The twist at the end was good and I was kept guessing throughout but it felt like there was a lot of over-explaining about some things that didn't really need to be. I also think it's more of a mystery than thriller. Overall I'd recommend.

The Guest by B.A. Paris is a tense psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of friendship, secrets, and trust. As Iris and Gabriel’s home life unravels due to an invasive houseguest, buried truths begin to surface, testing their relationships in unexpected ways. With suspenseful twists, the novel keeps readers on edge as dark secrets threaten to explode.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this thriller, especially the writing style. While listening, I felt a bit frustrated at the lack of answers, but the epilogue turned that around. The characters were delightfully unlikeable, just how I prefer them. I found myself fully engaged in the complex dynamics between the characters and their motivations

As always I was thrilled when I got this book. I loved everything about it. Tons of twists. Was unable to put it down!

I thought the twist at the end was good and I was kept guessing throughout but it felt like there was a lot of over-explaining about some things.

Looking forward to my next B.A. Paris read.

Thank you Netgalley and B.A. for the ARC!

An easy read and keeps the attention. Not overly a thriller in my opinion, but so someone not a usual genera thriller reader, this could be a good dip in to it. Did not see the outcome, so that is always a good point!

More a 3.5

It was okay, it kept me entertained. Not my favourite by this author. A little slower than the rest of her books and seemed to be throwing random things in to add shock value. Usually love all B.A Paris' work so was a little disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book and I definitely want to read more from this author. This was one of those books that I kept guessing the plot twists and being wrong. I gasped multiple times throughout the book and when I read the epilogue I REALLY gasped. This book was really fun and surprising and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes domestic thrillers and plot twists. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this but it fell short in overall pacing. We spend a lot of time with the married couple Iris and Gabriel and their guest, Laure. She is having marriage trouble with her hubs, Pierre. Apparently, he has upset her by revealing a secret from his past.
There is a good mystery woven into the plot, but I grew tired of the characters discussions, worries and day to day lives that circled around a little too long. I also became annoyed with the guest Laure and wanted to kick her out myself! Gees!
I wanted to scream, "I've had enough"!
There is also another troubled family that lives nearby and they also have a "guest" that is a bit unreliable. The guest is certainly suspect.
I was invested and wanted to find out how all the loose ends would tie in!
All in all, it was a lighter read, slow paced with moments of intrigue, and quite a good ending twist that I enjoyed!

Getting to the end of this one was a chore. Too many characters and fast pacing shifting between them was very confusing, and I'm usually a fan of different POVs in a novel.
The end was satisfying and not predicted, but it just took a long time to get there.
Thankful for the ARC

3.5 stars.

I have read several books by B.A. Paris and they have been consistent, but they are very middle of the road. They will keep you entertained and turning the pages but as thrillers they do not stand out much from any other thriller.

I was especially interested in this bc I am very interested in the forced roommate trope, the idea of a person living among you that you do not necessarily want there but one doesn’t know how to get them to leave. This was a variation of that & I was hoping to get my fill & I did very much enjoy this aspect of the story. For this I gave it a 3.5.

I finished this book pretty quickly, overall it’s an easy read that keeps you engaged. There is a twist and I did find myself a bit shocked at the end. Did I see it coming? Possibly. But it still made for an entertaining read.

B.A. Paris is one of my favorite authors but I just could not get into this story. It was dull and slow.

This is another enjoyable story from BA Paris. Her characters richly come to life and I find myself reading her books as quickly as I can. I would recommend this title to friends who love a fast moving psychological thriller. BA Paris rarely disappoints!

"The Guest" by B.A. Paris is a gripping psychological thriller that pulls you right in. Iris and Gabriel come back from a crucial holiday only to find their friend Laure has taken over their home. She’s left her husband Pierre after discovering his affair and secret child, and now she’s making herself way too comfortable.

As Laure’s behavior gets more erratic, Iris and Gabriel struggle to deal with the tension. They try to find some peace with a new couple in town, but things get complicated when their gardener’s shady past comes to light. The story takes you on a rollercoaster as secrets from everyone’s past start to unravel, and some are way more dangerous than you’d expect.

Paris keeps the suspense high and the twists coming, making it hard to put the book down. "The Guest" is all about the messy side of friendships, betrayals, and the secrets people hide. It’s a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat read that’ll keep you guessing.

This was an okay read. The plot reeled me in in the very beginning. Unfortunately I really struggled with the likeability of the characters. All of them had something going on yet I couldn't connect or sympathize with any of them. I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if I had gotten more of what the ending was like because it was phenomenal, it did an amazing job wrapping everything up nicely and shedding light to everything.

I was so excited to be gifted this advanced copy by Netgalley. I am an avid reader of B. A. Paris and dove right into this story. This story revolves around a couples marriage and the discovery that the husband had a secret child and has disappeared and the mysterious death of a child on a bike.

The story begins with Iris and Gabriel, a married couple with an adult daughter living abroad, who are struggling to connect after Gabriel has witnessed the horrific death of an 18yr old local boy. They return from a trip to discover their friend Lauren in their home. Lauren has discovered her husband Pierre had a secret child and has disappeared.

Iris becomes obsessed with her new neighbours and their handyman as Gabriel struggles with his own demons surrounding his last moments on the ill fated day he discovered the injured boy.

What unfolds as the story is told was a bit flat and I could not connect with any of the characters except to truly dislike Lauren and her narrative. I found that the relationships between the characters was odd and unrealistic but the plot line kept me interested and all the various storylines were nicely tied up in the end.

Characters were miserable and maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood but I couldn’t handle it! Felt anticlimactic, it was a slow burn and I get the pressure of thriller writing… impossible to keep everyone on their toes all the time!

This book had a lot of twists and turns and just when I thought I had figured it out I was wrong again. I enjoyed this one by Paris

In support of the boycott on Booktok/Bookstagram this is all I’m sharing.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and B. A. Paris for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is my second book by B. A. Paris. The first one was The Prisoner. I did like that book better than this one, but that is not to say this book was bad. There are several main characters in this story, but we only get the perspective of one of them, Iris. Iris and Gabriel arrive home from a holiday to find one of their closest friends, Laure, at their house. Laure decides she is staying a while because her husband has confessed to an affair early in their marriage that resulted in a secret child that he has just found out about. This new living arrangement causes a lot of tension between the trio.

Down the street some new neighbors have moved in, but they brought a shady gardener with them. Soon secrets are revealed, and everyone has them. But some secrets are more dangerous than others. And then someone ends up dead.

This was not one of my favorite thrillers. It slow paced in my opinion. I felt like there was a lot going on, but nothing happening at the same time. I just kept waiting for something to happen, and when something finally did, it felt like it took forever for anything to come from it.

However, just because this was not my favorite book does not mean it wasn't good. I would still recommend this book. Especially if you are someone who likes a slower paced mystery or thriller.