I really, really loved The Girls, so I was excited to see a new Cline novel. Unfortunately - and I feel weirdly guilty about this - this one didn't work for me at all. I think Emma Cline is a great writer, but I didn't find anything to connect to here. It felt almost stream of consciousness, a week in the life of Alex, a 22 year old woman who has fled New York City to the Hamptons with her much older boyfriend after angering a guy (Dom) who seems increasingly committed to finding her and exacting repayment or revenge. After she makes a mistake at a dinner party, her boyfriend sends her back to the City, but she has nowhere to go there and is afraid to come across Dom, so she decides to find a way to stay in the Hamptons until her boyfriend has his annual labor day party, when she's sure he'll welcome her back. She has very little money and a mostly broken phone, but she manages to grift her way through the week by pretending to belong everywhere she goes, with varying levels of success. She's on drugs for most of the book, which contributes to the whole stream of consciousness/fever dream feeling, and while I definitely found it compelling enough to read this in two sittings, I ultimately found the whole thing super depressing and very dark. Also, I have no idea what happened at the end and that kind of thing really bugs me. I'll definitely read more from Cline, but this one wasn't for me.

Another weird banger by Emma Cline! An interesting novel with quite a unique plot. A must-read this autumn! I felt so lucky to get a copy for myself! I have shared on my goodreads, bookstagram, and booktok!

The book has a feel of European noir. It is very atmospheric, and one sentence is often enough to set the dark mood or indicate the plot twist. The reader is forewarned not to expect a good end to the story. The fact that there is no closure is the most delicious feature of the book. The author doesn't stray away from the genre she chose. The book is a stylish addition to the genre. In a way, it reminds the works of mid-XXth century French writers like Camus, Duras and Gary. Great read.

Very well written. The story of a young woman who finds herself with nothing after focusing only on her own beauty and how it relates to men. Although she seems vapid and unlikeable, the reader can't help but get caught up in her sordid plight. It's almost like a beach version of the streaming series "Alone." Alex, the main character, finds herself wandering around the swishy end of Long Island after being ejected from her Sugar Daddy's mega-mansion. She's alone with almost no money or resources and nowhere to turn. Her cell phone is broken. How will she survive the few days before she believes her lover will take her back in? In the meantime, another man, to whom she owes a lot of money, has discovered where she is and seems to be closing in. Yes, Alex is a grifter but a vulnerable one and this reader found himself rooting for her to make it. That's a credit to the quality of writing. Emma Cline's prose can be ice cold but it is quite good.

3.25 / Thank you to Random House Publishing and Net Galley for access to this book.

This book made me think of “The Girls” by the same author because you have to push through to get to the intrigue/plot, but once you’re there, you’re there.

I enjoyed the vibe of the novel and the seemingly repetitive plot points as a stylistic choice. There was nothing absolutely wrong about this novel about a young adult woman grifting her way during a week to escape her life - it was actually stressful to see her make bad choice after bad choice.

The weakness of the book for me is the beginning that is very slow and the ending that is a little dissatisfying.

Other than that, Emma Cline’s writing is great and I always am interested in seeing what she will write next.

A stressful, compelling read. I kept returning to this story night after night (it was short, which definitely helps -- I'm not sure the tone and content could have sustained a longer book) I really enjoyed Cline's prose and thought she did a great job building atmosphere and suspense, but I couldn't always tell to what end. I'm curious to see what critics think of this one.

This was my first Emma Cline book even tho I have been wanting to read The Girls for years. I had heard pretty mixed reviews about Girls, but considering this was written much later in life I had hoped that she would have improved in some elements, matured in her writing. Unfortunately that was not the case here.

Our MC was pretty despicable, she had no redeeming qualities and I couldn't stand having her as our narrator, The writing was just downright cheesy, and totally gave me the ick. It goes beyond purple, it's like the musings of a 17 year old writing in their live journals and trying to emulate Dashboard Confessional or Something Corporate but ultimately just coming off ridiculous and overdone. The analogies and metaphors just did not make sense, it just felt like wanna be deep writing, wanna be edgy. Emma Cline just isn't up my alley, no doubt some people will read her words and think it sounds cool, but that's just not me. It's trickery, empty words, nonsensical devices.

I think Emma Cline listened to a lil too much My Chemical Romance. She tried to go dark & deep but it felt shallow and ridiculous. Like she was trying too hard. I REALLY truly expected this to be a 5 star read for me but unfortunately 3 stars is being generous. There are far too many books in the world to waste it on dime a dozen contemporaries like these.

A solid novel featuring a protagonist you will be thinking about for a very long time. The only downside is the somewhat ambiguous, less that satisfying ending.

I read Emma Cline's book The Girls back in 2016 and it was a reading experience that I will never forget. I jumped into reading The Guest literally as fast as I could get my hands on it. Cline's writing and storytelling abilities lived up to my memories and I found this book to be well-written and compelling. I could not stop reading. I was obsessed with Alex, her story, and her decision-making. Emma Cline, please keep writing books.

Wow! While definitely not for every reader, I thoroughly enjoyed The Guest by Emma Cline. Told in a dreamy, detached voice (reminiscent of The Girls), this story has us follow Alex, a young woman in her 20s as she wanders through an unnamed beach town near New York City over the course of several days.

If you enjoyed The Girls, this is definitely in a similar vein, with detailed vignettes and no clear plot, or ever really much character development. It is more about the voice and the feel, which when it works for you, it really does.

I'd recommend reading the first few pages to see if it works for your taste, as the voice stays consistent throughout. I, for one, was hooked from the start, and couldn't turn the pages past enough.

Much like "The Girls," Cline pulls off a magic trick with "The Guest." What am I reading? Why is it so enticing? Why can't I stop? "The Guest" is fully original and fully of the moment, but reminded me a lot of Didion's "Play It As It Lays."

I didn’t connect to any of the characters in the book they had no deaths or anything to make them at all sympathetic or even realistic. I just think if I was still in my early 20s, I feel it would have appealed to me, then, the problem with Alex the protagonist. Is that she is underdeveloped and never evolved beyond that she’s a grifter with a lost soul and we’re with Alex for a short time one week during the end of summer in Long Island New York. I didn’t find anything about her inspiring and definitely not very likeable the rest of the characters in this book didn’t fare out any better.. They were one dimensional characters. that I had a hard time feeling sympathetic towards. I have no doubt this book will appeal to many and a specific demographic. I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House publishing for the ARC in exchange, for an honest review.

Alex is the protagonist in The Guest, a novel set on Long Island where she is summering with an older man. However, things take an unexpected turn when he tries to send her back to the city. The book's description of Alex as a "cipher leaving destruction in her wake" makes her one of the most intriguing literary heroines, and the novel's atmosphere is both chilling and perfectly evocative of its exclusive world.

According to Cline, the book's author, The Guest started with the character of Alex and the mystery surrounding her presence in this dark, twisted world. Cline aimed to maintain the tension and momentum of a short story while still creating a full-length novel. The book draws inspiration from writers such as Patricia Highsmith, Alfred Hayes, one of my favorites, Marguerite Duras,

This book was like a humorous nightmare, equally funny and disturbing. I did enjoy it, but was a bit disappointed by the ambiguous ending. But overall, a solid, entertaining read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So beautifully written, I came for the writing and stayed for the writing. Alex is such a deliriously unnerving character, in that I could never predict what she'd do next. I also like the sneak-peak on the lives of the very wealthy, a world that feels real in the author's depiction.. Propulsive and strange and stayed with me.

I was disappointed in Emma Cline's latest novel, "The Guest". While I loved her previous work, "The Girls", this book failed to deliver. It felt like a long fever dream, with Alex drifting through Long Island and struggling to find her place. The story is confusing and missing a lot of necessary details. There are no meaningful characters or plot developments and it lacks the depth I expected from Cline.

The prose is beautiful but also often overwhelming and difficult to follow. Reminiscent of Jack Kerouac's "On The Road," the narrative style fails to capture any real emotion or draw me into the world of Alex. Moreover, there are some major plot points left unanswered that are quite bothersome.

Ultimately, I can't give "The Guest" more than two stars out of five. It's not the worst read, but it doesn't live up to the expectations set by Cline's earlier works. If you're looking for an interesting summer read, I'd recommend picking up something else first.

I loved Emma Cline’s “The Girls” and was excited for this novel but it fell a little flat for me. I think if I was younger this would have been a five star read for me, but unfortunately this time around I just couldn’t get there.

Alex is a young woman on her own who bounces around between people who can benefit her. So it’s no surprise when the man she’s been staying with asks her to leave that she doesn’t really have anywhere to go. We follow along with her as she drifts from one place to the other while killing time until a Labor Day party. I wasn’t really thrilled with the ending and lack of conclusion. Definitely unlike most books I’ve read!

Ugh I loved this book so much. I found myself reading it during every small break I had during my work day. I love unlikeable characters and Alex certainly was that. I’ve read other reviews that hated the ending and said it was anticlimactic, but I disagree. I found it to be perfect. I think if one more sentence was written it would’ve become anticlimactic. It was perfect right where it ended. Alex’s floated between the worlds of the haves, the help, and those who needed help with her somehow fitting into all three herself. Excellent book that I would recommend to anyone who loves a fast paced book with very little plot.

3.5 stars rounded down! A young girl working as an escort for wealthy older men in order to survive and escape threats from a past liaison drifts through the Hamptons ahead of an explosive Labor Day party.

At 304 pages, this novel isn't short, but the listlessness of its environ made it feel more like a novella or a richly developed short story. I haven't read any Emma Cline before this, but I am interested to see how her style translates to the perhaps more propulsive subject matter of her debut novel The Girls. None of these characters emerged as very sympathetic, even Alex, despite her desperate circumstances. I appreciated this from a purely craft perspective, but it lacked the emotional hook to be memorable for me. The ending took me by surprise, however, which is always impressive.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.