Whoa! This story was one of the most original and mind blowing plots that I have read in a murder mystery story in a long time! Parallel timelines and unreliable narration kept me guessing until the very end. I couldn't put this book down and read it in a day, staying up until late at night. This story was a crazy ride, the story pulls you in different directions and keeps you captivated from the get go. Highly recommend if you’re looking to don your detective hat.

If I could, I would give WAY MORE than a mere 5 stars!! This was SO good! I absolutely LOVED everything about it except one thing. That thing is that with this being an ARC, I'm afraid that I've ALREADY read the best book of 2022! What is there to look forward to now? I don't even know where to start. I am a long-time reader of Heather's books and she just gets consistently better and better. Other that the fact that I have a job and work a lot of long hours, I could not put this one down. I thought about it constantly while at work and couldn't wait to get back to it. The characterization was excellent! I felt as if knew these people, which made it so easy to root for them. Wylie was amazing, villain was terrifying, Tas was a great addition, great story of surviving tragedy, fast-paced.....I could go on and on but I don't want to give anything away. The atmosphere was like I was right there in that freezing cabin during a snowstorm, which being a lifelong Texan, I really enjoyed that part. The author also did a great job of setting a terrifyingly claustrophobic feeling of being lost in a cornfield. The story is told in three different time-frames and of seemingly unrelated incidences. It is so cool how they start becoming interwoven with a lot of AH-HA moments thrown in! Just READ IT! You will not be disappointed.

Heather’s stories just get better and better. This one …. !! If you like to figure things out as you read a story, you will be challenged. Spellbinding storytelling.

I read this during an early November snow. The dark night, coupled with the wind set the tone for this novel of a true crime author completing her novel during a snow storm in a house where two people were murdered more than 10 years previously. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

The Overnight Guest
A Novel
by Heather Gudenkauf
A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstorm in this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf
She thought she was alone…
True-crime writer Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace.

As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls—haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them.


Thanks to Heather Gudenkauf and NetGalley for the advance copy for my HONEST review.

I liked the Overnight Guest. I did not love it. IT was slow and wordy. it does pick up steam after a few chapters in. I am one in a few I am pretty sure that will indeed LOVE it.

This book was amazing! It creeped me out in some parts and tugged at my heart strings in others. The alternating storylines flowed together smoothly. This author is a superstar!

Myystery writer is snowed in to a secluded farmhouse and finds a boy lost in the snow. This starts another great title from Heather Gudenkauf; an author that should be on everyone's "must read" list!

5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I would definitely be recommending this book to readers on my Instagram bookstagram account.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A tragedy occurred at a farm house 20 years ago, which left 2 people dead and 2 people missing. Now, a true crime author is renting that house and trying to write her latest book. In the midst of a storm, she finds a child lying on the snow and tries to get to find out where he came from.

3.5 stars.

This wasn't a bad book. It was a solid story and it wrapped up neatly, but I found I had a hard time getting into it. I was interested in the current day situation more than the past. Still it was a solid story and I will read more from this author.

I really enjoyed this title. I liked the twists and turns and the writing style is nice and smooth. The story flows well and kept my attention. Thank you for the opportunity to read this title. I will be recommending this one to friends.

Besides the fact that a majority of the actions taken in this book aren't plausible I actually enjoyed the mystery.
I saw where it was going from early on because the author laid the clues out very nicely.
The ending was pretty rushed and just over like that, but the build up was very medium paced.
Thanks for the review copy and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Solid suspense well-paced across multiple narrative perspectives. Just enough detail with the violence to where it captures the brutality and lasting damage to the psyche without being too much gore. .

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf. Publication date is 25 January 2022. I offer my review freely.

If a book is so captivating that I can't put it down, I give it five stars. If I think about the story all day and rush to bed to read at night, I give it five stars. This is such a novel.

The book starts out with three seperate narratives that are each more compelling than the other. In one, we follow Wiley, a true crime writer who welcomes an unexpected guest in her rented house amidst a snowstorm. In the other, we meet Josie, who lives on a farm and finds herself living a nightmare. Finally, there is a little girl and her mom, locked in a basement for years.

The author caught my attention immediately. She made me care about each and every one of these stories. She expertly pulled me in until the storylines converged, at which point I simply could not put the book down. This was truly a great read!

4.5 stars

DANG.

I generally do enjoy Heather Gudenkauf''s works but this was especially gripping for me. I finished it in about 12 hours, blowing through it on a lazy Sunday. It's quite captivating and hard to put down.

I can see how the three separate timelines can confuse people but I think that it was easier for me to keep track of since I was able to read it so quickly.

I was especially into this story since my maiden name is Doyle (!).

Overall it's a tightly woven and well-written story that kept me on the edge of my seat. May have been a bit too easy to suss some things out but it didn't dimish the story for me one bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 Stars

“It isn’t the dark you should be afraid of…it’s the monsters who step out into the light that you need to fear.”

Wylie Lark, writer of true crime novels, has rented an isolated farm house to complete her manuscript on her latest novel. One that is set in the very location she is staying. During a snow storm, Wylie ventures out in the night to see why her dog is refusing to come inside. What she discovers is a young child frozen to the ground and barely alive. Frantic to do everything she can to help, Wylie takes the child inside her home. But as the fierce winds blow and the snow storm worsens, Wylie’s fear of the dark will soon take her on a dangerous path into her past…

Holy chill-fest! This mystery had me biting my nails to the very last page! Without giving too much away, just pay attention to the chapter breaks—there are three stories going on within these pages, and the author does a thrill-tastic job in tying everything together! Highly recommend to fans of this genre!



**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

Trust me, whatever else you plan to do when reading this novel e.g. shopping, working, getting married - just plan on a few cancellations. After reading a previous novel, This Is How I Lied, I knew I would be in for a treat. This was beyond my expectations, think more of never ending buffet of your favorite things. Believable characters, strong women, two dark mysteries swirling around our central one, Wylie. Wylie is finishing up her final draft of a true crime novel, away from her family deep into winter at a lonely Airbnb. She finds a silent young boy injured in a snowstorm. So we have the ongoing true crime story and this new overnight guest. The descriptive isolating snowstorm makes for tense writing as we weave from one story back to the other. Brilliant twists, unexpected twists and explosive twists. Everything you want in a novel is right here and more.

Too many threads in this story. Did not like it at all. It was too jarring to keep switching between 3 different storylines. Not for me.

"It isn't the dark you should be afraid of...it's the monsters who step out into the light that you need to fear."

Was true crime writer Wylie's moving to a house in the middle of nowhere to complete her book the right decision? Is she safe from her dark, decades-old secrets? Is her new guest - the overnight guest - one of them?

This slow-moving mystery was such an engaging, cozy wintery read, and an excellent survival thriller! There are multiple characters/POVs that seem independent from one another at first but are in fact connected in the most unexpected way.

The twists and turns are dark and completely unpredictable. The final line in chapter four got my attention and at that moment I was hooked, and the second half (the final chapters, especially) keep you on the edge of your seat as they're filled with suspense!

"It isn't the dark you should be afraid of...it's the monsters who step out into the light that you need to fear."

Was true crime writer Wylie's moving to a house in the middle of nowhere to complete her book the right decision? Is she safe from her dark, decades-old secrets? Is her new guest - the overnight guest - one of them?

This slow-moving mystery was such an engaging, cozy wintery read, and an excellent survival thriller! There are multiple characters/POVs that seem independent from one another at first but are in fact connected in the most unexpected way.

The twists and turns are dark and completely unpredictable. The final line in chapter four got my attention and at that moment I was hooked, and the second half (the final chapters, especially) keep you on the edge of your seat as they're filled with suspense!

Another awesome book by the always awesome author Heather Gudenkauf. Gudenkauf always delivers and fans will be on the edge of their seats while reading this one.