Unfortunately, I was about to listen to this title, but it archived before I could download it. Hopefully I'll be able to read this one in the future.

*Thank you @dreamscape_media for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

The Dinner Guests is the second audiobook I’ve listened to by Modglin. The first book was The Dream Job. I liked The Dream Job better.

The Dinner Guests cover and synopsis is what drew me in, but the book was different than I expected. I liked the escape room vibe and the book definitely held my interest, but I wanted something different. All of the characters are hard to like, but I think that’s the point. You’re not supposed to like them, and they’re probably fun to write.

I liked the narrators. Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the copy.

I feel like this author is just one of those that can do no wrong for me. The books are short and fast paced but have plenty of time to fill out the story with suspense and really give us readers what we want.

Or what I want anyway - which is a good story that just gets to the point!

That’s what this is. When a new neighbor moves in on the street, the nosy neighbors can’t wait to meet them. Soon, there is so much construction that the current residents feel something is going on. When they’re invited to a dinner party, everything starts to go wrong.

Believe me, those 1⭐️ reviews you see have a point - but honestly - thrillers are like this. The past will always come back to bite you and holding a grudge won’t work in your favor either.

I really enjoyed it. Most of the story takes place during this dinner party and I think it’s worth your time if you’re looking for a short, fast paced, suspenseful novel!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s so hard to describe this book without giving too much away. I’ll just go with my feelings over what I liked.

I thought this was a super quick mysterious read. There were so many twists. I think because I wasn’t doing much while listening to this audiobook I was able to keep track of the characters without needing a map seeing who was connected to whom. The narrators did a wonderful job differentiating the characters.

A group of 6 friends, who are neighbors get a sketchy invite to a dinner party to meet the new neighbor.

They all decide to go and what starts off like a normal dinner (minus the fact that the owners of the house seem a bit strange), ends up where they are all trapped in the house.

As the night progresses it seems that they are stuck in some kind of escape room, only that each one has a secret that must be revealed in hopes of getting out.

I feel like it was just an “ok” book and I kinda had a feeling about the twist, but I also feel was far fetched that the characters didn’t figure out.

This is my first book from this author and I’ve heard better things about her other books, so I definitely plan on giving another book from her a try.

I really love Kiersten Modglin's books and the Dinner Guests was a fresh twist on the drama and secrets she writes so well. Some of the things didn't quite line up in the end for me, but I loved the premise and the way you never knew who or what could be trusted. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

This was my least favorite book by this author. It was a bit far fetched and hard to become invested in the story. It’s about a group of people going to a dinner party at their new neighbors’ home. Things go awry and then they become locked in the house.

There were still a lot of plot spins I didn’t see coming and it was still enjoyable. I look forward to reading more by this author

This book had great potential but really went off the rails. It was so unbelievable that I couldn't believe what I was reading. Also, I had a hard time keeping track of the characters. They all seemed so alike that I just caring.

I always love reading a Kiersten Modglin book. They are guaranteed to be short and entertaining and this one was no exception. A new neighbor moves into a close knit neighborhood and everyone is trying to meet them and having no luck when they are all finally invited to dinner. This dinner is not what any of them expected and it forces them to share their secrets. It kept me guessing the entire listen.

Melissa Moran, Nancy Wu, and Allyson Ryan did a great job of bringing the neighborhood women to life. I listened to it one afternoon.

I don't know exactly what it was, but I had a blast listening to the audiobook. It's pretty predictable if you read a lot of thrillers (I do) and the "moral of the story"-type ending I really disliked (I really wanted these people to face some repercussions for their actions). But all that said - this was such a fun read, and even with all of the stuff I didn't love, I'd absolutely recommend it.

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook as the story was very interesting and the narration was very well done. A come-meet-the-new-neighbors invitation has been sent out and six friends are all going together. After dinner, the friends go to leave and discover they can’t. The hosts have disappeared and all possible exits are locked. If you love suspense and an “escape room” vibe I think you will enjoy this immensely.

(3.5)
This book wasn’t what I was expecting but it was still well written and a lot of fun to dive into and get stuck in for a bit.
Six friends all receive unexpected invitations to a dinner party. They all jump at it as they see this as a golden opportunity to get to know the strange new reclusive neighbors whose home is covered in layers of security.
They all arrive and as the drinks and dinner are being served they start to realize that things may not be what they seem. It all starts out with an innocent night of fun and it soon becomes a game filled with cryptic messages and chilling revelations. The game isn’t much fun at all.
The friends find that there is no way out of the house and if they have any hope of escaping they have to play along. Friendships are tested and pushed to the limit as secrets that have been kept are revealed one by one.
This book is good. If you like escape room type books you may enjoy this. I liked it but for the most part it really wasn’t all that bad when it came to the secrets kept. There is one really bad one and the rest are sort of mild in the whole scheme of things.
It’s quite easy to figure out who is doing what and who is keeping what secret from whom. Even though its not hard at all to figure out, it's still a good time getting from the start to the finish with the characters. So, I did like it and I’d say go ahead and give it a go. It’s definitely a fun time.

I loved my first book by KM but I feel like everyone since then has been worse than the one before. I’m still so interested in her short twisty books but I need to find one that suits my tastes

This isn't an easy review to write because I'm afraid that if I say much of anything, it'll give too much away or be spoilery. I loved this audiobook alc, but of course, Kiersten Modglin is fast becoming a favorite for me. The audio is done very well with this book and the narrators are amazing. Melissa Moran, Nancy Wu, and Allyson Ryan do a great job of bringing the characters and the story to life and drawing you into the world and everything. This was a quick listen, and it kept me interested and wanting to finish to know the ending.
So, to give a brief recap without giving too much away... this is like I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan, except it's much later in life and they're much older and there's an escape room type factor. It's about a group of curious and gossipy neighbors who see a new neighbor move in and wonder who they are and when or if they're going to meet them, then the curious neighbors get invited to dinner with the new neighbors and things suddenly get creepy, scary and weird.
It's a thrilling listen that's immersive and well-done with the audio. I highly recommend listening to this one. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for letting me listen and review this fantastic story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

I love a good escape room book and this book did a great job at keeping me guessing the whole way through.

The pacing of this book it really quick and it definitely kept moving.

I will say, all the characters are very unlikeable so it makes the book a little frustrating to listen to. Then the ending drove me crazy how it turned out.

This is my third Kiersten Modglin and it will definitely not be my last.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

While the ending of this book provides a newish twist, this is an often repeated story. Affluent teens do something dumb during their high school party times, cover it up, and pretend it didn't happen. Everyone seems to move to the same location (an affluent suburb), and all pretend they all live happy lives and are perfect. When things go wrong, they go wrong fast and ugly.

A group of four friends and their partners are invited to a dinner party, but at the dinner party they receive strange notes under their food, which leads all their dirty secrets to come to light. I enjoyed the puzzles that were used, and how the set up all came to be, but it ends in an unsatisfying way. The characters are very stereotypical, and I just didn't really connect with any of them. I had pretty much figured out the story by the time the lights go out for the first time, and the characters don't learn anything in the end. I guess I had just hoped for something different.

Long-time friends are invited over for a dinner party to meet the new neighbors. What started out as an exciting evening turned into a strange night of a twisted game…just for their freedom.

I absolutely loved the synopsis of this book and was wildly excited to read it! Unfortunately, the twists and turns the night took were more confusing than intriguing.

I did the audio version and I struggled listening. I’m not sure if it was the narrator or the platform I used, but it was hard to get past the jagged and sporadic reading.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC.

Enjoyment: 5
Total rating: 4.71

The Dinner Guests has everything I love in Modglin's thrillers: tight plot, messed-up characters, the delicious drama that satisfies even the pickiest llamas, originality and addicting prose.

But this one has a cheekiness that I can't even with it, y'all. It's the details - the dinner part of the book takes place in one night and, depending on how fast you read, it is pretty close to real-time. There is a sort of escape room quality that made reading it sooo interactive!

When I first read it, I couldn't stop smiling. What made the whole book for me was the date on which the dinner takes place: Friday, May 06th! Literally, the Friday after the book was published... I find joy in little things, and this detail got me giddy. Not even ashamed. As soon as I read the invitation, you'd better believe I put the book down and picked it up at 6 pm on May 06th.

As soon as the audio book came out, I had to listen to it. Dreamscape and Modglin are a pair made in entertainment heaven. Melissa Moran, Nancy Wu and Allyson Ryan knocked it out of the park! Their narration was everything. They brought The Dinner Guests to life, exactly how I had read it in my head.

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of The Dinner Guests.

Imagine a real life escape room and a secret amongst friends. Like “I know what you did last summer” only it’s more - I know what you did 25 years ago.

I loved it. Twists. Turns. Interesting reveals and suspense. The story isn’t believable in any way shape or form, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be. It’s just fun.

My biggest gripe was that the reveal happened and then boom. Over. I wanted more near the end and it felt a bit rushed there.

But lots of fun if you like domestic thrillers involving an Escape room. Thank you Netgalley for offering me an audio copy for my honest review. It was a pleasure reading.

When a group of best friends and neighbors are invited to meet their new neighbors, the fun begins or, rather, the suspense begins. The friends all share a desperate secret which had and will keep their lives on hold.

The story begins at a fiery pace where I couldn't stop reading. However, the plot became a bit predictable and too implausible. What especially was dissatisfying to me was the horrific secret which truly was horrific and shouldn't have been explained away as it was. Yet, the climatic ending was impressive and a fun read.