“The Visitors” is a slow burn thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. I listened to this story in my car, and I was yelling at Hannah, the main character, for most of the story. She made so many dumb mistakes the entire time, I couldn’t believe that anyone was that dumb. None of the characters are really likable in the story. Hannah is a mom, wife, and a music teacher. She decides to rent out her barn and gets the worst renters ever.
The book was engaging and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. The narrator did a great job with Hannah’s voice, but I didn’t care for the other characters. The ending was satisfying and I look forward to more books by Miranda Rijks. I want to thank the author, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

New guests move into a rental cottage and the owners, a bored housewife & her heart surgeon husband, find themselves concerned their guests may just stay forever… turns out, that might be the least of their worries.

Even though I felt some portions of this book unbelievable (the wife was incredibly naïve) & some bits were easily predictable, I loved that most of my assumptions were incorrect. At the halfway point, I was excited to see the story has a whole second half. This is an excellent read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller with a side of domestic drama.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah's dream of renovating her barn and turning it into a holiday cottage gets off to a rough start when her first guests turn out to be a nightmare.

It's a very simple premise and the writing is very good. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The characters were good and the storyline was premise was pretty realistic. It was a super quick read and I loved the way it wrapped up. The only thing that was a little distracting was that the main character wasn't very smart and she kept doing things that no sane mom would do and saying things like, "I knew I should go to the police..." but she doesn't. Still, really good

3.75 stars

This one was pretty good, but some of the plot was a bit predictable. The antagonists were irritating, as I suppose they were intended to be, and while the story was fairly interesting, I didn’t feel like I spent much time having to wonder how it was going to resolve itself. It was an enjoyable read.

I was excited to see this audio available on netgalley because I have enjoyed several of Miranda Rijks books. I love a Psychological Thriller that keeps me wanting to read more. This one unfortunately was not for me. It stressed me out the entire book. I was so frustrated with the main character being so clueless and naive.
Special thanks to dreamscape media and netgalley for the audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Reading Between the Wines book review #66/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Visitors
Author: Miranda Rijks
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: This is yet another book where I kept losing my cool internally and wanting to lash out at the characters. Imagine you have a B&B type place and the people renting it out are ruthless and don’t plan on leaving. Hannah is in for one bumpy ride, and it ends with so many lies uncovered and surprising truths. I enjoy Rijks writing and look forward to reading more from her.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @DreamscapeMedia copy of @TheVisitors.

#TheVisitors #MirandaRijks #DreamscapeMedia #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Hannah leads a life that most women dream of. Stay at home mom of a son and daughter. Married to a successful cardiologist. He even let her renovate the barn into a holiday rental to give her a project to work on. Life is good…

Until the newest tenants for the rental show up. Mike and Nadia are not what Hannah expected as guests. They are loud, dirty people whose young daughter throws out swear words without a thought. Hannah is worried that these people are going to destroy her rental but Mike and Nadia have bigger plans.

Things continue to happen to make Hannah wish she had never rented to Mike and Nadia. She also doesn’t realize that they have other plans than just a holiday trip. She doesn’t realize that the charmed life that she leads is about to spiral out of control.

I really liked all of the characters…even Mike and Nadia as the “bad guys” were really well written, lots of things were happening and I wasn’t sure where everything was going to land but I was not disappointed with the ending. Becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Miranda Rijks with every book that I read.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a slow burn that keeps you guessing.
Hannah has a rich husband, wonderful children, and has just launched her dream of converting her barn to rent out as a vacation rental. Things are perfect… until Mike and Nadia come to stay.
This was a fun one to watch unfold—although some parts did drag a bit. I loved the ending twist, but I hoped for a different final outcome.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my ALC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Hannah is married to a busy cardiac surgeon, and is often left on her own with her two young children. She’s looking for a project to occupy her time and decides to convert their barn into an Airbnb.

Her tenants, Mike and Nadia, turn out to be the tenants from hell. They are obnoxious, intrusive, demanding, break all the rules, and cause all kinds of trouble for Hannah. She is desperate for a 5-star review, so says nothing, but things soon take a far more sinister turn.

You won’t find any likable characters here, so if that is essential to you, I recommend skipping this one. I grew frustrated with Hannah for her cluelessness and lack of a backbone. The entire situation could have been avoided by having the visitors evicted when they refused to leave. I grew weary over her angst and worry about reviews, as if that is a good reason to tolerate an unbearable situation. Also, the men are all depicted in what has now become a common stereotype, and I’m tired of it.

The prologue was a bit of a head-scratcher. Maybe I missed something, but I didn’t see where it was ever explained?

The narrator of the audiobook did a good job with the character of Hannah, but I didn’t care for her narration of the other characters. There are plenty of 4 & 5 star reviews, so do check them out. A very middle-of-the-road book for me, which isn’t a bad thing. A 3 or 3.5 star review means I liked it but there were a few problem areas for me.

My first book from this author and it did not disappoint! Hannah while sometimes a bit of a ding-dong (yep found myself being like what they hell are you doing) is a stay at home mom with a little project of her own a holiday rental cottage. Everything seems just perfect as she preps for her next guest to arrive but they have alternative motives. Mike, Nadia & daughter Kayleigh arrive and the plot starts to thicken and with twist and turns around each corner you’ll soon find out things aren’t what they seem. A quick read and maybe just because I couldn’t put it down. If you like mystery or suspense this is a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the Advanced Audiobook version. This was an interesting listen and the narrator, Penelope Rawlins, did an excellent job. Her voice changed to reflect the different characters and I could hear the tension or fear in the main character, Hannah, which really brought her to life. The flow was easy to understand between chapters and her narration kept me interested in listening to a storyline that I found to be quite frustrating.

While I enjoyed Miranda Rijks writing, I was quite frustrated with the continued way Hannah kept making herself a victim. Tenants that change the locks on the rental and don't leave, tenants that bring in a pet to a rental that doesn't allow them, blackmail from other people, Hannah's husband having a lover and child, it all seemed a little too much. I'm glad I stuck with it though, because there were some unexpected twists at the end. I would definitely recommend listening to this book instead of reading it.

Miranda Rijks’ descriptive writing paints a vivid picture of Hannah and Mike’s wonderful restoration of the barn and the beautiful countryside where it’s located. I wanted to go and spend a week there.myself!
I listened to The Visitors as I drove North to our cottage. I cringed as I listened but I couldn’t stop listening.
As an owner of a rental property, this story portrays one of my worst nightmares……… the most undesirable renters arriving and then not leaving at the end of their week. But, that’s not all the story has to offer. There are plot twists that will have you gasping..
I look forward to listening to or reading other books by Miranda Rijks.
Thank You to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Miranda Rijks for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Miranda Rijks has wowed me once again. Another fantastic thriller that kept me on my toes. I found myself feeling sorry for Hannah for having to deal with the awful visitors, followed by sharing in her annoyance and anger toward them. I was not expecting what happened and the ending was perfect. I don't know if I would have been able to make the same decision as she did in the end with the evidence after finding out what she did. I think my want for revenge and to make someone pay would have outweighed the "do the right thing" feeling. Haha. I highly recommend The Visitors to everyone looking for a great thriller!

*As a note to the narrator and Dreamscape Media, at 0:23 seconds into Chapter 20, the sentence is repeated. "For a moment, I feel a burst of hysteria threatening to erupt..." is repeated which appears to be a point when the narrator attempted to record the sentence over, but didn't record over the first attempt.

I enjoyed this book, The Visitors, but there are some things you should know before reading it.

This story focuses on a mother of two young children. Hannah is trying to start her business by renting out a newly renovated barn on her property. Hannah's husband, a surgeon, is frequently gone, so she thinks the project will keep her busy and fulfilled. However, when her next booking arrives, an obnoxious couple and their young daughter, the main character Hannah, start to feel anxious. The couple soon infringes on her lifestyle.

Some patience is required to read this book. It is a bit far-fetched. Even so, this book is enjoyable if you can suspend from reality. The narrator did a great job. I received this audiobook from NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Phew, this one gave me anxiety! Everything from the way the "visitors" were acting to the interactions between Hannah and her husband. Very well written, definitely kept me hooked and I wasn't fully expecting some of the twists. The narrator was great as well.

An interesting premise, well-developed characters, and a setting that paints a picture in your mind make for a good mystery. If you've ever wanted to be an airbnb or vrbo host and make a nice space for guests, this story will make you think twice about it. Sometimes I was shaking my head that people would NEVER do that, but you really never know. I'm sure airbnb hosts have their own real horror stories and this book gives you a fictional glimpse of guests from hell. A few twists thrown in that finally get resolved, too. Good stuff! 4 stars

The Visitors
by Miranda Rijks
Narrated by Penelope Rawlins

⭐⭐⭐⭐🌑

Yet another amazing thriller from Mirana Rijks. In this book, Hannah is a stay at home mom who wants to have her own business and redoes the barn on her property to create a vacation cottage for some extra money. Unfortunately, this all goes awry when the second tenants arrive. They seem off from the very beginning.

I connected with Hannah. My husband also has a very taxing job. I get not wanting to burden your husband with anything unless you absolutely have to. Trying to do as much as you can on your own. I thoroughly disliked her husband at the end of this book. But I get why she did what she did at the beginning. I also really liked the ending. I kind of wished she wouldn't have done what she did, but I'm petty AF.

Thank you, Netgalley & Dreamscape Media for the ARC audiobook copy
Thank you, Miranda Rijks for this amazing thriller
Thank you, Penelope Rawlins for using your voice to bring these characters to life!

⭐️⭐️


⚠️Spoilers ahead!⚠️




This one was very “meh” for me.

Hannah is a stay-at-home mom who is married to a successful cardio-thoracic surgeon and has two children. Hannah has always dreamed of having her own project and source of income. When she rents out her newly converted barn as a holiday cottage, her first guests are a total nightmare. They trash the place, host loud parties, pawn their child off of her and bring a new puppy into the rental. Nadia and Mike Jones are a hosts worst nightmare. When Mike falls and injures his leg on her property the nightmare continues. Mike is able to extort an extended stay through his abusive and demanding ways and he eventually pushes everyone to their breaking point. Mike ends up dead and the police are looking towards the successful surgeon.

This book was on the boring side of entertaining. Hannah is a straight-up pushover who allows these people to bulldoze into her life and take full advantage of her. She has thoughts of confronting them, yet she never says anything out loud. Hannah is weak and timid and she is wholly responsible for the destruction of her family and her holiday cottage.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced audio copy of this book. I loved this book. Hannah and her husband Daniel, a cardio thoracic surgeon surgeon live with their two children Rosa and Joel. Hannah has made the barn on their property a holiday home. Her second guests, Mike, Nadia, and Kaleigh are nightmare guests. After Mike falls and threatens to sue, things get worse. When Mike is found dead, Daniel is arrested. The book doesn’t end in a nice, pat way. The character development is great. The tension is not overwhelming. This would make a great book for a book group.

I thought the book was fine. The characters in it made it hard for me to love this book. Most of them made me cringe, especially the men. The men were awful. A few times I thought about DNFing it, but I decided not to. A few of the twists I saw coming. I also think the ending was a bit much. Overall, I thought the storyline was different!

I listened/read the book. I liked the narrator. I think she did a great job. I look forward to reading more from this author. If you are looking for a slow burn, this is it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Inkubator Books and Dreamscape Media for the copies in exchange for my honest review.