While I thought this book was well written, it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea due to the fact that it had different timelines and I wasn’t keen on the way the story came together. That being said I felt like the twists and turns made it a really good book for some.

Subtly eerie and slow-burn creepy, The Perfect Guests gives great Gothic vibes. It's an entertainingly twisty psychological thriller that definitely had me glued to the page, wondering about the truths behind all the lies and secrets. The 'game' setup has a lot of fun potential, though it isn't explored as thoroughly as I wanted in the 2019 plotline, and it provides a nebulous but workable connecting framework between the two timelines. The characters are intriguing enough, with all their secrets and obsessions. The story does go a little overboard with the Shocking Revelations and Surprise Plot Twists at the end, but it's still an enjoyable, suspenseful read.


Content warnings: off-page rape and sexual assault, sexual harassment, parental abuse, parental death, off-page death by car accident.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the advance review copy!

This was a fun one! I loved The Au Pair and The Perfect Guests was just as satisfying!

Sometimes you just need to get out of your head and read a fun thriller that may seem a bit implausible and too tidy, but it hits all the nerves the right way and is just a fun experience, so you can thrown all plausibility out the window. 

Just sit back and enjoy the ride as past and present collide in this one. 

Past - an orphaned girl is "adopted" by the family who lives at Raven Hall, a gothic manor that is hiding some truly chilling secrets. But is there an ulterior motive to this adoption? Me thinks so! And Present - 30 years later Raven Hall is transformed into a Murder Mystery party setting where a struggling actress takes a job at this grand mansion, but the mystery game is not the only one at play.

I scrambled through this one because it was such a unique story and I literally had NO idea what was happening and HAD to find out. It was a fun and enjoyable read and while the end tied up in some pretty neat and tidy bows - they were FUN bows and I'm not mad about it!

It's a fun and twisty puzzle and I enjoyed playing the game!

The Perfect Guests is a thriller without any thrills. Not only are the actual twists and perils fairly low-stakes (which I actually rather liked) but they lack emotional heft. Beth's trauma has obvious impact on her ability to relate to her daugher, but nothing feels genuine - her difficulty with emotion is constantly asserted but her characterization is anemic. An interesting plot with cardboard characters.

This is the first book I have read by this author. This book hooked me from the start with the setting of the novel as well as the alternating narrators and timelines. The way in which the author introduced characters into the story was smart and certainly kept my interest. The author had me asking so many questions as I was enjoying this book and I had to keep reading so I could get answers. This book has secrets, family history, a creepy setting, multiple pov's and even a bit of romance. There was so much drama, the perfect delivery of didn't see that coming moments with plot twists, and intrigue in this book that I was pulled in from the start. I look forward to reading The Au Pair by this author.

🏠|#Partner|Thank you to @netgalley @berkleypub & Emma Rous for the free book! It’s available now!
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🌟🌟BOOK REVIEW🌟🌟
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“Her thoughts are like darting fish sparking across her mind and slipping out of reach.
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💬MY THOUGHTS:
▪️I really enjoyed the dual perspective.  I did prefer the past more though as it delved into the relationship between Beth and Nina.
▪️It was fast paced and I was so invested in finding out what was going to happen next.
▪️I enjoyed the writing and storytelling a-lot. There were so many secrets that needed to be unpacked.
▪️My only criticism was that the ending was just too much too fast. I really had to concentrate on who was who and what was what.
▪️Overall it was a great book packed with secrets and lies!
▪️Please note CW: Death of a parent & sibling, abuse, brief reference of rape but does not go into any details & arson.

3.5 stars rounded up

After reading Emma Rous’s debut novel last year, I was very excited to see how she would follow up such a fabulous book as “The Au Pair“. This one was just as well written, yet for some unfathomable reason I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as her first. That’s not to say I didn’t like it, I just liked it less.

The setting was the star of the show here. An old remote house in the East Anglian Fens. A house so desirable to one woman that she would go to any measures to have it.

The dual-time line narrative was broken by a third narrative written in italics with a narrator who was not identified until near the end. This narrative left me feeling puzzled and somewhat off balance, as it was supposed to do. All the while I was wondering who this girl was…

Of the two story-lines featuring Beth and Sadie, I far preferred Beth’s story. I felt the palpable unease at Raven Hall whilst she lived there. Insecure in her place there, Beth was a piteous character, who was eager to please her newfound ‘family’.

The author expertly ties the narratives together in a cohesive way, but I found myself feeling a tad confused on more than one occasion. The twists (and there were several) were dramatic and ever so slightly ‘over the top’, yet I admired the way Rous tied everything together and it would have been a job, as the plot was quite complex.

In summation, I believe that “The Perfect Guests” IS a book that will be thoroughly enjoyed by many readers. Although it wasn’t as good as “The Au Pair” in my personal opinion, I’m still quite certain that I will be avidly waiting for this author’s next novel. I find her writing compelling.

The Perfect Guests was a fun, twisty thriller and I really enjoyed it. The storyline bounces back and forth between Beth in the 1980s and the present-day with her daughter Sadie. I personally found Beth to be more relatable and her plot line was more compelling to me so I enjoyed her chapters more so than Sadie's. The house at the center of it all, Raven Hall, is as beautiful as its obsessed owners are disturbing. Leonara is a fascinating character to me, as is her daughter Nina. I think the reason that I also enjoyed Beth's POV more was because of how prominently those two characters were featured. 

I was surprised but delighted by the subtle linkages between characters which keeps the air of mystery and adds to the "oh wow" factor when the connections are revealed. This keeps up all the way to the last page and I found it to be a great ending for that. I'd recommend this one to any reader who enjoys those house-based thrillers because Raven Hall is as much a character as anyone in the book. 

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

If twists are your top priority in a thriller, then this is the book for you. 

Emma Rous’ sophomore effort isn’t really anything new thematically for the genre, but the ending is a twist-filled, wild ride. 

There is a LOT going on in this story, particularly toward the end, and it makes the pacing feel a bit uneven. The early going isn’t slow, but it’s pretty measured in both halves of the dual timeline. The latter parts of the book become almost frenetic, and the shift from one to the other isn’t all that smooth. 

The twists (of which there are many) come rapid fire toward the end of the book, and while there’s not much there that you haven’t seen before, it’s certainly an entertaining journey, and the final, last line of the book twist is a good way to finish. 

The book definitely has some notable things going for it, the first of which is a rare version of the dual timeline format in which both timelines are of equal quality and interest. In my experience the more recent timeline tends to be a letdown compared to the older timeline in these types of books, but here the story holds up in both. 

Rous also did well with her characters, who are in some cases more likable than most in this genre (Sadie and Jonas specifically come to mind) as well as more nuanced than most in the genre (which applies to almost every character of significance). 

As a huge fan of crumbly old house books, I would have liked more of Raven Hall as a character. Atmospherically, there was a lot of potential but not much actualization. 

In all, this is a fun one once it gets going, and has plenty to recommend it as long as you’re not looking for anything that’s truly never been done before.

4⭐️sIs there such things as the perfect guests? Beth was just happy to be invited in after losing her family. But what was the real motivation behind the invitation? This was good and one of my favotite styles as it goes back and forth between past and present.
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The Perfect Guests is a page turner with plenty of twists and turns! A well crafted mystery/thriller that kept me guessing until the end!

The Perfect Guests is a modern gothic mystery.  The narrative jumps between Beth, a young girl of 15 who was orphaned in the 1980's.  Her last living relative is unwilling to care for her, but does find her a placement at Raven Hall as companion to Nora, a girl her own age.  The family takes her in and makes her feel at home in this gorgeous old mansion on the Fens of England.  The story moves to 2019 to introduce Sadie, a down-on-her-luck aspiring actress.  Sadie can't seem to keep a job and her acting isn't going  well, so she's delighted when her agent calls with an amazing offer.  Sadie has been offered a part in a murder mystery dinner play at an old mansion called Raven Hall.  Their narratives are joined by a third young woman, devastated by the loss of her mother, then father, then her family home.  These three women are linked only by Raven Hill, or so it seems.   Rous has crafted a tale of suspense and mystery intertwined with family secrets that have been hidden too long.  I read this book in one sitting.  Rous is a good  writer and the different points of view were easy to keep separate.  The plot moved quickly and I was looking over my shoulder and jumping at noises for a while after I finished.  Fans of Ruth Ware and Tana French will enjoy The Perfect Guest, and I can highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written mystery.  I am grateful to Net Galley for the chance to read an ARC and to discover a new favorite author.

This book was a pretty captivating read filled with some twists and intrigue. The setting is the East Anglian Fens at a rambling mansion, alternating between 1988 and the present, In the 80s, Beth is a teenage orphan sent to live with the Averells who welcome her and she becomes friends with their daughter Nina. In the present, struggling actress Sadie accepts an acting gig at the same rambling mansion Beth lived 30 years prior. Sadie begins to feel uneasy with the weekend mystery game she has been hired for. 

Overall, a fun and twisty thriller!

I love a good gothic mystery and this one did not disappoint.  A manor house, family issues, and revenge? Count me in.  This is a quick and entertaining read.  I loved The Au Pair and am happy to say I loved The Perfect Guests too!

Thoroughly enjoyed The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous. This was my first read from this author and it definitely won't be the last. The story has lot's of mystery and twisty turns throughout. The story is told by multiple perspectives and the location/setting was perfect to add to the creepiness. I enjoyed learning about the history of Raven Hall. A real page turner that I can't recommend enough!

I quite enjoyed this book, despite the almost-but-not-quite jumping the shark that took place in the last little bit as the author tried to put all the pieces of her story into place.

Between the multiple time frames, the different narrators, the number of characters, and the various mysteries, I had a hard time figuring this book out, which added to my experience. Of the "games", I found the 1989 one to be the weaker of the two but enjoyed the Clue-like feel to the contemporary one.

Some people might not like all the twists at the end, but I didn't mind them. At times it was convoluted, keeping all the moving pieces straight, which makes this a great book club selection or one to discuss with friends.

My Thoughts
A rambling old manor house in the fens, a “harmless” game, and a mysterious fire? Yes, please! Here are my pros and cons for The Perfect Guests:

Pros

1.  The book is told from three different viewpoints (two known characters and one unknown) and shuffles back and forth between 1988, 2019, and an unknown time period. The unknown narrator/time period is not revealed until well into the story (past the halfway point). A lot of books lately are written in the multi-narrator/multi-timeline format and I am a fan when it is done well. Thankfully, this book executed it very well.

2.  I keep notes while I read books so I can remember things to include in my reviews. The first note I wrote for this book was “Very Agatha Christiesque with a Clue vibe”. First, I would like to inform you that according to Wiktionary.com “Christiesque” is actually a word! Second, it really did have a very Colonel Mustard in the drawing room with a candlestick whodunit feel! This story isn’t Clue exactly, but it was the sense I got reading the book… and I liked it.

3.  The scenes at Raven Hall were my favorites. There was definitely something weird going on. It felt like everything and everyone in Raven Hall were just slightly skewed and you don’t know why… and that made it intriguing.

4.  The characters from 1988 were well done. I felt the most connected to Beth and her situation, most likely because we learn the most about her and her back story. But in general, I thought the 1988 characters were well-developed, or at least well-written enough to set up the story.

5.  The twists were good. Some were expected (even if I didn’t know exactly how they’d play out), some were very unexpected, and some were too random (see Con #1).

6.  The ending was generally satisfying.   

Cons

1.  While I enjoyed the various reveals and twists, they seemed to go on forever. The reveal of what was actually going on at Raven Hall started started around the 75% mark and seemed to drag on and on and on. A few of the reveals felt a bit convoluted and random, including situations you would have never even fathomed from the information provided in the story. I love a good reveal/twist, but when there are like 7 of them the impact gets diluted.

2.  While the ending was generally satisfying, I have to admit that the reason behind everything that happened felt a bit underwhelming.

Summary
This was a solid mystery that was very reminiscent of some classic whodunits. I enjoyed the first half of the book a bit more than the second part (where I felt it started to stumble and lag just a bit), but I would still recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre. This is my first Emma Rous novel and I enjoyed it enough that I am definitely interested in reading her previous (and future) books.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an ebook, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Love, love, love! The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous was fantastic! Mystery, suspense, and thrills - talk about a must-read book! I absolutely LOVED reading all about Raven Hall and the many twists and turns involved in its history and inhabitants' lives. Told via the past and present, the story unfolds seamlessly and provides a gothic vibe.  The crumbling estate, the sketchy residents, and the dark secrets oozing from every corner - you can't help but get some chills and thrills from Raven Hall. 

Rous has written a real page-turner that will have you reading late into the night. The writing is top notch, the characters are unforgettable and the story itself is unputdownable. I just LOVED it to bits! Every time I thought I had figured out what was going on, I found myself stymied once again. It was such fun to delve deeper and deeper into the story. Definitely a treat to read. 

I would happily recommend The Perfect Guests to fans of Rous and for anyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book!

The Perfect Guest by Emma Rous was my first blog tour and NetGalley read of 2021 and also my first Emma Rous book. I want to start with a thank you to Penguin Random House and the publicity team there for letting me join.

Within the first chapter I had major Companion vibes…the orphan coming to live with a family that has a little girl in need of a friend. But then oh man did it take a different turn. Readers are bounced between 1988 and 2019, between Beth Soames and Sadie Langton and told the story of a teenager and women that are both not sure where they belong in the world and what to do next when things don’t work out the way they imagined. They are both brought to Raven Hall and both discovered they had a story to tell about the mansion, but what do these two ladies have in common other than a visit to Raven Hall?

I did struggle with keeping the characters straight, especially in Beth’s point of view because the characters were involved in a murder mystery through the length of the book so I got lost on what “character” in the mystery lined up with the real characters. Although 75% of the book was a back story which bugged me while reading it, the way the author brought it all together in the end was so beautifully written. I LOVE when there is a big aha moment in book and I have to think “oh now it all makes since.”

I rated this a 3 on Goodreads but that was mostly because of the confusion and maybe another reader would not have that issue at all. However, I really enjoyed The Perfect Guest and will definitely read The Au Pair also by Emma Rous.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the alternating POV, the spooky mansion, and the twists and turns! I had a lot of fun trying to guess what might happen next but I was never right. the suspense had me not wanting to put this book down and keep reading! I really like books told in alternative timelines/POV and I thought this one was well done. I was trying to figure out how the POVs overlapped. 

Thank you Berkley Pub and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!