Jamie and his wife Victoria decide to make a last minute trip before the birth of their son. Their idea place to stay in the country had no availability so they booked a room in a remote area. They were staying with a husband and wife who began as charming host although a little to friendly as they would have liked a bit of privacy. Victoria winds up going into labor and all hell breaks loose. The host had a different agenda for renting out their home. The book goes back and forth form there and now and you will be on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what the hell happened!!!!!

Thank you to Negalley and Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc for the online ARC.
Ay Dios Mio what did I just read........this book had me hooked I needed to figure out what happened the author did not give anything away and kept everything close to the vest. I loved it

It was actually pretty difficult for me to keep up with the different timelines as I felt it jumped back and forth. I usually are not a huge fan of books that does that and it sadly didn't work this time either. You get a hint just from the start what happens and it ruined the reading experience I'm sad to say.
The rating reflect that it wasn't the right one for me.

Excellent! How far would you go to protect the ones you love?

A tense, domestic thriller with some great twists that you will race through!

I loved this book. From the start it had me hooked as to what just happened at the Guest House and man, did it deliver. It was a very tightly plotted and written story that kept me guessing and trying to figure it out. Very well written characters. I found myself flying through the chapters to just see what was going to happen. I will definitely be looking for the authors previous book and look for new ones. New fan. If you like your thrillers well written, expertly paced and full of chills and thrills then stop and pick this one up. You won’t regret it. I got an advance copy via NetGalley.

Advance review copy received with thanks from the publisher and NetGalley.
Reading taste is subjective. So, while this one wasn't for me, many readers will enjoy.
Trigger warnings: violence towards children and foetuses.

The Guest House is about a couple who take a “babymoon” to a quiet bed and breakfast, only to wake up on their first day there having been locked in the house with no keys or connection to the outside world. To top it off, the pregnant wife goes into labor weeks early. What ensues after this point is incredibly predictable once you start reading.

I typically love a dual timeline but, in this case, the future storyline basically told you what to expect in the past storyline, which made this thriller a lot less thrilling. When the author wasn’t spelling the plot out for you, the clues as to what would come were anything but subtle, given that the characters’ occupations and histories aligned with the exact expectations of the role they would play in the novel. Those expectations were rarely—perhaps, never—subverted by the author.

On the plus side, there was a small twist that moved this story from a 2-star to 2.5-star for me. I also appreciated that there was a representation of disability in this book that I’ve rarely, if ever, seen in literature. Unfortunately, the ending felt so unrealistic that even a 2.5-star rating feels generous to this novel.

While I love the mystery/thriller genre, I’m not a fan of domestic thrillers in particular; so, maybe I’m just not the ideal audience for this story. I probably would have DNF’d this book at 100 pages if I hadn’t received it as an arc. (For this reason, I rounded my 2.5-star rating to a 2-star on the whole-star scale.)

Victoria and Jamie have been trying to conceive for a long time. Despite several rounds of IVF, they have not been successful. It seems that they will never be parents, so when Victoria becomes pregnant it’s like a miracle, and Jamie is very excited.

This book started really well, with the story switching between two timelines, a month apart. Each chapter was told from the perspective of either Victoria or Jamie. It was good to see a protagonist with a disability, and it did explain the actions taken and the struggles involved.

Sadly, the storyline soon became too far fetched, unlikely and repetitive. The holiday taken by the couple would not have happened, a husband would not have let his eight months pregnant wife travel so far from home, even if she thought it a good idea! The scenario outside the night club was odd, what was the point of that plot line? The threats to kill were also unpleasant, and far too frequent. No spoilers but other readers will know which threats I refer to.

The characters were all bland, no depth there. Set in England, with English characters, so why the Americanisms? Very jarring.

A readable but not riveting book.

Thank you NetGalley.

At first I found the whole premise a bit unbelievable...but I hung in there through this twisty suspense story. Definite points for creativity by the author.

The Guest House is the story of Jamie and Victoria, a young couple who are expecting a baby. I can't remember where they live, but it's a large city in England or maybe Scotland. Anyway, they decide to take a trip near the end of Victoria's pregnancy, and choose a remote guest house. Already, the premise is silly. Why would any woman who is used to living in civilization decide to go away to a very remote location for a weekend when she is weeks away from her due date? With the closest hospital an hour away? And I should add this is her first baby that they struggled to conceive. That's not a woman who would willingly go away to the middle of nowhere at the end of her pregnancy.

Naturally, she goes into labor. Jamie finds that their keys and phones are missing and they are locked in the guest house. From there, they have to negotiate with Barry and Fiona, the owners of the guest house, who have very strange ulterior motives. The story takes some crazy leaps.

I didn't like either Victoria or Jamie, so it was hard to root for them. Jamie has cerebral palsy, and I do very much appreciate the addition of a character with a physical difference. I didn't feel that his disabilities due to cerebral palsy were used in a gratuitous way, nor is he given a disability just to check a diversity box. It's relevant to the story, and makes his character more interesting. This part was well done.

The story is crazy. It definitely delivers with nutty twists. It's just that none of it is believable - not always an issue for me, but in this case just ended up feeling really cheesy. If you like Lifetime movies, give it a go. If not, I'd skip it.

A special thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC of The Guest House.

Every time I read a mystery/thriller I crave the next one! The cover of the Guest House was super intriguing as well as the description. Victoria and Jamie, a young couple on the verge of welcoming their first child, check into a guest house for a pre-baby vacation and some peace & quiet. Victoria goes into labor the very next day and as they. try to leave the guest house stye realize they are trap, without phones and access to help. This book is full of twists and turns and really good read

Wow! From the very beginning with the differing narrators and timeframes I was hooked. This is definitely a finish-in-one-sitting book. I really enjoyed that the resolution didn’t take up too much time so that there was more action and more character building. Would 100 percent read this author again. Highly, highly recommend.

The Guest House by Robin Morgan Bentley is a suspenseful, twisty novel that questions the lengths a couple will go to save and protect the ones you love. Upon first impressions Victoria and Jamie seem to have an ideal relationship and are happily awaiting the birth of their first child after years of hardship, tears and frustration. Victoria is weeks away from giving birth, so they decide to go on one last mini getaway before the baby arrives, to a remote guesthouse away from the hectic hustle of everyday city life. Jamie and Victoria find themselves in dangerous circumstances when they awake in the morning and their hosts, a seemingly harmless retired couple Fiona and Barry, lock them inside the guesthouse with no way out. What ensues is a terrifying, tension-filled journey that brings up the ethical questions about how far one is willing to go to protect their family and the repercussions they face by their actions.

What I liked:
-creepy atmosphere of the remote guesthouse
-tension filled story…at times I was scared for Victoria and Jamie with the perils they faced
-twist and turns that I didn’t see coming
-rich character development and how the story is told from dual perspectives in a nonlinear way
-I loved, loved, loved how Jamie had a disability and was portrayed in an inclusive and believable way, that despite his shortcomings was a brave,successful, and thriving person…I loved this representation and would love to see more protagonists with differences

What I didn’t like:
-I would have liked to see even more description and background with the guest house, to add even more suspense
-even more backstory on Jamie’s life experiences, especially his childhood and living with a disability
-Victoria, I found her selfish and entitled, but I do not fault the author because that adds to the character development and adds to the story

My rating: 4 out of 5

I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy a fast paced light thriller. An easy read for fans of Lucy Foley.

Trigger warnings
This may be extremely upsetting for couples who have struggled with fertility issues and getting pregnant.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

You follow Jamie and Victoria on their last short trip before the baby comes. They happen to go to a B&B miles away from everything. Then, the baby is coming and they are locked in with no way out. From there on the story evolves rapidly.

Right from the start the story grabbed me and I was hooked. It is written in such a way that you need to keep on reading because you really want to find out what will happen next. Switching between what happened earlier and then a few months later made sure that the tension and excitement stayed and made you continue reading. To alternate between the characters to give the reader different viewpoints also brought an extra layer to this story.

WOW! What in the heck did I just read?? I was expecting a decent psychological suspense, but I got way more than that and then some! Terrific writing & really interesting (if not shady) characters that kept me glued the whole way through! Twists and turns when you least expect and an ending you won't believe! Read this book!!

Firstly thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.
I finished this book in a day, it's highly addictive and very easy to read. A young couple, Jamie and Victoria find themselves trapped in a remote house, the doors and windows locked and their possessions taken from them. Victoria is a few weeks away from her due date when she goes into labour. The owners of the house come back & what happens next is truly bizarre really. It's so crazy and I had a real hatred for this couple, Barry and Fiona, especially as they are meant to be such respected people, him high up in the police and her a retired midwife.

The story goes back & forth in time, today they are telling people that their baby son died at birth, but clearly he didn't. There were a few odd things about the story and one major discrepancy for me that had me suspicious about a certain person. Which in turn meant that I guessed the twist beforehand.
It's even more crazy when you find out the truth, the extreme lengths some people go to!

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. A little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Robin Morgan-Bentley for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Guest House.

It took a little bit of time to get into the story. I wasn’t paying enough attention to the dates, so I didn’t know it was jumping back and forth in time.

I enjoyed Jamie and Victoria in the beginning. It was easy to think they were getting away for a baby-moon. I thought the tone was eerie in the beginning. Barry and Fiona definitely acted strange and I was wondering why they were locking them in and why Fiona had all the right equipment for the baby’s birth. Then when they said they were keeping the baby, I was rooting for Jamie and Victoria to get away and escape with the baby. It was kind of like no, you absolutely have no right to take the baby.

I loved the first twist of Victoria being in on the plan for Barry and Fiona to take her baby. But then when I found out the reasoning, I was less excited. I’m really not a fan of adultery in books. I understand it happens, but I don’t like to read about it. After that, I didn’t want to root for Victoria. If I had known it would have adultery, I probably wouldn’t have read it. I know it’s weird. Murder mysteries, psychological thrillers—love it! Adultery and cheating—dislike it!

It was also a little hard to understand Victoria’s motive behind killing Barry if she was in on it.

Overall, I loved the beginning and middle, but the last few chapters weren’t my favorite. It kind of ruined things for me. I was just glad Jamie got Danny in the end and that Danny was safe. The other people were too crazy for me. I don’t think this book was for me.

I would be interested in reading something else from this author in the future though.

The storyline did not appeal to me at all! The writing was pretty good and there was a twist at the end that I did not see coming. I would not reccommend based on the storyline.

Loved this! A really well written psychologist thriller with some unexpected twists that I didn’t see coming. Victoria and Jamie go on a small get away before their new baby arrives. While there Victoria goes into labor early but all the doors and windows are locked and the owners of the home are nowhere to be found. The book then goes back and forth between what happens during and after Victoria’s labor and after they leave the guest house. While it wasn’t super fast paced to me it definitely held my interest until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!