A new Amanda Robson book means a new cast of wackadoodles to read about.

Saffron and Miles are happily married. Everything in their shared life is perfect...with the exception of Caprice. She’s Miles’s mother, and she resides with them in their house.

Caprice hates Saffron with a passion, and doesn’t think Miles should be with her.

When Saffron and Miles hire a nanny named Hayley for their children, Saffron hopes that she’ll have less time to be around Caprice.

Caprice, however, has an agenda all her own...and will use any means necessary to come between her son’s marriage.

I am a huge fan of Amanda Robson and her BONKERS characters. More often than not, I find myself deeply entranced by the wicked goings on.

While this book is entertaining and fast-paced, the characters are so unlikable and dense. It’s really hard to believe any of their actions are realistic. Especially Miles, who clearly has his head in the sand. He doesn’t seem to understand the terrible things his mother does even when it’s staring him right in the face! There’s a nice chunk of cheesy dialogue too.

Another thing that bothered me is that I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out what Caprice’s issue was with Saffron.

That being said, while it doesn’t offer anything new in the crazy mother-in-law genre, this is still an amusing and quick read. I look forward to Robson’s next book.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Available in the U.S. on: 11/23/21.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

This was a fast-paced, albeit somewhat predictable read. It centers on Saffron, who is married to the man of her dreams and has 2 young kids, but her mother-in-law Caprice has recently moved in and is making her life very difficult. Caprice hates Saffron and will stop at nothing to break up her marriage. We are also introduced to the new nanny, Hailey, who has malicious thoughts of her own. The POVs shift between the 3 of these characters as well as Saffron's husband and brother-in-law.

The pacing of the book was fast and there was lots of action, but there were a few things that didn't work for me. Each chapter was written addressing the person they were talking about, which I found to be an odd writing style. Instead of "I watched Saffron do xyz", it was "I watched YOU do xyz". Also, sometimes the POV changed mid-chapter, which was jarring and confusing (I am hoping that this is because it was an ARC and will be cleaned up_). Lastly, I never truly understood why Caprice hated Saffron so much, and didn't find all of the loose ends tied up at the end of the book.

This being said, I did enjoy the story and I read late into the night to see what ended up happening. Though I found the culmination of the story to be somewhat predictable, I was able to prove my guesses right, which is satisfying in its own way. The story doesn't stand out a lot against similar books in this crowded genre, but was still a fun read. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An addictive and gripping plot that talks about a universal issue - not climate change or disease - but the power dynamics between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

68-year old Caprice, mother-in-law from hell, is the thorn in Saffron's otherwise happy and content life with her husband Miles and their two kids. While Saffron initially tried to bond with the older woman, Caprice detests being relegated to the sidelines in her favourite son's life and constantly undermines Saffron's authority, presence and importance. Both ladies hate each other with a passion and wish to be rid of the other. When Saffron hires a new nanny, 18-year old Hayley, Caprice finds the perfect solution to all her problems.

The author employs a journal entry-like technique to narrate each character's POV. This is perfect to perceive individual emotions; be it Saffron's frustration, Caprice's bitterness or Hayley's infatuation. The writing style is so compelling that 25% into the book, you are already seething, having witnessed the vindictive schemes against the protagonist.

I admired Saffron, a smart, confident businesswoman who has the balls to fight for and protect what is hers. Though she is depicted as the monster-in-law, you can't help but sympathise with Caprice, lonely after losing her husband, and desperately clinging onto her son and inserting herself into his life, to have a sense of purpose.

Overall, this was an awesome read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon books for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So this was just what o needed on a rainy day!! Deliciously dark, twisty and totally over the top, I couldn’t wait to get into this!
Written from plenty of POV - occasionally a smidge confusing - it tells the tale of the mother in law from hell - the daughter in law desperate to get her out of her life, the tidy husband who adores both of them - and the sexy nanny who wants a piece of him! I devoured it and instantly wanted more!!!!! Excellent read.

I struggled in writing this review - I liked the story and loved the ending but hated the shifts in POV and got so confused with You in the POV.

I would love to read more books by this author but not written in this way.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

I honestly didn't really enjoy this. The story was super hard to follow, there were was too many POV switches and they happened much too often, which made the whole thing super confusing. The story was pretty predictable but also so chaotic that I was never really sure what was even happening. I also didn't really like the writing style, it was very detached and simple and didn't really help with making me enjoy this more. Pacing was good though and it was a very quick read. The ending was fun.

The guest was unwelcome but unfortunately the writing style was a bit unwelcome too.

The story is about Saffron, a successful, albeit a bit too perfect, attorney and her lovely family. Her witch of a mother in law is living with them indefinitely and seems to be out for her. Her husband doesn’t know who to support, her brother in law sexually harasses her and the new nanny has the hots for her husband. The rest of the book is about this becoming an even hotter mess.

It sounds like I didn’t like this book and that’s not totally fair. The second half was a quick read and I definitely wanted to know what happened. I think the challenge is more around the amount of books in the market right now that are similar. Compared to that pool, this just wasn’t my favorite. The perspectives are hard to follow, the evil characters are over the top bad and the plot was a bit too predictable.


Big thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for the ARC.

Saffron and Miles are happily married however Miles' mother would rather they weren't. Caprice, the mother-in-law from hell, lives with Saffron and Miles and goes out of her way each and every day to belittle Saffron with her barbed comments. Miles, of course, thinks Saffron is overreacting but is she?

Chapters alternate between Saffron, Miles, Caprice, Aiden - Miles' brother who is secretly in love with Saffron, and Hayley their new nanny who has eyes for Miles. You mix all of these perspectives together and you get a lethal concoction of crazy.

This story of the evil mother-in-law has been told many times before and while this was truly entertaining I wouldn't say it brings anything new to the table. I grew so frustrated with Miles for being so blind and passive to his mother when she said things to and about Saffron right to him and he still doesn't say anything in his wife's defense. No surprising twist here, not for this reader anyways, as I had suspected how this would play out from the start. While this is not my favorite Robson book it was still plenty entertaining and would make a great addition to the beach bag while drinking a frosty tropical drink and lounging in a lawn chair! 3.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my copy.

This was a great read, well crafted with characters that get under your skin! The story flowed from the first page and was twisty and taut. I loved it .

Loved this story! Hit a little too close to home so I may have felt some predictable spots but ultimately love this authors writing and will be reading more past stuff. Thanks for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!!!

I was drawn tight into this story.Well written the characters come alive.A happily married couple a mother in law who comes to stay.A mother in law who is determined to get rid of the daughter-in-law.Full of twists and turns a chilling read.#netgalley #avonbooksuk.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This one was really enjoyable. A wide range of realistic, complicated characters with well-motivated actions and plot-turns. Twists are unexpected without being unbelievable. A solid thriller

A gripping domestic thriller. The Unwelcome Guest is a page turner I couldn’t put down. The setting is familiar almost peaceful at first, but even within that facade, one can tell something is not right with this loving family. Saffron and Miles have the quirks but truly love each other but also keep secrets. Mile’s brother cannot seem to keep his hands off anyone Miles has been in a relationship with - including his own sister - in -law. But Caprise, cold, calculating , conniving - she would do anything to make sure she was the only woman that mattered in her oldest son’s life. She is definitely a character one just loves to hate. Maybe even one I wished to could reach into the pages and slap!
The twists throughout the book make this a page turner and it helps to create that underlying feeling that something big is about to drop at any second. Told through multiple perspectives, it is hard to tell who the truly most reliable narrator could be. After all, people aren’t perfect and self preservation can make people say and do some crazy things. But how crazy ? Only Miles, Saffron, Aiden, Hayley, and Caprise could tell you that? Or would they? Must read for the summer.

The Unwelcome Guest by Amanda Robson

Synopsis
Saffron vowed to love Miles no matter what life threw at them both. But when her mother-in-law moves into their happy family home, Saffron’s shiny life begins to tarnish.

Even as Caprice’s barbed comments turn to something more sinister, Saffron hopes the new nanny’s arrival will shield her from the worst of it. She’s starting to feel paranoid in her own home.

Little does she realise that Caprice longs for a new daughter-in-law – and she’ll do anything to make that happen…

Review
Very easy read, it didnt take me long at all. I love Amanda Robson’s writing style.
It wasn’t one of her best books in terms of plot, I felt nothing really actually happened, the ending rather predictable.
The characters made poor choices too.
There was quite alot of mistakes in the book too which hopefully will be corrected before its published.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Rated 3/5

I loved this book so much so I really did not want to put it down and go to work. The opening chapter so reminded me of my mother in law that I could not belief this was a fiction book I was reading. Luckily my life never got this bad. The story is well written and I could in some small measure relate to all the characters and why they went down the routes they took, although Saffron was someone that I would never be friends with, and hope never to meet. The reveal when it came was not a surprise but still well written that it became more than just a clarification of the murderer. This is the first book I have read by this author and will now look at the others she has written. I would truly recommend this book to all as a book that you will struggle to put down.

I recently stumbled into the world of domestic thrillers so this was right up my alley. Suspense, familial drama and weird family dynamics and told from multiple POVs? Yup… it has all that and of course the mother-in-law from liberal Hell who is willing to do whatever she has to in order to get rid of her unwanted daughter-in-law in her own home. An interesting tale with some good suspense and a few twists. I’ve never read this author before so I was unfamiliar with her writing style which I didn’t much like but that’s just me.

I really enjoyed this book. Kept my attention the whole time. Story line was good. I would recommend this book for sure. First time reading anything by this author. Thank you for allowing me to read this book.

Well, I can confirm that this book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout and it was well worth staying up till midnight last night to finish it. It gave me proper creeps, it’s fabulously written, the characters are believable and the books really gets under your skin.

Story revolves around the Jackson family. Caprice, the matriarch mother of Miles and mother-in-law to Saffron. Miles, the preferred son, the philosopher, a devoted husband to Saffron and father to their two boys Ben and Harry. Saffron, the lawyer, working mother, the breadwinner of the family, constantly critised by Caprice for not being good enough wife, mother and a woman. And then comes Hayleigh, the nanny, attractive, young girl with the hots for Miles.

As a reader you enter diary-style story from the point of view of Caprice, Miles, Aiden (Miles’s brother), Saffron and Hayleigh. Story of corruption, jealousy, love, strength and plotting. It’s fantastical, but highly intelligent and it’s a proper battle of wit, truth and trust. And every time you think you’ve sassed it, come another twist you didn’t expect.

Absolutely nerve-wracking book, that I kept thinking about every time I was not able to read more.

The Hell Begins...
When Caprice, mother to Miles and mother-in-law to Saffron, moves into their seemingly happy family home the hell begins. Will the arrival of a new nanny help the cause? That remains to be seen. With short snappy, choppy chapters and told from multiple perspectives this is a thoroughly engaging domestic noir from the first page to the last. Enjoyable and entertaining.

This was a pretty okay book! It was a rollercoaster, and the twist was unexpected! I would definitely recommend it! 4/5 stars!!