There are lots of secrets going on here - which I expect in a B.A. Paris book. It's difficult to say much about what did and didn't work for me personally, because as fans of psychological thrillers will recognize, it's far too easy to inadvertently reveal too much about the plot and characters. And no doubt what didn't work for me is someone else's ideal read. I'll just say that it might well have been a 3- or 3.5-star read for me, but the excellent narration by Emily Joyce bumped it up to 4 stars. All in all I liked this book - didn't love it, but I liked it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

I am usually a big fan of B.A. Paris. I ALWAYS want to read and devour any book this author puts out. This one fell a little flat for me. I got confused by all the characters and who exactly they were. Maybe I was too distracted by life to fully focus. I don't know. I felt like the overall story line was a great plot. The execution was a little lacking. The ending was a bit much for me to wrap my head around logically. I think the author was going for a big shock and awe but it felt....odd. It definitely kept me entertained and I will keep reading this author in the future, but this one was a meh for me.

In the tranquil countryside where Iris and Gabriel reside, the serenity of their lives is abruptly disrupted when they return home to find that Laure is seeking solace after separating from her husband, Laure's stay was supposed to be a three week stay but quickly extended casting a shadow over the couple's tranquility. Complicating matters, Gabriel grapples with personal crises marked by family and community losses. Laure's presence becomes an enduring fixture, challenging the boundaries of hospitality and friendship.

This book was my first book by B.A. Paris. I went into this book with high hopes as I have seen and heard many good things. However, I found that the beginning of this book was difficult to get into and the number of characters was challenging to follow. I found that many of the characters were unlikeable. Therefore supporting my three star rating. However, with that being said, as the story progressed, I found myself shocked at some of the events that unfolded and was not prepared for the ending. will definitely be giving another chance to B.A Paris and look forward to reading and listening to more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book!

February release of B.A. Paris, The Guest. True to her previous novels, I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I have to admit it took me some time to get into it but as the character development took shape, it became a page turner. Just when you think you see it coming, the ending throws you for a loop.

The Guest by B.A. Paris had me guessing throughout. The characters were intriguing and mysterious. This was one book where I had no idea which character to trust…I thought they all did something bad. This book kept me reading.

The narration by Emily Joyce helped with this. She was able to portray the characters in a way that defined them while intertwining them in a way that kept the listener guessing. Also the flow was good making the book go quickly. I love how audiobooks bring the story to life.

Overall this book did not disappoint. I enjoyed the mystery of it all as with other books by this author. The only reason I did not give 5 stars was the ending. It didn’t sit that well with me. Still, if you like a good thriller, give this one a listen.

Many thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and the author, for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook ALC for my honest review.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio the chance to listen to this ARC!

This book has a twisty plot with alternating character perspectives. It was easy to relate with the character’s emotions as they felt frustration, sadness and fear throughout the novel. Had the story ended without an epilogue, I might thrown my phone across the room.

I was caught by surprise by the twist revealed in the epilogue. It isn’t often that I’m unable to figure out at least part of what has happened. Poor Gabriel, I thought it was him most of the time!

Paris's writing is engaging, and she effectively creates an atmosphere of suspense and unease. The novel's exploration of themes such as trust, deception, and the nature of evil adds depth to the story and keeps readers invested. Overall, it was a 3.5 out of 5 star book to me.

B. A. Paris is a go to author for me. this one proved why. so many twists and turns and that OMG finale! Wow! Emily did a great job narrating.

This book definitely kept me on my toes, and kept me constantly guessing at not only who was the killer, but what was actually going on in the book. One part domestic thriller, one part murder mystery, this book has the perfect blend to keep you interested and engaged, and guessing. The twist at the end was perfected, and narrated with perfect nonchalance-- so much so you may miss it if not paying attention.

I find some books are hit or miss for me with this author, but this book was definitely a winner.

Thank you to the Author, narrator, publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts are my own.

I love a twisty book. This is part domestic problems and then people just keep dying. Iris and Gabriel seem to have an idyllic life, but one thing happens then another. When an old friend comes to stay with them I see red flags everywhere.
It’s a great short book. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press Macmillan Audio for early copies.
Audio was well done, narrator does have an English accent but it was easy to listen to.
This book is available February 20,2024 and I highly recommend it

DNF, I used to enjoy most of BA Paris novels but unfortunately they have gone downhill for me. This novel had my attention at the beginning, like they all do. However, it got to the point where I had to ask “what is the synopsis of this book?” I didn’t know what the actual thrill was. The thrill started to pick up more than 50% through but it still made me question what is the whole book suppose to be about? We had nothing for the beginning then two random murders. It just made me feel like that could have happened sooner.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was an enjoyable read! I had somewhat guessed at the twist at the end but it was still pretty surprising. Somewhat hard to keep all the characters straight while listening but not terrible. The narrator did a good job.

Thanks for the review edition.

One of the greatest things about BA Paris is that there's always a twist at the end that nobody could see coming - this was no exception. The pieces were RIGHT THERE and I missed almost all of them. I love when that happens and it's not common for me at all. This was a fun and great read... with a whole lot of cringe thrown in.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, even though I had to restart it on audio quite a bit I will say that this audiobook is one that you would have to listen to slow down or definitely pair it with the physical copy of the book. What made me struggle in the beginning was the fact that there are quite a few characters to keep track of because each of them had their own flare to the story and I knew that I needed to keep track of who everyone was and what they had going on so once I paired it with the physical and took notes on each character and what was going on with them, I was able to connect with the story more and ended up really liking it!!

Thank you to NetGalley, McMillion Audio and the author for allowing me to listen and review this audiobook! I truly enjoyed the story line and thought I had the mystery figured out. (Which I didn’t)
At first it was a little hard to keep the three couples straight. After a while it got easier, just can be hard for me personally when listening to an audiobooks. I thought the author did a great job developing the characters. The Epilogue of the story, I did NOT see coming and took me a while to process. I enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a great job. Would recommend this audio book in the future. Rating 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

When Iris and Gabriel return from vacation, they discover their friend, Laure staying in their home after separating from her husband. What is meant to be only a 2-week visit becomes indefinent and Iris and Gabriel begin to suspect that Laure isn't being entirely truthful with them while at the same time dealing with their own stressors. Soon, the new neighbors and their live in gardener become involved in the drama and everyone seems to have secrets.
I listened to the audio version of this book and felt like the narrator did an excellent job. Overall, the story was intriguing and fast paced kept me interested. As secrets were revealed, the book sucked me in more and more making it an enjoyable read and an exciting thriller. I have to say that I didn't like the ending of the book because the twist just seemed over the top to me. But I would definitely recommend the book as an engaging thriller, especially for readers who enjoy a major twist.
.# NetGalley #McMillanAudio

Let me tell you, I absolutely loved reading this one from start to finish. I flew through this book so quick, and did not want it to end. I was completely shocked by the ending, I did not see it coming at all! I thought I had most of it figured out but I was very wrong, I didn’t have any of it figured out in the end. The narrator also did an absolutely fantastic job! B.A Paris is an auto buy author for me, I’ve been hooked on her books ever since I read “Behind Closed Doors”, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon! I gave this book 5⭐️‘s.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 Stars
Happy publication to B.A. Paris and The Guest! Thank you to B.A. Paris, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me listen to the audiobook 📖 for an honest review!

📅 February 20, 2024 is the pub date for The Guest. 📅

🎧 The narrator🎙️for the audiobook is Emily Joyce. 🎧

B. A. Paris offers a new and interesting story for thriller lovers. Although this book didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat and constantly engaged, I recommend it for anyone who enjoys the thriller/mystery genre.

What do you do when a friend overstays their welcome and then starts acting suspicious? Do you start paying more attention to their decision and behaviors to see if you can catch anything out of the ordinary? Do you just leave everything alone and let them continue to bother everyone? Do you ask them to leave and kindly let them know they are an interference to your life?

This book had a great twist towards the end that I didn’t see coming but the pacing seemed very slow and often times, I found myself losing interest in the story line. I believe that readers should still give the book a try because it is overall a good read. I definitely want to read other books by B.A. Paris to find out if this book matches their overall writing style or if it is an outlier.

Ok this one was totally bingeworthy! It’s a quick read where I was intrigued immediately and I just couldn’t put it down!

It’s a character driven domestic thriller that I found incredibly well plotted and executed. It’s just bursting with secrets and kept me on my toes the entire time! About half way through the bombs start dropping and they honestly never stop!

Super twisty reads always get me but they have to be done just right! Paris nails all the shocking revelations with this one and I def recommend!

Thank you MacMillan audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I had a love/hate relationship with this book. While the storyline was gripping and I wanted to keep reading to know the ending, the characters were extremely unlikeable. I listened to most of the book on audio, which helped me push through to the end. The book follows a couple, Iris and Gabriel. Their friend, Laure, appears and asks to stay with them for an extended time due to finding out her husband Pierre has a child. They meet another couple, Esme and Hugh, who live in the same town. While everyone's stories tied up in the end, it was hard to follow each problem that arose, especially because the characters were so annoying.

The narrator, Emily, was pretty good. She did a good job of changing her voice when she needed to, however, her accent was incredibly think and at times hard to understand.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a slower mystery with a touch of family drama.