Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of "The Guest" in exchange for my honest review.

The Guest features a couple whose friend comes to stay with them amid marital trouble, and she makes herself more than at home. I enjoyed this solid twisty thriller from B.A. Paris and did not see the ending coming! My first book from B.A. Paris was Behind Closed Doors, so I had high expectations for this one as well, though I am not sure if anything can top one. I did think the beginning was slow and was glad when it began to pick up about halfway through. Overall, I would recommend if you are looking for a good slow burn thriller!

I am a huge fan of BA Paris’s book Behind Closed Doors and have been waiting for another book to grip me as much. This is a great thriller! I was really captivated by the story!

The Guest by B. A. Paris
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
B.A. Paris has another page turner! The Guest sucks you in and makes you think “who really is involved?” in a complicated situation of friends and secrets that keeps piling up. With a surprise I didn’t really see coming, and fast paced chapters, I liked reading this one!

B.A. Paris is one of my absolute favourite authors and I was very excited to get my hands on this ARC. It wasn’t my favourite but still a solid read nonetheless. The Guest seems to dive right into its namesake when Iris and Gabriel arrive home and find one of their long time best friends, Laure staying at their house. At times it felt like the story was just that, a tale of an unwanted houseguest but as the story unfolded I realized The Guest was so much more. There are numerous twists, turns, lies and secrets that had me second guessing every assumption and conclusion I had previously reached. Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars because the Epilogue was certainly a surprise that I did not predict at all. Well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

I absolutely love B.A. Paris and I was so excited to read her new book, but this one was just a miss for me. I enjoyed the premise of it, but it was just felt slow and drawn out. The twist didn’t come until the epilogue, which is the only part of the story that I found intriguing. I even told my mom that it felt like I was reading a different author - it just didn’t compare to her other books. I enjoyed the twist at the end and didn’t see it coming, which is definitely a plus, but overall I just wasn’t the biggest fan of this one.

* This was an ARC sent to me from NetGalley. It will be available on February 20, 2024*

This book was decent! It was an easy read but was not as suspenseful as I had hoped for.

I didn’t really care for any of the characters so it was hard to care about the events in the book.

Already my most anticipated book of 2024, The Guest by BA Paris doesn't disappoint! This domestic neighborhood drama was part mystery, part thriller, and ALL twists until the last moment in its long and satisfying epilogue. I love when the questions I forgot I'd asked earlier on are finally answered! This was so clever and devious. I love it!

Returning home from vacation, Iris and Gabriel are surprised to find Laure at their house. She's married to Pierre and together, they are Iris and Gabriel's best friends. They met on vacation when both couples were young and never lost touch, even loaning each other their homes when out of town, which explains why Laure is here now, but where is Pierre?!

Pierre and Laure are on a break because of a suspected infidelity and although they're very welcoming to Laure, as the weeks go on, she's wearing out her welcome. She's a needy love sponge and they have things to do. Enter new neighbors to keep everyone busy. Esme and Hugh, along with their mysterious lawn boy Joseph, are new to the neighborhood and super welcoming.

Over the weeks and months, everyone's lives become intertwined. It's a cozy extended family.. until it isn't. Tensions are brewing amongst some of the friends and secrets are kept that beg to be revealed. They've had a lot of losses this year.. will there be more?

Don't miss out on this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read, listen and review. The narration was fantastic.

I have always enjoyed reading B.A.Paris’ books. The twists in her books always get me and the writing style has a way of sucking you in. All that being said, this one was not my favorite. There is a “trope” or maybe just the type of book that I’m not particularly fond of and saying what that is will give away part of the story. The twist(s) felt rushed and maybe even unbelievable. I did enjoy the characters and just the story itself was good, just not great.

3.5 stars.
Iris annoyed me to no end, and Gabriel wasn’t much better. The way they were dishonest with each other and couldn’t stand up for themselves drove me absolutely batty.

The first half of the book was pretty boring, and then there was some excitement, but not to the level I’m used to from Paris. (I’m wondering if I’m just over the thriller genre).

The epilogue, however, made the book worth reading, and was easily the best part of the entire novel.

The story follows a couple, Iris and Gabriel, who are surprised by the sudden arrival of their friend, Laure, who is distraught over marital problems with her husband, Pierre. We also have some new characters enter the story, Esme, Hugh, and their gardener Joseph, who move in down the street. All of these characters' lives quickly become intertwined and the domestic drama unfolds. The pacing of this book was so quick, and the chapters were short and easily digestible

This domestic drama left me a little underwhelmed. There was a lot of the story invested in the boring day to day dialogue. There was a good story line woven in to all of this, but it got a little drowned out by the slow build-up.

B.A. Paris is a go-to favorite of mine, but unfortunately The Guest landed near the bottom of her books for me.
The writing style felt different than her usual, the plot developed quite slowly, and I didn’t feel super invested in any of the characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

Many thanks st St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my #gifted copy. Pub date 2/20/24.

B.A. Paris's previous books have been a hit or miss for me. This one was good, not bad, but not great. The structure was a little strange to me. The ending is explained in the epilogue, so you don't really know what was going to happen until then. I love a good slow burn, but this one was pretty slow for me. I definitely will still read anything Paris writes. 3.5 stars

This was an excellent read, in classic BA Paris fashion. It was super suspenseful, full of interesting and mysterious characters, and kept me guessing until the end. I like Paris’ books because they are super psychological, and it’s hard to find a strong psychological thriller these days. My favourite thing is I didn’t guess the twist, and I was really stunned that it was under my nose the entire time. This one hits the mark for me. Can’t wait for more from one of my fav authors!

**a huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book**

I'm still on the fence about this one. There were some parts that stuck out to me, and I felt myself engaged flipping pages, but it felt like I was waiting for something that never happened.

I felt the similar let down I experienced with Behind Closed Doors, the twist just felt completely underwhelming.

The drama between the characters and their useless discussions tended to be quite annoying at times and i found myself skimming a few paragraphs when I grew tired of them.

This is only my second novel by the author, so i'm looking to give her books another shot before deciding if they're really my taste or not.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I loved the suspense in BA Paris' debut but this didn't stick with me as much.

I was bored out of my mind from the get go. DNFed at 15%. I couldn't get in to it. It's definitely not a thriller, not even a mystery because there's no excitement to keep reading

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

B.A. Paris is a go-to favorite of mine, but unfortunately The Guest landed near the bottom of her books for me.
The writing style felt different than her usual, the plot developed quite slowly, and I didn’t feel super invested in any of the characters. There was a good twist in the end, however I’m not a fan of when authors use the epilogue to explain everything, as opposed to weaving the big reveal into the story line. (The epilogue itself took up about 10% of the novel.)
If you’re a fan of B.A. Paris, still check out The Guest. Different strokes and such!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy of The Guest in return for an honest review.

When Laure comes to stay with Iris and her husband Gabriel after some recent marriage troubles, Laure slightly overstays her welcome. Add new neighbours Esme and Hugh, and their gardener Joseph into the mix, and a whole bunch of domestic drama.. and murder..follows.

This is one of those books that started off a bit slow and didn't really hold my interest, until I finished it and wanted to re-read the whole thing again knowing everything I know now. This is a domestic drama, full of characters who each seem to have their own secrets ever so slightly intertwined with each other and we don't know who to trust. My suspicions changed multiple times throughout the book and I certainly didn't predict the ending, but I really enjoyed it.

3.5/5⭐

The Guest by B.A. Paris is the first book I have read/listend to from the author. All I have to say is that is was such an unbelievable ending (in a good way) that I was floored by it. I was not expecting the ending at all and I got it all wrong. If you want a real page turner this is the book for you. It follows Iris and Gabriel who come home from vaction to their find long time friend Laure has been staying at their house the who time they were gone. Iris and Gabriel soon learn of Laure's husband Pierre has fathered a child. Soon Laure welcome soon runs out when she decides to quit her job in Paris and stay with Iris and Gabriel in England. While Gabriel can't believe that Pierre would have an affair or have a child with someone other than Laure h, he tries to get in touch with Pierre with avail.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Publishing Group for this digital ARC! WOW I loved this read! It was perfectly paced with just the right of characters and twists and turns. I really enjoyed the short chapters and being able to follow along with the plot. It was a great thriller for everyone to read!