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!

I really, really liked this book! And I really, really like this author. This book really made me think what I would do if I were in Iris’s shoes. I thought the mystery was great and I didn’t figure it out before it was revealed. It was fast paced. The epilogue was 🤯! I liked the way they tied all of the characters together. Great psychological thriller! Would definitely recommend!

I really liked this one. I will say it was a bit of a slow burn. There many threads to this one and it was a tangle to undo. But i really loved how slowly different things start happening. It kept me invested. A murder here. A secret relationship there. A guest who overstays their welcome. I felt like there were many different strings being told and i love how all the pieces came together. I was trying to connect the dots on some things and i didn’t know how others connected. But I was pleasantly surprised tho because i thought i had this story figured out and i was wrong!! I was definitely surprised with the ending!

B.A. Paris always manages to draw me in with a compelling story and then blows me away in the end!

The book centers around quite a cast of characters.
-Iris and Gabriel, trying to learn how to be "them" again after Gabriel experiences a tragedy
-Laure and Pierre, separated over Pierre's confession of an affair and a love child. Laure has moved in with Iris and Gabriel, causing quite a stir in their daily routine.
-Esme and Hugh, the new neighbors, who are helping ease some of the tension
-Joseph the gardener, who knows more than he's letting on and is more intertwined with their lives than they know.

As you get to know the characters and the tangled web they weave, you'll be amazed when you get to the ending.

Requested the audio format so I will give full review when completed that foremat. I will be able to send a quicker review .Thank you

While usually a big fan of B.A. Paris, this one fell a little flat for me. My main issue was the timing of the novel which was 99% mysterious build up plot and 1% explanation and closure. This made the payoff less satisfying in my opinion and gave the ending a very rushed feel. None of the characters were very likeable and there was just SO much going on that it felt difficult to relate to any particular plot line. The author does try to connect somethings at the end, but again, it feels like a rushed afterthought and not genuine enough for me. The storyline has good potential but I do feel as if a little fat needs to be trimmed in a few places. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the copy of this ARC in return for honest feedback.

I gotta say usually I am a big B. A Paris fan, but “The Guest” just didn’t do it for me. I could not get engaged, I wasn’t into the story at all, not into the characters….just blah. Sorry!!!!!

2/5 ⭐️