The Last House Guest was my third novel by Megan Miranda and it fits right in with the other two which I loved. She really knows how to spin a mystery that will keep the reader engrossed. I absolutely loved the setting of this one; a coastal Maine town shrouded in history and a big separation between those that are year-rounders versus the moneyed folks who are only there for the summer.

Avery was a sympathetic character in my mind. She had lost her parents to a car wreck when she was young, then she lost her grandmother when she was just a young woman. Left alone with no remaining family, she eagerly latches on to the wealthy Loman family when the daughter, Sadie befriends her. Ten years of solid friendship ups and downs, plus with Sadie's very livelihood dependent on the Loman family business, end with Sadie's mysterious death. Avery doesn't believe it was suicide as ruled. Who could have reason to kill Sadie? By opening up her concerns, she makes herself a suspect.

While I loved the setting and mystery to Sadie's death, I missed the more relational aspects of Miranda's other thrillers I have read. Avery really was a lone wolf in this novel. There really weren't many anecdotes that would give the reader a good picture of Avery's and Sadie's friendship, nor Avery's relationships with the year-round residents she grew up with.

The Last House Guest is a perfect vacation read and Megan Miranda will remain a must-read author for me. Thanks so much to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, Netgalley, and Megan Miranda for allowing me an e-copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Local girl , Avery, befriends the daughter of a wealthy vacationer. Sadie. At the end of the summer party, Sadie is found dead. At first, detectives question those at the party including Avery. They find a note saying it was a suicide, but Avery is sure the killer is out there and she is determined to find out what really happened that night. An okay read that wasn’t very memorable.

This was a fantastic edge of your seat novel that I could not put down.
The story was full of twists and turns and suspense. Loved every minute!

I fell in love with Megan Miranda when I read All the Missing Girls in one day. I was excited to read this book and enjoyed it a lot! It's a lighter easier read that is perfect for a fun summer suspense read. Living in a vacation town I understood a lot of the aspects that she wrote about dealing with locals vs. visitors which is always an interesting dynamic.

A Littleport local Avery becomes good friend with the rich vacation family the Loman's especially their daughter Sadie. This opens up a new world to Avery as she begins to work for the family managing all of their rental property. Avery and Sadie grow so close that they share everything. Each year there is a party to end the summer and one year Sadie is found dead. While the police have ruled it a suicide, Avery is not as quick to believe this and begins the hunt to find out what really happened. A light read that will keep you turning pages quickly. Definitely one that I would pack in my beach bag for a day at the beach.

I adored this suspenseful thriller from Megan Miranda! I’ve always been a big fan of her work and this story brings her back to the kind of story she excels at writing! I cannot wait for whatever is to come next from her.

Great beach read! Fast moving and suspenseful. I thought I had it figured out but it kept me guessing until the end.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This is an engaging beach read that will keep you guessing until the unexpected ending. This is the first book I’ve read by Megan Miranda and I look forward to reading more.

I thought this was great. I did not have it figured out until the reveal at the end, which is definitely my preference. The story is more complex than it seems at first. Sadie is found dead one summer and ruled a suicide. The following year, Avery is trying to unravel the truth about what really happened to her friend. The story shows both sides of living in a resort town, the townies and the rich people that only turn up when the weather is nice. I thought it was interesting, having grown up in a similar situation myself. I definitely recommend this. I would also recommend the other books this author has written.

My Rating: 4..5 Stars

Sadie Loman and Avery Greer grew up together in the town of Littleport, Maine. The girls were from opposite sides of town, yet they formed a fast friendship during the summers. Sadly, years later Sadie is found dead, and the death was ruled a suicide. However, questions abound and then it becomes a matter of trying to determine the cause of her death. Could Avery have killed her former close friend? Was jealousy a factor in Sadie's death?

Avery cannot let the matter rest. Even after returning home she goes back to the town to dig into things, although a year has passed. As the story is told, it goes back and forth in time. Readers get to see how the girls met, what they did and how Avery is checking into the death. Furthermore, the story is told entirely from Avery's point of view.

As Avery is working along, as well as recalling the past, certain people become suspect. It doesn't take Avery long to discover that things were really bad, so much so that the more she unearths, the more she places herself in the line of fire.

What a terrific read. I was drawn into the twists and turns of the story and kept turning the pages deep into the night. The Last House Guest was most certainly a quick read. I just had to know what happened to Sadie and what could possibly happen to Avery. This enjoyable read is one of my summer's favorites so far and I look forward tor reading more from this author.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley, as well as Edelweiss, for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

A solid beach mystery by powerhouse author Megan Miranda. I'd say this one could be a YA/Adult crossover title, with clear appeal to both teens and adults. I expected a more dramatic ending, but I still found this to be a satisfying summer read! Thanks NetGalley!

Sadie and Avery have been friends for years, their friendship relegated to the summer months, Avery is a local in a small Maine town, and Sadie and her family visit every summer. One summer at an annual party Sadie goes missing and is found dead and Avery can’t shake the feeling that there is more going on.

Though slow at parts, this was an interesting story with some twists and turns. I found it to be repetitive at parts and would have liked a little more suspense. A good summer read, particularly if you love Maine!

A great summer read with a perfectly twisted ending. I didn't see the ending coming, it definitely kept me guessing the whole time. The story, the setting and the characters all had me engaged throughout and the pacing was perfect. My second book by the author and I plan on reading more!

I read All the Missing Girls awhile ago and was truly excited to read the next book from Megan Miranda.....until I did. While I liked the story, and the bones of a story are there, The Last House Guest fell flat for me.

A girl from the wrong side of the tracks and her rich best friend. The rich girl dies, of an apparent suicide and the wrong side of the tracks girl wants to find out what happened.

Alternating timelines and a rather dull and predictable mystery made me very bored. Avery was boring.

Still, it's not TERRRRRRIBLE.

Thanks to netGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Last House Guest was an interesting story. It was extremely atmospheric and perfect for a “summery” read. I definitely felt like I was in Littleport, Maine during the entire story. The narrator was unreliable and I found that I changed my theories of what I thought occurred several times throughout the story. The pacing was good and I never got bored. I did find the ending to be a little sub par but the journey made up for it. Recommended!

4 stars for this perfect summertime thriller! The lush coastal setting, dark family secrets, the haves, the have nots. Best friends Avery and Sadie meet under strange circumstances. Sadie and her family are made of money. Avery has little. But Sadie draws her in and soon Avery is working for the ambitious, rich and prominent family, managing their properties in the beautiful coastal town in Maine. Actually, Avery is sort of adopted by Sadie's family after her grandmother dies; and having lost her own parents in a fatal car accident she is alone in the world and so becomes enmeshed with this wealthy family and enjoys their generous lifestyle.

At a yearly summer party, the plus one party, Sadie is found to be missing and later discovered dead. While it is thought to be a suicide, suspicions arise. Even to the point of Avery being suspected of the crime. What follows is a twisty, well-crafted mystery. Did Avery do it? But who else might want Sadie dead? And why? What was Sadie hiding? She knew things. Like really ugly things; ya know, things some people wouldn't want known. I promise you will want to stay up late reading until you find out.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster via Netgalley and Megan Miranda for a digital copy for review. I highly recommend this. Especially on a stormy night in a condo at the beach.

I received this via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it guys. This book was just what I wanted It to be. The world building was fun and enticing. The characters were very well flushed out. I loved the plot of this. I can not wait to read more by this author. I highly recommend this book.

Avery lives year-round in the beach town of Littleton, Maine and works for Grant Loman’s property management company. Avery manages all of the rental properties for Mr. Loman. After her parents passed away, she lived with her grandmother until she too passed away. Grant Loman bought her grandmother’s house and offered for her to live in the guesthouse of their family’s large home lovingly called the Breakers by the locals.

Avery had met Sadie Loman some time back and they became good friends. Sadie, her brother, Parker, and parents would spend the summer there. Last year, at the end of the season, the locals all had what they call the Plus-One party where they get together, drink and have a good time. Avery had been waiting for Sadie to arrive and wondered why she hadn’t. Her brother, Parker, joined the group but no Sadie. Then two policemen came to the door asking for Parker. It appears that Sadie either fell or jumped off a cliff into the water and drowned. Avery was heartbroken at losing her friend.

A year later, Parker is back in town to head up a memorial dedication to Sadie and has asked Avery to help with some of the planning. As various people come together again, Avery is intent to try and solve the mystery of Sadie’s death.

I kept turning pages reading the same thing over and over: a repeat of the night of Sadie’s death and today’s events as Avery plays sleuth. This book pulled the last few things together at the very end of the story. Up until that time, it was boring repetition that didn’t make a whole lot of sense. I can honestly say that I do not recommend this book at all.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is definitely more of a slow-burn than a fast-paced twisty suspense, so know that going into it. For me this worked partly because I have grown tired of the typical narrative of suspense novels lately. I loved that this was more of a murder mystery with family drama. I even found myself NOT looking at the percentage on my Kindle to see how much was left. It wasn't perfect, though and some people will find the storyline nothing new. I also hoped for more character development. Overall, a good read I'd recommend. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for my review.

I was pretty disappointed in this book as I’ve read everything else by Megan Miranda and enjoyed each of them immensely. This book fell a little short for me, I had a hard time getting into it. There was no “wow” factor for me and I honestly had to force myself to read the whole thing. It lacked suspense, drama, and thrills which is what I’ve come to expect from Megan Miranda and I feel like this storyline really could have used it. The foundation was there and you almost expect great thrills and suspense after reading the synopsis but it definitely fell short.

I also really couldn’t connect with the character Avery. This book was told from her past point of view and the present and I just found myself not really liking her. I didn’t care enough to find out what really happened in her past and how that was greatly affecting her future.

Overall not a terrible book but not what I was expecting.

As far as thriller go this was okay. Middle of the road. Not bad by any means but nothing to call you reading buddies up to talk about.

We follow multiple times lines which was a little confusing at times. I really liked the atmosphere of the coast of Maine. I've never read a book about managing properties for vacationers. I can imagine this as the scene of several thrillers. The character development was mostly factual developments and finding out clues about what happened. The writing style was a little annoying at times as it would repeat facts. I actually thought that my e-read messed up and jumped back because it felt like I already read this scene. I don't think this is plausible in reality for several spoilers reasons. I was intrigued at the beginning and the end and lost interest in the middle as the plot began to drag.

Overall, I would recommend this book. I also think this could be a great book to introduce yourself into the thriller genre.