When Iris and Gabriel allow a friend, Laure, to stay with them after a personal crisis, they soon realize that her presence is disrupting their lives in ways they never imagined. Strange events unfold, Iris begins to question who she can trust.

Very suspenseful! This book kept me on edge! I loved the short chapters and shifting perspectives. While some twists are predictable, the novel’s pace and emotional depth make it an engaging read. Fans of domestic thrillers will appreciate the tension and drama, though some may find the ending a bit abrupt.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of The Guest by B.A. Guest in exchange for my honest review and feedback. I seriously did the biggest happy dance when I was approved for this book as I am a huge B.A. Paris fan. As in all the other books there is SO much suspense and drama that will keep you turning the pages faster and faster to see what is going to happen next. All I'm going to say is the ending will absolutely blow you away. OMG! Another home run!

Thanks to the author, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.
The Guest is a domestic suspense novel. It was a little bit long and repetitive in my opinion, which is what took me forever to come back to this book. I have only read one other B. A. Paris book and unfortunately, this one fell short compared to that one.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this one. I loved another by the author but I tried to get into this one for months but couldn't. It never caught me.

Beautiful book! Love the scenery and characters. Leaves a lasting impression. BA Paris never disappoints every book is as good as the last

I generally like Paris’ novels so I requested this one.

Iris and Gabriel are surprised to return from a trip and find their friend, Laure, staying at their house. She has separated from her husband after discovering a long ago affair that, unbeknownst to him until recently, resulted in a child. However, Laure begins to overstay her welcome, and when her estranged husband is unreachable, suspicions are raised and secrets start to come out.

This book was just an okay read for me. I liked it enough to finish it but never felt hooked. The epilogue of the story serves as a retelling almost, in which all of the whodunnit and why details get shared. It left me feeling like if you have to explain the plot then something was missing in the rest of the book.

The Guest is a straightforward thriller with nothing that set it apart in the reading experience for me. If the plot interests you, I think you’d enjoy it.

I really enjoy B.A. Paris - I have read every book by this author and I know I can always count on Paris' books to be entertaining, fast paced, and a great palette cleanser between serious books. This wasn't my favorite - but also wasn't my least favorite.

I always just go into these novels with the thought process that they are great popcorn thrillers - entertaining in the moment, exactly what I need, and then something I can kind of forget about after I read it. That is a good thing, not a bad thing. Sometimes, you just need that book - like finding a thriller movie on HBO at midnight that you can watch while also trying to get yourself to fall asleep. You can blink and miss a little bit, but you still get the overall story and when you're done, you think "that's exactly what I needed" and then you fall asleep and forget you watched it. That's the beauty of a BA Paris novel!.

The Guest by B.A. Paris is a classic domestic thriller that hooks you from the start with its web of secrets, strained relationships, and a growing sense of unease. Known for her knack for building tension in everyday settings, Paris once again delivers a page-turner that keeps you guessing until the very end.

The story centers around a couple whose peaceful life is upended when an unexpected guest arrives, bringing old secrets to the surface and unraveling the delicate balance of their seemingly perfect world. Paris excels at creating an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust, and the slow-burning tension makes it hard to put the book down.

The pacing is tight, with short, sharp chapters that build suspense, and the twists—while not all shocking—are placed perfectly to keep the momentum going. The strength of the novel lies in its character dynamics, especially the subtle power plays and emotional undercurrents that add depth to the plot.

The reason for four stars instead of five? Some twists feel a bit predictable, and a couple of character decisions stretch believability. Still, the overall ride is gripping and satisfying, with a well-executed ending that ties things together.

If you enjoy domestic thrillers with psychological depth and a steady stream of suspense, The Guest is definitely worth the read!

Having read all of B.A. Paris’ books, I went into this with heightened anticipation. I was waiting for the suspense for 90% of the book and it just didn’t get there until the epilogue. I expected more twists and it felt a bit flat for me. I did enjoy the plot of a friend who finds out her husband had a child with someone else, moves in and overstays her welcome.

Another good one by BA Paris. I really enjoyed it. Twisty turns and characters. I have planned to go back and read all of BA Paris' books. Enjoyed it.

Iris and Gabriel are struggling; after Gabriel's witnessing of a horrifying accident they are experiencing a great divide. Further exasperating things is their univited guest, Laure, who is going through a difficult separation from her husband, Gabriel's best friend Pierre. Like Laure, their neighbors have a house guest going through some trying times and with him comes a mountain of secrets that leak into their own.

My word, first, you need a map to keep the connections straight in this novel. There are a lot of characters and as the novel progresses, the individuals story begin to tangle together. Second, this one is slow in pace and while I think it lends itself to understanding the true height of tension, it can feel monotonous. You are reading a story about a couple and their day to day lives after a major incident. There is coffee, lunches, dinner, afternoons shopping, and daily runs. It feels somehow both critical to the story and repetetive, however if you've ever had family or a friend stay for a long time, you'll know the intent of the author in doing this. As the coffee cups sit where they shouldn't and private time gets less and less, what boils to the surface?

While I figured out fairly early on who the true villain was, I greatly enjoyed the layout of everyone being a suspect. It's a twisted story, no one is truly as good as they'd like to claim they are, but the secrets bubbling up are horrifying. I enjoyed this read, especially as a quick beach-read thriller.

2 stars

This is the second B.A Paris book that I have read other than Behind Closed Doors. I wasn’t thrilled with that book either however I do think it did a better job altogether than this one. The Guest was a very odd premise to start with but I got into it a bit and was still engaged enough to see where this was going but I feel like it wasn’t executed well enough. The characters seemed annoying and messy but not in a good messy. I don’t think they were as well put together as maybe how the other imagined. I also felt like the reasoning behind the whole plot was kind of just lackluster.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

This thriller was fine, but didn't knock my socks off. I think this author just isn't for me. I have seen mixed reviews of this book.

The plot twists gradually reveal the underlying complexities of a seemingly troubled relationship on the mend, culminating in a suspenseful and deadly aftermath involving an unanticipated guest. While the novel delivers a surprising ending and maintains a brisk pace with its short chapters, I found it challenging to engage with the characters due to their almost shallow nature. Unfortunately, this hindered my ability to remain fully invested in the story. Normally, I am a huge fan of this author's writing style, but this particular book didn't resonate with me as much as their previous works.

Thank you MacMillan Audio and St Martins Press for my copy.

BA Paris is an autobuy author for me, she made me get back into reading with Behind Closed Doors. I hadn't really been a reader since I was a kid before this. I always jump to read her new books and this was the first time I did one mainly on audio. I thought the narration was pretty good, nothing really stood about it for me on audio, and the story was also ok. It was a good mystery, but it wasn't one of my favorites by her. I would check out Behind Closed Doors and then Bring Me Back if you want to check out this author instead.

Domestic thrillers are my bag, and I really love to read them and see what each author does with the genre. An uninvited house guest is a personal nighmare for me, and I would hope that I would deal with this issue swiftly and well. B A Paris does a great job setting the story, and once established, following the characters was interesting and a great read. Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the ARC of this book.

★★★★☆

b.a. paris knows how to sink her claws into you, and the guest is no exception. from the very first page, there’s an unsettling undercurrent—a slow, creeping tension that tightens its grip with every chapter. this is not a thriller that relies on big, flashy twists; instead, it builds its unease gradually, piece by piece, until you realize you’ve been holding your breath.

the novel thrives on its atmosphere—claustrophobic, charged, laced with secrets that fester beneath polite smiles. the characters are flawed in that distinctly paris way, where you don’t know if you trust them, but you have to know what happens next. the pacing is sharp, the dread palpable, and while some plot points felt a little predictable, the execution kept me glued to the pages.

if there’s a flaw, it’s that the emotional depth doesn’t always land as hard as the tension does. some moments could have cut deeper, hit harder. but even so, the guest is an addictive, compulsively readable ride—one that leaves you unsettled in the best way.

Wow!

The Guest is a story that will keep you turning page after page.
There’s nothing to make you think outside the box. The story is exactly what it says…………….until it isn’t.
Did not see that ending coming at all.

Such a good story!

This book just wasn’t for me. I felt like the pacing was a little too slow and I never found myself eager to pick the book back up. It wasn’t the writing that I didn’t care for but the development of the story.

This was an intriguing novel. I was surprised by the ending - never would have guessed the culprit. The writing style was good with intriguing characters. I recommend this novel for a nice, cozy mystery read. The full scope of my review can be found on these links!