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.

Few people can weave a mind bending twist quite like B.A. Paris! Just when I think I’ve figured things out… everything is turned upside down!

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy of The Guest by B.A. Paris.
When Iris and Gabriel get back from their vacation, they are shocked to find their close friend, Laure, in their house. She not only makes herself at home, but completely oversteps her bounds.
Laure is there because of leaving her husband (and their good friend) Pierre who has completely devasted Laure with his affair and subsequent child. They want to help Laure, but her unpredictable behavior is taking its toll on them.
Then they meet their new neighbors, Esme, who is pregnant, and Hugh, her twenty-year-older husband. Their gardener, Joseph, also lives on their grounds in a cottage.
With so many secrets (and lies) revealed from everyone’s past and present, how do you know who is telling the truth?
I finished this book in two days! It was exciting and totally kept my attention the whole time trying to figure out who did what to whom and who was involved with which person!
I would definitely recommend this one – five stars for The Guest!

This is my first B.A. Paris book & they did NOT disappoint. I thought I had it all figured out, but I was so wrong. Total twist at the end. I will be recommending this to everyone.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was a very different psychological thriller. Two couples meet in the Bahamas where one is celebrating their first anniversary and the other is honeymooning. They develop a friendship that extends for twenty years. It is basically narrated by the wife of the longer married couple. The other couple had separated and that wife had come to stay with Gabriel and Iris while she decided what to do. There are two wrists and turns throughout the story along with a memorable climax. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC for an honest review.

Entertaining with an ending I did not see coming. I really hated some of the characters, and the writing sometimes felt "bumpy" but it kept me interested enough to read it in a couple of days. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow, this is a fabulous thriller centered around mistakes, lies, and consequences. I spent the majority of the book analyzing the cast of characters and wondering what was going on. The story focuses on an English couple—Iris and Gabriel—who arrive home from vacation to find their French friend Laure staying in their house because she has left her husband Pierre. Laure is devastated by the discovery that Pierre has fathered a child with another woman and her friends are equally flabbergasted. They agree that Laure can stay with them as they work to sort out what is happening…but as the weeks pass tensions fray as she overstays her welcome and nothing seems to get resolved. The story is relatively quiet and slow paced for a while, until the real action begins. The twist at the end and the way that the storylines weave together is wonderful and I was thoroughly captivated by this book. I’ve read and loved all of the books that B.A. Paris has written, but was slightly underwhelmed by the last one. I think that The Guest is one of her best and I highly recommend it. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Summary: Iris and Gabriel seem to be a happy married couple. They have a home in the British countryside, a daughter that volunteers at an animal shelter in Greece, and good friends Laure and Pierre. When a local boy has a tragic accident in the nearby quarry, Gabriel is the one that is there during his final moment to hear his last words. This leaves Gabriel feeling extreme guilt. Iris tries to help her husband get through it but in the process they get an unexpected house guest. Laure has moved into their home without any warning when she finds out some traumatic news about her husband. Iris and Gabriel insists she stays as long as she needs to help her get through it but it seems Laure is starting to take advantage of them and it’s beginning to become weird. With everything going on, Iris and Gabriel seem to be growing apart. Can their own marriage me saved or will the lies keep unfolding?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an E-book in exchange for an honest review.

Publication: February 20th, 2024

Thoughts: After listening to B.A. Paris’s novel, Behind Closed Doors and loving it, this was an extremely slow burn compared to that book. I found most of the plot boring especially after reading the epilogue. When I read the epilogue I thought it was going to be way more exciting then what it turned out to be. It seems that there were really no exciting parts until we reached the ending. Most of the characters were unlikeable, however, the ending was a shock. If you enjoy family drama, with some thrill I recommend picking this one up!