The Guest centers around Iris and Gabriel, a happily married couple who come back from vacation to one of their good friends Laure staying in their house. Why is she there? According to Laure, her husband Pierre has come forward and said he had an affair and with that affair came a child that is his. Soon people keep winding up dead close to Iris and Gabriel. Who’s doing it? And why? All these secrets keep surfacing, any one of them could be responsible.

Honestly.. this was incredibly disappointing. It read as a domestic book with just a hint of mystery thrown in. It was so slow paced that it was hard to get into. I had no problem stopping at any point in the book and struggled to pick it back up. I will say the ending WAS surprising and a great twist but just too slow for my liking. If you can handle a slower paced mystery, the ending certainly won’t disappoint!

Love a BA Paris book! Iris and Gabriel are living a good life- one child away on a gap year trip and happy together -on the surface. Then Gabriel witnesses a boy during his last
Moments with a message to pass on to his Mom. Their mutual friend Laure shows up on their doorstep who just left her husband Pierre. And then there is a new neighbor -Esme and her husband Hugh. Suddenly more people start dying. Why are they dying? And who is killing them and why? These are the delicious questions. I really thought I had this one figured out… but I totally did not. How nice that is to not know!

Wow.... Just wow... this was such a great book. I was suuuuucked in. A good cast of characters. Enough to leave you guessing at who's responsible for what when it could be a couple people at each turn.... then the end... Just floored. Completely worth the read. One of my favorite wrap ups. There was maaaaybe one thing I would have liked to be addressed a bit better, but everything it gives you by the end, it's almost selfish to ask for more!

I love this author so much. Her first book was absolutely epic. It almost makes me not want to read subsequent books, but only almost. I read them all. This one was definitely on a level with the early books. I have no idea how she comes up with all of these unique scenarios with nefarious characters, but I'm here for it.

A couple returns from vacation to find a friend living in their house. Which would be fine, except she didn't tell anyone that she was there and she's been acting like Goldilocks, sleeping in the master bedroom and wearing the wife's clothing. I would be annoyed. The couple pretends like this is okay and lets her stay. That's the setup. The plot escalates steadily from that point.

I highly recommend this one. Especially if you have been slightly ambivalent about the author's more recent books.

Very very slow pace. Especially for a thriller. The third person narration made it harder to follow than necessary.

Wow!!!

What did I just read!?! It all started off innocently enough.

I honestly didn't read the synopsis on this book before I read it. I saw the authors name and knew I'd liked her previous books, so I didn't have a clue what I was getting into. As I was reading, I kept thinking that I didn't have a clue where this was going, but I loved that I couldn't guess how it would end.

And boy, did I not see that ending coming.

If you like a twist, this book is for you!

I've read prior B.A. Paris' books and this was on par. I wasn't blown away BUT it did keep my attention. I felt a bit scattered at the beginning trying to keep up with the characters and what was going on.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

"The Guest" is a psychological thriller novel by B.A. Paris, known for her suspenseful storytelling and intricate plots. B.A. Paris is known for crafting stories that are full of suspense and tension. Her novels often feature unexpected twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Overall, I felt that the story was a bit underwhelming and lacked character development. I could not connect to the characters and did not feel that the story was catching. I tend to really like B.A. Paris's books but this one fell short.

I really liked the ending to the book. It was a nice twist that I didn’t see coming.

I thought the character development and the day to day living dragged a bit much for me. I became a little annoyed with some of the characters.

Overall, I would recommend this to friends.

This is the first novel by Paris that I've read and I absolutely loved it! The writing style kept a quick pace and I couldn't get over Laure - I hated her but she was so well written! I've read a lot of thriller/suspense but this ending took me by surprise...looking forward to reading more from this author.

**I received a ARC from St Martin Press + NetGalley**

B.A Paris is the Queen of slow, mysterious build ups and then a jaw dropping ending. She truly is a modern day Agatha Christie.

This one took me a while to get through. The first 60% of the book, I was kind of confused by the time lines and the purpose of some of characters, but if someone asked, I’d tell them to power through because it was worth it!

I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely a slow burn though. nothing big really happens in the first 50%. the last half of the book is when it really gets good. I really love the short chapters. So even though it is a slow burn it doesn't feel to dragged out. This was able to keep my attention the whole time.

I personally enjoy almost all of B.A. Paris' books. I think there is only one I haven't liked. Her darkest thriller to date is her debut book, "Behind Closed Doors".
This novel was a quick read. I didn't have any favorite characters. Nor was I rooting for any of them. You don't know who is being honest or who is being deceiving.
Did I see the big reveal coming at the end?? Nope. That is one of the many reasons I continue reading her novels. She keeps me on my toes. Mild sexual content.

B. A. Paris writes an intriguing thriller about infidelity, secrets, and murder.

Iris and Gabriel come home from a getaway to find their good friend, Laure, in their home. When Laure explains why she is there, and without her husband, Gabriel and Iris offer to let her stay as long as she wants. Gabriel is dealing with recent deaths in his life and is barely coping; Iris is struggling to help Gabriel; but Laure staying with them for the unforeseeable future, adds fuel to the already damaging fire.

Without the epilogue, this one may have fallen apart completely. While I did catch some of the twists early, some were still left for surprise.

There were quite a few characters and none of them were very likable, but the book did keep me drawn in for the most part. I feel like the story could have been told without the introduction of Esme and Hugh; there was a lot going on that could have been avoided, but all for filler, I suppose!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of The Guest! I enjoyed the experience of this one, and I know many other readers will as well.
Publication date: February 20, 2024

What a TWIST. I did not see that coming AT ALL. Normally, I’m one to guess the ending of thrillers before they happen. However, from the beginning of this book to the end, I had no idea where this was going at any point. This book was such an easy, smooth read that took me on a whirlwind of slowly revealed secrets and mystery.

I read this entire thing in one sitting. Excuse me while I go buy the rest of B. A. Paris’s books!!

Secrets, Lies, Deceit, Drama, Suspense, The Guest did not disappoint. A sort of slow start for me that had me nervous and the names of the main characters were interesting and odd.. Once I got a few pages in, I was fully interested and excited to get this one read to see what happens. The characters names grew on me quickly and I enjoyed the story and the characters….B.A. Paris I felt did a good job with this book. I enjoyed the suspense factor and how much it kept me wanting to know what was coming and what exactly happened. I am rating it 4 starts because while it was a great read it did not OVERLY WOW and shock me. Thank you NetGalley, and St. Martins Press for the ARC opportunity, and for B.A. Paris for doing a great job writing this one, I really did enjoy reading The Guest and can’t wait to explore more B.A. Paris books!

B.A. Paris became an instant buy for me ever since I read Behind Closed Doors (also a great book!) there hasn’t been a book I haven’t enjoyed since then and that streak continues with this book! I was a bit skeptical on the beginning, as the book does take a bit to get its pace going-BUT when it does, it’s a wild ride.
I love a thriller where you think you have it figured out only to have the rug pulled out from beneath you at the ending. And my goodness, don’t forget the epilogue with this book because that about blew any and all of my theories out of the water. Let’s just say, I was no where close and didn’t see that coming. Pick up the book and enjoy the ride, I know I sure did!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this arc. All opinions are my own.

Advanced reader's copy provided by NetGalley

This is the first novel I have read by B.A. Paris, but I don't believe it will be my last. While the domestic thriller genre isn't the most common genre I read in, I have definitely dabbled.

The Guest starts off by introducing us to the main characters, Iris and Gabriel, just as they are coming home from a vacation. They notice that their house appears to be occupied and soon find one of their close friends in the home. The friend, Laure, states that she is in their home because her husband, Pierre, recently found out that he had a child some years ago with another woman. The precarious situation is made all the more difficult as Gabriel has recently witnessed the death of a young man who rode his bike into the quarry, having spent his final moments together before help could arrive.

This story is filled with secrets and twists that I did not see coming in the slightest. And when I say filled, I mean it. Every chapter of the book seemed to bring in some fresh new mystery that I had to continue reading to solve.

However, while the twists and turns and many mysteries were a great aspect of this title, I found that the characters fell a bit flat. Furthermore, though this is somewhat common for domestic thrillers, there was very little action. That is to say that the majority of the story took place through dialogue.

I would absolutely recommend this title for anyone looking for a good domestic thriller.

3.5 stars. I had read B.A. Paris' previous book, Behind Closed Doors and enjoyed that domestic psychological thriller. Paris brings her same signature DNA to her new novel, The Guest -- a new domestic thriller that takes the reader behind another set of closed doors. After coming back from vacation, a couple - Iris and Gabriel return to their home to discover their friend Laure is in their house. Laure has walked out on her husband and crosses many boundaries including rearranging furniture, dressing in Iris' clothes and creating concern over her well being. After a new couple. comes to town ,what seems to be an escape from Laure's behavior becomes more complicated when their gardener also enters the conversation. The past and the present collide in a myriad of secrets and revelations are made.

I love me a good psychological thriller and while Paris provides plenty of opportunity for twists and turns it wasn't until the epilogue that I was fully on board. The pacing was a little off for me in the beginning, but ultimately the pay off was pretty great, I just didn't think we had enough time to focus on all of the characters since the cast was rather big. Ultimately I did find it to be another generic domestic thriller filled with the usual secrets and won't necessarily need to pick it up again. But that ending. Also word to the wise -- if your house guests start wearing your clothes without permission or rearranging your furniture -- abort mission. Kick their behind to the CURB.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, B.A. Paris, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I've read a handful of B.A. Paris books over the years and The Guest was one of my favorites.

The book starts with husband and wife, Iris and Gabriel returning from a vacation to find their longtime friend, Laure, in their home. Laure left her husband, and Gabriel's best friend, Pierre, after finding out he had a baby with another woman. Obviously devastated, Laure can't bring herself to go back home and overstays her welcome at Iris and Gabriel's, becoming a little too comfortable wearing Iris's clothes, sleeping in their bed, and consuming every moment of free time the couple has. During this time, Iris befriends Esme and Hugh, a couple who just moved into their neighborhood. Iris finds herself becoming suspicious of Laure's increasingly odd behavior as she starts to entangle herself into the lives of Esme and Hugh's family, and more importantly their gardener, Joseph. Laure seems to move on from Pierre rather quickly, and Iris finds herself questioning if Laure's being truthful about her reason for being there.

I found the first half of the book to be quite slow, but the mid to end was full of twists that kept coming - none of which I predicted as I was reading. Was some of it a bit far fetched? Sure. But was it entertaining? Absolutely.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for this ARC.