I was so excited to receive an ARC of The Guest by BA Paris from NetGalley and St Martin’s Press! Thank you!! Ever since Behind Closed Doors, BA Paris has been my go-to author for a solid domestic, psych thriller, and mystery novel.

In The Guest, Gabriel and Iris come home early from a vacation to find their friend, Laure staying at their home. Laure has left her husband, Pierre after discovering he had an affair resulting in a child. Her stay of a few days turns into weeks then months.. talk about an unexpected visitor overextending their stay! She easily becomes my most unliked character in the story.

This book is a slow burn where the story builds and as we get to know the characters better, we start to wonder who we can trust as more secrets are revealed. Then as characters start dying/disappearing (were they murdered?), BA Paris has you jumping from one suspicious character to another.

Get ready for a suspenseful and twisty ride. Be sure to read the epilogue carefully because everything comes together at the end. There are a lot of characters introduced into the mix which may be overwhelming in the beginning but it just adds more suspects to the list. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Release date: February 20, 2024

I was thrilled to get this ARC as I really like this author.

This book starts off with an unexpected guest coming to visit with some startling news. She definitely overstays her welcome and is extremely annoying. Even I was getting sick of her. Lol

The homeowner has his own issue because he discovered someone he knew dead and he suffers his own guilt at being asked to relay his dying message.

There are two questions going on in this book. What happened with the dead man and what is the full story about why The Guest won't leave? Then a murder happens that leaves more questions.

I thought the book was a little slow in the beginning and was getting annoyed with the guest. I wanted them to tell her it was time to leave! However, once it picked up, I had a hard time putting it down.

Definitely worth reading!!

I have read several B.A. Paris novels and loved them all. The Guest fell short of my expectations however. I found the plot a bit boring and unbelievable, and the characters hard to care about. The ending also didn't seem to line up with previous storylines.

Holy wow! I thought I had this all figured out...I was SO wrong. Kudos to the author for this twists turny book, that I definitely couldn't guess who dunnit. You won't regret reading this book.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and mostly the author for this fun ride.

I am a B.A. Paris fan, but this felt a little slow to me. The story was interesting but the culmination came too late.

It was worth pushing through. I had to see how it ended however, it always a fight to finish.

Iris and Gabriel come home from holiday to find their old friend Laure. She’ll be staying with them after her husband divulged the news of a secret love child.

This was a slow burn of a read but I was hooked and had to know what was going to happen. It all unraveled fairly quickly and you have a few different ideas of what’s going on. The very end is a full explanation. I typically don’t like being told what happened and prefer to be shown through the story, but this worked for me; it was so unexpected.

“If it wasn’t so tragic, it would be funny.”

The Guest comes out 2/20.

I recently read The Guest by B.A. Paris. I've read many books from this author and have enjoyed them. The Guest is the story of a married couple, Iris and Gabriel. They come home from a trip to discover their friend, Laure, living in their house. She has had a falling out with her husband, Pierre, who is also their good friend. Pierre has confessed to Laure that he had an affair that resulted in a child. This betrayal adds additional sting because Laure wanted to have children but Pierre did not. Naturally, this fills Laure with rage, resentment and questions about their future. Iris and Gabriel do their best to be good hosts but as Laure's stay wears on stress abounds and questions mount.

This book somehow feels different from Paris' others. The story is complicated, yet simple. She is excellent at misdirection, guiding us through one situation to the next. Characters are well developed and likeable, leaving just enough room for a bit of suspicion. I became entrenched in the twists and turns which last until the satisfying end. A very fun read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this early copy of The Guest and supporting my B.A. Paris addiction.

I typically like books by this author but this one felt not up to par. It seemed to drag on and be redundant about Laure. The ending was a nice twist but felt like it wasn’t worth the wait.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. SUCH AN AMAZING THRILLER. There is surprise at every turn of the page and the twist was so well done. It has been a while since a plot twist has had that much impact on me. Superb read.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for my advanced digital copy of The Guest. I’ve only read one B.A. Paris book prior to this, and that was Behind Closed Doors, which was amazing!! Domestic thrillers have been my top genre this year so I was excited to dive into The Guest.

The story is about a couple, Iris and Gabriel, who are going through a rough patch after Gabriel finds a local neighborhood boy dying at the Quarry near their house. He is shaken up by this event and distances himself away from his wife because he is keeping a secret about the boys last dying words. They end up allowing their close friend Laure to stay with them since she too is going through marital problems after she finds out that her husband Pierre cheated on her and has a daughter. Laure over stays her welcome but a new couple joins the neighborhood which seems to balance out all the tension in the house.

Laure was my least favorite character. She was annoying as heck and definitely an “ask hole.” The type of person who rants about the same topic over and over and asks for advice but doesn’t take the advice haha! I think her marital problems dragged on too long and took up way too much pages. I just wanted to fast forward from their mundane life tasks to the juicy parts of the book which happened more towards the middle of the book.

Overall, the book ended up being a page turner (mainly bc of the short chapters) and had a jaw dropping plot twist that I did not see coming!!! I’m rating this book 3.5 stars!

I am an avid B.A. Paris reader and was very excited to read this book. Overall- it wasn’t my favorite but I still enjoyed reading it. There are two storylines going on and I was far more interested in Laure and Pierre’s story than the neighbor connection. Iris was a likeable character and I could definitely relate to her frustrations in wanting her life to return to a normal. I would recommend this book to friends as it did hold my attention and I didn’t see the main twist coming (although I did guess one of the twists pretty early on).

BA Paris does it again. I don't even read the descriptions before picking up BA Paris books.

In The Guest, life quickly starts to unravel for a couple who gets a houseguest who quickly wears out their welcome. Lies. Deception. Murder. All the things.

There are twists and turns throughout the entire book.

I give The Guest 4/5 stars.

B.A.Paris never feels. She has written another tense chilling thriller.I sat down to read a few pages got so caught up in the story read late into the night. #st.martins.netgalley

Another psychological thriller by B.A. Paris with great suspense. While I have binge read B.A. Paris' books in the past, this one was not quite as good as others I have read in the past. This was not one of her books that I felt I couldn't set down. I found myself being pulled in different directions. The book did not flow as well as some of her other books. It is a quick read.

Unfortunately, I felt there were too many story lines and too much going on. The characters were difficult to relate to and the mystery was not compelling enough for me.

Two couples linked as friends, Iris and Gabriel, and Pierre and Laure, vacation together. When Pierre learns he has an 18-year-old daughter that he knew nothing about, Laure decides to visit Iris and Gabriel as a guest, but overstays her welcome. Laure and Iris are good friends, but when Laure starts rearranging her kitchen and talks incessantly about Pierre and his secret love child, Iris has had enough.

During this time Gabriel is struggling with his own demons as just before Laure comes to stay he found 18-year-old Charlie, who is tragically involved in a biking accident. Charlie shares with Gabriel his last words and the words haunt Gabriel after Charlie's death. He stops working as a medical doctor and takes some time for himself. While on his break, he decides to work in the garden to fix it up and a guest, Joseph, to new neighbors, Esme and Hugh, comes to help.

The mystery in who-dun-it does provide for an element of surprise.

I am assigning this book a three-star rating. I enjoy reading books by B.A. Paris, but this one seemed to disappoint in comparison to others I have read. Perhaps my expectations were too high for this book and perhaps I thought the story line would go in a different direction. For me, the mystery and relatability to the characters was lacking.

Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide a review.

I am a huge B.A. Paris fan and was so excited to read The Guest! This newest book is set to be released in February and I highly recommend adding it to your TBR pile for next year. This twisty turning thriller follows two couples; Iris and Gabriel, Laure and Pierre, as they support Laure through a surprise separation. Arriving home from vacation to find Laure camped out in their home, this old friend seems determined to wait it out. With no word from Pierre there is no reconciliation on the horizon. As Iris becomes progressively more stifled by constantly entertaining Laure, tensions rise and secrets can not stay hidden….. I really enjoyed this book, Thank you to the publisher for the ARC I was given, all opinions are my own.

Thank you so much NEtGalley and St Martin's Press.

I am a huge fan of B.A. Paris.

Iris and Gabriel return home from a trip to be surprised by their friend Laure in their house. There are suddenly lots of circumstances involving lots of people.

I wish I liked this more! I struggled with liking the characters, plus it starts slow. There were so many characters and I got confused. Still, it was good just not my favorite of the author.

Wow, just wow. Another great book by BA Paris. It was filled with twists and turns, literally, could not put it down. Great plot, great characters and a very surprising ending. A great domestic novel with a twist. Thank you for my advance copy

I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another unputdownable roller coaster ride by B.A. Paris. The suspense was edge of your seat churning and kept you guessing to the very end. I highly recommend this entertaining read.

B.A. Paris never disappoints and The Guest is no different. Gabriel and Iris are an empty nest couple. When they return from a trip they find an old friend, Laure staying at their home. Laure has left her husband, Pierre and from there, the secrets begin - not just Laure's secrets, but Gabriel's and Iris' as well. This book has lots of plot twists that I never saw coming. I appreciate NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Guest by B.A. Paris.