There are two parts to this one - the first 90 percent and the last 10 percent. The first is a fairly typical family drama with just a little bit of thriller aspect. Then - the epilogue (much longer than most) is the major twist I just never saw coming. In no world, was I expecting what I read. Still deciding how I felt about it taking so long to get to that point.

This was an engaging book that kept my interest the whole time. I did find some of the plot a little hard to believe. For example, Laure’s behavior as a guest was uncalled for, yet the couple continued to excuse it and allow her to stay. In addition, when the mystery is revealed and the murder is known, the idea that he/she could have gotten away with it is difficult to believe. There would have been blood, etc. that he/she didn’t mention at all and would have given them away. All in all, though, I still love this author for always keeping me entertained and telling a great story.

This book was a solid read! I found it weird how involved the main couple was with their friends relationship. Maybe I’m the only one who finds that level of involvement to be unnatural though. This was a slow book from beginning to end, and the ending was fairly predictable. There were a lot of different puzzle pieces to this that was a lot of fun putting together! All in all I would recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I was really excited about this book as I liked Behind Closed Doors. I felt as though a lot of the chapters were repetitive moping of Laure and irritation of Iris towards Laure and Gabriel’s guilt. Some of the chapters could have been eliminated. The saving grace was the twist in the end but only saved it enough for me to gave a 3-star rating.

BA Paris gives us another thrilling bestseller to devour!!!! This one will have your head spinning in the best possible way!!!!!!!

Some mixed thoughts on this one. I feel like it started a little slow; though I was very intrigued! Then a lot of stuff started happening about midway through- some of which felt weirdly off to me, almost like it just happened too fast and jumped around too much. I did enjoy the epilogue though and everything being revealed.

When Iris and Gabriel return from their vacation, there is a surprise guest at their house. Laure has come to stay while she works things out with her husband Pierre who has recently found out he has a child with another woman. The circumstances surrounding Laure and Pierre's marriage issues is very mysterious and Laure's behavior is concerning to both Iris and Gabriel. Not a lot happens in the first half of this book, but it definitely kept me wondering about what was going on. The twists in the book were very unexpected. This wasn't my favorite psychological drama, but it was an interesting and quick read.

B.A. Paris is back at it with another amazing story. “The Guest” is a page turning story that keeps you guessing till the very end. This is a great psychological thriller that you don’t want to put down.
Iris and Gabriel have just gotten back from some time away, when they return home their friend Laure is staying at their house. As they begin to navigate their lives with Laure staying with them, things start to come into the light. Gabriel is dealing with a tragedy and Iris is trying to help him cope while not having time to herself. As more events begin to happen you will never believe who is behind it all.

Great read and highly recommend to fans of B.A. Paris

I've read several B.A. Paris books and particularly liked Behind Closed Doors. This title, The Guest, thrilled me like that one did. I found it creepily suspenseful and I could not put it down. Highly recommended if you are a fan of B.A. Paris (and even if you are new to her!). Thank you for my copy!!

To start off I absolutely love B.A Paris, I have read numerous book of hers over the years, my personal favourite being Behind Closed Doors. But I’ll say I was a bit scared starting it, I saw numerous reviews negatively commenting on the pacing of the book, and I wanted to love this book!

I don’t know if it’s because I listened to the audiobook, but how the voice actor portrayed each character was phenomenal (and I was a bit nervous upon hearing it was in a British dialect). She did an amazing job in bringing these characters to light.

Throughout the entire book my mind was reeling, trying to figure it out before the end of the book revealed the big plot twist, and every time I though I had it… NOPE. Man, the ending of this book was a page turner, I had absolutely no idea it would end up this way and I’m very happy for it, even though I actively try to spoil the endings for myself, I’d be disappointed if I actually did.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan audio, and St Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Iris and Gabriel are home now, and things become hectic quickly when they find a friend it there also. A friend is pushing it because Laure is crazy as hell. She does whatever she wants in their house, but they are still trying to be supportive of her since she left her cheating husband. With her moods becoming erratic her presence begins to take its toll on their already struggling marriage. Paris always tells a great story with a twist that makes you think!

BA Paris is one of my favorite authors. I love her work but this was a slow burn. Although the fast and short chapters kept me engaged I feel like you could read the epilogue and have a complete summary of the book. Great story though!

If you are looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, look no further! This book is unputdownable! Iris and her husband, Gabriel, return from a holiday and find long-time friend, Laure, living in their home. Laure and her husband, Pierre, are having marital problems as well as Iris and Gabriel which makes this a very interesting story!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this fantastic book and deserves more than 5 stars.

I received this for review from the publisher. Well, it’s not my favorite of this author. B.A.Paris is one of my favorites and an auto buy for me. This story was unique in that it’s told from the end to the start. So you are working backwards on the who, how and why. For me it was just missing the thrilling element. It was interesting in how it was told and I really didn’t know how it was going to turn out. But it just never got exciting.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! This was my first of B.A. Paris’ books and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely want to read more from her! Lots of twists…kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Just when I thought I had it figured out, well I didn’t. I was pretty shocked at the end, which is how I prefer it. A solid 4-star, maybe even 4.5 star psychological thriller.

I really do like this author and so excited to be given the chance to read an advanced copy of B.A. Paris’ new book. This book got me good at the Epilogue. I loved the discovery/truth bomb and couldn’t put it down when I reached that point. I enjoyed the complex characters what all came with their own baggage and past. That made each perspective interesting. The lead up to the epilogue, although necessary, was a little slow and too long. There was a lot of dialogue that I wasn’t sure was necessary.

I really enjoyed this slow-burn. And found it hard to put down. However, that last chapter and how it ended was pretty rubbish. I felt it was super rushed, like the author just realized she had to end the book, and the killer was extremely predictable. I have read many,BA Paris books, actually all of them except for one and am surprised/disappointed that she decided to end it this way.

The Guest by B.A. Paris - I love books by B.A. Paris! This book did not disappoint. The ending was everything! Loved this book! The plot, the characters - all of it! Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Iris and Gabriel’s friend Laure shows up at their home in the midst of a fight with her husband. When she decides she cannot forgive him and extends her stay indefinitely, tensions rise in the house.

What worked for me:
The epilogue was fantastic! I didn’t see it coming and read it with my jaw dropped. It tied the rest of the book up neatly.

What didn’t work for me:
-Iris drove me absolutely crazy throughout most of the book with her wishy washiness and the way she was afraid to say a word to Laure about anything that was bothering her. I didn’t like any of the other characters any better, but she in particular drove me nuts.
-When people started dying, it kept happening off the page. I felt like I had missed a page the first time it happened, as they were looking for the character one page and sobbing over their death on the next.
-I was just so so bored for the entire first 55% that I almost quit entirely. A crazy amount of repetition, characters doing nothing at all except gardening and going running, and no mystery at all in half of the book was just not enough to hold my interest.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I’m a big fan of BA Paris! I’ve read all of her books besides one, now and this one was a pretty good domestic thriller.

This was absolutely a slow burn. There’s a lot of day to day life while the mystery and suspense builds, but that doesn’t really bother me. I enjoy settling into a character’s life and story, which we definitely got a lot of in this book. There may be points throughout where you feel as if we certainly can’t need all of this detail, right? But once the epilogue comes around you’ll appreciate the ins and outs as they’re shown in a new light.

Initially I did feel as if there were quite a lot of characters to keep track of, especially in the prologue when you don’t know any of them, but they’re easily situated as the story goes on. There’s a lot of personal issues each character is dealing with that all become intertwined as we go along and it’s quite easy to become invested in everyone and eager to see where it all goes.

The story went in so many different directions, I had no idea what was going on and while I speculated a bit about the ending, I didn’t think I could actually be right in my predictions, so when it did come to light I was very shocked. Reading the entire epilogue was a massive surprise.

I enjoyed this book! Slow burn domestic thrillers are underrated, I find, and I would absolutely recommend this book if you’re a fan of them.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 2/20/24