I had a great time listening to the audiobook of this book written by B.A. Paris, an author whose previous work I have enjoyed. While B.A. Paris has written multiple works, she is well known for her popular book Behind Closed Doors. I’d say that if you’re going into this book expecting it to be similar to that one, you may be disappointed.

Just as in her previous works, B.A. Paris writes this story eloquently and has crafted well developed characters that feel genuine and (somewhat) relatable. However, the pacing in this book is not what I would call quick. It is a very, VERY slow burn. You should not go into this book expecting a book that will constantly have you on the edge of your seat.

The Guest is about a married couple, Iris and Gabriel, who are close friends with a Parisian couple, Laure and Pierre. The couple is shocked when Laure, completely devastated, tells them that Pierre has confessed that he cheated on her years ago and has a child with another woman. Laure moves in with them and the story goes from there. There’s also a mysterious new couple that has moved in nearby with an even more mysterious gardener that seems to be a hot topic on everyone’s lips.

Now, if you’re reading this wondering, “but where’s the mystery?” you are not alone. In fact, I found myself wondering that same thing until about 50% into the book. At first glance, this book seems to have a lot going on but not much of great importance. But readers should be comforted by the fact that though this book is slow, it has a satisfying payoff and the characters were so interesting that at no point in this book did I feel bored. In fact, I devoured it in less than 48 hours (which is a short time for me).

As I mentioned before, I listened to the audiobook of this story. I thought the narrator did a great job portraying the different characters and had a polished and pleasant voice that was easy to listen to. She didn’t do any drastically different voices for each character, but I had no trouble immersing myself into the story and feeling like every character had a distinct voice.

Overall, I’m giving this book four out of five stars. It entertained me the whole time and I found it very easy to listen to. However, I’m not giving it five stars because it didn’t exactly thrill me at any moment, and while the ending was satisfying, it wasn’t exactly shocking. I really liked this book, but I didn’t love it. I would still recommend it to fans of domestic thrillers who like to read slow burns.

I think the idea of this book was really good, but the pacing was a bit slow. It felt less like a thriller than just a contemporary fiction novel with twists added at the end. I was into the beginning and Paris did a good job showcasing how awkward Laure staying with Iris and Gabriel was. I was pulling my hair out just thinking of having to deal with that. There were some other mystery elements woven in that I I wanted more hints dropped - like what was behind Gabriel finding the boy in the quarry - that could have helped the pacing along.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a advance copy of the audiobook for review.

This was my second B.A. Paris book and I enjoyed it just as much as Behind Closed Doors. I felt the pacing was really good and I just wanted to keep listening. The story unfolded really well. I related to Iris so much throughout the first half of the story. Laure was such an insufferable guest, I felt uncomfortable for Iris and Gabriel.

When the final chapter ended I was very surprised until the epilogue tied it all together. I did not see the twist coming. I usually don't try to figure thrillers out but with this one I speculated a little bit and still got it wrong. I will definitely be picking up more from B.A. Paris.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced review copy.

Overall a good book with a surprising plot twist. I felt it dragged a bit in spots, but this could have been because I didn't care for the narrator's tone.

I really wanted to love this one, but the thrilling premises stalled for me in the middle of the plot and I lost investment in the outcome of the story. I adore domestic thrillers, so when Iris and Gabriel returned home from a holiday to find their uninvited friend living in their home, tension develops. While they want to support her in her split from her husband (due to an alleged affair), having a live-in house guest with no exit plan leads to conflict for everyone in the house and with nearby neighbors. Add in a recent neighborhood death, a mysterious new gardener with a secret past, and tensions overflow into murder. The lack of connection for me was that there were too many subplots to keep track of, and their interconnectedness felt like a stretch. Also, rather than have some twists or reveals throughout the story, I felt the novel ended abruptly and then relied on an epilogue to reveal all of the twists.

This was a compelling story with interesting characters. I didn’t love the ending, it felt like there should’ve been thriller moments weaved throughout the story.

Honestly I don't know how I feel about The Guest. I really enjoy B.A. Paris' books.. I think she has an amazing way of putting together a thriller that is fast paced but also fully fleshed out and doesn't leave any loose ends.

This one is the same.. fast and everything comes together in the end.. but... I just hated almost every single character in this book. Except maybe Hugh.. I don't know.. maybe he's terrible too and I just overlooked it because I was so busy being mad at all the others.

I did enjoy how devious it all was when the twist is revealed.. I honestly didn't suspect how everything tied together and went down and it was well explained but it also made me angry and I can't explain why. After sitting with this one for hours, I just can't put my finger on it.. maybe I'll come back to this review if it ever clicks and I figure out why.

I'm giving this one 3.5, rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.

B. A. Paris is one of my favorite go to authors. She never disappoints. This psychological thriller had me from the get go.
You will enter a home filled with secrets. Will definitely keep you turning the pages.
Don’t miss it…. It has an amazing twist or two!
I received an audio version of this book and loved the narrator. It was a win win for me!

I binged this audiobook in a day over the weekend! The narrator was fantastic and incredibly captivating to listen to. The story was medium paced, but really enjoyable and kept me in suspense always wondering what was coming next. B.A. Paris is notorious for shocking me, and this book did not disappoint!! I really found that I was able to connect with the characters, even if I didn’t share similar life experiences to them I still found them endearing and likeable. I don’t want to give too much away and spoil it, so I’ll just leave you with this…. If you enjoy twisty domestic thrillers then definitely give The Guest a read!!

I saved this one to read on a long flight thinking that a good thriller would keep me entertained. The premise of this book is solid and it started off pretty strong. Unfortunately, it was bogged down with endless mundane details of the characters' lives. These irrelevant pieces slowed down the pacing and by the time we got to the big reveals, I wasn't that interested anymore. It didn't help that the characters felt one dimensional and I was in no way invested in what happened to them. I'm rounding down to 2 stars from 2.5, because the epilogue simply rewrote everything to create a "gotcha" reveal that didn't seem to align with the rest of the book. This was an underwhelming and disappointing slog.

<i>A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.</i>

In true B.A. Paris style, The Guest presents us with another cast of characters, at least one of which is deeply unlikeable, and will leave your BEGGING the protagonists to get away from them. The narration on the audiobook was entrancing, and left my skin crawling at how engrained the guest was trying to become in our protagonists lives.

It was a touch obvious that something was seriously wrong in France, but that was balanced well by the utter loathing one felt for Laure.

Audiobook review

Great narrators, I love listening to books where the characters have accents.

This book took awhile for me to digest. It was a slow burn thriller yet felt like I got to the end fast! Maybe that’s cause I couldn’t put it down once I started?!

I did not see the ending coming. I thought I had it all figured out but boy was I wrong.

Will definitely be recommending this book.

Ughhhh!! I went into this one with high hopes. It starts off fine. The chapters are short so makes it easy to keep reading. Problem is nothing really exciting happens to suck you in. Right away you can kinda guess what’s going to happen. The ending leaves you thinking “that’s all”? Booo! I’m gonna go pout now. 😂

Reading challenge category - 2022 52 Book Club: related to gold (okay, i stretched this one, but the knob on the cover is gold).

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC book.

This is my third book by BA Paris and I think it will be my last. All have been 2 star reads.

Iris and Gabriel are a reasonably happy married couple. They come home from a trip to find their friend, Laure, has been squatting in their home. Laure and her husband Pierre have hit a giant bump in their marriage. Laure wears out her welcome and creates tension for Iris and Gabriel. Her presence also brings other secrets to light.

Lies, secrets, murder, suicide; a little bit of everything. But it's very predictable for me. I really don't enjoy when a book wraps everything up in the epilogue, which is exactly what this one did. The pace was slow, the characters were all unlikable, and it was just easy to guess what the 'twist' was. 2/5 stars.

B. A. Paris is one of my fav authors so I was very pleased to receive this ARC, thanks Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.

This was a great book and I really enjoyed listening to the narrator. I finished this book in just nearly a day, I could not stop listening, a true “page turner”. Everybody has secrets they don’t want to share.

B.A. Paris does it again! I've read so many books by Paris and it's safe to say that this is one of my favorites. That epilogue... wowza! I'm still reeling!

Iris and Gabriel are an interesting pairing. They have been together for decades and it seems like not only has their relationship fizzled out, but the added stressors surrounding them have pushed them farther apart than together. When their long-time friend Lore unexpectedly decides to move in after marriage troubles of her own, the chasm between them seems to grow.

This novel packs death after death into the pages and I couldn't get a sense of if they were coincidences, if there was foul play, or if something totally separate was going on. There were twists I thought I was so smart for catching onto and then most of the surprises flew right over my head and left me breathless and giddy with excitement.

From shady characters, untimely deaths, unwanted houseguests, infidelity, secret lovers, and a love child this book has SO much going on! It all played so well together that it never felt too much and until the epilogue, I maybe didn't even catch on to how much was going on! Paris is an expert at her craft and I loved how everything came together, how she answered questions I didn't realize I was asking, and how she just left me so stunned and surprised.

I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed it. The pacing and thrill is perfect for audio and the narrator, Emily Joyce, did a stellar job.

This is one I definitely recommend and thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you to MacMillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the copy.

4 Stars

This is my fourth book by B.A. Paris. I am definitely a fan of her writing style. It is character driven and this book in particular, had a lot of conversation included. Which was nice but it did make it slow down in several parts.

Iris and Gabriel come home from a getaway to find a good friend of theirs, Laure, living in their home uninvited. She just found out her husband, Pierre, has a child with another woman. They are taking space from each other and Pierre needs time to figure out what he wants.

Iris meets their new neighbors, Esme and Hugh, and they become prominent characters in the book as well. They all become friends, spend time together, share a gardener (Joseph) as their lives weave together.

Gabriel is carrying an uncomfortable secret, there are several deaths (are they murders??), and as the book went on I was so invested I could not put it down.

The epilogue was a shock!

Thank you B.A. Paris, NetGalley and @Macmillan.Audio for an advanced audio copy of this audiobook.

For more book reviews from Angie and Lauren, please follow us on IG: @BluejackBookGirls

Thank you Macmillan audio and NetGalley for the complimentary audiobook of The Guest by B.A.Paris. I really enjoyed the pace and plot of this psychological thriller.

Iris and Gabriel return from vacation and find an uninvited guest, their friend Loure staying in their house. This gust has extended her stay and the story revolves around the two couples and a truth that is being unraveled as the plot thickens and more characters are introduced.

I was completely hooked to the plot and gradually building suspense and kept doubting on each and every member. The ending was totally unexpected and mind blowing. I highly recommend to add this book to your TBR when it releases on February 20, 2024

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and B.A Paris for an advance copy of The Guest in exchange for an honest review. I was instantly drawn into this story as our main characters get home from vacation and realize someone’s in their home. Although this guest isn’t fully an intruder, we see one of their friends start to take advantage of Iris and Gabriel. Unfortunately, this is where the book started to slow down for me. I spent the middle 50% of the book invested but never truly needing to know what was going to happen. Thankfully, this narrator kept my attention so I was able to power through. I did enjoy the ending so that’s something I appreciate! This one will be out on February 20th! 3.5 stars.

I have read and enjoyed B.A. Paris previous books like Behind Closed Doors and The Therapist, which is why I was excited for The Guest. The blurb made this sound like a real thriller. However, the pacing of the book was too slow for this to be a thriller. It took a lot of patience on my end to keep reading/listening after the first few chapters because I just couldn’t get into the book. I normally enjoy domestic thrillers but this book was more of a domestic drama than a thriller. The characters are all unlikeable so there was nothing to root for or look forward to in the first twenty or chapters or so.
The entire mystery that was build up was revealed in the 2-3 pages epilogue. All the chapters leading up to this big reveal simply being the drama surrounding three families and a few other characters. I wished it was paced slightly better and that there were a few twists that came in earlier in the book. The final twist in the epilogue was interesting but it was not enough to make me like this book.
I give it 2.25 stars out of 5!
Thanks to Netgalley and McMillan audio for the audiobook arc of the book.