Iris and Gabriel have to be two of the dumbest adults. With each incident that occurs, they continue to act completely oblivious- I hope it is an act because I can’t imagine how they could not see what’s happening right under their noses! I could not relate to the characters and became increasingly frustrated with them up to the last chapter. The author did a great job turning things around and bringing everything to light for me at the end!

The book was so slow and not enjoyable for a good 50 percent. And even when the bodies pile up nothing makes sense. The final chapter/epilogue takes the wind out of the sails of the book and I just went good grief while finishing it up. I think that Paris has some interesting ideas for thrillers, but when the time comes for fully executing it with well developed characters and no plot holes you can drive a train through, it just does not work.

"The Guest" follows married couple Iris and Gabriel. They have recently gone away because Gabriel is still shaken for being by the side of a young man who died tragically. Iris is hoping the trip away would bring them closer, but it has not. When they arrive at their home, they find that their long time friend, Laure, has just invited herself into their home, their bedroom, and Iris's clothing since she has left her husband, and their friend Pierre. Laure is "The Guest" that the book focuses on. We start off in medias res (which does not help) before we work our way backwards to the things I have set up above. From there the book follows with you as a reader knowing that someone(s) have died but you don't know who or why.

So honestly, this whole book was so poor I had to come back the day after finishing and hit it with one star. There is so much mess to wade through I honestly can't think of the good at all.

The characters read so incomplete and flat. We bounce back and forth between Iris's first person point of view to Gabriel whose point of view was not written in the first person, but third person. It's jarring at first, but I just rolled with it. But honestly I am realizing that if they had both been first person point of view, maybe I would have felt more involved with Gabriel's side quest as it were. Instead it just felt like Iris was a doormat and Gabriel was keeping secrets that did not need to be kept from his wife. And there daughter Beth was just there....honestly. She comes into the story more later, but there should have been a lot more added there for me to care.

Laure and Pierre fell flat as anything. The epilogue actually made things worse because none of what we find out about even lines up with things we read outside of Laure being the most annoying guest of all time.

The new neighbors Esme and Hugh just felt like a plot device that did not work even a little bit. Once again flat characters that did not feel real.

The flow was awful. I don't know a way to fix that. Maybe Paris should stick to first person point of view and only follow one character around for the whole book?

The writing was painful after a while. I didn't know what was happening or why, but once the bodies started piling up I found myself not even caring who did what.

The setting of the book is mostly focused on Iris and Gabriel's home and walled garden and I still can't tell you anything about the home or how it's set up. It's just a blur to me and I even went back to see if I could pick out any details.

The ending made no sense full stop. It is just pages of an epilogue that I was like yeah that makes no sense, how did that happen and no one figured that out? What? Okay then.

I just know that the only other book that she's written that I have given 1 star was "[book:Behind Closed Doors|29437949] for the same reasons. Poor characters, a really WTF plot that made no sense, terrible flow, etc. Everything else, I have been firmly 3 stars on. If you loved "Behind Closed Doors" you will probably love this. If that was not your favorite, I suggest skipping this.

I didn’t totally love this one. My main issue was the pacing. It was incredibly slow and I feel like that wasn’t really necessary. I got the point early on that Laure, the friend, was over staying her welcome…but we really didn’t need a play by play of every day.
I will say I did enjoy the character depth. I had strong opinions about every character.
The pace picks up a lot at the end and there were definitely twists I didn’t see coming.
Overall, it wasn’t a terrible book. I would recommend it if you enjoy B.A. Paris’ writing

I thought that this would be better than it was. I felt like it was unnecessarily long. I didn’t see the twist coming but I don’t feel like any of the characters were particularly likable and everyone seemed kind of awful.

Iris and Gabriel return home from a trip to find their friend, Laure, staying in their home after a big argument with her husband, Pierre. What they thought would be a short stay for Laure, continued to get extended week after week. Gabriel was already dealing with the grief of being with a local teenager during the last minutes before his death when additional stressors keep piling up for him and Iris. How did Iris and Gabriel get so unlucky in the short period? Will Laure ever leave and go back to Pierre? When will their lives go back to the way they were? With the turn of events in their lives, it likely never will.

This book is 5 STARS! Read it right now. I couldn’t put it down. Finished it in two days. Every single chapter is a page turner. There are so many unexpected things that take place. Then the epilogue will BLOW YOUR MIND! My jaw hit the floor. BA Paris never ceases to amaze me. Top read of 2024 for me!

Iris and Gabriel return home from a disappointing weekend getaway only to be greeted by their good friend, Laure. Laure asks to stay with them while she goes through marital issues with her husband, Pierre and being close, Iris and Gabriel can’t refuse. It isn’t until Lauren starts to overstay her welcome that they realize they don’t know her as well as they thought. New neighbors, Esme and Hugh, and their handsome but troubled landscaper complicate the situation. Whether you’ve been friends for 10 days or 20 years… how well can you know someone?

The Guest had me hooked from the start. I adore BA Paris books and this was no different. The author is known for twists and this kept me guessing until the very end. The Guest is definitely a book that had me saying “just one more chapter.”

BA Paris is back with another thrill ride and more in line with her brilliant work of Behind Closed Doors. Iris and Gabriel have been married over 20 years and are living in the countryside. They return from a vacation only to find a friend living in their home - she separated from her husband and is dealing with some issues. As the story progresses, we discover that those issues are complex to say the least. And then we encounter an ending in which you don’t see coming. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read.

The Guest by BA Paris
Release Date: 2/20/24
Format: audio/ebook hybrid
Rating: ⭐️⭐️✨

BA Paris has always been a bit of a hit or miss author for me, but I’ve always found her books to be fun and quick regardless of if they’re a five star read for me. However, this book was unfortunately a struggle through and through for me.

I really had a hard time getting into the story. No one was likable and not much was happening other than people saying they were going to go a place and then maybe going to that place. There wasn’t much momentum in the plot and with insufferable characters, there wasn’t much to draw me in.

And then I got to the epilogue and decided this wasn’t just a slow read, it was an infuriating one. Whew.

If you’re going to read this one, I’d recommend picking it up in print/ebook format and forgoing the audiobook as I think that might have been part of my issue. The narrator did a fine job but wasn’t very engaging with a story I already struggled with.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is one of my favorite authors who wrote some of my favorite psychological thrillers: Behind Closed Doors, The Therapist, and especially Bring Me Back. But compared to those, this one felt very average. I wasn’t obsessed with the characters and it seemed to drag and get repetitive throughout it. It wasn’t until the epilogue that it started to pick up because it pretty much laid everything out for you. Every character was hiding secrets, but they didn’t seem to fit together until you read about them all trying together at the end. I’m giving it 3 stars out of 5 still because it was a quick read and made you guess throughout it.

I've enjoyed most of this authors previous books but this one didn't live up to my expectations. I found the writing at times, to be slow paced, disjointed and repetitive.
If I had just read the first fifty pages and then the epilogue I might have given it one more star.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

This one was okay. It was annoying that Gabriel felt so guilty 3/4 of the book for just lying about someone’s last words. There didn’t seem to be any reason for keeping this from his wife and spiraling because of it. I can understand feeling guilty and hiding it from the grieving mother, but not from his wife. It just didn’t make much sense

This was a decent drama/mystery. It was a little slow and repetitive at times but I still wanted to find out who did it. There were a couple of surprising twists near the end that made up for the slowness. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

3.5 ⭐️
This was my first B.A. Paris book. I did like it, and was invested to find out “whodunit”
However the story did drag on a bit for me and I found at times pushing through chapters.

This story follows husband and wife Iris and Gabriel. Gabriel is going through emotional distress when their friend Laure shows up unexpectedly. She has found out her husband has an unexpected child and she walked out on him

Laure is constantly overstepping her boundaries. So much so that I’m annoyed with her.

Soon, so many secrets start to unravel (and by soon, I mean much later than I would have liked). The twist was great and fun. Just wish we wouldn’t have had to wait so long for something to come.

Thank you Negalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC and the opportunity to review. This book releases Feb 20th, 2024.

Honestly I love this authors work but I was surprised by how disjointed it was. So much emphasis put on the husbands secret that had nothing to really do with anything. I kind of found myself wondering what the point was. I was excited by the idea of a friend taking over your life but she just seemed like a nuisance, not sinister. Also the curveballs just didn’t do it. Love you B.A but this one just meh. Also in the last chapter there’s a point where you say Pierre but I think you mean whatever the husbands name is.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller

Iris and Gabriel are a couple living a happy life until an unexpected guest arrives one day. Laure decides to move in with the happy couple after discovering the infidelity of her husband, Pierre. The two couples have known each other for a long time, but things take a totally different turn when Laure decides to stay with Iris and Gabriel. Her behavior irritates Iris, who wants things to go back to just the way they were before she arrived at their doorstep.

The trope of an uninvited or unexpected guest who shows up in a mystery thriller is one of my favorites. I had the impression that this story would primarily focus on that trope. At the very least, it was the first fifty percent, but after that, it goes in a different direction in the second half. It is ironic that the part I expected to love due to this trope was the slowest, and that the story started to get more interesting and have a faster pace once that trope went away!

The second half of the book is where things really pick up and get wild. This is where the thriller aspect of the story really shines, and if you make it through the first half without giving up, you'll be rewarded with some intense action. I wouldn't say that the characters are particularly well-developed, but in a story like this, I think the plot is more important anyway. If you're a fan of the author's writing style, you'll probably enjoy this book because you know what to expect.

I remember reading B.A. Paris' debut book, Behind Closed Doors. I found it to be an enjoyable read. Although "The Guest" was entertaining too, it did, at times, venture into the realm of the implausible. I cannot say that I enjoyed it more than her first domestic thriller, but it provided a comparable level of entertainment value. As for my rating, I was vacillating between a 3.5 and a 4-star rating. However, I ultimately found the conclusion to be sufficiently redeeming, so a 4-star rating appears warranted.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

B. A. Paris was one the first five star reads of my 2023 year with her Behind Closed Doors and when I saw this title I had to snag it! I was super excited...until I started reading. While the other novel kept me engaged and intrigued by the storyline this one bored me. I tried sticking out and got to 40% before I had to throw in the towel. Unfortunately for me the pacing in this book is so slow and nothing happens. The characters are uninteresting nothing had happened that both moved the plot along and kept me engaged in the story like other mystery/thrillers do.

I like the author's writing and I might try this as an audiobook instead eventually, but sitting and trying to read it just didn't work for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary copy of this novel! Iris and Gabriel seem to be living an ideal life in England. Suddenly, their lives are turned upside down. They have just returned home from a vacation and there’s a woman in their home. Laure. Laure and her husband Pierre live in Paris, but Pierre has just admitted to Laure that he has a daughter with another woman from 20 years ago. So, Laure has shown up at their home because she and Pierre need a time out. (To clarify, both couples occasionally stay at each other’s residence when the other couple if out of town). However, a very short stay turns out to be a very frustrating long stay for Iris and Gabriel. Laure has taken to wearing Iris’s clothing and shoes. Moreover, Gabriel has a secret of his own. And he has had to take time off from his medical practice to deal with his secret.

Gabriel and Iris encourage Laure and Pierre to talk it out, but Pierre isn’t ready to yet. Eventually though, Pierre wants to come clean about everything and tell Laure who the woman is. Then to add another interesting element to the story, there is a third couple. Esme and Hugh, who are expecting a baby boy. Oh, and then there is also their gardener Joseph who has a bit of a shady past and somehow ties in with Gabriel’s secret.

Suddenly, bodies start to drop…3 to be exact!!!!

I’ve read quite a few books by B. A. Paris and have enjoyed them all, including this one!!! This one starts out slow, but once it gets going, doesn’t slow down. And the ending was a total shocker for me!!!! This is a domestic suspense thriller novel and definitely does not disappoint! AVAILABLE February 20, 2024

Thank you B.A. Paris, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing be to read this ARC E-book. Well Paris has done it again. Another story full of twists and turns that kept me guessing the whole time. I could not put it down and every time I thought I had a handle another twist would pull me again.

BA Paris does it again.

It starts off with an explosion in the neighborhood, and then rewinds six months.

When Gabriel and Iris return from their holiday vacation, they find the wife of their best couple friend shaking up at their place. Her and her husband are going through it after he reveals a deep secret and she needed to get away.

Iris meets a new neighbor and her husband, and find solace in their friendship. Her bestie has continued to outstay her welcome and Iris needs a break every once in awhile. Meanwhile, Iris’s new friend Esme, has a guest of her own. Joseph is a friend of Esme’s family and needs work while he gets through some kinks in his life.

When summer ends, everyone is glad because it seems as if it couldn’t have gotten any worse. It’s like everything has wrapped up, yet in an odd way?

Continue on to read the epilogue and a lot more comes to light….read to find out what happens.


I was very much not expecting the epilogue to reveal as much as it did. I knew there had to be more to the story when it all just wrapped up nicely with a bow, but woah. BA Paris really knows how to throw you off without even expecting it! Definitely make sure to pick this one up and read it!