Book Description:
When her sister, Rosie, dies and leaves behind a mortgage and other unpaid bills, Tess moves into Rosie's home and rents out Rosie's old room.

It's been four months. There are no leads to the person who murdered Rosie, and Tess is not okay. She's gotten a job at the same gallery where Rosie worked. Her grief is palpable. From hounding Rosie's ex-boyfriend to obsessively contacting Detective Pettiford, Tess is consumed with finding her sister's killer.

My thoughts:
Tessa gets sucked into reading her latest lodger's diary. Things start getting creepy, and when his entries become a bit stalk-ery, she becomes obsessed with finding this mystery woman he's describing.

It's somewhat of a slow burn, but I promise it's worth it! I would have it all figured out, and then new information would make me doubt myself.

Late one night, I told myself, "Okay, this is a good stopping place. I'm gonna stop after this chapter." Then, it got crazy, and I HAD to read until the end!

Read if you like:
• Psychological Thrillers
• Suspense
• Books set in London

I really did want to read this book unfortunately it took me a very long time to get through. There were some redeeming qualities in here that did hold my interest but not for long enough. I just did not see myself caring for much for the main characters i could not make a connection with them. I’m going to give this one 3 starts as i was able to keep interest enough to finish the novel.

I am so thankful to Tasha Sylva, Henry Holt & Company, and Netgalley, for granting me an advanced digital copy of The Guest Room. I did not like the protagonist but the premise was interesting. I liked the setting too.

Sometimes you can just be too nosy and that's the issue with our main character Tess. Tess rents out her deceased sister Rosie's room after she is murdered to make extra income. Tess also has a nasty habit of snooping through her guests things when they are not around. Her guest, AARAN keeps a creepy diary that she can't get enough of. Could his diary be connected with her sister's death? There's quite a bit of twist and turns. This was a juicy little novel! #theguestroom #netgalley

[1.5 Stars]

Oh man....my fellow reviewers said this would be a wild ride, but I was not anticipating this kind of ride. From the beginning, I was annoyed with our main character Tess. She is utterly obsessed with finding her sister's killer and pins it on just about everyone she can think of. Oh, and she also operates a B&B in which she goes through her guests' belongings. I had many moments where I almost gave up on the book, but I wanted to ride it out to see what the big twist was. And...I can't even tell you what it was. By the time I got to the end of the book, I just couldn't keep up with what was going on. I truly can't tell you what really happened in the book other than Tess is beyond paranoid and needs the advice of a mental health professional.

It reminds me a bit of You (both the books and the tv show) but in the worst ways possible. So, maybe if you like that kind of story this will be for you - or if you have the patience to sort through who is who and what is going on. But I honestly can't say I recommend this one. There are far better domestic thrillers out there right now.

I am so thankful to Henry Holt & Company, Netgalley, and Tasha Sylva for granting me advanced digital and physical access to this jarring thriller. I couldn't put it down and can't wait to consume more of this like-minded content going forward.

Tasha Sylva's debut is claustrophobic and unsettling. Tess's need to discover the truth about what happened to her sister quickly spirals into obsession. Reminiscent of Nicci French. Definitely recommend.

The premise of this book drew me in. A story if a sister grieving for the sister she lost and the need to find out what happened to her. She wants to get as close as she can to her sister Rosie’s life to see if she can piece things together. She rents out a room in her sisters apartment and a young man takes the room. She finds his diary and becomes obsessed with his every move. It definitely was a slow burn, but mostly enjoyable.
Thank you so much to Tasha Sylvia, Henry Holt and Company, and Netgalley for the ARC of The Guest Room.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Tess still misses and wonders how her sister Rose went missing but in the interim she rents out her room to make money. She also likes to rummage through her guests things not to take their stuff just because she’s very nosy. She also keeps in touch with the two detectives investigating Rosie‘s case give them any helpful tips she can remember from before her sister went missing. When she rents the room to a guest name Erin, unlike other guest he cooks bakes bread and makes his self at home and even a to extend his stay when she finds a journal in his belongings and starts to read it she is enthralled with what she finds but soon the lines between renter and lover get blurred. When another girl goes missing however she is once again front and center with the detectives and it seems unlike her sisters case she is more reluctant to share everything she knows because everything she knows will flip her life upside down although Tess wasn’t my favorite MC I feel really enjoyed this story it was intriguing and a book I found hard to put down. I have never read a book by this author before but I will definitely read the next one I see. I want to thank NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

After the mysterious death of her sister, Rosie, Tess decides to rent out her old room to help pay the bills. She begins to take risks by being out late at night in the park where her sister died and even begins to snoop through her tenants belongings because it gives her a thrill and distraction while her sisters murder is being investigated.

When a handsome man named Arran takes the room, Tess finds a diary in his belongings which he writes about his seemingly infatuation with a mystery woman. Soon she becomes obsessed with finding out who the woman in the diary is and what other secrets Arran might be hiding without knowing she’s putting herself in great danger.

I didn’t care for Tess. I tried to remind myself she is a bit of a mess due to her sisters murder but she just wasn’t likable. Everyone was stalking everyone but it wasn’t very enjoyable because it was over the top and the twists were a little more than obvious. This was a debut novel and had potential though. I’d be happy to read another book by this author in the future.

Thank you Henry Holt & Co. for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Guest Room is the suspenseful debut novel of Tasha Sylva. It follows Tess, a young woman who recently lost her sister Rosie who was killed 4 months prior in a mysterious accident that left her dead in the wood. The police can't seem to figure out who killed her. Tees is adamant that the ex-boyfriend is the culprit. Tess seems to be completely obsessed with her sister since she moved to Rosie's apartment and kinda cut ties with her entourage, even her parents. She even got a job at Rosie's previous office.
Since she doesn't have the heart the sleep in Rosie's room, she rent out through a B and B system. This handsome young man books this room for four weeks. his name is Aran. Tess can't help herself but rummaging through his belongings once he is out of the apartment. This is a bad habit she developed when starting to rent out the room. She finds a diary in Aran's bag. Little does know that this diary is going to turn her life upside down.

This was a slow burn the first 50% of the book, getting to know the character, wonder who they all were, who had motives to kill Rosie, or was Tess is completely cookoo. I loved it! I loved how Tess kept following her instinct despite all the huge warnings. She wasn't worried about getting in trouble trying to find her sister's murderer.

Definitely an author to look out for.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Excellent prose, engaging plot, and solid twists that kept me guessing. A suspenseful page-turner that scratched this mood reader’s itch for a great thriller.

Sisters in London, an unsolved murder, a missing woman, B&B guests, stalking, secret diaries and a cast of shady characters that might keep you guessing until the shocking end.

Don’t miss the release date July 11, 2023! I know I won’t!

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book, it was an ok thriller but at times too many things going on and I wanted to know more about the main character. A very slow burn, which as some points was redundant. I will definitely give this author another chance. This one was just ok for me. Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the copy to read in exchange for an honest review.
3 star

I was given an advanced copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This was an addictive read with lots of suspense and opportunities to guess the identity of the villain! Highly recommend

The Guest Room -Tasha Sylva
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Henry Holt & Company
Publish Date: July 11, 2023

Welcome to crazy town! The Guest Room is one WILD ride with 1) Unreliable Narrator, 2) Hoards of Stalkers, 3) Inept police investigations, 4) Romantic liaisons with multiple lover swaps, 5) Dead sibling/girls, 4) Siblings who look like twins, 5) Risk taking adventures in London, a city with CCTV on every corner 5) Multiple people with a death wish 6) and so much more. After a while, I have to shake my head and wonder if this many people are deranged in London. I’ve been to London, which is full of billions of people on the streets on ANY day, so, the odd chance you will bump into someone you know would indeed be a long shot. But somehow, Ms. Sylva (debut author) gets us to the end, and this book explodes. The ending is totally off the charts and made me give the book four stars (don’t read ahead). Finally, the lead protagonist, Tess, is so darn unlikeable...a simple observation. #thriller #death #murder #mystery #whodunit #lovers #risk #reward #nearDeathExperience #readingsomeonesDiary #aNoNo #whataretheodds @henryholtbooks @Netflic @tashasylva @netgalley
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Henry Holt Books, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: July 11, 2023.
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I got approximately halfway into it and decided to to continue further.

Here are some reasons why I did not finish this book.
- The pacing was very slow.
- I couldn't connect or relate with the main character.
- After reading the synopsis and reading half of the book, my expectations regarding the plot were not met.
- The behavior of the main character is not believable. After her sister was murdered, the main character's actions did not match the story.
- The family members reaction towards the main character after the murder of their other daughter was extreme and unrealistic.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher Henry Holt & Co. for the gifted eARC for review considerations. All opinions expressed here are my own.

A very slow burn thriller. This book was unfortunately not for me. It didn't pull me in so I would stop reading for days at a time. Which would then lead to me forgetting who the characters were and not being able to relate to them. Overall the ending made up for some of the slowness throughout.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC!

This was a nice surprise. I didn’t figure out who the bad guy was until the reveal. That doesn’t happen ver often anymore.
This was a very slow burn thriller with an incredibly unreliable narrator. When I say slow burn I almost dnf’d this at about 30%. I’m so glad I didn’t. It was so refreshing to read a thriller where I really needed to pay attention. If you like dark thrillers, unreliable narrator’s and a cast of characters that aren’t very nice then pick up this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 4⭐️

Wow! What a GREAT debut. THE GUEST ROOM by Tasha Sylva is one heck of a ride!
When Tess’s sister, Rosie, is killed in London, she moves to her flat, gets a job where she worked and walks the streets at night hoping she will be attacked like Rosie was, although I’m not sure if she planned to fight back or wanted to meet the same fate. She harasses her sister’s ex-boyfriend at first, convinced he beat her sister which lead to her death. After being warned off by the police, she moves on to other suspects.
When she needs to supplement her income by renting out a room to pay the house bill each month she decides it will be easier to take in a long-term (4 weeks) guest than just a few days at a time (less cleaning). Enter Arran, an artist who makes pottery. Tess enjoys snooping in her guest’s things and comes across a notebook which leads her to stalk Arran around London while he seemingly stalks another woman. As she digs deeper into the notebook she becomes convinced that Arran is the one who hurt her sister.
This book was fun as far as seeing how all of the neighbors interact with each other and the small community they’ve built. Tess put herself in positions of gaining information from others that I wouldn’t be brave enough to do. But Ms. Sylva is perfect at presenting the opportunities and Tess walking right into them. It was fun to watch.
I’m surprised that this is a debut novel. It will be interesting to see where Ms. Sylva takes me next. Definitely an author to watch. Great job!
Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt publishers for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and I’m leaving them voluntarily.