3.5/5 stars

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy.

Alyssa Macallan is at her lowest point in years -- recently left by wealthy husband, Bill, who seems to have all of their friends on his side. Enter Bree Lorrance, struggling young woman on the run from her abusive ex-boyfriend. Alyssa and Bree hit it off immediately and become fast enough friends that Alyssa offers Bree respite in her guest house. In the next few days, all hell breaks loose in Alyssa's life-- the FBI comes knocking and SOMEONE keeps showing up at her house when she isn't home. Can Alyssa and Bree solve both of their issues, or will Bill win again, just as he always does?

This one was just okay. The premise was great and I was super intrigued at first. However, this was a sloooowwww burn. SO much detail was given at the beginning and it felt excessive, leaving me confused at times. The ending was so twisty and unexpected, I would have liked more of that throughout the book. Overall, this was an interesting read by not one I would read again.

Enjoyed this on Audio, the Narroter brought the sory to life . Perfect play on
'how well do you really know someone"
'. Good storyline , kept me engaged , twist and turns , good suspense.

A distraught, wealthy woman has just separated from her husband, walks into a bar and strikes up a friendship with a fellow distraught woman. And the story begins.
I found the story entertaining but a bit too predicable. The characters were a little too one-dimensional for my liking.
I loved the narrator. Great job of interpreting the twist and turns of the book.

A thriller filled and then filled again with twists and turns that you don’t expect. It’s the tale of trust - trust in marriage and trust in friendship. The level of anxiety in this story slowly builds until the reader wonders what am I missing? It’s brilliant. My one critique is that there is a character or two that becomes a bit whiny at certain parts. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

My thanks to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to review this audio.

Be careful who you bring home from a bar. That's what Alyssa McCallan finds out as she's drowning her sorrows in a bar, meets Bree Lorance who is escaping a stalker which leads Bree to invite her to live in her guest house. What follows are secrets and a lot of twists and cat and mouse tales. Nothing is what it seems. Like the narrator and recommendations.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Hank Phillippi Ryan for the advanced copy of The House Guest in exchange for my honest review.

I'll keep this brief and just say this book unfortunately was just not for me. I felt it was pretty obvious what was happening the whole book, and I had a hard time with the various friendships and conversations that occurred. Everything felt just a little forced.

I will still not hesitate to read anything by this author in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Tor/Forge, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Hank Phillippi Ryan and wonderfully narrated by Stephanie Willing - 5 twisty stars!

Alyssa Macallan is feeling depressed - her wealthy husband has left her and she fears that he is plotting against her in the divorce proceedings. She stops in at a random hotel bar for a drink where she meets Bree, also in fear of a man; in this case, an abusive ex-boyfriend. The two commiserate and Alyssa invites Bree to stay in her guest house. Alyssa finally feels less alone and has someone to confide in. Then the FBI show up at the door and everything changes.

This is the ultimate cat-and-mouse thriller - my head was spinning with all the twists and trying to decide who was trustworthy and who wasn't. While reading and listening to this book, I did plenty of eye rolling, questioning Alyssa's behavior; however, it was a fast-paced, well-written book that checked all the boxes for me for pure entertainment. Don't miss this one!

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan focuses on Alyssa Macallen a women who is having a very difficulty time accepting the blunt separation from her billionaire husband. With the separation she has been positioned to loose her previous lifestyle including the couple’s mutual friends, assets and finances . While sulking in her pity she decides to step into a hotel bar, shortly after she notices Bree a woman she believes to be meek and possibly in need of help . They start up a conversation and Bree confides in Alyssa that she is running away from a terrifying past . Alyssa being the the typical female character written in many thriller novels is void of any skepticism , and of course invites this perfect stranger back to her house.

The story is very entertaining at times. As a thriller enthusiast/ connoisseur I can easily predict twist however I think the average reader will absolutely enjoy the many twist and turns towards the end of the story.

My grievance with the book is mostly due to how the protagonist Alyssa is portrayed . Alyssa’s characters is written in a manner that exudes naivety, and the choices she makes throughout the story are incredibly absurd . Throughout the story her decision were nonsensical , so much so that it was an annoyance to continue listening to the story during these parts .

I was very much pleased with the narration of the book . Stephanie Willing did a fantastic job, she was able change her voice distinctly different between with Alyssa and Brie, which is always much appreciated. I will be seeking more books narrated by her.

📖 Book 2.5 ⭐️
🎧Narration 4.0 ⭐️
💫 Overall 3.0 ⭐️

Many thanks to Tor/Forge Books, Macmillan
Audio, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and NetGalley for the gifted copy of this ARC in form of an audiobook provided to me in return for an honest review.

Oh this was somehow super heartwarming and wholesome while also involving crimes. It was amazing!
I didn't expect a single twist in this book. Well I did expect two things but even when they were revealed I was like "whaaaa?" because of the way it all unfolds. It was lovely and I had the best day listening to it.

Rating: 4/5 stars
Genre: Mystery
Received an ARC copy from Netgalley

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of this novel. The chapters are short, the narrator was pleasant to listen to, and entertained throughout the novel. I liked how some chapters had mysterious and left open ended so it left you wanting for more as a reader/listener. Everyone is a suspect and kept you guessing the whole time.

I did guess the outcome and who’d done it almost 25% into the book- only because I read a ton of mystery books. Also, the book had a good amount of characters so it didn’t leave me confused.

Nothing really stuck out to me in regards to the uniqueness of the book. Felt like a very common mystery who’d done it type of novel. Still entertaining and an easy listen while driving around town.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read/review this novel.

Full of twists and turns! Money is missing, a husband is missing and no one knows what’s going on…except maybe the FBI. But never mind all that, why not spend some time relaxing with a new friend you met at a bar and moved out not your guesthouse. You’ll never guess who is using who!

2 stars ( rounded up)

This is the end of the road for me and Hank P Ryan.
I found this book to be absolutely terrible and painful to read. Alyssa's thoughts and second thoughts and doubts, all these are taking entire chapters. Not to mention that she is not the brightest thing under the sun and she constantly swings back and forth between loving and hating her husband that appears to have left her. She forms a deep friendship in a matter of minutes with a girl, that even a four year old would suspect she's lying and hiding something.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan.Audio for allowing me to read this book!

3.75 stars

There was a lot happening in this book. I often didn’t know quite what was going on or who could be trusted; also, while I didn’t figure out exactly what their role was, it was pretty clear to me that both of the friend characters were definitely hiding something major and were, for one reason or another, manipulating the protagonist. All in all, the story was a twisty mess of chaos and intriguing events that, for the most part, I enjoyed.

This was the first read by Hank Phillippi Ryan and overall I enjoyed the book. It was a very slow build but once it started moving I wanted to find out more. There were so many lies, deceit, gas lighting and manipulation that ultimately lead to a decent plot. I could not get over how naïve Alyssa was inviting a perfect stranger into her house and having blind trust in that person. That naivety carried on through the book and it thought it was a little unrealistic. Nothing is as it seems and the ending was nice.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator, Stephanie Willing did a good job!

***** Many thanks to Tor/Forge Books, Macmillan Audio, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and NetGalley for the gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

I really like this authors style and I've read a few in the past. This one definitely did not disappoint. There was so much back and forth suspicion that it was hard to tell who I could trust. The main character almost seemed a bit too naive and too trusting so I was wary the entire time. I really liked the ending to this and thought the letter half of the book was very exciting. I do wish there was a bit more development between the ladies before Brees attorney got involved because I think that would have made the relationship a bit more believable. Overall though, I enjoyed this and thought it was definitely worth the read. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very entertaining, if not entirely believable, romp about Alyssa, a recently separated woman, and Bree, a down on her luck woman Alyssa meets in a bar. The narrator of the audiobook does a fantastic job of distinguishing the characters and making them interesting, while Hank Phillipi Ryan as always brings the fun twists and turns, zippy writing, and expert plotting. Those of you who don't like suspending your disbelief too much may not relate to this one, but, as for me, even though I had a sense from the beginning of the unbelievable way this was going to end, I had a great time going along for the ride. The ending is a little over-explainy, but it kind of has to be that way with the complicated plot. I enjoyed the book all the way through and had fun with the red herrings and misdirection. Hank Phillipi Ryan remains one of my go-to suspense authors and this is an extremely well-done audiobook that you will be likely to gobble up in one or two sittings as I did.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this well-written and well-narrated audiobook.

So, Alyssa had the perfect life. She's married to a money guy who makes a lot of it and lives in a beautiful home near Boston, which includes pool and guest house. She's got the rich, snotty, entitled country club friends and a good looking husband. When her husband goes missing, she falls apart. That same night, she meets another woman who seems to have man troubles as well. Alyssa, sweet Alyssa, invites this stranger to stay at her house instead of the hotel attached to the bar because, she's just a nice person. The choppy story unfolds and who knows what to believe. Is her new friend, Bree, trustworthy? What exactly happened to Bill? Who can she trust? There were some holes in the story, though, for example, why wouldn't such a big house with wealthy inhabitants have a generator installed for one. The narration was fine, the story just kind of dragged a little and was not very believable.

3.5 stars

Overall I enjoyed this book. During the middle there was a little ebb in the story, but more towards the end it picked up again. The narration was good, I would definitely recommend the audio version. And the ending was a bit of a surprise, that that was a plus as well.

In "The House Guest," bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan has crafted a gripping and suspenseful tale of cat and mouse, where it's not always clear who is playing which role. Alyssa Macallan is devastated when she is divorced by her wealthy and powerful husband and begins to fear that he is scheming to ruin her financially. Just as she is at her most vulnerable, the FBI arrives at her door, and Alyssa finds herself in desperate need of a friend. Enter Bree Lorrance, a mysterious woman who is running from a dangerous relationship of her own. Alyssa offers her the safety of her guest house, and the two become close confidantes. As they help each other navigate their respective problems, they make a risky and tempting offer to each other that could solve all of their issues.

While I never quite identified with Alyssa--she was a bit too much of a flake sometimes, and WAY too trusting--I did find this to be an entertaining read. There were lots of red herrings that kept me wondering what the end game was going to be. I would have liked more from Bill's perspective earlier in the book, rather than waiting until the very end to include him. The narrator of the audio version did an excellent job. All in all, a good read.