Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days. (Or less 😉).

This story has the houseguest from hell who just won’t leave. I’m not sure why she wasn’t kicked to the curb, but the stress on her hosts, Gabriel and Iris, along with the trauma of finding a young man dead, has left their lives in turmoil.

This is a compelling slow burn but the short chapters move the story along and the surprise ending makes this one worth it.

The Guest follows Iris and Gabriel, a couple whose marriage is a bit on the rocks due to a devastating situation Gabriel faced and has not been handling well. The couple arrives home from vacation to find a friend at their house with plans to stay while she sorts out her relationship that has just taken a considerable blow. Weirdly enough, the couple is completely fine with this invasion and lets their friend, Laure, stay with no questions asked. I really thought this story was going to go in a different direction. I expected it to be about the unwanted guest, hence the name, and her becoming unhinged and causing mysterious things to happen in their lives. That's not what happened at all.

I have read several books by B.A. Paris and I enjoy her thrillers. This was not a thriller, in my opinion. The Guest is more of a domestic drama with a touch of mystery because you have no answers for anything for most of the story.

I'm sad to say that this was not my favorite book of hers. The story drags on with many mundane activities, miscommunication, unnecessary dialogue, and too-detailed explanations of the same things over and over.

The most exciting part of the book was the epilogue, where the killer pretty much walks us back through every event from their POV and explains precisely what they did and how it worked out. I was happy to have answers that tied some things together. But, overall, I am very unsatisfied with the book. Maybe it wasn't for me, but I hope to see B.A. Paris come out with more thrillers in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and B.A. Paris for this ARC and the opportunity to read it early in exchange for an honest review!

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Joyce really nailed the narration on this book! All the characters voices were fantastic and I didn’t feel like it needed any additional narrators. The story is complex and really deals with family, friends, loss, love, and anxiety. I really enjoyed how all the characters were so multidimensional and the small glimpses given into their pasts together. I would highly recommend to anyone who likes psychological thrillers with highly unreliable narrators!

I love B.A. Paris and have read all of her books. You will always get a good story from her. Most are 5-Star reads and some are 4-Star reads. This one was a solid 4-Star. Overall, great story and nice twist at the end, although I did feel it was a bit late for that. Still well done though. I settled on 4-Stars because I did not feel it was a suspense thriller and that was what I had expected. It felt more like a domestic drama with a murder thrown in. It is also a slow-burn with fairly unlikeable characters, and there are a LOT. I still enjoyed not liking the characters though, if that makes sense. Everyone has secrets and is telling lies. Sort of like the nighttime soaps of the 90's, which I did love. Overall, pretty good story. Can't wait for more.

Thank you to #NetGalley, B.A. Paris and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

The first two books I read by this author were so incredible. Every book since then has been a letdown. The Guest was better than the last few books. I give it 3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. B. A. Paris is one of my go-to thriller authors. The Guest was a slow burn that I felt was dragged out, But the twist made it al worth it. I never saw it coming and would have never guessed it.

I was excited to read this book after reading The Therpaist. It did not disappoint. There were a few typos but it's to be expected in a non-final copy.
The storyline: it's written in such a way that even I was getting tired of Laurie. This helps build the plot against her as the story proceeds. There are several twists and turns to keep you going. I was highly surprised when reading the Epilogue which I honestly felt was almost too long for an epilogue. Needless to say, I did not see that ending and it left me wondering how long Iris will be able to keep her secrets.

The Guest is a book about secrets and wondering if you really know someone. It’s filled with suspicion and you don’t know the truth until the final chapter when the story completely twists.

This was not one of my favorite BA Paris books, but I did enjoy it. It moves a bit slowly and there was some confusion at times. The twist did make it worth reading and I was so pleased that I did not see the twist coming.

"The Guest by B.A. Paris is an absolute masterpiece, a suspenseful journey that kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. Paris weaves a tapestry of intrigue, betrayal, and psychological twists that left me guessing until the very end. The atmospheric setting and well-developed characters only added to the immersive experience. Every element, from the pacing to the unexpected plot revelations, was expertly executed. The emotional depth and the gripping narrative make The Guest an unequivocal 5-star read. B.A. Paris has crafted a suspense gem that will stay with me long after closing the book. 📖🌟 #BookReview #TheGuest #BAParis #FiveStarRead"

I'll be happy to properly review this book once St-Martins Press acknowledges the boycott and responds properly to it.

I had a little trouble getting into the book at the beginning, but once I got the characters straight, I overall liked it. The pacing was a little off though. I feel like we spent a lot of time focusing on Laure staying with Iris and Gabrielle before a lot happened. I will say, I didn't see the ending coming (though after the big reveal, it made sense and should have been predicted), and felt satisfied with the ending and explanation.

Less of a true thriller and more of a domestic mystery, but I would definitely recommend this one! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The Guest is slow paced and I found myself losing interest every now and then. Things just got a little repetitive and the day to day lives of the characters were boring. None of the characters were relatable, but a few were definitely unlikeable. Especially Laure! As usual, BA. Paris gave us some good twists and a big shocker at the end that was completely unexpected. I didn’t like the epilogue. I felt it could have been a bit shorter. I’d say this is more of a domestic/mystery than it is a thriller. B.A Paris is one of my favorite authors, so I’m always excited to read anything she writes. The Guest ranks midway on my ranking of her books. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I have fallen in love with the writing of B.A. Paris because I appreciate a book that I can't predict and the twists always throw me for a loop. The Guest is no exception!

The Guest is about a family friend who comes to stay with a married couple during quite a bit of turmoil on both sides. Each character seems to be going through their own individual struggle and the series of events just adds to all of the mystery.

I would give this book 4.5 stars because it kept me attentive throughout AND because the twists, particularly at the end, left me audibly shocked as I was reading. I would absolutely recommend The Guest to any reader who enjoys suspense and wonder!

▶️ Format: Book & Audiobook ◀️
⭐️ Rating: 4 Stars ⭐️

I really enjoyed this one! The beginning felt only a tad confusing as they introduce an array of characters, but I caught on quickly. There were also times the book felt mundane and repetitive, describing day-to-day life of the characters. But overall, it was an exciting / emotional plot with a good amount of twists. THE 👏🏼 EPILOGUE 👏🏼 THOUGH👏🏼 OMG… I will admit, I did NOT see that coming. After reading many thrillers and understanding a lot of tropes, this twist surprisingly got me. I recommend!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and B.A. Paris for an ARC of this book!

The Guest follows Iris and her husband as they go through a tough time. Her husband witnessed a tragic death and has not been the same since. In addition, their best friend comes to stay with them since she found out her husband has cheated and fathered a daughter with someone. Laure is really attached and driving Iris crazy. They also have new neighbors who they quickly make a friendship with. However, their gardener seems sketchy and things quickly unfold.

I want to start by saying that I thought this book was a mystery thriller. It seems to be marketed as such but I really don’t think it is. It is rather a contemporary fiction full of drama with a sprinkle of murder. I think feelings and relationships were talked about way too much and it really bogged down the story. It felt like watching a soap opera to me.

This was my first by the author and I was disappointed. I read this quickly but because i wanted it to be done not because I was really interested. All of the characters were lying about something and guilting someone else and it was all around just messy.

I feel like people who enjoy a lot of messy drama and feelings will like this book. I just went into this expecting one thing but getting something else. I will give this 2 stars because I feel like the writing was good and the ending did add a final twist. I didn’t like the ending because it just felt too late to have a twist like that.

While this book was not for me, i think there is a right audience out there for it. Thanks so much to netgalley and St. Martins Press for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a twisty and fun read! I always enjoy BA Paris' books and look forward to reading more from her in the future. She really knows how to keep the reader engaged!

The Guest by BA Paris

MY RATING: It was ok ⭐️⭐️

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Back when I was getting back into reading, I love BEHIND CLOSED DOORS and BA Paris has been one of my short list of auto-read authors. Unfortunately, this book will fall to the bottom in a BA Paris favorites ranking.

Some of my thoughts:

This book starts with LOTS of characters, which was difficult to follow. We later get the same scene again and it makes much more sense then. Still think there'd be another way to open the book up.

Not much happens in the first half... I remember thinking "when will we get to it?" and then... nothing really happens. The Guest was a little misleading. I mean yes, their friend was a guest the whole story, but it felt more annoying than mysterious. I thought I'd figured out the ending, and I was slightly off, but I kind of didn't have any opinions about it.

This book was a quick read, but the last 2 hours felt like 10. I was really watching that kindle counter pretty intensely, meaning I couldn't have been that into the story. Then the last bit of the book felt a bit wild. Three deaths in the matter of a few months with a "normal" group of people? I like to hope the police would be more suspicious than a couple of coincidences. The epilogue bothered me too. Just felt like a lazy way to end it all.

The Guest by B.A. Paris

Rating: 3/5

Enjoyed this book overall but the twisty drop came far too late in the book and I wish it was integrated more in between. Felt very slow for me halfway through then finally got somewhat juicy. The twist in the epilouge was amazing but wished it was sooner!

Thank you @netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

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1w

Thank you to NetGalley and B.A. Paris for allowing me to read the ARC for this book. This book was great! I definitely thought I had guessed who was guilty but the twist at the end got me! I love books that have twists and that keep you guessing. The characters were enjoyable, and there wasn't any sidetracking in the story that wasn't relevant to the plot. I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a thriller to read!

Didn’t see that one coming. Goes to show, you never truly know what someone may be hiding. I enjoyed the pace and which the strings were pulled and began to unravel. I didn’t feel as if it was rushed lined many books are. Definitely look forward to reading more by this author.