I was really enjoying this book throughout, however, I was very disappointed by the ending.

I felt the book promised a surprise and I don’t feel that happened.

It was an enjoyable story but I can’t say it offered anything too exciting for a thriller.

I was given an audio copy of The Unwelcome Guest by Netgalley in return for an honest opinion. First I have to say that I have nothing but admiration for anyone who can devise a plot, write a book and get it published. I also realise that you cannot please all of the people all of the time and I'm afraid that this time around I was one of those who were not best pleased.

I had to give up listening at about 60%, I had to persevere to get that far but it was just not good for my mental health. Every one of the characters (children excluded) were unremittingly unlikeable with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. By this point the storyline had not moved forward other for the main characters to be plotting how to break up a marriage or do away with another. They were all so deeply unpleasant it was too depressing for me.

The narrators were all suitable and to be truthful it was the narration that got me to 60%, I would not have read that far for myself. Sorry!

Wow, where to start? Well, last face it we've all heard the Mother-in-law jokes, and this is one horrible and misguided M-i-L!

I was amazed at her way of viewing the world in comparison to everyone around her, and how easy it was to 'steer' peoples thoughts in one direction or another.

Well plotted, and executed I must have changed my mind a dozen times over who was responsible for the heinous acts against whom. The multiple point of view really helps heighten the tensions and difficulty in figuring this out, and the fact that multiple narrators used makes it far simpler to follow each persons 'thoughts'

Brilliant. Recommended.

An intense family drama which I did enjoy! Saffron and Miles have the perfect life until her mother in law, Caprice moves from the annexe actually into the family home. Told from multiple POV’s which different narrators really helped you differentiate between. I really enjoyed listen to the story unfold and twists and turns occur in this brilliant family drama!

This book was a good, solid read. Nothing particularly to write home about, but not unlikeable.

The complicated web of characters was something to get your head around for sure. There is Wife 1 married to Husband 1, whose ex girlfriend works for Wife 1 and was married to husband 1's brother. Then there is the MIL and the nanny, and the two kids in the middle. None of these characters were at all likeable, they all had their own agendas and their own egos.

It was a trope seen many times before, but it was written well, all be it sometimes a little confusing as it switched between characters' narratives. I think the plot worked well and we got to delve into some very interesting family dynamics. The MIL was just something else, constantly chipping away at Wife 1's sanity! I mean, rooting for Husband 1 and the new nanny - conspiring to make that a thing?? Who does that... to their own son! Anywho, a quick enjoyable read, one I probably won't read again but glad I read it.

Recommended for fans of domestic suspense, complex family dynamics and an easy to read time passer.

This book was an OK listen but not really a thriller as such it was more of a "who dunnit" in the end
Saffron has Caprice the mother in law from hell who is determined to end her son Mile's marriage to Saffron even though they have been happily married for years
When Caprice moves in with Saffron , Miles and their 2 sons the relationship between the two women gets worse and the story follows Caprice's various attempts to cause trouble and break up the marriage ,
Some of the things Caprice does are a bit unbelievable as Saffron is supposed to be a strong confident woman who has her own law firm so for her to not realise what Caprice is doing at first feels wrong but its obvious Caprice hates Saffron but just how far will she go to get her own way.

Thank you to Netgalley & Harper Collins for allowing me to listen to this audio book

**listened to the audiobook**

What a dull and boring thriller.
The reason I read thrillers is because of the fast paced and gripping nature to them. This book certainly wasn't that! The characters were so unlikeable, and superficial. Nothing about this book felt realistic. Nothing about this book was original. It all just felt farcical!

I enjoyed the narrator - it's just a shame the text she was reading was just so poor!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Audio and Amanda Robson for an audio ARC in return for an honest review.

I can honestly say this is a family I do not want to meet. What an emotional roller coaster this book is. There are a lot of characters with a lot of different storylines. At first is it a little confusing but I think having the audio version made it easier to figure out who’s POV it was in the chapter as each character has a different voice.

I think some people may struggle with the constant character changes but personally I really enjoyed it.

It was a little slow-paced but then accelerates after 60% of the way through.

Thanks to Net Galley for granting me this in audio format. I really enjoyed this tale about the toxic relationship between Caprice and her mother in law Saffron. I felt totally absorbed in the different characters of the family and the narrators made it even more enjoyable as they each told their side of the story in such an engaging way, I loved the fact it had extremely short chapters but each person described their situation and emotions precisely - my heart was pounding with the pure heart wrenching emotions at times.

The mother In law from hell is an understatement and it made me feel blessed that I loved mine to bits and how lucky I was to have such a great relationship. Saffron took total control of her son’s life who blindly let her continue with her awful ways despite his deep love for his wife. This was a great in depth and compelling story and I was hooked from beginning to end and a great conclusion was also reached with a sense of irony. Thoroughly enjoyed.

I really wanted to like this book but there was just something missing for me. I don't think it helps that I've very recently read familial thrillers from Jo Spain and Lisa Jewell, both at the peak of their writing careers and exquisite story tellers.

The basic premise was hopeful; a choral voice, an interfering mother in law, lustful nanny, jealous brother. It had all the ingredients of a great whodunnit. Except it was very clear who done it, the author let us in on it, so the whole of the story seemed empty, flat and pretty twist-less. Perhaps this would be a good thriller for people who don't like to be thrilled?

This was sadly on top of some very one dimensional caricatures of family members that had me rolling my eyes frequently, and were all completely unlikeable.

Career woman mum who was so beautiful and intelligent and perfect that her husband of 20 odd years was hounded by thoughts of how wonderful she was and how much he loved her day and night like a lovesick teenager, as did his equally one dimensional 'black sheep' brother. The big bad stuck up mother in law was awful to the wife and her son did nothing, and then the beautiful young nanny obviously threw herself at the husband who was shocked, despite him buying sentimental gifts for her and taking her out on dates.

It does have the redeeming feature that it was an easy read and would be good for light entertainment or a beach read (I had the audiobook and it was a pleasant enough accompaniment to my housework today), and I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. It might be someone's cup of tea, but it wasn't mine sadly!

This is not my usual type of book, but I was lucky enough to get a pre release copy of the audio version from netgalley so I thought I would give it a go.
The overall genre probably falls into psychological thriller, but it was also a bit chick lity. I found the narrators to be gripping, they did help to bring the characters to life. However, I found the plot a little far fetched. The mother in law is truly evil, but the depths the characters will go to hurt each other was on another scale. Brothers hurting each other, nannies praying on their employers, grandparents hurting their grandchildren. There is a lot going on in this book. If you can get past the unlikely reality of these events actually happening, I think you’ll find this book very entertaining.

The Unwelcome Guest - Amanda Robson
Narrated by Thomas Delacourt; Natalie Beran; Olivia Mace; Claire Vousden; John Hopkins

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Saffron vowed to love Miles no matter what life threw at them both. But when her mother-in-law moves into their happy family home, Saffron’s shiny life begins to tarnish.

Even as Caprice’s barbed comments turn to something more sinister, Saffron hopes the new nanny’s arrival will shield her from the worst of it. She’s starting to feel paranoid in her own home.

I have never read a book by Amanda Robson, so this was an entirely new experience for me. Robson uses short chapters to tell the story from the narratives; of Saffron, Miles, Caprice, Aiden and Hayley in clearly headed chapters. In the audiobook each character was voiced by a different narrator which added to the ease of following the plot and change in narrator.

With Robson being a new author to me, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a fast-paced novel with many twists, it was definitely one that I needed to listen on to find out more. Full of deceit and deception that kept me interested to the very end, I would highly recommend this book.

Rating 4/5

Absolutely solid 4 star read, or in my case audio!

Gripping story, if a little predictable, but I'm so glad it ended the way it did, as the alternative (which in my mind, was the way it was going) would have been too much.

I don't know this author, but definitely going to listen to more by her. Great narrators were chosen too - the one with the crisp English accent, narrating Saffron, was very Keely Hawes!

Thanks so much HarperCollins UK Audio, via Netgalley, for gifting me an audiobook copy - can't wait for more.

The Unwelcome Guest - Amanda Robson
(Audiobook review)

My first book by this author, a story of a wealthy Surrey family, the even wealthier brother, the perky Kiwi nanny and the conniving Mother-in-law who has decided that her son's wife isn't a good enough match for him.

I'm fairly new to audio books, this is my third in three weeks so I think I'm starting to get a feel for them. The audio production is good, with different actors reading each character's chapter. Two of the voices irritated me slightly at first but I eventually settled in with them.

As a story, I found some of the characters' actions and reactions a little overdramatic, and not entirely believable. I felt things really picked up in the second half and it ended strongly. To be honest I think I may have struggled to reach halfway if I had been reading the book instead of listening.

An entertaining easy listen overall.


Thanks to Netgalley and Avon.

3.5⭐️
This is my first book by this author with the 🎧 audiobook version. It has a cast of narrators, with separate very distinguishable voices for Saffron, Miles, Aidan,Caprice and Hayley. I especially liked the smooth tones of Aidan. The voice of Miles sounds a little stilted, there’s nothing in the book to suggest this characterisation. Mostly each character has a chapter but when another character has dialogue it’s not read by that narrators voice. I think the narrators lift the interest to make this a light easy enjoyable listen. I don’t think I would have enjoyed the book as much.

Saffron is married to Miles and lives in his parents mansion of a home, with Caprice being displaced in to a granny annex. Caprice decides she doesn’t want to live in the annex and moves back into the main house which is when the trouble really begins.
It uses traditional tropes of manipulation, secrets and lies as the building blocks for suspicion and doubt.

It has short chapters with each one being a separate chapter which works well.

I feel that the plot is very predictable and the responses overly melodramatic. There’s several incidences of unlikely happenings/ responses.
There is a couple of decent twists though which elevate it.

The Hell Begins...
When Caprice, mother to Miles and mother-in-law to Saffron, moves into their seemingly happy family home the hell begins. Will the arrival of a new nanny help the cause? That remains to be seen. With short, snappy, choppy chapters and told from multiple perspectives this is a thoroughly engaging domestic noir from the beginning to the end and the multiple narration in this audiobook edition works so well to bring the whole drama completely to life. Enjoyable and entertaining.

Love this book. Got it on kindle and now on audiobook. This is a rapid-paced, compelling story with masterful execution. The constant action means there is never a dull moment
I love a good thriller. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️