The Guests definitely is a twisty thriller with a revelation that makes the bottom drop out of the family's world. Despite it's dark storyline, it really is a great book to be reading on the beach, with a cocktail, and wondering what on earth the other guests are really up to! Great stuff!

Thanks to the publishers via NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I do love a good thriller and what better place for it to be set than in a wonderful holiday destination, an island in the Maldives. It would have been great to have been there with the characters as they experienced all that life was throwing at them as the plot unfolded.

Told in short chapters this book grabs you and peaks your interest, making you want to read just that one more chapter before you put it down. Based around the Hamilton family, they all have their own issues to deal with while on holiday and at home. To find out just what fate has in store for them all, you will need to grab a copy of this book to read for yourself.

Nikki Smith has written other books, but this is the first one of hers that I have read and I will be looking for other books by her.

A good holiday read, set in a luxury destination in the Maldives it was fun to read about the resort. The characters were all a bit shady, everyone seemed to have a hidden agenda. The story went at a bit of a pace with twists and turns but the conclusion was a disappointment for me as it all became rather unbelievable.

Throughly enjoyable and well written. Left me wanting more and brilliant charecter development. Twists that I didn't spot a mile off which is always a major bonus

The Hamilton, mum (Cara), dad (Zac) and daughter (Alexa) are on the holiday of a lifetime in the Maldives. But is everything as it seems? Of course it isn’t!! But the way it unfolds is stunning. I was hooked and couldn’t stop turning the pages. Just when you think that you know what’s happening something else happens that is totally unexpected. Bodies abound. Even the ending is totally unexpected. Loved it.

I have to admit to being a little disappointed with this book. I found the story a bit disjointed and thought the plot didn't quite hang together. It was almost as if I was reading more than one story. Don't get me wrong it has it's merits with some strong characters but it left me a little underwhelmed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

4.5 ⭐️

Having read Nikki Smith's first book, The Beach Party, I knew I had to read this one and I absolutely loved it. Nikki is the real queen of holiday thrillers and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Although I've never been to the Maldives, I could imagine it so vividly. The way it was described was so beautiful and I could feel like I was actually there.

This book is also TWISTY. Just so many twists constantly blindsiding me and making me question everything. I did not want to put this book down.

I really like the pace of it too. It wasn't a super fast paced thriller as everything was given time to develop but it also kept me engaged. I think it only made the twists more shocking.

I do wish the ending hadn't been quite so open ended as I was desperate to know what happened next 😅 maybe a sequel is needed??

The characters were boring, the story was slow and I just was not engaged in this book. I did have high hopes as I have heard this author is good but imo this books was not that great and I just didnt feel invested enough not to dnf.

This was a fun and interesting book to read while on holiday abroad! It has just the right setting to be reading this on a beach or by a pool 😍

You can tell very quickly that there’s a LOT of things going on here and that there will be a lot of secrets to uncover. Unfortunately, after everything was said and done I wasn’t thrilled. I ended up feeling like there was slightly TOO much going on. The ending was good although I could’ve done without the final twist.

Unfortunately none of the characters in this were super likeable as well! I didn’t mind the daughter, I felt bad for her at first but then didn’t like her much after what she did 👀😂 the husband was extremely unlikeable and so were the other characters, the main woman was annoying but I rooted for her at the end.

Overall this was a good book, but was missing a lot for me. I loved the setting but this was a lot more domestic thriller than I thought it would be.

I loved other books by Nikki Smith but this is the 6/7th thriller featuring a luxurious resort I read and I'm start to mix them in my mind.
Due to the mixing cannot write a proper review now even if I enjoyed this book.
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A fast paced and gripping read. It was a perfect popcorn thriller. The storyline itself wasn't anything spectacular or ground breaking, but a hugely enjoyable read none the less.

The Hamilton family head off to the Maldives for a family trip of a lifetime after a home invasion and to build a few bridges between them.

The resort they are staying in is idyllic, there is a famous influencer there doing a piece on the resort which claims to be very environmentally friendly but is it all that it seems and is everyone telling the truth about past events? Will everyone survive the holiday?

What a fun filled thriller this was!
The perfect holiday read
I really enjoyed how this story was told, I liked how you got to witness how the staff at the resort were treated, how the family played out.
I enjoyed the twists and turns, very well put together and would definitely recommend

Set in a beautiful resort in the Maldives this has it all - sun, luxury, beautiful people, blue seas and champagne. But beneath this lies a dark underbelly - secrets and lies that once revealed cannot be undone. A scorching thriller that once again shows how terrible rich people can be.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a fun and entertaining destination thriller that would be perfect for a holiday read.
The Hamiton family travel to an idyllic Maldives resort to try and reconnect with each other after events at home have fractured their family.
The staff at the resort answer to every whim the guests may have. As the story unfolds, no one is who they seem to be. The reader gets a glimpse of behind the scenes of the luxury resort, how the staff are treated and what they really think of the guests.
Full of unlikeable characters and expertly plotted this is a twisty tale full of secrets and lies. The descriptions of the settings added to the atmosphere. The countdown at the beginning of each chapter kept the tension and suspense level high. Recommend.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

Set in the Maldives at an Eco-friendly resort, Asana Fushi, a luxury holiday for a family goes very awry. On the surface Zach, Cara and Alexa have it all, however each character has their own motivations and secrets.

A gripping read, with many twists keeping the reader engaged, as the true dysfunction of the family becomes apparent.

The plot is strong and well woven together, with each character introduced having a part to play as everything starts to unravel.

A great summer read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Penguin General UK for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

4 Stars.

• 2.5⭐️ •

I wanted to love The Guests but I wasn’t overly wowed by it sadly. It had good potential but I just couldn’t get gripped by it and it ended up taking me quite a while to read. There was nothing necessarily wrong with it, but it was missing the spark and the energy that make a thriller amazing instead of okay.

Every single one of the characters were pretty unlikable 🙃 sometimes this works well depending on the story, but in this case, I just didn’t have any major feelings about them so didn’t really care what happened to them. It is possible that I’ve read one too many books with similar plots and storylines for them to be wholly enjoyable for me 🤷‍♀️

However, I know that I enjoy this author’s writing - it flows and is easy to read so perhaps this book wasn’t quite for me but I’ll continue to look out for her future work 👏🏻

Thank you Viking & Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping start, with the discovery of a recently buried skull on a private beach of an exclusive luxury island resort in the Maldives. The story then reverts to a series of events starting four weeks earlier concerning Zach, Cara and their teenage daughter Alexa. Their family holiday was intended to provide them with a relaxing environment in which to overcome some relationship issues. There are chance meetings with former colleagues and it appears that everyone has secrets and not all are who they claim to be.

The short chapters are well written and provide good momentum with growing suspense. There are numerous candidates for the body and even more motives. The descriptions of the resort and various activities are nicely detailed and there is a real sense of an idyllic island resort on the surface but with deep undercurrents of deception and exploitation beneath the surface.

The ending though was a little weak with some unlikely scenarios. Overall an enjoyable read.

An interesting read. Very suspenseful. It was well written, and keeps the reader captivated right to the very end. A good holiday read..

Absolutely loved reading this book. I took it on holiday with me and it was the perfect beach side read. I loved the quick chapters and it was very well written.
The idea of it being set in the Maldives was brilliant and gave the thriller more suspense, I loved the plot idea and following the characters on the twists and turns. I loved the ending.
A great book and I will be reading more by this author too!