B.A. Paris has long been an auto read author for me. This book, definitely emphasized that decision.

Iris and Gabriel are struggling in their marriage. The cracks have grown and they just keep multiplying. When arriving home from a trip, they find their friend Laure in their home. She's distraught with marriage problems of her own. Laure being there sets off a chain of events that grows by the second. All the cracks are now craters. The people around them are falling apart. Where will it end?

This book was fantastic. Fast pacing, page turning, and thrilling. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Let me start by saying that B.A. Paris is one of my favorite authors. After discovering Behind Closed Doors, I preceded to binge her entire backlist within a long weekend. While this one had me hooked from the start, and kept me highly entertained throughout, the ending fell flat for me.

Paris does a fantastic job of developing each of these characters and creating a well layered and complex plot line. At times I felt as though I knew these characters, that they could be my neighbors. I was glued to the pages, flipping (or in my case tapping) as quickly as I could, so eager to know what exactly had happened. This entertainment factor is the strongest aspect of The Guest.

While the story itself is engaging, my issue is in the detail. I really appreciate when authors take the time to lay the breadcrumbs throughout the story, and whether or not you are able to see them in real time, you can find them when you go back and look. Unfortunately, there were a few big twists here, all that came at the end of the story, and none of which seemed to have been plotted or hinted previously in the story.

And yet with all of that said, I still think this is a fun, bingeable thriller that will keep your attention until the final page.

Read if you like:
•domestic suspense
•psychological thriller
•dual timeline
•single POV
•bingeable books
•Katherine Faulkner

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies.

#StMartins #TheGuest #BAParis



Laure is the guest who won't leave. She leaves her husband to stay with Iris and Gabriel. So many secrets and lies in this book.

This was a quick read. A domestic thriller mystery that kept me flipping Kindle pages until the end.

The reader will want to find out the mystery and secrets. None of the characters were likeable. The story itself was enjoyable and thrilling.

I would recommend this to readers who like the author s other books or domestic thrillers.

I will be selling this at the store.

Highly recommended

Thank you :Net Galley the publisher and author

The Guest 🚪

This book was spinechilling, in the best of ways! It was filled with twisted and turns that will definitely keep the reader engaged while trying to figure out who they can trust. Both of the narrators seem a little bit suspicious, but the most suspicious is the friend Laure who just shows up in their house and almost seems like she’s trying to act as Gabriel’s wife. I was honestly expecting that she would try and murder Iris to take her place as his wife because of her husband having an affair and a secret child. The twist at the end was completely unexpected and the author did an amazing job, making the narrator seem reliable, even though she turned out to not be!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advance copy in exchange for my review.

OK wow this book started with a literal bang and the secrets kept rolling.
Everyone's lives were so intertwined. As more and more connections were revealed the ride just kept getting wilder.
There was so much going on with all the various plot points that I almost forgot about a lot of major moments until they resurfaced later. Example: Pierre's secret child and Laurel's fate. Just completely slipped my mind, which is strange for me. At the same time this is what I really loved about this book. With all of the craziness happening my mind didn't have time to dwell on every little thing and figure out what the twists would be.
A wild ride for sure.

This book was a fairly easy read because of the short chapters. I feel like these shorter chaptered books are usually page turners but this was more of a slow burn. The characters were all quite obnoxious, and while I don’t mind a cast of villains, these characters seemed to be insufferable and unrelatable for no real reason. The twists at the end were unexpected and I would have loved more of that fast-paced unexpectedness from the rest of the book.

How about that ending!?! Wowza, I did not see that coming!

Suddenly Iris and Gabriel suddenly have a lot occurring in their lives. Gabriel finds a young man who has had a terrible accident and hears the young man's last words, leaving Gabriel with a terrible burden. This burden affects him greatly. Then their friend Laure, from Paris, arrives and moves in after telling them that Pierre, her husband informed her that he had fathered a child with another woman. They tell Laure that she can stay as long as she needs, but she soon becomes a tad bit annoying. Laur begins wearing Iris' clothing, following her around and asking questions about the young man's death. Then there are the new young neighbors and a handsome gardener thrown into the mix.

The characters in this book deal with all kinds of issues: depression, distance in a marriage, learning a partner has a secret child, loneliness, and lack of boundaries to name a few. Iris and Gabriel want to help Laure, but she soon outstays her welcome. She makes herself a little too much at home. Iris and Gabriel want to help but they also want her out but feel bad so don't ask her to leave. It sucks when one feels uncomfortable in their own home. I thought the author did a great job showing their annoyance and discomfort with their guest.

I thought the book was done at one point and was shocked to see there was more to go. Well hold on to your hats because the ending was a shocker! I did not see that coming at all! I wish that the book was that way the entire book through. This was an enjoyable book, but I wasn't completely wowed until the ending I mentioned. There is a lot of "talk" and scenes that didn't feel necessary. Plus, parts were slow and slow, and I do not get along.

Plus, the characters were not likeable or engaging. I found myself feeling meh about some of them. Having said that, I was invested enough to want to know how the book was going to end and for me, the final reveal stole the show and saved the book.

Although this was not my favorite book by B.A. Paris, I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.


Dramatic and well written.

3/5

I usually love B.A. Paris’s books but this one was just okay. The ending is great and makes me glad I stuck with the book. It’s a little twisted and a great ending to the strong. Iris and Gabriel are great characters and I didn’t see some of the twists coming.

I feel like it lagged at some parts but I’m glad I kept with it for the ending!

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!