What a wild ride!
B.A. Paris really knows how to write where you think you know what's going on but you don't!
A friend comes to stay with them and ends up unraveling their lives..

This was another great book by B. A. Paris! It keeps you guessing and re-guessing throughout the entire book. Until the very end when the twist makes you go "oh, yep, I could see it now". Fantastic thriller author and her plots keep you up reading all night. Eagerly awaiting the next book!

"The Guest" by B.A. Paris introduces Iris and Gabriel, who find themselves unexpectedly hosting a mysterious guest, adding a layer of complexity to their lives already fraught with personal struggles. While the narrative's initial pace felt a bit slow for me and repeative and I struggled to connect with some of the characters and what was happening in plot, the midpoint of the story delivered a colossal revelation that transformed the entire reading experience.

About halfway through, the book underwent a narrative shift that made it feel like an entirely different novel. Despite this, the ending was fantastically crafted and took me by complete surprise, earning it extra points and bumping up my rating from 2 to 3 stars. Although the conclusion left me somewhat perplexed, the unexpected twist redeemed the overall reading experience.

As a devoted fan of B.A. Paris, I found that, for some reason, this particular book didn't resonate with me as strongly as others. Despite my mixed feelings, the ingenious ending remains a standout feature.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I just don’t think that I connect to this authors books. I read behind closed doors and I loved it. However I feel like I just had a hard time getting through this book

I enjoyed the hint of suspense that keeps you reading through to the end and the conflict connecting the cast of characters in various ways. Overall, it is a well-plotted storyline with interesting twists. However, some of what's revealed toward the end would have been more impactful if more hints were sprinkled throughout.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by B.A. Paris, with the audio perfectly narrated by Emily Joyce - 4 stars!

Iris and Gabriel are trying to get their marriage and lives back on track after Gabriel experienced the death of a young man. When they return home from a short holiday, they discover that Laure, an old friend, has walked out on her husband, Pierre, and taken refugee at their house. Pierre is Gabriel's closest friend but they try to be supportive of both., but Pierre isn't answering Gabriel's calls and Laure's continued presence is taking a toll. The couple also meets a new neighbor, Hugo and Esme, and seem to click instantly but Laure seems to be taking over that relationship as well.

Oh my goodness - that ending! This is a must read just because that ending will throw you for a loop! This is a bit of a slow burn, with quite a few characters (mostly unlikeable!) to keep track of, but stick with it. It has short chapters, which I like, and I kept turning to the pages to see how it would all play out. And it sure did!

WOW that epilogue has me shook! I found the book to be gripping but slow in the middle. The epilogue saved the whole book for me. I love an unreliable narrator as she had me accusing everyone of being guilty the whole book. I didn't know who to trust this whole book and was shocked at the final twist as I did not see it coming at all. What a great read!

Another great psychological thriller from B. A Paris if you loved behind closed doors you will love this twist and turns that you don’t see coming

The Guest by B.A. Paris was a twisty, suspenseful novel with themes of friendship and betrayal. A fast read and a page-turner, this was a highly entertaining book. I definitely enjoyed the first half of the book over the second half. B.A. Paris did an amazing job creating tension and letting us know that something was wrong - that something BIG was going on - in the dynamic of friends, family, and neighbors. But in the first half, it was impossible to know exactly what, which kept me completely engaged. The second half of the book felt a little disjointed, however, and the slow build up amounted to several quick reveals that felt brushed over quickly. There was a lot going on and a lot of things happening it lost some of the suspense. I'm not a huge fan of epilogues that wrap up thrillers with a neat bow, and I feel like this epilogue did just that. Despite this, B.A. Paris will always be an auto-read author for me, and I really enjoyed her latest, The Guest.

This story is about a couple, Gabriel and Iris who are going through some relationship and personal issues due to some deaths that have happened in the husband's life recently.

Upon returning from a trip, they discover that their house has been taken over by a friend of theirs, Laure. Laure has just found out her husband has been hiding something from her. As she needs time away from him, Iris and Gabriel welcome her into their house with open arms in what they think will be a short stay. They soon realize, Laure is planning for a much longer stay. She becomes unbearable and annoying, over staying her welcome.

The new neighbors are introduced, Esme and Hugh, a married couple who are expecting their first child. They also happen to have a house guest, Joseph who has a troubled past.

Honestly, I don't understand the need for the neighbors in the storyline. It more or less seems as if they are only present in the book just to add in some extra pages. Esme and Hugh served no purpose existing in the book. Joseph does. He plays into the storyline, but I think Esme and Hugh's presence is redundant. Although the plot has a solid mystery wrapped into it, I got tired of the characters' constant back-and-forth conversations, anxieties, and daily routines.

When the book was winding down toward the ending, it was seeming pretty anticlimactic. Until the epilogue dropped a bomb! The twist the epilogue brought was great! The ending threw me! I did not see it coming at all! I love me a good jaw dropping twist! A great way to end the book. It was just what the ending needed. *chef's kiss*

This is my second BA Paris book. The first was Behind Closed Doors. She has a way with words—a way to keep you interested until the very last page. I admire any author who can deliver such a great twist. I look forward to venturing into more of her work!

Thanks to the author, St Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC and audio copy.

I really enjoyed this B.A. Paris read. Her first book Behind Closed Doors set the bar very high for her next books. When reading The Guest I got the same feelings I did when reading the book that hooked me into reading this author! The Guest was the perfect mix of suspense and thriller. The twists were twisted and left me thinking when the book was complete. I found myself a little bored between 30-50 percent of the book causing my rating to be four stars.

I absolutely loved this book. It was stylized in a way that is extra formal, and it truly worked for the odd characters in the story. Paris took a whole bunch of seemingly unrelated events that you know have to be connected somehow, and wove them into a twist so massive, I was absolutely floored. This is an excellent read for mystery/thriller fans who enjoy the journey to the end as much as the shocking conclusions.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for ARC.

I enjoyed this book more than the author’s recent work. It was a bit slower pace for the genre. But I enjoyed the twist!!!

The Guest is the latest novel by the author of Behind Closed Doors and a slew of other domestic suspense stories. This one is about a married couple, Iris and Gabriel, who have two challenges in their life. The husband recently found a boy dying after an accident whose last words to Gabriel were negative regarding the boy’s mother. Gabriel decides to spare the mother’s feelings by changing the boy’s last words. Gabriel then endlessly rehashes that decision ad nauseum throughout the book. Their second challenge is a friend named Laure, who is the worst uninvited houseguest ever. And she just-won’t-leave. Soon more complications arrive to convolute the plot even more.

I think you can tell by my description above that I didn’t like The Guest as much as I wanted to. The characters are all unsympathetic. By the middle of the book, I wanted them to be punished for how annoying they were. The end slightly improved my feelings about the book. However, I’m not sure if it is worth slogging through the rest of it to get there. This book is probably best for diehard B.A. Paris fans only. 3 stars. I recommend reading the author’s best book (5 stars in my opinion), The Dilemma, instead.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

I’ve read pretty much all of B.A. Paris’ books this one really got me good. So many lies, so many secrets. What dark secrets are they hiding. A seemingly perfect family, best friends and new neighbors. Everyone has a secret who’s is the biggest and the deadliest.

4.5 ⭐️
Thank you netgalley for the ARC! I loved this book. I wasn’t hooked in the beginning however as the book went on I started liking it more and more. I loved that all the chapters were on the shorter side and I did not predict the ending. The ending literally blew me away and I cannot wait to read more! I would 100% recommend.

Wow this book was so good it took me no time to read it. I'm a huge fan of this author and I recommend going into this book knowing as little as possible. I can't wait to read what she comes with next. So far I've enjoyed all books by this author.

Iris and Gabriel are adjusting to a lot of changes in their lives. Gabriel had recently found a young man involved in a tragic accident and it messed him up. Their daughter has decided to take a gap year working in a pet sanctuary in Greece and Iris and Gabriel are figuring out empty nesting. But when they return home from a vacation away, they find their friend Laure in their house. She and her husband Pierre have separated and Laure has nowhere else to go. As Laure's stay drags on, Iris and Gabriel try to stay sympathetic, but wonder how much longer she plans to stay.

I was reading this book and loving what was happening and then it was finished with a delightful ending and I thought, oh how nice this all turned out. And then I looked and I was at the 60% mark. I had no idea what was going to happen after that point but I was not disappointed, let me just say. There's always more to the story!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Available February 20, 2024.

Thank you so much @StMartinsPress for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 20 February 2024)

SYNOPSIS | Iris and Gabriel return home to find their longtime friend (Laure) staying in their house after she has left her husband (Pierre) since she learnt that he has been keeping a child secret from her for many years.

WHAT I LIKED:
- multiple 'mystery' storylines

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- the pacing of the book felt off throughout (the storyline is extremely repetitive)
- the dialogue felt stiff & unnatural
- the 'surprise' epilogue basically rewrote the entire book (which honestly felt like an afterthought as there was no clues in the actual story)
- the prologue is included again later within the book word for word