This book was fine. I think had I read it two years ago, I might've liked it even more. But lately, I've read a few thrillers with secret babies or mixed up parents and I find it a bit repetitive. It's a bit predictable. That said, I liked the multiple POVs, especially Lenora's. I wish more time was spent on the dinner party. I love a murder mystery game and felt that aspect of the plot had a lot of undeveloped potential. Overall I'd call The Perfect Guest a good beach read, quick and fun in quarantine, but nothing special.

This was readable and fun, if a little generic and predictable.  This mystery was fairly traditional and twisty, and light on violence.  The characters were believable, but not very deeply drawn, and this is definitely a plot-driven book.  If you're a sucker for a manor house, like I am, you will probably like this one.  Good pick for the fireside on a chilly night.

The Perfect Guests alternates between three points of view: Orphaned Beth lives at Raven Hall for eighteen months as a companion to an odd family's teenage daughter; an unidentified someone visits the Hall on the sly after her family loses the house; and Sadie, an aspiring actress, is hired to play a role in a murder mystery weekend staged at the once-abandoned Raven Hall. These three appear and reappear at different points in time as more is revealed about the Hall and its unfortunate history, until finally the three women collide in the present. Beth's narrative is primary and conveys very well her precarious situation as a guest at the Hall, making her reluctance to confront her increasingly strange circumstances believable and sympathetic. This well-written mystery will satisfy fans of stories about young women that interweave past and present.

A satisfying book with many twists and intertwined characters which will keep the reader guessing until the end. I finished this one in less than a day, because I didn’t want to put it down! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-galley.

Nice mystery with a few twists, my favorite! I love when all the story lines knit into each other like this. Only one drawback for me was that I wished we knew why Leonora was so obsessed with Raven Hall.

A book about murder mystery party set in a remote mansion and family taking in an orphan girl under unusual circumstances? Sign me up please! Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy. From the first page, I was drawn into this story and finished it in one night, which hasn’t happened in months. The story alternates between 1988, and the story of Beth, an orphan who is brought to live with Nina and her family in their remote mansion Raven Hall, with that of present day Sadie. Sadie is a young actress who is hired to participate in a murder mystery party at Raven Hall. The story moves quickly, and I found myself turning pages so quickly to finish! At one point, I will confess that I smugly thought I had it all figured out, but I was wrong. A gripping read!

A gothic novel filled with twists and turns set in 1988 and present day.  Orphaned Beth has been asked to live with a family in their huge manor home to be a companion to their daughter Nina. This suits her aunt Caroline, as she has no wish to raise Beth herself. Beth and Nina soon become best friends and Beth is grateful Leonora and  Markus has given her a home. But Beth is always worried about being sent back so when Leonora asks her to play a little game and pretend to be Nina for the grandfather who’s never seen her, she’s more than happy to do so.
 In present times we’re introduced to Sadie, a young actress, who has been asked to play a mysterious part in an old manor home. She gladly accepts the job as her income is erratic, and her mother is always on her about this. 
It takes a while  for past and present to become clear but by by the end of the book all is clear. 
A good gothic read to enjoy.

A fun little read. There were a couple of points I thought she was stretching too thin toward the end, but they ended up knitting back together nicely.

When life for the entire universe and planet turns on its end and like everyone else you "have nothing to do" while your place of work is closed and you are continuing to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation,  superspeed readers like me can read 250+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today. And it is way too hot to go outside, so why not sit in from of the blasting a/c and read and review books??  BTW - stay home and save lives!!!!!!!! No tan is worth dying for.

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.

The USA Today bestselling author of The Au Pair returns with another delicious, twisty novel—about a grand estate with many secrets, an orphan caught in a web of lies, and a young woman playing a sinister game.

1988. Beth Soames is fourteen years old when her aunt takes her to stay at Raven Hall, a rambling manor in the isolated East Anglian fens. The Averells, the family who lives there, are warm and welcoming, and Beth becomes fast friends with their daughter, Nina. At times, Beth even feels like she's truly part of the family...until they ask her to help them in a harmless game—and nothing is ever the same.

2019. Sadie Langton is an actress struggling to make ends meet when she lands a well-paying gig to pretend to be a guest at a weekend party. She is sent a suitcase of clothing, a dossier of the role she is to play, and instructions—it's strange, but she needs the money, and when she sees the stunning manor she'll be staying at, she figures she’s got nothing to lose. 

In reality, Raven Hall is even grander than she'd imagined—even with the damage from a fire decades before—but the walls seem to have eyes. As day turns to night, Sadie starts to feel that there’s something off about the glamorous guests who arrive, and as the party begins, it becomes chillingly apparent their unseen host is playing games with everyone...including her.

When you get to read books months and months in advance of the general public, it feels like being pregnant with said book. And this will be a very difficult pregnancy as I want to tell everyone to READ IT NOW!!! It is dark and twisty and expertly crafted - my husband is reading right now as he was sick of me saying all last night "YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!!!"   It is hard to say a lot about the book past the above-provided description without giving it away ... but this book is good.  Wicked good. (If you have not read "The Au Pair" by Miss Rouse, what is wrong with you? Lol)

As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube  Millionaires/etc. " on Instagram and Twitter... Get a real job, people!) so let's give it 🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦 (the closest I could come to a raven!)

I loved this book! Seriously loved it.  I enjoyed how the story was told through three timelines as was not at all confusing.  Emma Rous did an amazing job of trying together all of the loose ends at the end of the book.  Such twists and turns.  I will absolutely be recommending this book to everyone! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.  I was sad when the book ended.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved all of the twists and turns that had me guessing until the very end. I loved that I wasn't able to figure out all of the mysteries while reading so it had the shock value I wanted. I guessed incorrectly so many times, which makes me a terrible detective...I would be a horrible guest at this murder mystery party!

In 1988 Beth Soames is 14 years old when she travels to Raven Hall with her aunt. Beth develops a fast friendship with the daughter of her hosts. Beth starts to feel like Nina and her family are like a second family to her, until they ask her to perform a small favor. Fast forward to the present day and actress Sadie Langton is asked to portray a guest at a party. She’s given clothes, along with a fake name and past. It’s weird, but it pays well and she needs the money. As past and present collide the secrets of the past surface. This creepy read is perfect for a hot summer night, you may find you don’t need the AC