more. The twist and turns just blew your mind. Just when you think you know what is happening, new information comes along that takes you back to being clueless. The lengths people are willing to go for love hold no bounds. It emphasizes that there are always 2 sides to a story, and you should never trust anything at face value. Some people tell you what they think you wanna here and even those who seem nice to you can actually harm you. I will say the beginning was a bit slow, and the ending was a little rushed. I wish there were a few more chapters at the end that focused on Megan and Jaime's relationship. Even a few to give a little more info on Brooke's background. All in all, it was a good read.

Thank you, NetGalley, the author and the publisher, for the advance copy for an honest review.

The Uninvited Guest was so good, I couldn’t put it down. Megan is getting ready to marry Jamie and celebrating with her hen weekend. When they arrive at the place they are staying, a guest no one knows is there claiming to be Jamie’s cousin, Beth. All of these weird threats happen before the weekend starts and continue through the weekend. Megan isn’t sure who to trust especially as it seems a few of her friends are not really her friends and would love to embarrass her or even ruin her life. After an incident involving one of the bridesmaid and Beth, she discovers Beth is not who she says she is. This makes her wonder about things Jamie has told her. When everyone lies, who do you turn to?

Oh man, there were times when I was literally yelling at Megan as to why she would do things or believe things. I understood why she was having trouble figuring out who to trust but also at the same time I was wishing she was my friend so I could tell her she was being dumb. This was a good story and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more by Ruby Speechley.

⭐️⭐️ Not for Me

This book read like a Lifetime movie—dramatic, predictable, and filled with a frustratingly naive main character. Megan ignored obvious red flags, and the twists were easy to see coming. While the premise had potential, the execution fell flat for me. If you enjoy over-the-top thrillers with familiar tropes, you might like it, but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you, NetGalley & Boldwood Books, for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Should have DNF'ed at 10% in but I made myself finish it anyway. So I guess it gets 1 star for that?

Fast paced thriller. Lots of secrets and betrayals. Though some bits were a bit too much believe, overall, I enjoyed it. This is my first book by this author and I would read their work again.

At megan's hen party, beth seems to have gate crashed it claiming to be the cousin of megan's future husband jamie. Megan senses something isnt right, but as they start to play truth or dare secrets start getting revealed especially jamie and megan's, and megan isnt sure who to trust anymore however beth, the so called cousin, might be the only hope megan has.
The book has twists and turns and has you guessing and bouncing between the characters, its the type of book when you start it, it has to be finished in the one go.

A hen weekend is supposed to be about fun, laughter and (naughty) games only for Megan her hen do takes a sinister turn when a simple game of truth and dare threatens to expose Megan's deepest and darkest secret that could end her marriage before it even begins!

Along with that game, there is an unexpected guest - Beth, who claims to be Jamie's cousin from Australia who may just not be who she says she it. I guessed Megan's secret from the get go, it was fairly obvious, but Beth's true identity and everything else that went out to stop the marriage going ahead keep me guessing until the end.

4 stars

This book had an interesting premise.

The chapters are short so it is a quick read.

I was very interested at first but unfortunately I found my interest waning a bit because the MC made such strange and questionable decisions. Though I understood why the author used them to advance the plot but it did impact my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, this is a quick read. If you are a fan of light thrillers this one will appeal to you.

This is my first book by this author and it was a good one. I found some of it to be predicable but it was still a fun read. I’m American, so I call it a bachelorette party. When someone shows up to the party saying they are family, things take a turn. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is book is full of twists, turns, and suspense that all center around a hen (bachelorette party) and stag (bachelor party) and getting ready for a wedding. During the hen is when things start to go awry and it seems that someone is targeting Megan, wanting to stop the wedding, and wants her dead. Now this is the part that got me, how naive and annoying the FMC was. She is suppose to be in her late 20's/30's and she is acting like a teenager telling her deepest darkest secrets to strangers. It made no sense and was rather frustrating if I do say so myself. Also the ending was not believable and over the top. It was an easy read but overall just meh. This is also the first time I have ever read a book by this author, but I do want to read some more so I don't think my negative feedback has to do with the writing style.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This is a psychological thriller. Bride-to-be Megan is looking forward to her hen party, but she's surprised at the arrival of her fiancé’s cousin, Beth, whom she has never met before.

I enjoyed how the author took a relatable, fun situation and created a tense, nail-biting atmosphere. After just a few chapters, I felt the suspense building, and I wasn't sure how many of the characters could be trusted, if any. After that, the story seemed to escalate quickly, taking surprising turns that I didn't expect. I also found that the individual chapters were quite short, so I wanted to read more and more, and I had to keep turning the pages.

I think this would be a good choice as a book club read too; I may recommend it to my own book club.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

I received a free copy of, The Uninvited Guest, by Ruby Speechley, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Megan Lewis is getting married, her hen party is not what she expected, someone uninvited shows up, Beth who claims to be family. This was a wild ride.

The Uninvited Guest by Ruby Speechley was another excellent book from start to finish with great twists and turns throughout that will have you turning the pages to find out what happens next! I loved reading this latest book by Ruby. All the characters are well developed and they came alive throughout the book. It was a fast-paced book and I ended up reading it all day. I did not want this book to end.

I highly recommend it and a great holiday read I loved it.

I have read and enjoyed many of Speechley's books over time and I can safely say I've just found my new favourite.

The Uninvited Guest was a super quick easy read and I became so wrapped up in Megan's hen weekend and the mystery surrounding 'family member' Beth, that before I knew it I'd binged the book in one sitting.

I've never been on a hen do before and after reading this I don't think I want to. Speechley has written some great characters in the hens, they're unpredictable and one was definitely uninvited.

Toxic friendships, secrets and suspense await!

A week before Megan and Jamie’s wedding, both have the bachelor/bachelorette parties, (stag/hen parties, UK version) Beth claims to be the groom’s cousin so she just appears and joins the party. Megan’s friends are awful, they treat her horribly.
Enjoyable fast paced thriller with unexpected revelations.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

This book is like a snack. It isn't very filling and sometimes leaves you wanting more. however, who doesn't love a little snack sometimes. It is a quick entertaining read. I was frustrated with our main girl Meg for being too trusting but honestly, I would like to be more like that myself. It makes things interesting.
Can't wait to read the next book by Ruby Speechley.

I think overall the book was entertaining, which is what kept me engaged enough to finish it, but the main female character Megan and her group of girls that attended her party seemed overall relatively childish and outlandish for women of their age. Megan also harbored a major secret that while she felt wasn't a huge deal, was actually very important to the story and the threat's she was getting from this random woman who showed up, may have just been warranted.

This book can easily be read in a day if you have the time, it's a quick fast paced thriller and probably more enjoyable if you can get past the naiveness and lack in judgement that the main character seems to portray.

I wouldn't say it's the best thriller I've read, but easily not the worst.