The first thing I notice in this book is that I am immediately suspicious of this Laure character. I feel like there is something really off with her and her husband. Initially, I felt that the timing of Laure's situation was rushed. Though now that I've finished the entire book, I've found issues with the pacing of it all. I feel that we spent half the book of Laure and Pierre, too much time on Gabriel being depressed about Charlie and putting off his mother, Esme and Hugh seemed to only be a means to introducing Joseph to the story, and the second half of the book was like reading an entirely different novel altogether. The end came of out nowhere, and while I am a fan of unreliable narrators, it didn't seem to suit the story. This story fell a bit flat to me and it's unfortunate that we didn't even get the satisfaction of Gabriel and Iris healing their marriage in the end. I know this author is well liked and I definitely wanted to read to the end so I will probably read more from them as I am a huge fan of thrillers and I assume this one just wasn't for me. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

This book was pretty slow and boring overall. Nothing “exciting” really happened until the epilogue and even then, the twist was pretty lack luster and predictable in my opinion. I don’t think this is a book I would recommend to a friend.

3.75 stars.

The Guest is a domestic suspense read with a slow beginning and a large focus on the relationship between a wife and her husband. The mystery elements slowly started to unfold in the middle of the book and were quite interesting. However, the story seemingly abruptly ended with lots of loose ends. But then there was a lengthy epilogue where the twist was revealed. The actual reveal was good but that was the most exciting/engaging part of the story.

I think some of the epilogue could have been integrated into the main body of the novel and not saved for the epilogue which would have helped the uneven pacing and better immersed the reader. I also found it hard to engage with the characters.

This was a quick read with short chapters and I liked the ending but this was not my favourite by this author.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I thought this was a rather slow-paced book and found the storyline dragged quite a bit. I didn’t really care for the characters. It turns out this book just wasn’t for me.

This was a very slow-burn, but definitely worth sticking around for the ending!●

Thank you, NetGalley @netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review

3.5 rounded up.

Bad habit of comparing all her books to my first by her, Behind Closed Doors, and this wasn’t that.

Not sorry I read it. Am i going to remember it years later, probably not. Did it keep me wanting to know more, yes! The prologue, kept running through my mind while reading, how were we going to get to that?!

Really enjoyed the characters, all likeable but with flaws. Storyline flowed well and easy to follow. Just didn’t knock it out of the park. Was tired of the reference to the quarry drowning but made sense later.

Each couple has an extra guest so which one was the title referring to?

Definitely didn’t see the ending coming and it gave me mixed feelings, like to easy or brilliantly written…..you decide.

Drama with some thrills, really more mystery.

Thanks to the author, netgalley and St martins press for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a great psychological thriller. Once I started it, I could not put it down.

As a reader I thought I had everything figured out and was accepting of which characters had committed the crimes. I loved the way the end completely threw me for a loop.

B.A. Paris weaves a complex and tangled web with her set of characters. Both the plot and the characters are much more complicated and problematic than they appear.

This was my first read by this author, but this one alone makes me want to seek out others by her. She truly proved to be a master of deception and deceit. Just like a good thriller should, this novel showed me that evil truly does lurk just under the surface.

Thank you, NetGalley and St, Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this ARC.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I compare it all to Behind Closed Doors. I have a feeling nothing is going to top that book but I did enjoy this one a little bit more than her last one.

This one is a real slow burn but I didn't find it boring at all. I happened to really enjoy it. I did see one of the twists coming (one of the earlier twists) and I predicted it like right at the beginning of the book.

The epilogue was a complete and total surprise. I didn't see that coming at all. It made this book so much better.

3.5 stars rounded up

I love B.A. Paris' books. This one fell a little flat for me. It has a slow pace with non likeable characters. It ended and I was like, wait a minute who really did it? Luckily there is an epilogue that reveals all and it is a doozy. Without the reveal this was only stars for me. It got the extra star for the end. Regardless I do not want to ever go to this town and its quarry.

It took me awhile to get through this domestic thriller because the pacing was very slow. Iris and Gabriel have been married for over 20 years, but their relationship is in a rocky spot. Gabriel, a surgeon, has had a tough year losing his dog, his father, and witnessing a local teenage boy dying after a bike crash. The boy's last words have haunted him ever since. To make matters worse, when they get back from holiday, their friend Laure has made herself at home in their house. She's fresh off of leaving her husband, Pierre, who recently confessed to her that he discovered he has a daughter with another woman. Pierre is best friends with Gabriel, and Gabriel and Iris have doubts about Laure's outburst. Laure is also kind of the worst and is the house guest who will never leave, and constantly is by Iris's side. And then, there is a new couple in the neighborhood, who have a baby on the way and there own house guest. And then the murders happen. In spite of the slowness of the novel, the last 10% is very satisfying.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

I was able to both listen and read this title!!

The Guest offers a gripping exploration of friendship tested by secrets and unexpected intrusions. Iris and Gabriel's lives take a dramatic turn when their friend Laure disrupts their home, bringing with her a cascade of unpredictable events. As hidden truths emerge from the pasts of all characters, the narrative/story unfolds with suspense, making The Guest a compelling and thought-provoking read/listen.

Thank you Net Galley for an Arc for an Honest review

**Iris and Gabriel have just arrived home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their closest friends, Laure, is in their house. The atmosphere quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and again: sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris' clothes, even rearranging the furniture.

Laure has walked out on her husband―and their good friend―Pierre, over his confession of an affair and a secret child.
Iris and Gabriel's only respite comes in the form of a couple new to town. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past.

Soon, secrets from all their pasts will unravel, some more dangerous than they could have known.**

B A Paris is one of those Authors I read without even reading the blurb, I devoured this one in 2 days! it hooks you from the start and you want to keep reading. I was suspicious of everyone but I did not see that ending coming. once I realized I couldn't believe it!
I can't say I really "Loved" any of the characters they all had something about them that was a little annoying or off about them.
But this one does go to almost the top of my favorites by her not quite topping behind closed doors!

Iris and Gabriel arrive home to a long time
friend staying at their house. When they realize it’s Laure they question why she is there in the first place. They soon realize she has left her husband Pierre in Paris and is going to file for divorce once she finds out about his past. Things start to happen and soon Pierre and Laure go missing. It’s time to investigate the ‘who dun it’ in the story. Get ready for a ride with BA Paris new book set to release 2/19

Iris and Gabriel arrive home from a holiday, only to discover 0ne of their closest friends, Laure, is in their house. She has left her husband and, because she knew they were out of town, she let herself in and has been staying there ever since. The atmosphere quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and again: sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris' clothes, even rearranging the dishes in the kitchen. When Iris questions Laura about why she has left Pierre, she said that he confessed of having an affair and a secret child. Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive of their friends, but as Laure's mood becomes increasingly unpredictable, her presence takes its toll. Iris and Gabriel's only respite comes in the form of a couple new to town. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past. Soon, secrets from all their pasts will unravel, some more dangerous than they could have known.

I am normally a huge fan of this author's books but this one was not one of my favorites. The pacing was rather slow, none of the characters were particularly likeable, and Laure just flat-out got on my nerves with the way she ran all over Iris and Gabriel and they just let her. Having never been in that situation, I had difficulty feeling empathy, so I was more of the "why don't you just throw her out already?" mentality. The ending did have several excellent twists that I was not expecting. I hated that all of the best parts were crammed into that one section, but the twists were definitely what redeemed the book for me.......and there were several, right in a row. All-in-all, this is a solid 3. This won't deter me from reading future books from this author. Not every book is for every person, and this one just didn't resonate with me.

I love B.A. Paris’ thrillers! right from the start I was like woah this is a lot of trauma and everyone seems unhinged but honestly I was quickly hooked.

I love this kind of thriller where you’re trying to figure out WHO is being deceptive and WHY.

I didn’t see the ending truth coming at all so bonus points for that. At times I felt like maybe there was too much going on but maybe it was necessary for all of the deceptions and for everything to come together.

This was a good one, I’ll keep reading her books for sure.

Wow, this story was more complex than it appeared at first glance. I liked that it was told from dual points of view. The action, the drama, mystery all helped to increase the suspense. My opinion of one character changed the closer to the end of the novel. The multiple twists left me awestruck.

This story starts off slow. It starts getting interesting about ten chapters in, building up to lots of anxiety with this guest. Then the story just goes all over the place and just drags along until closer to the end where it might be brought back together. Lots of plot holes. The last two books I read by this author also were just ok for me.
The Breakdown is still my favorite.

This book. I love reading anything by B.A. Paris and for a while in this book I was worried because there were a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions. I had suspected a few things and that there was a part of the story we weren't being told. This book came together well and I enjoyed it a lot. It's worth the time getting to the very end and seeing everything come together.

Yay!!! The first book I’ve read by B.A. Paris and my first five star read of the year. This one is so mysterious, a great psychological thriller, and wonderfully entertaining. I went into it blind and was pleasantly surprised. A thriller that has such good character depth is hard to find but I found one!

Iris Pelley and Gabriel have been friends with Parisians Pierre and Laure since they met on their honeymoon years ago. They return from vacation to find Laure in their home because Pierre has told her a secret and now they are separating.

While Laure is there, Iris and Gabriel befriend new neighbors Hugh and Esme and their recovered alcoholic gardener, Joseph. All these characters intertwine in some way and when dead bodies turn up it’s not clear what is going on. The style of this thriller felt fresh and the way it unfolds kept me turning the pages. Every character is questionable. The epilogue is the icing on the cake. What an accomplishment this books is for Paris! I now need to go read her others.

Pick this up for a mysterious thrill with great character depth

This book did not disappoint!! It kept me turning each page waiting for what’s next! The character building was exquisitely done! This was my first book by this author and won’t be my last