Whoa!! That ending had so many twists that I think I have whiplash! The final quarter kept me on the edge of my seat. I had no idea what was true and what were lies.

Alyssa is a scorned woman spiraling downwards. Her wealthy husband Max has left her suddenly without explanation. While in a bar one night, drowning her sorrows, she meets Bree. Bree says she is escaping a toxic relationship. Alyssa feels compassion towards this stranger and immediately the two become fast friends. Alyssa won't hear of Bree going back to her dumpy motel and invites her to stay in her guesthouse. Before long, the two are confiding in one another, with Alyssa helping Bree navigate a potential inheritance, but is anyone actually sincere in their motivations? What if anything is really going on?

This whole story felt like one big rabbit hole. The reader is never quite sure who is the cat and who is the mouse. There are many uncertainties along the way. My biggest challenge was the enormous amount of internal and external dialogue. Too much for me. It sometimes seemed like I was listening to the same information over and over again as the MC replayed her incessant thoughts. This caused the pacing to stall and overall lessened the suspense. I just wanted to fast forward to the end to know what was going on.

The audio was average. Could it have been more animated? Sure, but it was solid.

I received an advanced audiobook from #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio in exchange for an honest review.

In this thriller, you are left at the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns that this one takes. No one is really who they seem - so who do you trust? A great read if you are into thrillers and suspense.

Great thriller 5 star read I was. Hooked from the very start to very end thought I had it figured out but was happily surprised! Most read

3.5 stars!
THE HOUSE GUEST is a cat-and-mouse thriller that had so many twists, and I really enjoyed!

It was the perfect entertainment after reading a few romances, and I really enjoyed the audio format, and thought the performance was great.

*many thanks to Forge/Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

I recently finished reading The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan, marking the fourth novel of hers that I have had the pleasure of reading. I appreciate her writing style and find it quite timeless. While this book had a slower pace than her usual works and repeated certain aspects more than necessary, I was still invested in the story and thoroughly enjoyed the unexpected twists that emerged in the final quarter of the book. The ending was satisfying, and I particularly appreciated experiencing events solely from Alyssa's perspective. Although I didn't feel particularly attached to any of the characters, I appreciated the author's ability to keep me guessing about the outcome of the story. The book ultimately ended up being more thrilling than I initially anticipated, and the conclusion was a complete shock to me!

Stephanie Willing's exceptional narration in the audiobook of The House Guest had me hooked. Her delivery was spot-on, and Alyssa's character was perfectly portrayed. I highly recommend the audio version to anyone who enjoys them. With a thrilling plot of deception and greed, it was hard to determine who the good guys were. Hank's books always leave me fulfilled, and I was thrilled to find a signed copy at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Arizona. If you're in the area, make sure to check them out. I'm already looking forward to the next book from this talented author.

I received an advanced listening copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

So your wealthy husband leaves you and you are feeling devastated and alone. You are also suspicious of your soon to be ex. Is he trying to scare you using 'gaslighting" tactics, or is it just an over active imagination. Feeling distraught and confused, you meet an intriguing stranger at a bar. This mysterious woman may also need rescuing. What do you do? Invite them to move into your life and take center stage, of course. Really?? The main character Alyssa, frustrated me with her impulsive choices. I understood that she was going through a lot, but many of her decisions were questionable. I did enjoy the relationship between Alyssa and the alluring Bree, even if it seemed rushed and reckless. The ending was satisfying and bumped my rating up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Overall this was an okay thriller. The narration of the audiobook was entertaining and added a layer of suspense. Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for my audiobook.

There were just enough clues, red herrings, and twists sprinkled throughout to keep me guessing and to leave me unsure as to whether or not i should root for them. it was a sickly fun story.

The House Guest was another great read by Hank Phillippi Ryan. Alyssa Macallan is dumped by her wealthy and powerful husband and finds herself terrified. She suspects that her manipulative soon to be ex is scheming to ruin her and leave her alone and penniless. The FBI shows up at her door and Alyssa knows that she really needs a new friend. Bree Lorrance is running from a dangerous relationship and Alyssa offers her the safety of her guest house. Bree makes a tempting offer that may lead to them solving each others' problems. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free copy of The House Guest. The following opinions are strictly my own.

Mixed feelings about this one. I liked a lot of it and I'm still thinking about the events and the characters a week later, but there was also so much to roll my eyes about. The entire time, I was onto the twists, which isn't always bad, but I don't vibe when the main character makes questionable choice after questionable choice and then doesn't know how they got in their predicament. Ultimately I enjoyed where this story went, and it was unexpected, but the execution was mediocre. Still a fun read, but not stellar.

I enjoyed the overall concept of this book. It was a enjoyable read that helped me to pass time and escape from reality for a bit. Overall, it was a good book. The narrator made this book very enjoyable.

Very ominous starting out but ultimately a slow burn with a good few twists and turns. Was not my favorite novel by the author but do suggest checking it out nonetheless

From the very beginning of The House Guest, I was wary of Alyssa’s choices and wondered why she made such poor decisions. Not only had she impulsively married a man who had turned out to be toxic, but taking in a stranger as a house guest completely amps up the potential horror ahead for her.

The best thing about such a story: it does keep us turning the pages.

From one moment to the next, the story kept twisting and turning until the very end. Definitely a good read. 4.5 stars.

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

This was a bit of a slow burn but with some good twists. It did keep my attention and even had me second guessing myself! The narrator was good as well.

I was hoping for something different from this book - something new or exciting. But instead the plot and characters seemed more like things I've seen many times before.

I felt like this one lagged a bit and didn’t have much of a wow factor. I think I expected it to be more of a thriller/true mystery but it really wasn’t for me. A lot of people said it was cat mouse like and i didn’t feel like that at all. Maybe it was because i listened to it on audio

Hank Phillippi Ryan did it again! She has become one of my most favorite authors. The narrator did a perfect job as well. Very easy to keep track while listening. The drama and suspense was fabulous, and I didn't see the twist.

It is not the money that is bad; it is how people use it.
“The House Guest” introduces characters by dangling the past, reviewing the present, and hinting at things to come. Everything Alyssa thought would make her life wonderful and happy, well, it didn’t. Her life was like that of a lobster -- living in comfort and luxury, about to be boiled alive. She was comfortable and clueless. First her husband left, and then her life became just one disaster after another. That is, until a strange thing happened; she met someone one night in a bar.
The story unfolds in a conversation driven narrative. Chapters are labeled with the day to make following the progress easy. Readers know some of what people say to each other, and some of what they say to themselves, but not everything. There are plenty of secrets hidden from others and concealed from readers.
Details paint a vivid picture of the environment. The headboard is crafted from local driftwood, painted a bleached blue, and buffed like a stone tumbled by the waves. The phone’s green charging light and the moon’s May brightness give the room a pale glow.
Alissa encounters more than her share of unexpected connections and unanticipated influences. There are casual gatherings, intentional encounters, and meetings that turn out very differently than originally planned – or perhaps they were planned that way from the start. Alissa knows that in real life, no one gets away with killing anyone, especially husbands -- in real life, but eventually nothing seems real to her. Things are not what they seem on the surface, and perhaps there is an evil that runs deep.
“The House Guest” is an elaborate deception. Things should be one thing, but turn out to be something very different. The characters are complex; the action is non-stop, and the ending is unexpected. Readers think, “I am glad it is not me!”
I also listened to the audio version of “The House Guest” narrated by Stephanie Willing. Willing has a multi-dimensional voice. At times the tone is melodic and reassuring; at other times there is urgency in the narration with a tone of anticipation and dread of what is to come.
I received a review copy of “The House Guest” from Hank Phillippi Ryan, Stephanie Willing, Macmillan-Tor Publishing, and Macmillan Audio.

“The House Guest” is now available in print, as an e-book, and on audio from independent

Alyssa Macallan is newly divorced, it wasn’t a clean break.. and her ex is the king of playing mind games. They were wealthy, traveled, had a lot of friends and now Alyssa is alone. She needs a friend but how does an adult woman find a friend? One night she heads to an out of the way bar, in a hotel, to let out some steam. While there a young woman starts to speak with her. She has a lot of issues as well and they bind over their problems. Bree Lorrance, seems to have a stalker and she doesn’t have much money to stay in the hotel. Alyssa has a guest house and invites Bree to stay with her. Bree can save some money and figure her life out. At first things are going well and Alyssa loves the company. But Bree has issues Alyssa is now brought into. Plus the FBI, comes to her house to talk about her ex. After the FBI a leaves Alyssa starts looking into her husband and while she’s out she tries to piece together Bree and her story. Can Alyssa put all of it together? Is Bree a friend or an enemy hired by her ex? What will happen if her ex is guilty of what the FBI says? This was a quick read for me. The story moved at a good pace. Kind of predictable but there were a few surprises. I love a good mystery/thriller and this was a 4 star listen for me. Stephanie Willing did an excellent job narrating. I’m want to thank Netgalley and Hank Phillippi (the author) Macmillan Audio for my copy of The House Guest, for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review.

If you like a twisty, turny thriller this is for you! This book kept me guessing throughout the whole book. Every time I thought I knew what was happening I was shocked again all the way to the VERY end.

I’d say this was a 15%er, meaning you had to get to the last 15% to make sense of anything going on. Usually I love a good mystery where I can’t call the ending, but this one was so far out in left field the ending left me questioning the entire rest of the book.

I chose 3 stars for a reason. Overall, I liked the empowerment aspects of this story (though they did take a little while to see). I didn’t mind the character development and envisioning the lavish lifestyle she led. Finally, I had to give a little credit to the fact I didn’t see the end coming, even if it was so twisty I had to read it twice to understand how it all fit!

The audiobook had a great narrator who was very easy to listen to. Still would not place this at the top of my recommendations list.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.