I like the books by BA Paris, they always deliver a good mystery / thriller that keep you engaged in reading up until the end to find out what happened. In this book a couple receives a friend as a guest that claims to have trouble with her husband. But she kind of overstays her welcome and doesn’t seem to ever want to leave.

Another twisty enjoyable domestic thriller from one of my favorite authors, B.A. Paris! This was a slow burn that was hard to put down once I really got into the story. There were shocking twists that kept me guessing right up to the end. I do wish that the epilogue would have instead been sprinkled throughout the book instead, however this was a very enjoyable read overall and I loved it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my early digital copy for my honest thoughts and review!

Title: The Guest
Author: B.A. Paris
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: February 20, 2024
My Rating: 4.4 Stars
Pages; 320
:
This is author, B.A Paris’ seventh novel and #7 for me as well.
The book "Behind Closed Doors" is on the top of my “like” list. However, "The Breakdown", "Bring Me Home", and "The Prisoner" ] were also great!

Iris and Gabriel have been a happily married couple. They have one daughter Beth who is in college. However recently Gabriel, a doctor is not is a good place right now. He seems to be suffering from ‘Burnout” – it has been four month since her beloved father died and he is he is still grieving.
More recently his is haunted by the death of Charlie Ingram a young man he coached in football back when he was a volunteer at Beth’s school. It seems Charlie was killed in an accident when his bike skidded off the path and he fell over a cliff. Gabriel was out for a morning run when he spotted him lying at the bottom. He was still alive when Gabriel found him and he said Tell mum I love her”. However dies before help arrived. The paramedics told Gabriel there was nothing he could have done (Later we find out that Gabriel lied to the paramedics - Hmmm!).

Story starts with Iris and Gabriel arriving home after a holiday they find their friend Laure there- which isn’t all that unusual as they have been friends for years and often stay at each other’s home when they are gone. In this case Laure is having marital problems with her husband Pierre. He recently told her that he has a child as the result of a one-night stand!
Laure asks if she may stay for a while. It seems she soon out stays her welcome as a ‘guest’!

Next we have new neighbors, Esme & Hugh who are expecting a baby. They also bring also their young landscape gardener Joseph.

Soon secrets surface from everywhere!

When I started this I checked a few reviews and was shocked by several not so great reviews.

I knew this author would NOT let me down and she didn’t!!!!
It was GREAT.
I love Psychological Thrillers but I thought this was just a mystery.
I was totally clueless as to whodunit!
BTW: It seems a better title might be "The Neighbor's Gardener"

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this GREAT early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 20, 2024

I really enjoyed this book, more of a domestic type of thriller than a murder/mystery type. Iris and Gabriel live in the British countryside and come home after a short vacation to find a guest in their house, Laure has come to visit, unannounced, and to let them know she has left her husband, Pierre. Turns out Pierre has confided that he has a daughter from a brief relationship he had, while they were married, and wants to be more involved in the child's life. Laure of course is devastated and asks to stay with Iris and Gabriel to get over the shock. Gabriel is getting over his own trauma, he had come upon a young man who had fell into a quarry, Gabriel heard the last words but felt they were too traumatic to share with the mother of the young man so changed what he had said when he told the EMS and her when they met to discuss it. Iris meets a couple the moved in down the road from them, the lady is pregnant and due in a few months. Her and Gabriel become friends with the couple and a man who is staying with them to get over some of his own issues. Then news comes that Pierre has passed away and Laure is devastated, and not long after that Laure passes away, a suspected suicide as she is found in the quarry where the young man had been found. Overall a very interesting read and I did not see that ending coming, highly recommend for that alone. Thanks to #Netgalley and #St Martins Press for the ARC.

Solid 4-star read! B.A Paris never disappoints. Every twist and turn had me guessing what would come next and surprised at each turn.

What a twisty, turny tale of a couple and the friends in their circle that seem to be dying, one by one. I liked this book. It seemed hard to follow the characters in the beginning of the book but became clear with progression . The ending was great ! Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Ladies and Gentlemen, B.A. Paris does it again! She is the Queen of the slow burn and I do so love me some slow burn goodness.
This is a twisty psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages late into the night!
When Iris and Gabriel come back from a vacation to find Laure, an old family friend, had been staying at their house without their knowledge after an argument with her husband, Pierre, you know things are gonna get crazy. Laure's short visit turns into an extended stay as turmoil rocks her marriage. Iris and Gabriel's own marriage is off kilter due to Gabriel recently being the person who found a boy after an accident and was with him when he passed and is carrying a lot of guilt and some secrets because of that.
Secrets and lies from the past and present will keep you guessing who is telling the truth and who is being deceitful until the very end. This is a book that will definitely not be in your DNF pile! I did not see that ending coming!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review this amazing arc. Look for it wherever books are sold on February 20, 2024!

the guest✨
ARC review🤩

this one threw me off a bit, as i’ve come to expect thrilling, intricately woven masterpieces from BA Paris; while i was confused for a solid portion of this book, it ended up being just another perfect technique to pull every detail together! (although i did find Laure to be insufferable the entire book)
this has all the great components you could want in a thriller—drama, suspense, deceit, death, and secrets. the epilogue is especially such a highlight, and it left me wanting to immediately reread to see exactly where all the puzzle pieces connected throughout.
i give this one a 12/10 rating especially for the epilogue twist!

thank you to BA Paris + St. Martin’s Press for the chance to read and review this ahead of time!

publishing february 20, 2024✨

Not for me though I did really enjoy her book “Behind Closed Door”. Maybe next time since I do think she is a very good author

At first there are so many characters you need to keep up with in this domestic drama, this one is difficult to tell where the story is headed as it goes in so many different directions, but it ended up playing out really well with a few nice twists

Wow, what a ride! This is somehow my first BA Paris novel; however, her backlist has been on my TBR for ages. This read will definitely prompt me to push all of those to the top of the pile!
Gosh, first I must say that I suspected EVERYONE as this plot unfolded except for the person actually responsible for the chaos. I’ve read enough thrillers to consider everyone, but truthfully she really got me with this one!
Despite the number of characters, I did not have difficulty keeping up with who was who and who was related to whom (which is normally challenging for me; I’ll get out the trusty notebook and make myself a cheat sheet). I will note, however, I think the prologue was a bit less impactful as I had zero clue going into it who these people were; it was not solidified in my memory well enough, so I had to go back and read the prologue about half-way through to recall what I was supposed to already know about these people.
I read this one in about a day and a half once I finally had the chance to sit down and focus on it, so it was a quick read for me.
I felt a bit of the story drug around the 1/3 to 1/2 way points but otherwise devoured this. I think the epilogue tied everything together nicely, and nothing was left to the imagination (which is the worst, to be honest).
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick twisty weekend read - and honestly, that may be my favorite kind.
4 ⭐️

This book was an easy 5 stars!!!! It was an edge of your seat thrill ride! Paris is one of my favorite authors, and this is no exception, kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end, and I still somehow wanted more! This is a must read for all thriller lovers!

While B.A. Paris books normally keep a captivating pace, The Guest was definitely more of a slow burn which included a lot of character development. As an avid thriller reader, this got a bit mundane, but I was definitely invested in the characters. What really turned it around was the unforeseen and mind blowing ending that really brought the entire book together. If you're looking for a slower pace, casual read that is not predictable, this book is perfect! It will keep you interested enough to NEED to know how it would end. B.A. Paris did an excellent job of tying all loose ends up into a nice bow that made you satisfied as a reader.

Overall, 3.5⭐️ rounded up! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I could not put this book down! The Guest follows a couple, Iris and Gabriel who come home from a trip to an unexpected house guest. Their good friend, Laure, comes to stay with them for an indefinite amount of time after saying she was leaving her husband, who is also their good friend. Full of twists and secrets, B.A. Paris keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Guest by B.A. Paris

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartins for providing a digital copy of The Guest in exchange of a honest review.

Wow this one was the perfect domestical thriller that in my opinion is nearly as good as Behind Closed Door. Definetly enjoyed it more that The Prisoner. If you like small town vibes with complicated mariage and some strong friendship relationship, this one is for you.

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Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of the book.

I really enjoyed this book. This is my first book that I have read by this author and I really enjoyed the story.

Full review to come on publishing day.

I loved all the twists and turns in this book. The characters grew more complex as you got to the ending. I did not expect the ending at all. I love all of B.A. Paris’s books and always recommend her as an author.

This is a compelling enough book, but although I found it interesting enough to read straight through, the long description at the end of The Novel’s Big Twist left me wanting. I think it’s a nice, light read and I wouldn’t call it much more.

Strangely addicting.

Iris and Gabriel may be living in the idyllic countryside, but their lives are about to take a tumultuous turn.

Opening their front door, the couple are shocked to find a woman who appears to have made herself quite at home while Iris and Gabriel were away. Aren't we cozy?

As it turns out, it’s their long-time friend Laure from France. Recently having left her husband, she was desperate and needed a warm, inviting home to hideaway. Sure, why not. What harm is there in opening up your home to a friend for a few days? I believe the quote goes, “no good deed goes un-punished.”

Now weeks have turned into months and it seems Laure has no intention of moving on anytime soon.

I can’t say that I liked any of the characters involved. They all became mildly annoying.🫢
But at the same time I couldn’t step away from this book, picking it up any time I had a spare moment.

And for you thriller lovers...there is a fabulous twist!🙌. Didn’t see that one coming!

A buddy read with Susanne!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press

Really good story about who is killing people in this small British village. I had no idea it was who it finally turned out to be. Can always count on a good mystery from this author.