The Overnight Guest is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Overnight Guest today.

What an awesome thriller. This book sucked me in so much that I did not want it to end. Even my daughter ended up reading it. Highly recommend if you are in the mood for a thriller as it’s going to be coming fall soon. Cannot wait to read more books from this author

The snowed in vide in this book was great! I read it in the middle of the summer, but it gave me all
the feels of the winter by a fireplace reading a really good mystery. The storytelling was stellar!
I will read more from Heather Gudenkauf. Thank you Net galley.

This had me SPOOKED. On the edge of my reading chair the entire time!! I am telling you to pick this one up during Halloween time.

This book was intense! The plot was very thrilling and terrifying. I felt very engaged in the story because I really wanted to uncover the whole mystery, and it was a satisfying reveal that I didn’t feel was too predictable. The narrative switches between the past and present but was not difficult to follow along to. I appreciated the way the plot progressed and how everything started to fall into place.

In Heather Gudenkauf’s The Overnight Guest, this spine-tingling thriller will give you chills and goosebumps on every turned page. Twenty years ago, twelve-year-old Josie Doyle’s world was chattered when her parents and brother were brutally slaughtered on one summer night. Her best friend Becky Allen was presumed missing. She remained the sole survivor, emotionally scarred, and lived a new life. Now, under the name of Wylie Lark, a true crime writer, she returned to where it all happened to discover new clues to the mystery of that cold case on one winter night. Estranged from her teenage son and husband, she revisits the crime scene to help her remember. On that winter night, she receives a surprise overnight from a little girl and her mother, who told their own story about how they escaped being held prisoner for over two decades. Would this connect the dots to her past to solve this case and give it a happy ending?
 
This twisted psychological thriller is well-written and had the same appeal as ripped through the headlines news stories we’ve heard for the past two decades.  I cared for Wylie/Josie on how she suffered a brutal loss at such a young age and how persevered to come out strong as a young woman. I also rooted for Becky and her young daughter on how they endured a wrath of a mad man for over two decades and lived to tell about it.  The location of Burden Iowa was picture perfect for a small-town triple homicide during the summer. The winter storm scenes painted the scenic settings to tell the story in less than one day. The dual themes of the story are to have forgiveness by letting go of the past and shaping your own future by facing your fears.

This heart-thumping thriller will have you at the edge of your seat. I had no issues with this book.  I rated this book, four out of five stars, since it was a bit dark in nature.  If you love psychological thrillers with non-stop action, plenty of dramatic suspense, and lots of deep twisted turns, the Overnight Guest will do that to you. This book is recommended for those who love Sandra Brown’s Chill Factor, true crime novels, TV shows ad podcasts, and noir thrillers.

Even though it was a little predictable at some point I thought that this was a perfectly good thriller I really enjoyed listening.
The story starts in pieces which very slowly come together, in fact there are many storylines that come together in a, if not always coherent, but very suspenseful way and it sure keeps you engaged the whole time. Characters were likable too!

If I learned anything from this book, it is to never stay in a house where people have been murdered! With that being said, this book was awesome! I was on the edge of my seat and guessing the whole time!

I am participating in the blog tour for Heather Schmida Gudenkauf's newest book The Overnight Guest.

In a snowstorm, the safest place is home. Or is it?

I have been a fan since I read her first book The Weight of Silence. The Overnight Guest is a taut and atmospheric thriller that I found hard to put down. Even though I was reading it from sunny Florida right before New Year's Eve, her descriptive writing took me straight back to a blizzard in Iowa, which is the setting of the book. True Crime writer Wylie is working on her latest book holed up in a house where two people were killed in cold blood and young girl went missing.
As the blizzard worsens, Wylie ends up outside where she finds a young child nearly frozen in the snow. How did the child get there? Wylie brings the child inside to get the child warm and to find out more about what happened. Wylie finds out more than she counted on and soon finds her life and the child's life are in danger and she has no way to get help.
I just could not stop reading until the very shocking and climactic end. You will not see the end coming, trust me!

Ugggg. I read this book because I’ve read several of her other books and have always loved them. I hate to give any author low ratings but especially one that I’ve loved so much in the past.

I think sometimes we can just take things too far in life. Suspense is wonderful but when it just drags on and on it can almost be like foreplay that goes on too long. Where you’re all bothered and in a rush to get to the next step, but then it’s pushed too far and nothing advances and it becomes repetitive and suddenly you’re thinking about what you’re going to have for dinner whilst in the midst of something that should allow no other thoughts in your head!!! The author just spent too long building three timelines and cutting the reader off to jump to the other. One or two pages of building up of one timeline then to be halted and having to jump to another. It was fine for a while but after so long (the entire book) it just became frustrating and not in a good way…then I just wanted it to be over already…

When the storylines did all come together it just wasn’t believable for me. Too contrived and far fetched for me to believe it. Parts built up and then so easily dismissed and glossed over.

I’m so glad this wasn’t my first reading of this author.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

This book had me gripping the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. I was hooked from the beginning. Reading about the beginning and the trauma that took place I was dying to figure out what was going on and who was responsible for it. I was taken on a ride and thought I had it figured out but I didn’t really figure it out until the end! 

I loved how the story was wrapped up and have recommended it to many people!

If I could use one word to describe this it would be atmospheric. I loved this story! I was instantly transported into the "cozy" house and kept on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the quick pace and the short chapters!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was a fun twisty thriller that had me guessing till the end. The narrator Brittany Pressley did an amazing job keeping the creepy vibe going and I really enjoyed the way it ended. I need more of this author's books in my life!

The overnight guest was fast paced.  I couldn’t put it down once I started. The eeriness of the truck parked and waiting , the girls fleeing the gunshots , the knock at the door  , created such a feeling of  suspense and dread. Read with the lights on. Loved this book for its suspense at every turn and it’s twist I never saw coming.

This book wasn't for me. I found the pacing to be very slow and there were multiple POV's that at the beginning I found hard to distinguish. Overall, the book didn't hold my attention and I had a hard time finishing it.

I have been such a huge fan of Heather Gudenkauf! 

I have read all her books and will continue to do so :)

This was an intense storyline as we always should expect from Gudenkauf. We are introduced to many storylines at the beginning of the book. They all seem random at first but each storyline flowed seamlessly and came together beautifully at the end. 

Each character and storyline added more tension and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The only minor issue I had was the ending. I felt it was a bit unbelievable and tad dramatic and over the top. I was a bit sad because I love my bang of endings.

Overall, this was another decent read of Heather's! Can't wait to see her next.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for my copy.

True Crime writer Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being alone.  To finish her new book, she rents a house in the middle of nowhere and it would be perfect except for the fact that many years ago, two people were murdered there and a young girl disappeared without a trace.  A blizzard moves in, trapping Wylie in the house, cut off from the outside world.  Until she finds a young child outside.  As she goes to investigate, Wylie finds that she might not be as alone as she thought.

This book was a wild ride.  I really enjoyed the isolation aspect of the book.  It has a very limited cast of characters and as such, you really get to know each of them.  The tension and the pacing were so well done to keep me engaged even with the limited setting and characters.  The twist/reveal at the end was a little predictable, but not so much that it took away from the story.

Another aspect that I really enjoyed was how Gudenkauf used three separate timelines that all wove together seamlessly to tell the whole story.  Nothing was included that didn’t feel necessary and it made this a very enjoyable read.  I will definitely be checking out future works by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row, and Heather Gudenkauf for an e-arc of The Overnight Guest in exchange for an honest review.

How has Heather Gudenkauf not been on my reading radar?! To say that I loved this mystery/thriller is an understatement. This book has everything I enjoy about the mystery/thriller genre: atmospheric suspense, unreliable characters, and a juicy plot twist mixed in. My only regret is that I didn’t read it during the winter season to add to my reading experience. I bought my own copy to add to my personal library and reread this coming winter. Make sure you cancel all your plans if you’re going to read this one because you won’t want to put it down!  As for me, I’m headed to find more books by this author and will be watching for her next great read.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishing house, Harlequin Trade Publishing, for providing an advanced copy for review. All thoughts and opinions written in this review are my own. My review of The Overnight Guest can be found on Goodreads, Amazon, my Instagram and Facebook book club page, and my local library website.

True Crime writer, Wylie Lark, decided the best way to immerse herself in her new book would be to rent the farmhouse that was the scene of the crime in rural Iowa. She has been at the house for a few weeks when a winter storm hits the area. The weather doesn't bother Wylie. The remote location doesn't bother Wylie, but finding a small boy nearly frozen to the ground in her front yard bothers her. Especially since the landline has been knocked out by the storm, and she broke her cell phone. The young boy doesn't speak but is clearly afraid of something or someone. Wylie leaves the house in the middle of the storm to see if she can find any clue where this child came from. What she finds only gives her more questions. A car crash and an injured woman that Wylie can't help without the proper tools. When she returns with those tools, the woman is gone. Wylie's desperate to help those who need it, but she is worried that there is something more going on than just a car accident. 


The Overnight Guest is another edge-of-your-seat thriller from Iowa native Heather Gudenkauf. Heather and I have that in common. I am also an Iowa native and I love seeing pieces of home in her novels. Like her mention of Casey's General Stores, which was my first gig after college and my first step into management. This story is told in alternating voices and the one voice is tough to read at times. I could consider it a trigger warning for some. It was a bit gory and graphic, too. Which added to the thrilling nature of the book, but made it tough to read. The intense ending was perfect for the story. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS 


Bottom Line - If you are familiar with the works of  Heather Gudenkauf, you know that she writes exciting thrillers you cannot put down until you read the last page. The Overnight Guest is just as good as every other one she has written. 

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
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Pages: 352
Publisher: Park Row
Publication Date: 1/25/2022
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for a review.

I absolutely loved this book! I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend reading it! You won’t be disappointed.