Wow - this is full on! The pace is fast, the content dark and the detail sometimes excruciating. I loved the use of different perspectives as the plot was revealed - really kept me guessing. I read this in a sitting - really good, strong thriller.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press!

This was a fast paced, twisty thriller that I could not put down once I got into it. Also enjoyed the twist at the end!

Imagine going on a quick getaway with your husband before the birth of your child and waking up to find that you have been locked into the guest house, your phones and car keys missing. This book grabs you right at the start and then submerses you into a devious plan. Twists along the way will shock you in this page-turner, right up until the end.

I didn't think I could be triggered by a book until this book. As a mom it really hit home and I felt a sense of dread throughout the entire book, so much so that I had to read a romcom alongside this book just so I could ease off the edge of my seat. That's a first for me. While I did have this sinking pit in my stomach the entire ride, I think that's what made this a 5 star read for me. It's suspenseful and twisty in all the best ways. I love a good twist and the author did a great job shocking me.

The story follows Jamie and Victoria as they embark on one last relaxing vacation before their son is born. They book a guest house in a secluded area. When they awake the next morning, the owners are gone, things are missing and they're locked inside. Suddenly the baby is coming and there's no way to call for help or get out of the house. The book jumps back and forth in time throughout. During present day Jamie and Victoria are grieving, they keep receiving threats to keep quiet and their marriage is falling apart. What happened to them on that terrible trip to the guest house?

A special thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Holy cannoli. I finished this book in 2.5 hours. This is a psychological thriller with some interesting tension. It IS over the top but the entertainment value is high.

Jamie and Victoria go away for a weekend to a remote guest house right before their baby is due. Everything appears to be fine and their hosts, Barry and Fiona, are helpful. But when they wake the next morning, Jamie and Victoria are locked inside the house with their phones and keys missing. Victoria is starting to have contractions and there’s nowhere else to go.

Told in alternating POVs and dual timelines, the story is intense and pretty crazy. I didn’t love the aftermath of the major reveal but it needed to be wrapped up somehow. Still worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC.

This was my first book by this author and wow, what a great first impression! I flew through this book basically in one sitting (had I not had training for school, it would've been a true one-sit read.) but nonetheless I finished it in a day.

It was that addicting; a true page turner. I had to know the truth of Danny, and what happened in the guest house. This book was suspenseful, atmospheric, and unexpectedly dark! I loved that, the darker the better. At times the characters genuinely pissed me off, which I think is a good thing if you can write a character I hate, or two for that matter.

I felt for Jamie and Victoria throughout this book, and just how I said it was unexpectedly dark, it was also unexpectedly emotional and heart-wrenching. I didn't see a majority of the twists coming, and said "what the f*ck" a couple of times too, which is always a treat.

I thought the ending wrapped everything up nicely as well. I'm going to check out this authors other books!

Thanks to @Poisoned Pen Press and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Expecting their first child, Jamie and Victoria couldn’t be happier, but before their bundle of joy arrives they decide to enjoy one last peaceful vacation at a remote cabin. What could go wrong, right? Well, quite a lot actually. When they wake the next morning they find that not only are their hosts game, but Victoria begins to have contractions…weeks too early. They need to call for help or get to a hospital…the only problem is their cell phones are missing, as are their car keys, and they are locked in the cabin! This is one heck of a wild thriller with plenty of twists that kept me hooked from start to finish. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Guest House.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1098M853OLTD/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Pub date: 9/13/22
Genre: thriller
One sentence summary: Jamie and Victoria are on vacation before the arrival of their baby - but when the baby comes early, they realize they've been trapped in their isolated guest house with no way out.

I love an isolated country thriller, and this one delivered! Author Morgan-Bentley did a great job showing Jamie and Victoria's terror and desperation - and wow were their hosts Barry and Fiona creepy! Even your worst vacation disaster is nothing compared to this nightmare. I had some guesses about the plot, but I didn't manage to predict the twists or the ending! I think this will be a great winter thriller when it's too cold to go outside. You can definitely read it in one sitting.

Trigger warning: As you can tell from the plot summary, the plot contains the premature delivery of a baby in a non-hospital setting. If you are currently pregnant or squeamish about birth/pregnancy, this may not be the book for you.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing a NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oof. Having just had a baby 6 months ago this was (at times) tough to get through.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I enjoyed their writing, although sometimes it felt like some of the descriptions were simply unnecessary. I didn’t need to read about Jamie’s curly hair as often as I did. I thought the mystery was good, the “twist” wasn’t quite what I expected, and while it was clearly written by someone who had never given birth, overall I would read something by this author again!

At the start of this I was intrigued while simultaneously being completely confused. I’ve seen some rave reviews for this one but it didn’t work as well for me.

What I liked:
-The obscure creepy setting of an old church in a snowy field far from anything. (A very similar to the setting Rock Paper Scissors.)
-The twist was unexpected and creative.
-The epilogue.

What didn’t work for me:
-There were no truly likable characters. This isn’t always a deal breaker but makes it harder for me to connect to a story.
-A lot of build up and backstory that didn’t quite keep my attention like I’d have hoped.
- Felt long even thoughts it’s only 320 pages

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Guest House immediately sucked me in. I was speeding through the pages until about 50% in. At halfway I began getting frustrated with the storyline and why there wasn’t more action taking place. After the twist was revealed I understood more of the character choices in the book. And what a twist it was. Although I still don’t quite understand the reasoning behind the twist I thought the author wrote this novel in a way to keep the reader guessing throughout the whole thing which made it a very entertaining read.

I will say this book was not easy for me to read as a mom. It really tugged at my heart strings and it was really difficult to keep reading through parts. So, please beware of that going forward.

The Guest House by Robin Morgan Bentley

Special thanks to net galley and poisoned pen press

After many challenges trying to have a child; Jamie and Victoria are finally prepping for the arrival of their son. Anxious to get a weekend away, they find a secluded B&B with the hopes of getting a little reprieve. Their plans are turned upside down when Victoria goes into unexpected early labor and being miles and miles away from the nearest hospital isn’t their only challenge. They awake to find their phones, keys and other personal belongs are missing and most shockingly, they’ve been locked in the house. Told in alternating timelines between the birth and three months later we uncover the horrors these new parents endure and how they came to leave their child behind.

The initial storyline and first 60% of the book were great, kept me engaged and had several really well written, intense scenes that built up the horror of Victoria and Jamie’s situation. I was so enthralled by this original storyline that the pages turned easily until I reached the twist. The twist and ending is borderline unbelievable; its a risk that you run when dropping a major plot twist that had zero signals whatsoever, it makes the first part of the book not make sense almost. Looking back, I also had trouble connecting with the characters from the get go just for going along in general with leaving their newborn behind to an elderly woman; no matter how crazy or threatening she might be. While recognizing the couples physical limitations it still was hard to reconcile that. Overall I was really bummed, I was excited for a original storyline but just wish the hook had been a played out a little bit differently.

A thriller following a couple who plans a quick getaway before the birth of the child. However upon waking up, everyone is gone as are some of the items. This thriller was some great parts and some parts that just fell flat. The surprising twists along the way helped to keep the plot moving along.

Happy Publication day!!!

Disturbing plot with a great twist at the end. I have definitely not quite read a story like this before. The beginning definitely kept me reading and wanting to know what was going on, as it goes back-and-forth from the husband and wife’s perspective from basically before the babies arrival and after. You will just want to know what happened! Definitely some irrational decisions made throughout the story and some parts that were not quite so believable but overall I enjoyed the read and definitely would recommend. It was fast paced and fun.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Unique and decently paced, this thriller has some surprising twists, but there was something about it that didn’t sit well. I didn’t much care for Victoria one of the main characters. She made me mad at almost every turn.

I don’t normally need trigger warnings, but I’m learning that books involving newborn babies being taken from their mothers are extremely unsettling. I didn’t know that going in to this one and I wish I had.

Our main characters, Jamie and Victoria, decide to go on a weekend get away just weeks before their baby is due. They think they are going to have a peaceful weekend away. But, when they wake up their first morning, they find the owners of the guest house gone, along with their car keys and phones. To make matters worse, they are locked in and Victoria is going into labour.

I am not going to say much about this book because the twists start early on in this story and I wouldn't want to give anything away.

This story is told from multiple points of view and over multiple timelines. This book started off in heart pounding suspense. But, I got to a point in the book where it actually just starting feel so implausible. But, there was something there that kept me reading, knowing there had to be more to the story. It was just such a multilayered story. As you kept reading more and more was revealed and the story definitely started coming together.

This is a story with some deeply flawed characters who make some very dark and disturbing choices in their lives, which end up impacting others in their lives in such devastating ways.

Our main character has a physical disability. I only mention that because it is really nice read a story where someone with a disability is represented and it is a main character. Our MMC is written from a place of real authenticity. For so many reasons, Jamie was definitely my favourite character in the story.

I'd definitely recommend this book. It is a compelling story, you want to keep reading to uncover what is really going on!

As much as I hate to give anything away at all. Definitely check for some trigger warnings.

The Guest House has all the ingredients a reader wants in a thriller -- fast pace, plenty of twists, a threatening overall mood that is strongly maintained throughout. A great read.

Holy moly! I wasn’t expecting my stomach to be twisted in knots and audibly gasping out loud for the biggest part of the book , but yea, just WOW! The suspense and the anticipation was spot on to deliver just the perfect thriller!!!

3.5 stars, in general I liked this book and the twists it provided.

After years of infertility, Jamie and Victoria are finally expecting their first baby. They decide to spend a couple of nights away in the remote countryside at a guest house before the baby is born. When they awaken in the morning, their phones are missing and they are locked in. Then Victoria goes into labor. What happens next is horrifying and unbelievable...

I liked most of this book, and was captivated by the narrative. It is chilling and creepy and shocking. As the story progressed, it got more horrifying and unbelievable, until for me it tipped over into Over the Top territory. There is a great jaw dropping twist, and then...without giving away spoilers, I started hating one of the characters and it never got better because I couldn't make my brain make sense of the choices made. The ending requires some suspension of disbelief, but overall it is an entertaining story despite its OTT moments.

One of the great things about this book is the disability representation. Jamie has cerebral palsy and it is portrayed realistically and as a fact of his life, not as a plot device.

If you can handle OTT and some implausibility, this is a worthwhile read. It's definitely unique and quick to get through because you'll want to know what on earth is going on and why!

The Guest House is a compulsively readable thriller but veers into OTT territory for much of the book.

Victoria and Jamie spend a weekend away at a remote guest house weeks before their baby is due. The morning after they arrive, Victoria wakes to discover she is going into labour. The owners of the house are MIA but, for some unknown reason, they have locked up all the doors and windows. And the couples’ cell phones and car keys have also mysteriously vanished.

What follows is a wild story with two timelines that go far beyond suspension of disbelief. But, no matter how outrageous the plot, I still felt compelled to read it and see how everything turned out. For that reason, it gets a solid three stars from me.

I did like that there was disability representation. The author wrote it coming from his own experience. It was nice that it wasn’t used as a plot device to frighten readers as so many other thrillers do when it comes to disabilities.

If you do not mind implausible thrillers, then you might enjoy this one.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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