This was my first Hank Phillippi Ryan book and I can't say I'm itching to pick up a second one. THE HOUSE GUEST was described as a "cat-and-mouse thriller" so I expected a lot of back-and-forth suspicion between the two main characters, but there really wasn't much of a thrill at all and Alyssa was way too trusting the entire book. She was suspicious of her husband (soon-to-be ex) and yet, let a total stranger live with her and became her best friend in a matter of a week. And sure, let's throw in another stranger who we immediately trust too! Why not!

I didn't feel thrilled by this at all. Sure, I was suspicious of Bree, but that was me as a reader, not me being involved in this story at all. Aside from blatantly obvious lies about a creepy boyfriend who kept calling her, Alyssa trusted Bree way too much. She ended up having some doubts, but she let her stay at her home unattended, took trips with her, told her secrets... Seems pretty dumb when you don't trust your husband to be in your house, know he's done shady things, and could be setting you up in any number of ways. The ended of how all of this unfolded was also stupid, forced, and I just didn't like it at all.

The worst thing about this book, for me, was that nothing happened for 80% of this book.
- Alyssa fears her husband is gaslighting her (which gaslighting isn't quite the right word for moving stuff around in her house), and nothing happens
- Bree finds out she has long lost family and a huge inheritance, and nothing happens
- Dez starts hanging around with them and Alyssa treats him like a close friend, finally gets a little suspicious, and nothing happens
- Bill keeps moving things around their house (supposedly), and nothing happens
- There's a secret compartment in the closet, and nothing happens
- There's someone who claims to be an FBI agent and threatens Alyssa, and nothing happens

All this time, the characters are just bonding and going to other properties that Bill & Alyssa own. Alyssa talks to her lawyer, blah blah blah. If I hadn't been 50% through this book already and driving in the car listening to the audiobook, I wouldn't have finished it, but I pushed forward because I'm not going to play with my phone and change audiobooks while driving on the highway.

Things FINALLY happened in the last 20% and it wasn't even interesting. It all felt so forced and silly the way it unfolded when things could have been slowly hinted at or even given to us right from the start. I think it would have been MORE interesting to know more things and feel more suspense than save it for a "twist" and feel like we didn't know enough about what was going on. This book could have gone in a totally different direction (the direction I was hoping) and just didn't. Different styles for different people, but this was not my style. I was way too bored and there wasn't enough suspense to keep me interested in this one.

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan

I won’t lie. I finished listening to this seven days ago and it’s already fuzzy. It was a perfectly fine novel with some twists but it had a level of predictability about it. At the same time, there were things I thought I predicted and our author switched it up. Ultimately, it just isn’t a memorable book for me. It was a super fast listen for me and Stephanie Willing did a fantastic job. I could speed the audio up as high as it would go and it was still so easy to understand, which was helpful for a book that I was a bit bored with.

Thanks to @macmillan.audio for the ALC 💗

I am a real fan of Hank Phillippi Ryan, so this was a treat to read and review. Once again, the author takes us on a wild ride; twist after twist after twist.
Truthfully, I never saw it coming. A must read.

I enjoyed the ending. The book was very slow in the beginning, and I had to put it down for a few days and pick it back up quite a few times. The twist at the end was very good, I thought I knew what would happen, but I was wrong, however, I was happy about the ending.

I kept thinking I knew what happened, but then I was proved wrong. There were so many twists and turns in this book, and I loved each one!

Many thanks to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. So here’s my honest review: the audiobook was good, but the story was meh. I would give this a three stars, it wasn’t bad, but it just didn’t wow me. The plot line seemed totally implausible, and the reveals were like really???? It kept me guessing but in the end I didn’t feel anything. Cool cover but honestly, it wouldn’t be bad if there weren’t 50 million better books to be read on my shelf. Did any of you read it and like it? If so let me know. It’s not a huge recommend for me.

I listened to this whole audiobook but never felt interested in it. I did not find it to be suspenseful or thrilling. I can barely recall what happened. two stars instead of one because nothing was offensive or off-putting- I just never felt engaged or interested.

After a slow start, this book began to pick up and kept my attention throughout. The twists at the end of the book were arguably the best part and ones I didn’t expect.

Reading The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan makes you feel like your on vacation.

It was a fun thriller with lots of twists and turns. The author manipulates the timeline in interesting ways that keep the tension up. I found myself asking “what?!” a lot! The settings are varied and all have a luxury vacation vibe, I could practically taste the Rośe.

I had a lot of theories most of which were wrong. If you’re looking for a mid-winter escape I recommend picking this one up.

This psychological thriller quickly grabbed my attention and had me playing amateur sleuth from the get-go. I was doubting this person and that, and sure I had the mystery solved early on. And in some ways I did, since I was rapidly guessing every possible scenario.

Alyssa finds herself lost and lonely after her wealthy husband leaves her with basically no explanation. Sad and alone, she heads to a bar and ends up meeting Bree, a lady with her own problems. As the two get to know each other, Alyssa ends up impulsively inviting Bree to stay in her guest house.

But that’s just the beginning. The story takes off in this direction and that. The FBI shows up asking questions regarding Alyssa’s husband. And Bree shares concerns that Alyssa is anxious to help her fix.

This story snagged me early on and had me listening to it every spare minute.

If you’re after a fast-moving mystery full of twists and turns, you’ll want to consider The House Guest. But don’t give it the reality check, just sit back and enjoy the ride. For me, the narrator, Stephanie Willing, did a great job of making that happen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillianaudio for my gifted ALC.

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan took me a bit to get into. There are a lot of moving pieces with each character having their own secrets. What I enjoyed most was the ending was not predictable. The author does a great job with lots of red herrings and distractions. This is likely an unpopular opinion, but I found Alyssa to be. very likable. I enjoyed watching her growth across the book and felt her experiences were authentic to her character. Her transformation upon meeting Bree felt believable. She was being harassed by her soon to be ex-husband, she's slowly being cut off from all her comforts her marriage has afforded her and she's kicking herself for how "on hold" she's allowed her life to be for her husband. Bree seems down on her luck and Alyssa is at best empathetic, but under the surface, I think her initial interaction with Bree stems from her deep loneliness.

The way the story unfolds mixes in mystery, light-hearted fun, and a good bit of paranoia that drives these characters. I found the narrator for the audiobook was great and helped me stay focused on the plot, which by the way, is absolutely necessary. There is a lot going on this book and if you aren't paying attention, you will get lost as the plot twists and turns. I had to rewind a few times, because I was extra focused on driving in the car (I definitely put my attention where it was crucial!).

I want to thank Macmillan Audio for granting me access to the audiobook to review. I highly recommend trying the audiobook fo this cat and mouse novel! I look forward to reading other books by Hank Phillippi Ryan!

The House Guest is a suspenseful story of friends or cons, FBI or actors, a rich soon to be ex-husband or thief and Alyssa an innocent victim or master mind. There are so many twist and turns in this book, you’ll need to take notes to figure out who is telling the truth and who is being used by whom.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC. #Netgalley #thehouseguest

A great ride! Ms. Ryan kept me guessing for the entire novel. Alyssa's life is in the dumps after her husband's abrupt change of character and desertion. She encounters a woman who's also down on her luck and invites her into her home. What could go wrong? So very many things, obviously, or else there'd be no novel! Throughout it all, Alyssa fights to follow her own moral compass and be a kind and loving friend. Naturally, she wants not to be duped in the process, but just who is being duped and by whom remain a constant mystery. I was both surprised and very satisfied with the ending. I thought it would end differently and had been prepared to be less satisfied overall. This was my first experience with Hank Phillippi Ryan, but I was sufficiently impressed in the end to want to seek out more of her work.

I’m always a little nervous to read domestic thrillers/mystery novels like these because a lot of them seem to run together. While this book did feel like many others I’ve read before, it was still enjoyable and worth the read.

The beginning is slow and pretty repetitive until it really picks up over halfway through, but when it does it DOES and it’s good! It was fairly predictable to pick out certain things that were going to happen and who to trust or not to trust, but even still I enjoyed my listen and would recommend it to lovers of domestic thrillers.

The House Guest follows Alyssa as she is newly separated from her husband Bill. Alyssa meets a new friend Bree in a bar by happenstance. Bree is currently running from her past and living in a hotel. Alyssa invites Bree to stay in her guest house. She does and the two form an instant friendship. Alyssa soon discovers that the FBI is after Bill for laundering money from his fundraising business. This was marketed as a thriller but it was not thrilling to me. It talked a lot about the friendship between Bree and Alyssa but I was not thrilled. Overall, 3 stars. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Tipping my sun hat to Hank for this twisty cat-and-mouse thriller! 🖤 One of my favorite reads so far this year!

There is so much to love about this one (including the excuse to reach for my sassiest sunnies).

THE HOUSE GUEST delivers:
• Rich people behaving badly
• Fascinating female friendship
• A twist you won’t see coming
• Really immersive scenes (definitely had me taking notes)

And much more. Also—the audiobook narration was ON point.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC. It is a pleasure to share my honest review.

A slow burn thriller that had a great premise Alyssa the discarded trophy wife looses not just status and access through her imminent divorce but also all her old friends and her sense of purpose - there are no more committee meetings, no galas or balls. She left law school without a degree when marrying and now in her recent harder times she doesn’t have much to fall back on. One night out incognito at a nondescript hotel bar she meets a new friend who turns into a bit of a makeover project for her - but should she actually be trusting this new friend ? Is she who she says she is ? Is Alyssa herself a reliable narrator? What happened to her husband who more or less completely disappeared under the suspicion of a possible FBI investigation … Were there shady business dealings ? Is he sneaking into the house at odd hours ?
Who is friend and who is foe ? This intriguing domestic thriller full of red herrings and potential suspects is just too fun to pass up !

This book was amazing. Without giving any hints you should just read it. The twist and turned will make you rethink things.

A cat-and-mouse chase slow burn thriller that kept me guessing until the end. The main character seemed naive which drove me a little crazy. However, I did not come close to guessing the end of this one. Perfect for BA Paris fans. The House Guest is available now so check it out. I’ll definitely be grabbing some more HPR books.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan audio, and Forge Books for my early copies!

When her wealthy husband files for divorce, cutting her off financially, Alyssa is in a quandary. She takes in a house guest with a friend who offer to “make her troubles go away.” Now who can she trust? This is a twisty thriller that will keep you guessing.

The narration was well done and I thoroughly enjoyed listening. The twist at the end really made this book.