I love B.A Paris books and this one was no exception. A slow start but once the story gets going its full of twists, turns and a Rollercoaster of emotions. A great book

Thanks Netgalley and publisher.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

When Iris and Gabriel come home from a trip, they find their friend Laure has been living in their home. This isn’t overly weird; they have an agreement. When they are in Paris, they stay at Laure and Pierre’s (but always let them know when they are coming). They know something is off immediately. Laure tells them that Pierre has admitted to her that he has a child with another woman. Laure decided to leave her husband and fled to Iris and Gabriel’s. They want to be supportive of Laure, but she is moody and unpredictable. It starts to become even more tense when Laure oversteps by rearranging cabinets and moving furniture.

Iris becomes friends with a new couple in town and Gabriel is not long after. They have a gardener who has a shady past and has taken an interest in Laure. Secrets from everybody’s past start to fly and no one is quite sure what to make of it. Some of the secrets are much more dangerous than others and can’t be kept forever.

The pacing of this book was a little different for me. It starts off with LOTS of character backstory. It’s almost like watching reality tv with WAY less cat fights LOL. It finally starts to pick up pace around 40-50% of the way through but once it does it unravels so quickly it almost makes your head spin! I was invested in the story, but found myself having a hard time picking it up due to being a little over the day-to-day conversations of the characters. I would suggest sticking with it because the twist toward the end blew my mind!

This is a slow paced, twisty domestic drama. If that sounds like your cup of tea then I’d definitely suggest it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This book is releasing February 20th, 2024!

Thank you to @netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to review The Guest by B.A. Paris. It took me a bit of time to get into the book, with multiple storylines and characters running together a bit in the beginning. However, the book picked up steam and the twists were definitely worth it! The ending was perfection!

Iris and Gabriel seemed to be living in a dream setting, but there is trouble coming, in the form of their long-time friend, Laure, who had recently left her husband. Marriage on the rocks, secret child, and then a guest who is not at all afraid of making herself at home.

I read the digital ARC, but when I saw that Emily Joyce is narrating the audio version, I was tempted to read it again!

Confusing, slow start but a wild ride right up until the finish!

I love domestic thrillers even when the twists are so over the top it's impossible to suspend my disbelief. This one ventures into that territory, but before it gets there the plot absolutely drags. Laure, the uninvited houseguest has overstayed her welcome, but that's about the only thing wrong with her. Halfway through, the pace starts to pick up but it's too little too late. I didn't enjoy the big reveal or the journey to get there.

Thank you NetGalley and BA Paris for the ARC copy of The Guest.

This book followed a couple and their friendship with two sets of other couples and some unexpected twists of course. While overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to other friends it wasn’t the most riveting thing I read this month. It was a quick fun read and two of the twists did catch me off guard.

I have read several books by B.A. Paris and have not been disappointed. Gabriel/Iris and Pierre/Laure have been friends for 20 years. When Laure learns that her husband may have fathered a child with someone else, she runs off to stay with Gabriel and Iris. As the days turn into weeks, Laure shows know signs of leaving. At the same time, Gabriel is dealing with a crisis of conscious himself. Add in a new couple, a gardener with a past, and several secrets along the way and you have the making of a slow burn thriller. This one starts with a bang and leaves you wondering what is going on. And the ending…Wow!

This was a twisty psychological thriller. It was a little bit of a slow burn, but once I was hooked, I couldn't put it down. A lot was going on in this book, but it was easy to follow. I enjoyed the ride and what an ending! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital arc of this title.

DRAMA! The ending completely blindsided me, I never saw it coming. This was such a good book that draws you in from the start and slowly reveals more through gossip between the main characters, Iris and Gabriel. Lots of twists and I never felt I could really trust any of the characters. Definitely will be reading more B.A. Paris in the future.

This was my first B.A. Paris book and unfortunately it did fall a bit flat for me. I was surprised since I had heard so many good things about the author's previous books.

Without any spoilers, the story centres around three main couples. Iris and Gabriel, Pierre and Laure, and Esme and Hugh. After getting in a spat with her husband, Laure comes to stay with Iris and Gabriel while she sorts things out. Meanwhile, Esme and Hugh have a guest of their own staying with them, who has a dodgy past. Gabriel is having a difficult time overcoming a traumatic event, and the story focuses on the relationships between the three couples and how their individual struggles are impacting their relationships and friendships.

One of my biggest criticisms is that the story never seemed to be going anywhere. The plot dragged and at no point did I ever feel like we were building up to anything. I think the reasoning for this is explained in the epilogue when the reason for all of one of the main character's decisions is revealed. Literally all of the action takes place in the epilogue.

The premise of the story is good but I feel as though if the book had of been written from the main character's first person POV, revealing what is in the epilogue a little at a time throughout the book, it probably would have been a heart pounding, exciting thriller.

BA Paris is one of those auto-buy authors for me and never fails to impress! Thrillers are one of my favorite categories and this one really hit the mark!

This book was such a wild ride! The beginning starts off with a bang, literally! As the craziness unfolds among a group of friends, I felt like it was nonstop drama (the good kind)! As the drama starts to unfold and wind down, it ramps right back up again. I definitely did not feel a lull at all! I will say, I wasn't sure how certain aspects (no spoilers) were going to come together, but it all came together at the end. Apologies that this is vague, but I feel I will spoil the drama if I start to discuss any of the plot. This was my first B.A. Paris book and I will absolutely be reading more!

The Guest by B.A. Paris is set in the British countryside. Iris and Gabriel return home from vacation and find they have a guest, their best friend Laure. Laure has been staying there while Iris and Gabriel were away because she and her husband, Pierre, were arguing. She left Pierre at the their house in Paris and traveled to Britain with just the clothes on her back. While the couple is surprised by Laure being there, they welcome her with open arms and assure her she can stay as long as she needs.Their daughter, Beth, is working in Greece, so there is plenty of room in the house. However, Gabriel is trying to deal with his own trauma, there was a terrible accident in a nearby quarry, and he was the one to find the victim. It has left him shaken, and is currently taking a leave from his practice as a doctor to recover.

As Gabriel finds his way through gardening, new neighbors move in down the road that help Iris take her mind off her guest, who is starting to overstay her welcome, and Pierre has seemed to ghost not only his wife but his best friend Gabriel, secrets begin to come to light Tensions start to mount, traumas occur and Beth comes back home to be with her parents, but from there the story becomes more complicated and twisty.

This psychological thriller was a little slow to start. The character’s are not very like-able, parts were a little predictable, but when you get to the end…BAM, you will not see this twist coming! This is my favorite part about B.A. Paris, just when you think you know everything, she adds in a zinger that you never see coming, but fit so well within the story it is completely plausible.

I would like to thank Netgalley, St Martin’s Press and B.A. Paris for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

**Thank you so much NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital ARC of The Guest by B.A Paris! All opinions are my own!**

As a big fan of B.A. Paris’s other works, I was very excited to receive this ARC. This book, however, fell flat for me compared to her other works. I still enjoyed reading it nonetheless, just not as gasp-worthy as say, The Therapist.

The pacing of the book follows a very B.A. Paris like pattern, where the meat of the book (the murder) does not begin until about the halfway point. I expected this going into it, but I had a harder time pushing through compared to her other novels. I feel like the characters were so mundane with very few characteristics that differentiated one other, and I found myself confusing the main set of characters for one another.

After the halfway point, my excitement really began to settle in and I finished the remainder of the novel super quick. The plotting of the murders and events that followed were ultimately well done, but unfortunately a bit too predictable for me.

It's amazing to me how this author comes up with stories that keep me glued to the pages of a book time and time again. B A Paris does that with intriguing plots and fascinating characters, and then after sending me on a roller coaster ride, the story is neatly wrapped up in a way I never expect. Every tune.

Thank you! This is definitely another 5 star book.

I love when an author is able to make just about every character a suspect. I didn't know which character was reliable and had a little distrust of everyone. The author kept me guessing and in the end, I was a little surprised, but in hindsight I was able to see all of the clues I had missed. I really enjoyed this book and as always I'm a big fan of B A Paris.

For most people, this book is a twisty mystery, full of secrets and schemes. However, I'm an only child that loves my personal space, so the concept of an uninvited house guest on her absolute worst behavior that just. won't. leave. elevated this book up to a horror novel for me! I'm a longtime B.A. Paris fan and this skillfully crafted thriller did not disappoint. The three couples in this story led the action down many different paths (many of which were dark and sinister!) and I enjoyed the ride. The characters are dramatic, deceitful, unreliable, and wholly unlikable, but also fully formed and richly entertaining.

Just when you think you've got everything figured out and the whole mess cleared up, you don't. The ending! Oh my goodness, the ending.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me an advanced review copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. Most of all, thank you to B.A. Paris for sharing that big, beautiful, twisty brain of yours with the world.

Decent but not great, i found the mystery kinda flat and parts very slow. still, i look forward to reading more engaging books by the author

B.A Paris has become my favorite author.

This one started off a bit slower then most of the previous novels. However, the slow burn went right into a wild ride. It keeps you hanging on until the very last page. It true B.A Paris fashion.

DNF. Talked about the same topic for the first 20% of the entire book and I was so bored that I had no interest in the characters or the storyline … will not be finishing unfortunately. loved work from this author, but not this book unfortunately

Iris & Gabriel had a beautiful life in the British countryside until he happens upon the tragic accident of a young man that alters his life forever. Trying to help ease her husband's trauma, Iris straddles a fine line between giving him space and being supportive. What neither of them need in this moment is an unexpected house guest. Nevertheless, their friend Laure seemingly moved into their home while they were on holiday. Separated from her husband Pierre, Iris & Gabriel open their home to Laure for as long as she needs...even if Laure insists on wearing Iris' clothes and following her every move. The only bright spot in an otherwise challenging time is the new couple that moved into the neighborhood. Their gardener, on the other hand...it seems trouble follows him wherever he goes. How much can these couples take and who will survive?

As usual for B.A. Paris reads, I finished this in one sitting. I really enjoyed this book, even though it didn't feel like a thriller to me. I enjoyed reading about the countryside, the neighborhood, getting to know the residents...but I wasn't on the edge of my seat, by any means. So, the ending felt a little abrupt. But it was still an interesting read & I've already recommended it to some friends.