I loved Emma Cline's book The Girls, so I was excited to read this new book from her. It was every bit as good as The Girls and in some ways even better. Cline really knows how to do a character-based story and as you watch Alex slowly unravel, you simply can't put the book down. It's like a quiet horror story, but also has bits of beauty. The writing is exquisite and the juxtaposition of class adds to the atmosphere. It's the perfect summer read due to the setting, but it would be intriguing at any time of year.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I can't wait to read more from this author!

The Guest is the story of Alex, a 22 year old who is drifting along Long Island after things end one night with an older man. I feel like I knew how it was going to end but I kept turning the page to see.

I really liked The Girls by Emma Cline and was looking forward to reading her new book, The Guest, about a young girl wandering from place to place after being kicked out of her boyfriend’s house.

This book reminded me a lot of My Year of Rest and Relaxation. The main character is not someone you necessarily root for, but instead cringe at. They have bad behavior and make poor choices. But that might be why it’s entertaining, it’s the classic train wreck you can’t look away from.

I felt a little addicted to this book. Even though it wasn’t necessarily a cliff hanger, I was so compelled to read more and finished this book in only a couple days. I thought this was a really good book that I enjoyed reading but I wouldn’t say it was a great book that everyone must read. It was definitely interesting just not groundbreaking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this book.

I love the way Emma writes characters that are raw and real that are always relatable whether you wish to admit it or not.

This was an interesting story and reading it was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Poor Alex is just trying to survive but making poor choices.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm not much of a Cline fan, but I give all her work a shot just because she's so incredibly hyped! This was another disappointment - deeper than the Girls, but still a slight effort.

I really love low-stakes con/scammer novels because they make such a great thought exercise. Could I, like protagonist Alex, survive in the Hamptons for days with little money and no food or lodging by scamming strangers? How would I do it? Would I be ethical about who I targeted or merely opportunistic? And perhaps most important here, could I parlay it into a life in which I don’t have to scam to survive anymore?

Alex’s origin story isn’t an unusual one: Young woman with few resources and little to offer toward traditional employment does her best to make it in the big city. Alex, perhaps more ambitious and savvy and certainly less scrupulous than many in this position, isn’t going to let herself waste away living paycheck to paycheck working in a bar or some such.

The moral quandary of what she does is more complicated than just whether or not she is a good or bad person or a user or a scammer or however you label what she does to get by. It’s hard to feel sorry for the rich men she acts as companion to who she takes advantage of financially, but what of the more innocent marks who land in Alex’s path?

It’s fun to think how you might manage in her circumstances and interesting to think about the morality of what she does. And the book is certainly well written and well paced.

I didn’t like the ending, which leaves you hanging on something that I don’t think can remain ambiguous in a story like this. That’s why this was a four rather than five-star book for me. But regardless of this, it’s still a fascinating book well worth a read.

Alex is a drug addicted prostitute who while trolling a fancy hotel meats Simon who mistakes or her for just a young girl trying to make it in the big city he invites her to his summer home while he works in his office she spends lazy days at the beach swimming in his pool and taking pills. After an incident where she Rexis car who wants nothing to do with her and gives her a train ticket and tells her to go back to the city but this isn’t what Alex does. Instead the first night she sleeps on the beach but the next day she meets a younger guy who says he’s 19 but in actuality he’s a 17-year-old high school student who is vacationing with his parents. she tells him she’s staying with friends and eventually that is what she does but these are friends she just met she is trying to wait on the island until the party Simon is throwing at the end of the summer happens because she just knows if he sees her he will change his mind about not wanting her plus she can’t go back to the city because the one friend she didn’t have after he left her in his apartment she stole all his money and all his drugs soon to find out that this guy is not only looking for her in the city but has found out where she’s at and is coming to get her. everyone is talking about what a great author Emma Klein yes and I must admit her descriptions of things can be humorous at times and touching at times andshe definitely has talent I just found that Alex is very unlikable she is a scammer and a thief throughout the book I was waiting for a lot more intrigue and more deception than just stealing pills from peoples homes and breaking in and on occupied guesthouse I do want to say I was captivated throughout the whole book only because I thought this was leading up to a big shebang and all those behead a shebang it wasn’t the one I thought it was going to be nor was it what the booklet up to. There is no one in this book to route four except for maybe the caretaker to Simmons Friends Home who I thought so bad for when Alex ruined the million dollar cleaning after he’s so nicely allow her to stay but either way if you like literary fiction because I wouldn’t call Dessa thriller then you may like The Guest by Emma Klein it is in my opinion a solid three star read but only if you know what you’re getting into. I received this book from NetGalley and Random house books that I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Emma Cline, author of the hugely popular The Girls, is back with a new novel perfectly timed for the Summer.

Summering on Long Island has just taken a bad turn for Alex when a poor decision forces her out of her easy living lifestyle with an older gentleman. She has always gotten by as a grifter using her charm, looks and the ability to understand what people want. Now Alex finds herself with a one way ticket back to New York City but determined to find a way to stay on Long Island for the end of the summer.

Cline tells the story from the perspective of Alex. The reader learns of her questionable and selfish choices throughout the course of the book. While not a likeable character, I found myself drawn into the story to find out what would happen to her and hoping that she could find a better way of life. The reader can also see the other side of Alex’s world with the array of elitist and snobbish people she interacts with. A unique and unpredictable summer story about the darker side of society.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title before its release.

This book made me uncomfortable, but that shows how strong the writing is! Alex is frustrating the build up was great! Perfect summer read.

I loved this book so much and can’t wait to read more Emma Cline.

The constraints of the setting create a sense of urgency and suspense that is heightened by the reader's knowledge that Alex is not aware of the danger she is in. Reminded me of the movie "Shiva Baby." The book also has a very distinct "Bright Lights, Big City" feel, with its descriptions of the glamorous and decadent world of the rich and famous. This is contrasted with the more down-to-earth world of Alex, who is trying to find her place in this world. The book also has a bit of a "Gossip Girl" feel, with its focus on the social lives of the characters and the drama that ensues.

I just finished 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧 by Emma Cline and I’m left with one big question, “What???” Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dislike this book, but I definitely wasn’t overwhelmed by it either. It’s the story of Alex, a 22-year old woman who’s lived for the last few years as a sort of grifter/sex worker. She’s just barely supported her existence by sleeping with, and often stealing from, older men. She makes them feel good about themselves and they buy her things while looking the other way.⁣⁣
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That all works fine, until she takes from the wrong man and goes too far with another. Suddenly, Alex is dismissed by one and desperately trying to avoid the other. For a week, Alex has nowhere to go, so wanders from place to place, man to man, trying to find somewhere to land even for a short time. She believes she’ll return to her former lover’s good graces with a little time. That’s it. That’s the story. We follow Alex as she wanders through her own life, making a mess of it time after time.⁣⁣
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To me the story was sad. Alex never stopped hunting for a man to solve her problems. Most any woman could have told her that wasn’t going to work, but that never happened. At the end of the week, Alex was where she wanted to be, but all her problems came right along with her, leaving me to wonder about the point. It’s why my rating is just okay despite the high quality writing and a story that kept me engaged throughout. Cline did some interesting things in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵, making it well worth reading. Just don’t expect any big resolution. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣⁣
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🦋 BTW, I wasn't walking around carrying a blue boa and a cheap pearl bracelet. They just happened to be looped over a fence post along the walk I took with this book in hand...serendipity! ⁣⁣
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Thanks to @RandomHouse for ARCs of #TheGuest.

Cline always manages to strike a tone, a charge, a promise that feels elliptical, gauzy and immediate all at once. Love me a gross, disaffected, sour heroine grifter, who has never felt the burden of lacking because she was born with it. vicious and indolent, like sunstroke.

Alex is a top tier manipulator who finds herself playing the role of the younger housewife to the older, rich man. After years of escorting in the city, she's been whisked away to the suburbs just when her life started to spiral down because things Just Work Out for her. But when things stop working, she loses her game and continuously miscalculates, leading her to make riskier and more frustrating decisions with each passing day.

This is a hot girl book. I love an unlikable main character, I love unreliable narration, and I love having no idea what's coming next. Alex made the worst, most anxiety-inducing decisions and I was rooting so hard for her. This book physically made my heart beat faster from anxiety and frustration. The ending was jarring, but I agree it was the right choice after sitting with it. The writing is also so tight and well-paced.

I‘m just not sure about this one. The MC and her point of view was unusual and compelling but also kind of awful. The story felt both too short and too long; might have been better as a short story? Cline is a great writer, the pace and structure is solid, the character development just fell short for me.

Alex is a young woman drifting through life, getting involved with men she doesn't love in order to get her needs met. When she angers her current paramour and he kicks her out, she goes in search of her next target. It was a very difficult book to put down because I wanted to see where Alex would wind up next. She's not entirely a sympathetic character, but I still wanted her to work things out.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy that I received in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy.

This week’s headline? Life’s a beach

Why this book? I loved The Girls

Which book format? ARC

Primary reading environment? Here and there

Any preconceived notions? I’ll most likely love this book

Identify most with? Alex (I’m horrible 😂)

Three little words? “textures and habits”
Goes well with? Sugar daddies, bikinis

Recommend this to? People who love a sketchy main character

Other cultural accompaniments: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/may/09/the-guest-by-emma-cline-review-strange-depths-arresting-originality-the-girls

I leave you with this: “All Alex’s unsavory history excised until it started to seem, even to her, like none of it had ever happened.”

“The truth was that the world they were imagining would never include them.”

📚📚📚

Do I know myself or do I know myself? I did, in fact, love this novel.

Alex is a twenty-something escort who hooks up with Simon, a “professionally healthy” fifty-something, at the beach, all the while avoiding her life in the city and the chaos she left behind. She’s something of an unpracticed manipulator, meaning she’s good at getting what she wants from people for a time but has enough sense to get out before they’ve finally had enough of her shit.

Although it’s been a while since I’ve read her first novel, I’d say Cline’s writing has evolved in that it’s not clear where this is going because there’s more to it than what’s at face value, which is a young woman compulsively grifting her way through life.

Definitely recommend it if you're looking for a short novel with a literary spin with some interesting twists along the way!

The Guest is available now.

This book is a ride! I started this and only stood up to refill my glass of water - it’s that too. Cline writes in a way that holds tension from the first few pages until the last page and had me visibly cringing at the awkward choices the main character, Alex, makes. An unlikeable character, I never stopped rooting for her. Great writing! How did Emma Cline do this? Reading it was like watching a pot of water on the stove go from simmering to boiling hoping it doesn’t boil over the top. Crazy good. Thanks to Random House for the copy. Loved it.

I have mixed feelings about this book. One one hand, I enjoyed the writing and it kept me interested, on the other hand, I kind of felt like it was building, building and then nothing. I think the ending is kind of left to up to each reader to decide.

This book felt like it was always just on the edge of becoming something. But then it never did. Just a young woman trying, kind of, to get to a place where she wouldn’t have to try. It was a lot of drama but not a lot of plot. I was hoping that something would happen. I can do character driven if the character develops. I was just bored and started speed reading.