B.A. Paris has been a hit-or-miss author for me, but this is the best novel I've read by her to-date!

Also, this is the second book I've read this year about the unannounced houseguest from hell who shows up distressed at the door of a couple and invites herself to stay indefinitely. In The Guest, British couple Iris and Gabriel are surprised to come home from a holiday to discover that their friend Laure from France has let herself into their house after hastily leaving her husband (Pierre) due to her discovery that he had an affair and fathered a child with another woman.

While I always want to scream at the homeowners, "just kick her out already" in these types of novels, making for a shaky premise, I enjoyed all the twists and turns in the plot. I am rarely shocked in thriller books, but the epilogue of this book got me!

I enjoyed both the book and audiobook of this novel. The narrator was good and the book had short chapters that kept the pace moving quickly. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and the author for copies of this book and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

When Gabriel and Iris return home from holiday, they learn a friend, Laure, has been staying at their house due to a hardship she currently faces with her husband, Pierre. While Laure's presence was unexpected, they invite her to stay for as long as she needs. Laure is needy and oblivious to her intrusions, making her quite a terrible house guest.

Gabriel is struggling after finding a young man injured in an accident. He couldn't save him, despite his medical career, and now harbors the grief of hearing his last words and is shutting out those around him.

A new couple moves to the village and becomes fast friends with Gabriel and Iris. They employ a gardener, Joseph, with a shady, suspicious past that raises few red flags.

As the stories intertwine, I couldn't help but wonder who was hiding what. Though I had my suspicions and guesses, only one had been right. I was shocked by ending and enjoyed the story overall. B.A. Paris did an excellent job at making some of the character's unlikeable.

This was my first book by B.A. Paris and I look forward to reading more. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the advanced audiobook.

Have you ever had a non-family member show up to live with you for a while? It happens in the appropriately named - The Guest by B. A. Paris.

"Iris and Gabriel get back from their holiday and find an old friend has moved in. Laure has left her husband, Pierre, in Paris, (after he confesses an affair and secret daughter) and moved away to find herself. Days turn into weeks and Iris feels torn between helping her friend and getting her life back. She's desperate for some time away from Laure.
A new neighbor moves in - with a gardener who has a checkered past.
Soon dangerous secrets will unravel...with deadly consequences."

Fabulous performance by Emily Joyce on the audiobook. Multiple characters and accents - and she nails it.

This is more of a domestic thriller. There's plenty of tension with Laure overstaying her welcome, and being oblivious to any hints about moving on. She is a pretty self-centered character with zero boundaries. (How would you like it if a guest rearranged your kitchen cabinets?) Iris struggles with having an unexpected housemate the whole time. Her method of dealing with it will surprise you.

The book moves along at a slow burn until Paris starts killing off characters. The epilogue makes for a wild ending.

Fans of Paris's previous books will enjoy this one.

I have read other books by B.A. Paris, which I enjoyed. However, I felt The Guest didn't know what it wanted to be. Is it a family drama? Is it a psycho-thriller? I didn't enjoy the characters, the plot was okay, and there wasn't really a resolution. I appreciate Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my opinions, but this one wasn't for me.

This book is intense! It has a delicious eerie feel about it, and every character is suspect at one point or another. I read a lot of mystery/thrillers and I still did not guess the ending...excellent twists and turns! B.A. Paris never disappoints! Thank you so much for the opportunity to listen and review!

I loved the narrator of this audiobook! They really added to the suspense and I thought they did a great job with all of the different characters. This story really kept me guessing and wanting to read more. I thought the suspense was built up very nicely. However, I just did not like how it all wrapped up in the end. But I still think this is a very suspenseful book, and I know our patrons will really enjoy it.

Everyone's greatest fear...the house guest that refuses to leave. Throw in deceit, infidelity, unknown paternity, murder, and plenty of secrets and you have a very entertaining read. The narration of this audio book was a little distracting to me. I think it might have been the pronunciation of Lauren? The story has a decent pace although there are some elements of the plot that seem over done while others don't get the attention they deserve. The twist at the end is one I did not see coming and that always makes for an enjoyable read. B.A. Paris is an author that I will read any time she releases a book no matter what the description. This is definitely not her best work, but far from the worst. She has redeemed herself since The Prisoner, for sure.

The Guest
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow B.A. Paris never disappoints you when you read his books. You will not see it coming. He makes you guess & guess again. You won't be able to put it down. Another great thrilling story. Go get it & enjoy!
Thank you NetGallery.

A slow burn thriller with a good payoff. I didn’t see the twist coming. It was neatly tied up in the end.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for approving my request.

Aw man, B.A. Paris is usually one of my favorite thriller writers but I did not like this one very much. I listened to the audiobook and the reading was good, at least.

The story centers around a couple, Iris and Gabriel, who return to their flat from vacation only to find their friend Laure in their house, sans her husband. While this seems atypical, Laure does have a key to the house and the couples often house swap when one or their other leaves for vacation. The problem is that Laure doesn't seem to leave and she's acting really suspicious about her husband.

While the premise is good, the execution is not. I was really bored and had to push myself to finish. I didn't like ANY of the characters. There didn't seem to be much depth to any of them.

I'll hand it to Paris, that she always throws in out-of-left-field twists so that was okay but, in general, this one underwhelmed me. But, hey, they can't all be winners!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this Advanced Reader's Copy!

Iris and Gabriel arrive home from vacation to their home in England to discover their friend Laura has come to stay with them. Laure and Pierre, who reside in Paris, have been best friends with Iris and Gabriel for several decades. They are shocked to learn that Laure is having some troubles with Pierre but let her stay for a while to give her time to think. At the same time, a new couple, Esme and Hugh, have moved in down the road from them with their friend Joseph. It becomes very clear from the multiple viewpoints in the story that these people will all become connected in the story, but how?

This one was a little slower-paced than I’ve come to expect from B.A. Paris. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the twists throughout. However, I got a little tired of hearing the same discussions and worries about everyday life over and over again. I also got very tired of Laure constantly going on about Pierre and very much overstaying her welcome. Nevertheless, I was invested in the story and wanted to see how it all ended. The epilogue tied everything together for me in a shocking way. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a slow-burn thriller! I give it 3.5/5 stars.

The audiobook version narrated by Emily Joyce was great. Her different accents for different characters was perfect and I never got lost or confused about who was talking when.

Iris and her husband, Gabriel, return to England from an important trip to find someone in their house. First, the trip was much needed as Gabriel has recently witnessed something traumatic. They are relieved, but confused, to find out it is their friend, Laure. What is even more strange is that Laure has been sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris's clothes, rearranging things, just to name a few. Laure is convinced her husband is having an affair, after she found out he has a child she didn't know about. As Laure overstays her welcome, new details come out about Laure's marriage. The only distraction comes from a gardener for a family down the street. Storylines are much more entangled than they might seem. This book is one of those "slow-burn" suspense novels that builds into an explosive ending.

Narration was done very well. A great perfomer.
I just truly think that the book was too slow, I was at 60% without any real developments. I also had no clue what details being brought up had to do with the overall mystery or just the peculiar characteristics of the characters. If I am truly being honest, I think the only portion that felt like a thriller, was the epilogue.

Even the narrator sounded different during the epilogue. It's just not for me.

I love B A Paris so much but I just didn’t love The Guest. I just couldn’t get behind Iris and Gabriel’s characters at all. I don’t mind slow burns, but this one was a very slow burn. Leaving me wanting more.

🔑THE GUEST🔑
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝙳𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛
𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙵𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝟸𝟶, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺
𝙼𝚢 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝟹.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...Laure has walked out on her husband after a confession of an affair & secret child. She goes to stay with Iris & Gabriel(mutual friends), but her unpredictable-ness is starting to take its toll on her hosts.

💭𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜...Domestic thrillers are so my jam so I was excited about this one. While it started slow, I still wanted to know more. Then the slow burn just got to be a bit too slow & I didn’t like the characters at all! This usually doesn’t matter in thrillers, but I needed to root for somebody, ya know?!?! I also could not figure out why they let this guest stay for this long for a strange reason(no spoilers) …With all that said, the ending was pretty friggin great with a unique delivery and for that it upped my rating. I had the advanced copy in both audio & kindle & thought the narrator was superb on the audio. 🎧Her accent & voices was 👌.

The characters in this book deal with all kinds of issues: depression, distance in a marriage, learning a partner has a secret child, loneliness, and lack of boundaries to name a few. I can’t say that I liked any of the characters involved. They all became mildly annoying. Although this was not my favorite book by B.A. Paris, I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Thank you netgalley for letting me read The Guest in exchange for an honest review!

I hands down enjoyed every sentence in this book! It’s an easy read with a unique twisty storyline. This is an easy 5 stars. If you want a quick and engaging book this one is definitely for you. BA Paris is a brilliant writer!

Hands down an auto buy author for me!!!! Behind Closed Doors is the first book I read from this author and I was hooked! This book was a slow steady burn with an ending that slapped you across the face!! It was delicious!!! Most of the characters I was suspicious of and always had an eye out. Did NOT see the ending coming!

My first introduction to B.A. Paris was her novel Behind Closed Doors, and I was hooked! Her new novel, The Guest, does not disappoint. While engaging with the novel, I grappled with the questions of friendship and familial obligations. Iris and Gabriel must work to maintain their relationship while dealing with unexpected sorrows. Paris does an excellent job of reminding us that there are secrets that are better left hidden.

Gabriel and Iris are doing well in their life and marriage. They have a daughter currently working in Greece. However, there is something greatly bothering Gabriel. Arriving home from the trip, they discover that their good friend Laure is staying in their home. As they are good friends with Laure and her husband Pierre, the couple each has keys to one another's homes.

Laure tells Iris that she will be there for an indefinite period of time, and that she has found out something about her husband that makes her unsure if she wants to stay married to Pierre. Laure soon becomes the guest who never leaves.

Meanwhile, Iris wants Gabriel to get back to his jovial self. She knows what is bothering him, but not to the full extent. As Iris and Gabriel are navigating their lives, Laure's life is topsy turvy and what happens to her affects Iris and Gabriel.

While I have enjoyed many of B. A. Paris's books, this one didn't Wow me. I was interested in the drama, but that is what it was, drama. Iris and Gabriel's relationship. Lore and Pierre's fractured relationship. Other relationships. Nonetheless, Paris is a must-read for me and I look forward to her next book.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.