Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. I've read every book by BA Paris and couldn't wait to read this one. I had a harder time connecting to this story and it felt a little slow for me. I enjoyed the twists at the end and didn't see them coming.

Holy cow!!! I feel like I have whiplash after all the twists and turns in this story! Really like the way this author writes, especially the details of each character. Do we really know each other and what we are capable of? The ending is so shocking - did not see that coming!

Just when you think you have it all figured out. The author pulls a once over on you and flips the switch! I loved the build up and chaos of it all. Nothing like a few deaths to incite chaos and insanity of who done it! I enjoyed looking at every character with possibility and intrigue! Combing the chapters for clues and trying to figure this out and lo and behold I could not have figured this out! What a read! What a wild ride! Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy! Always a joy

Really good book.. I’ve read several by this author and this is my second favorite, with Behind Closed Doors being my all time favorite thriller. No way you’ll guess the twists and who-done-it. An easy read with plenty of surprises and twists but yet a still easy storyline to follow. I would highly recommend this book to others.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins press for an ARC of this book. I have been a big fan of BA Paris and read all their books. This one was a bit difficult to connect at times and I thought in the end it would be underwhelmed but holy moly! I did not see the end coming. True Paris fashion! It is definitely a slow burn and at times I was wondering how all these people connected. I would definitely recommend giving this one a read. I read it quickly and when it was over my jaw was on the floor!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC of B.A. Paris' newest book.

I always look forward to reading Paris' novels and this one was no exception. I dove right in.

The pacing of the story felt odd, as we spent lots of time on their mundane lives and not enough on important events.

The story definitely kept me reading to find out what happened but overall this one felt a little underwhelming for me. I did appreciate the epilogue but after all the build up it almost fell flat.

The twist was good but I felt like it also came out of left field. Overall I enjoyed this one but it is not my favorite by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the early copy of this book!

(You can read the synopsis for the plot because where do people find the time to write whole summaries for book reviews, man.)

BA Paris is one of my favorite thriller authors so I was so excited to read this.
It was well paced, suspenseful, and took a turn that I didn’t see coming. It kept me guessing and changing my mind the whole time!
The characters were well written, even the minor ones, I could get a clear vision of.
I’ll definitely buy the physical copy when it’s released in February.

This book that has diabolical characters. No one is better at the twist than B A Paris. A hybrid of the domestic thriller and gripping page turners

I enjoyed the slow burn of B. A. Paris’ newest book, The Guest, and the satisfying and surprising epilogue. I won’t say any more about that- no spoilers. I love a well-plotted family drama/ psychological thriller. The Guest begins with Iris and Gabriel’s return home to find their close friend, Laure, has left her husband, Pierre, in Paris and moved into their home unexpectedly. She is devastated that Pierre has confessed that he has fathered a child while they had agreed to have no children.
The Guest is filled with secrets, surprises, twists, and turns. Again, the epilogue is brilliant but don’t read it until the end if you like surprises. I love surprises.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for digital ARC and the opportunity to post my honest review of The Guest by B. A. Paris.
4 stars—Pub. Date: February 20, 2024

As always, Paris’ latest work is full of twists and turns. Gabriel has dealt with too much loss in the past year and after he finds a young man near death at the bottom of a quarry, he slides into a depression. Wife Iris wants to help him feel better but doesn’t know how. When their old friend Laure turns up unexpectedly to stay with them while her marriage it in ruins, it strains their marriage even further. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so let’s just say buckle up and prepare to be swept away!

B.A. Paris is definitely one of my favourite authors at the moment and let me tell you, this book did not disappoint. I've been kind of busy with life lately and haven't been able to pick up as many books but this one hooked me as soon as I started reading it and couldn't put it down. I read it within a few hours! Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this arc.

Wow, I could not put this book down. Read it in two days and loved it. I also love books where I don't guess the ending and I did not guess it. Great story, great characters. thank you for the advanced copy. Will definitely recommend.

I love a B.A. Paris book. They’re always well written, draw me in, and so much fun to read. Happy to report that The Guest is no different!

Storyline wise there was a lot going on, and more characters to keep up with than usual. Regardless, I persevered because I loved being all up in their suburban business and it was worth it. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

Wow, this was a suspenseful ride. It’s very true to Paris’s writing and storytelling. So if you’ve read her books before and loved them, you’ll love this one too. This is one of those page-turners that you read in one sitting because you can’t put it down. It heavily revolves around domestic, psychological suspense and toxic friendships. I never could tell what direction this story was going to go and it had me on the edge of my seat. I really did not like the ending though. I didn't feel like everything was completely resolved and it fell prey to the info-dump ending monologue style that I just really don’t like. But otherwise up until the final chapter I really enjoyed my reading experience. It was an exciting, creepy, fast read that we’ve all come to expect from this author and definitely worth the read.

3.5✨ I received an eARC from NetGalley of The Guest and couldn’t wait to dig in! This book is full of drama and will keep you guessing at what is really going on. The pacing was a little slow and we are really immersed in the main characters day to day life, which felt a little monotonous at times. I felt there was a lot of buildup about Gabriel’s secret for most of the book, and it just didn’t feel like it was worth all of that to me.

In comparison to her other works I’ve read, this wasn’t my favorite. The ending wasn’t as satisfying as I would have liked and I wanted there to be more. However, I did enjoy the story overall and think if you’re looking for a slow burn thriller, you’d enjoy this one!

This book is an okay read, and the ending was interesting even though it seemed to come out of left field. It is hard to give an accurate review without spoilers, but I'd like to keep this one spoiler free. I wish I could give it a better rating but pacing and execution fell short.

There is a lot to keep track of here: Gabriel and his recent tragedies, including discovering a boy he knows dead in a quarry. His best friend Pierre stopped responding to him after his wife Laure took residence in his home (and was extremely weird and annoying... it was truly hard for me to understand why Gabriel and his wife Iris ever liked her enough to carry on a 20 year friendship), and their new neighbors, Esme and Hugh who come with the gardener Joseph who Gabriel hires in his own garden.

The stories eventually come together, but it feels convoluted. And the big reveal feels like its own separate novel. Maybe I didn't pick up on any hints but I really didn't see any of it coming, and not in a shocking "Gone Girl" way. I can't say much more without spoiling so I will leave it at that.

I did find myself skimming through chunks of the middle that felt unnecessary just to get to anything actually happening. I think this book would be very good if it was 50-75 pages shorter. I was still enthralled by the end though, and I am glad I got to read it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

Iris and Gabriel have seemingly peaceful lives until Gabriel finds a teenager who has had a biking accident. Then, an old friend randomly shows up at their house, a new couple moves into the neighborhood, and their relationships and secrets begin to unravel.

The pacing of the story felt odd, as we spent lots of time on their mundane lives and not enough on important events. I did want to keep reading to find out what happened, but I was a bit underwhelmed with how all the loose ends were tied up. I also am not a fan of the particular trope that was used to facilitate the twist at the end. Overall, I was invested in the plot, but the characters were unlikeable, and the twists fell sort of flat.

I have really enjoyed the few B.A Paris’ books I have read so was very excited to be able to read an advanced reader copy of The Guest!

This book is perfect if you like short chapters that keep you wanting to read just a little more and if you like a thriller that will keep you guessing. There were a lot of various plots happening at the same time and I had no clue what was going to happen for any of them. The ending was a big surprise I didn’t see coming as well!

I did find it a bit ridiculous at times so if that is something that bothers you, you might want to skip this one. - lot of the dialogue felt unrealistic but it didn’t take away from the story for me.

Overall, an enjoyable read! 3.5 rounded up. Wasn’t my favorite by the author but I will definitely read her next one- always a fun fast read.

Thank you netgalley for the arc!

Wow - what a twist that I never expected! Love it when an author comes up with a motive that I wouldn’t have put together, and does so without misleading me or using a motive that just seems too far fetched. This book had a nice pace that kept me hooked. Amongst the suspense genre, I rate this a solid 5 stars.

Be on the lookout for this book in Feb 2024. Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and B.A. Paris for sending this book for my review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I ranked this book between 3.5 and a 4. It encompasses three couples and dark secrets and life events that have affected them. I felt like a lot of time was put into just day to day activities with the couples making the storyline drag somewhat. The twist at the end was unexpected and intriguing though.