Great! But falls apart

I would like to thank Heather Gudenkauf, Harlequin, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thanks to Justine Sha for inviting me to participate in the blog tour.

Spoilers

I really liked this book! I read to over 60% in one sitting but forced myself to put it down and go to sleep because it was four in the morning. I only meant to read until I was drowsy but it never happened, lol! I read the rest of it a couple days later, again in one sitting. It started out tense and just built and built at a steady pace with well-placed reveals . . . to a point.

What I loved most was the fact that it was set in my backyard, literally just a couple hours away, with very relatable weather. I’m watching a snow storm out the window as I write this review, though luckily nothing as bad as in the book. It’s always neat to read books set near your home, it makes the story feel more personal, and not many books are set in Iowa. Understandably. Not very exciting out here.

But as much as I enjoyed this thriller, I had some problems with it, too.

First, there seemed to be some continuity issues/unclear timing; fingers crossed that these issues were fixed in the final. Examples: in the beginning a woman got out of bed to look out the window, then a few paragraphs later she was staring at the ceiling, presumably lying in bed—but it never said she’d returned to bed. A few times the position of the sun or moon didn’t seem to jibe with the time it was supposed to be. But the biggest and most confusing instance was toward the end—

If you didn’t take the spoiler warning above seriously, now’s the time to reconsider.

On “game day,” the Woman said Dad habitually left at six, went for coffee and a donut, and was always back by eight. It’s horribly unclear if she means a.m. or p.m. Presumably 6 a.m., considering the coffee and donut, but I have no idea if she meant 8 a.m. or 8 p.m.; was his coffee run two hours long or did he go to work from there and get home late? From what I understand, the Woman and girl begin their escape not long after he left in the morning—but they don’t wreck the truck until late at night and aren’t discovered by Wylie until the wee hours. I know they had to switch to Plan B and couldn’t go very fast in the truck, but it did not take them 18 hours to get out of the basement and drive a couple miles. How could they have left at night, anyway? Did Dad live at the location where he kept them? That was also unclear. If he did, he surely might have heard the glass break, garage door rise, and truck start.

Speaking of their escape, why in the world did the Woman decide to try to escape in the middle of winter? I understand if perhaps she didn’t have a good grasp of day, month, and year in captivity—or maybe she did, considering she knew when it was Easter—but she could see the snow packed up against the window and feel the cold in the basement. Easy enough to infer it was winter. She knew they wouldn’t have adequate supplies and that it was possible they’d be on foot—so why in god’s name didn’t she wait for better conditions? There was no urgent reason to leave—well, I mean, obviously she’d want to end their captivity sooner than later, but it wasn’t like they were expecting him to come back and kill them that day. They’d learned to store up food and could get out to get more if necessary. She could have waited until it was less likely they’d die of exposure.

Yeah, their escape had a lot of holes in it. Lots of questions. Which leads me to my second big problem with the book—the ending. It really fell apart. There was the escape that didn’t make much sense, then the whole climax was pretty lame. The tension flatlined when Dad didn’t seem to consider the women much of a threat (and they really weren’t, sadly). He kinda just laughed at them and meandered his way around. He wasn’t sinister or even all that scary, just an arrogant creep. Also, I don’t understand why it went down the way it did. Why on earth didn’t Wylie let Jackson out of the shed to help? See if he had a functional cell phone on him, or ask him to use his radio like she had half a mind to do herself? Why did the Woman literally just sit on the couch and let Dad go after the girl, let Wylie and the girl do the fighting, let the girl pull the trigger? She finally had a chance to fight back, no matter how futile she might have thought her efforts would be, but she did nothing. Didn’t she have any pent up rage to expend? Shouldn’t she have been willing to do all she could to stop him and protect her child? I cannot express how incredibly unsatisfying it was that she just sat there.

Also during the end there was a moment I could have smacked Wylie, a stupid mistake that really lowered my respect for her. She got within reach of the villain. NEVER get within reach while they’re still breathing. Stupid, stupid. I doubted her intelligence for a couple other reasons; she had a million flashlights and extra batteries, that was excellent, but as afraid as she was of being trapped in the dark and cold, why didn’t she have a generator? Any kind of generator. Why didn’t she bring in a whole bunch of kindling and wood when she knew the storm was on its way so she wouldn’t have to go get them in the middle of the night in the middle of a storm? Also, she could have had a box fan or something to blow the heat of the fire around. And where were the candles? Kerosene lanterns? Emergency heat packs? The narrative acted like flashlights, a paltry wood fire, and some musty old blankets were her only choices.

Those were my biggest grievances. Otherwise I just have questions—did Dad set fire to the wrecked truck to destroy evidence, or did a downed electric wire really hit the gas tank somehow and make it go boom? Cause I have a very hard time believing that, and it never said either way. I also have a hard time believing they would have wrecked that badly by just sliding off the road. Maybe I missed something, but unless you go down a ravine or some sharp incline, it’s not likely you’ll flip the truck, tear a bunch of pieces off, and get thrown from the vehicle just by sliding on ice into the ditch. A ditch full of snow. Going a cautious speed. I’ve done it a few times myself, and hitting deer in the fall does a lot more damage than going in the ditch in a snowstorm.

I’m sure I’d have other questions about loose threads if I thought hard enough—like, so if Jackson wasn’t burning evidence in that tire fire, what in the world was it all about, then? Or why did Dad choose that day, of all days, to use the additional lock? Did he know she was sneaking about? Why wasn’t Dad concerned about the snowplow and the presence of another witness?—but I’ve made my point. (Apologies if any of those were explained and I just wasn’t paying attention.)

Overall, Gudenkauf writes excellent rising tension, sets up a great mystery, and can balance POVs well, but she needs to close her plot holes, further consider logistics, and generally work on her endings. The reader shouldn’t be left with questions.

What a clever author to know what to reveal and what to keep hidden and when to release those twists! Foolish me thought she had this book all figured out. I even thought I had figured out what I wasn't supposed to know yet. But that Iowa blizzard still held a few surprises for me! Three timelines kept me engaged and wondering what would happen next and how they would all come together. Okay, I thought I had that last part figured out early on. While the storyline was good and twisty, I never felt like we got to know the characters very well, including Wylie. I would have liked to know her a bit more. It felt like she was more developed but those parts didn't make it to the final product. Maybe so as to not mess with the non-stop action? But that is a minor inconvenience when you are sitting down to read a suspense book like this. It is a great read as long as you aren't stuck in a remote location in the middle of a blizzard without electricity or heat, have a cell phone that works, and no one trying to come at you with a variety of lethal weapons. Instead, I'd suggest some tea or cocoa and a dog to cuddle with. Don't plan on putting it down until you are done!

Wow! I had to basically lift by jaw off the floor after this one 🤯

Think No Exit meets Everything We Didn't Say.

Dual timelines. True crime. Unsolved murders. Need I say more? Probably not, but I will anyways!

The first few chapters had me going "what?" "who are these people?" "wait, huh?"... But then I understood what was going on and I was like "WHAT?" "WAIT, HUH?" "WHO are these people?"

Don't even read the synopsis, just read it and then come back to me and discuss 😂

Thank you so much Netgalley and Harlequin Publishers for the advanced copy! This book is out on January 25th!

Heather Gudenkauf is not a new author for me and I was looking forward to reading The Overnight Guest. Although I was able to guess the twists for the most part, it didn't disappoint.

The pacing on this was fantastic. I couldn't put it down. There are 3 POVs in 3 different time periods. I struggled for a minute but then it all came together and meshed seamlessly.

This was a perfect January read and the author sets the scene beautifully. The atmospheric descriptions were captivating. You felt as if you were also stuck in a snowstorm.

The Overnight Guest was a tense, taut, bingeable thriller that takes the reader for an enjoyable ride - a book to read under the covers with a hot chocolate in hand.

I want to thank PW, Park Row Books and NetGalley for advancing a Kindle edition in exchange for an honest review.

Don’t miss this twisty thriller that will keep you reading well past your bedtime. The Overnight Guest has three compelling narratives.

In August 2020, a husband and wife are murdered on a rural farm. Their twelve-year old daughter, Josie, was wounded but survived. Josie’s best friend, Becky, is missing along with Josie’s older brother, Ethan.

In the present, true crime author, Wylie, is finishing up her latest book in the house where the crime occurred. One night during a snowstorm, she finds a child in the snow outside the front door.

Finally, in a non-dated account, a young girl and her mother are held in a basement by a man the girl calls Dad. The girl doesn’t remember a time when she lived anywhere else.

I adore the many twists in this book! Some I saw coming but many, I did not. The book will resonate with me for days because of the realistic characters. The Overnight Guest is well worth your time due to its challenging and heartfelt plot. 4 stars!

Thanks to Park Row and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The plot twists caught me off guard! Once I started guessing what would happen next, the plot just kept surprising me. And even if you do figure some of it out, you will not be able to put the book down, until the last page is read.

Wylie, a true crime novelist, is staying in the house where murders occurred, while writing about its tragedies. At the same time, we get insight into what happened in 2000 leading up to and after the incident. It all builds to a crescendo... like a car wreck you cannot look away from.

Heather has a keen eye for detail. While reading the story, I got so caught up in the mystery of the lives of the characters, that the story just didn't seem to last as long, and yet was too long at the same time. Like you want to get to the good part, but not too fast...

It was a suspenseful, nail biting work of fiction that kept me awake, and 100% worth reading by thriller and mystery readers everywhere!

Thanks to @netgalley for the early copy. Get yours on the 25th of January.

Exciting mystery/thriller!

Gudenkauf's books are kind of hit or miss for me, but this one is definitely a hit. There are three separate storylines:
--Present day with true crime writer Wylie hunkered down in a house in order to finish her book. One night a horrible ice storm hits and Wylie finds a young boy nearly frozen to death. When she brings him into the house he won't speak, and when she goes to investigate where he came from, she finds an injured woman and a wrecked truck.
--The year 2000, a family with a rebellious teenage son and a younger teen daughter who has a friend come to stay the night
--A woman and her young daughter, the woman is being abused by the girl's father

These seemingly unconnected storylines come together in some surprising ways in the end. I liked the twists the author created and the winter setting that made me shiver and presented the perfect atmosphere for the present day storyline. This is contrasted with the thread from 2000, which takes place during a sweltering summer. The stark difference between the two makes for a very atmospheric tale.

I did guess most of what was going on after a bit, but the journey to bring the three threads together is the best part. The narrative moves quickly and kept me engaged throughout. The parts about the mom and the girl had shades of Room and the abuse was pretty difficult to read, that was my least favorite of the storylines because it felt really "been there done that" for any seasoned reader.

Overall, it is a captivating tale with some intrigue and surprises that make the book worth reading.

Not quite the binge read I was expecting and I wasn’t sure how it would all come together but it sure did. I think perhaps the reveal and connection between all the povs was a little too early - 55% in with another twist at the end that didn’t feel all that surprising.

All in all an easy weekend read and I’ll read more from this author.

Wow this was a whirlwind of a story! I wasn’t sure what direction it was going in at first, but I loved how it all came together.

The story begins with true crime writer, Wylie Lark, getting snowed in at a remote farmhouse where a brutal murder took place decades earlier. As the storm worsens, she discovers a young boy in the snow just outside of the house, and while she does everything she can to take care of him, he refuses to speak to her.

The POV then alternates to the past, before the murders took place. Here the reader is given some perspective as to what happened all those years ago to the Dobson family and Josie’s friend Becky.

Yet another POV is that of a mother and daughter being held captive by the little girl’s father. This part of the book definitely gave me “Room” vibes, and I found it just as intriguing as the previous two POVs.

At first I didn’t see how all of these different POVs were going to tie into one another, but Heather Gudenkauf expertly wove the web of this story into a masterpiece of suspense. Highly recommend this book!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4474006947

Wylie Lark is a true crime author who is staying in a rented farmhouse in Iowa to write about a multiple murders that took place 20 years earlier and the missing 13-year-old girl they never found. When a big snowstorm hits, Wylie finds a small child outside her house which leads to many secrets coming to light.

The less I tell you about this story the better, but this book started out with a bang and just keep going. I did not want to put it down. It’s told from three different timelines which really worked for this story. I needed to keep reading to see how they would all come together.

There is a pretty big reveal that I didn’t see coming at all, and I also didn’t put two and two together for “whodunnit” which really impresses me with a thriller. The Overnight Guest was my first book by Heather Gudenkauf, but won’t be my last.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you @netgalley for this! It’s my first time reading anything by Heather Gudenkauf and I will say she sealed her fate as one I will seek out now. 👏🏼 I started this on Thursday night, work up thinking about it and couldn’t wait for freedom on Friday so I could get back to it.

This book has the perfect winter atmosphere. I felt the cold solitude of the cabin that Wylie was in. Love that she was a true crime writer and I will say the crime she writes about caught my interest and held it from the start. I think the dual timelines really helped with this. All characters were well done and evoked sympathy and suspicion! It was a good mystery and will require some blankets and hot chocolate when reading ☃️

This book was so hard to put down; I finished it in one day!

I went into 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 by Heather Gudenkauf expecting a twisty, disquieting, grisly, and suspenseful thriller. And it was all that. But, what I didn’t expect was to be left in tears at the end. This book was more than just a murder mystery, it was full of immense emotion. It was a whodunnit, quite well done, but it was also a story of family, loss, tragedy and trauma, grief, unimaginable tenacity and survival, guilt, unspeakable violence, redemption, and above all—sisterhood. It was the bond of friendship at the center of this book that gave it its heart. I’m getting teary now just thinking about it. It was so well done and woven into the story.

I did have a pretty good idea of who the culprit was, but there were enough twists and suspects, questions asked, that it did lead me astray often and made me second-guess my target more than once, lol. I didn’t figure it out right away. I really liked that. And I also liked the way the multiple timelines eventually came together; they blended perfectly.

Not only will 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 thrill you, have you on the edge of your seat, sometimes shouting out loud, but it will twist your heart with a multitude of emotions. Seriously, you’ll be all over the place, lol. I definitely recommend it!

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙗𝙮 𝙃𝙏𝙋 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨/𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙍𝙤𝙬 (𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠-𝙮𝙤𝙪!). 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣.

First, I want to thank Heather Gudenkauf, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

WOW!!! WOW!! WOW!! Ohh Heather Gudenkauf’s The Overnight Guest is a book you MUST read for the year! Infact, you put it straight to the top! It is one of the most fascinating, intense, fast paced, twisted, shocking, nail biting, and totally addictive stories you will read this year! This is one book that people will be talking about-it is so good!! Heather has a true gift for writing suspense!!

Heather is a fantastic storyteller who thinks outside of the box to tell her story! I was just totally blown away with how deep, intense, heartbreaking and at times very powerful.

They always say to write what you know and what you are passionate about. I loved how Heather incorporated this into her storyline as it made me smile at the end.

The setting/scenery of this book was chilling and scary! Even living in Buffalo, NY I am not a winter girl and can’t imagine what those characters were feeling in those scenes.

One of my favorite characters was Wylie and for many different reasons. Mostly because she seemed like she had a good heart and wanted the best for others.

Heather’s book read like a movie in my mind. Infact, it would be perfect for a series on Netflix!

The Overnight Guest would be an excellent choice for a book club pic. Heather actually put some discussion questions in the back of the book for her readers.

Heather Gudenkauf is one of my favorite authors so I was very excited to read her newest book, The Overnight Guest! Wylie Lark is a true crime writer who is trying to finish her latest novel in an isolated farmhouse. While finishing up, she finds herself snowed in during a blizzard. She stumbles out in the storm after her dog and finds a young boy on the verge of death. She brings him inside and warms him up and upon waking, she can see that he is complete and utterly terrified. What is this boy’s story, and how did he end up out in this storm by himself?

Told from Wylie’s perspective in the present, as well as the story of the horrific murders that Wylie is writing about, Heather Gudenkauf has written another page-turner. There were a couple of things about the ending that bothered me but overall this was a great thriller that I couldn’t put down.

4.5/5

A true-crime writer, Wylie, is trapped in a snow storm all alone...or so she thinks. She is content to be holed up in the storm to focus on writing her new book. Except, the house she is stuck in happened to be a murder scene of a double homicide and the disappearance of a young girl. When she finds a small child outside in the snow, the secrets of the house slowly emerge.

I have mixed feelings about this book. While I did enjoy the plot, it was hard to keep up with the three POV's going on at the beginning. Eventually, they all merged to make sense, however, there were A LOT of characters to keep track of off the bat. I did find the end of the book dragged on a little bit and I knew the twist before reading it, however, this was a good middle-of-the-road thriller. I would definitely be open to reading more of Heather Gudenkauf's works.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Don't start this book unless you have time to finish!! One of those that you just can't put down!

Told in three interconnected storylines - this book draws you in and makes you see and feel all the words! It was like an intense movie! (It would make a great tv series)

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book that I otherwise might have missed!

Like me, Gudenkauf is from Iowa, so she always gets extra points from me because I love that her books take place in the Hawkeye state! This is another gripping read that will have you grabbing your blankets and flashlights because the setting (at least part of it) takes place during a typical Iowa blizzard/snowstorm. The story has 3 different timelines, each as creepy as the next. I will admit, I had part of the puzzle figured out before the end, but not all of it! And by the way, the 60-foot tree Gudenkauf mentions several times in the book (the one that sits in the intersection of 2 gravel roads)--it's a real thing!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC. However, the formatting of this particular ARC was messed up and it all ran together, making it hard to know where you were in the book. And there was some glitch in every word that had an "f"...

Phew! This one was an intense and all consuming read! I felt the bitter cold seeping into my skin while reading and the panic that I can only assume these characters were feeling. I absolutely love when an author can conjure up the feelings of being a part of a book and Heather does just that here. WOW!!! I devoured this book. I couldn’t stop reading. The pacing is perfect- starts out slow and them becomes extremely fast paced as things begin to happen! I felt so tense while reading this one and it really hit the spot for a winter read! If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading the authors thrillers, then you are missing out! They are EXCELLENT! Absolutely fantastic in every single way! She’s a pro at writing these novels and I look forward to a new one every year.

Just a few things about this book: it touches upon some DARK subjects (think ROOM). There’s a triple murder (which is pretty horrendous), a kidnapping, a confinement, and a twisted plotline that many won’t see coming. I just want to warn readers about these things because it is really intense. While I like books like this there are readers who may find some of these things triggering so read at your own risk!

If you need a thrilling escape for winter (this book takes place MOSTLY during a blizzard) then you can’t go wrong with this one! I very much recommend it!

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:
• A slow burning thriller (that DOES pick up at an alarming rate towards the end)
• A layered storyline
• A book rife with tension and unease

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Story: True crime writer Wylie Lark decides to take her next writing project to the remote farmhouse in Burden, the place where two murders occurred and a girl went missing without a trace decades earlier. Isolated and snowed in, the arrival of an unexpected guest will soon change her life as she tries to figure out who the child is.

My thoughts: Intense and thrilling - this is the perfect winter read! Exceptional plot, brilliant storytelling and great characters! I LOVED them all!

This story is told in three different story lines and timelines, and every single one of them was so good and unique in its own way. I was worried as it seems to make no sense in the beginning but the author masterfully weaved everything into a cohesive story in the end! It was utter brilliance!

I won't say much more about this book. You just have to read it to find out for yourself how good this book is!

Pub. Date: Jan 25th, 2022

***Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for this gifted review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.***

Buckle up, hold on tight to your seat and get ready for one of the most thrilling rides of your life. The Overnight Guest is Heather Gudenkauf’s latest masterpiece and you don’t want to miss this one. This is a fast paced heart pounding story that will grab you on page one and you will not be able to turn those pages fast enough. It is told in multiple storylines but is very easy to follow. This book checks all the boxes. It has so much emotion, both for the characters and reader. There are many twist and turns, thrills, horrific crime, kidnapping and abuse. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and there were times I almost fell off. It is captivating and compelling and the unexpected ending will leave your jaw on the floor. My heart starts to race just thinking about it. I highly recommend this one if you are a lover of psychological suspense.

Thank You NetGalley, Heather Gudenkauf and Harlequin/Park Row Books for an advanced copy of this chilling thriller in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
#netgalley #theovernightguest #heathergudenkauf. #harlequin/parkrow #arc #htpinfluencer