Wow. I'm not sure where to even start with this. It's nothing like I expected and yet exactly what I expected.
Let's start with the dual narration: seemingly two completely separate, different plots that are happening simultaneously. I was dubious and unsure if this approach would work and I'm pleased to say I was wrong. I was completely invested in both plots and I love how they fed into one another. For me however, Joanne's ending fell a bit flat. I'd have liked to have seen a more conclusive ending.
Leah - as a character, she cut her nose off to spite her face often. It was frustrating being in her head at times but I enjoyed her 'never give up' attitude.
Amy - absolutely heartbroken. I love her, I convinced myself it was a red herring and there would be a happy ending... I was wrong.
Shout out to the author, I'm now dying to go to Italy! The descriptions were fantastic, I loved how every single small part of this story had a deeper meaning and a hand in tying up loose ends.
One flaw for me. The actual climax scene. The conversation/argument between the 4 characters during the big scene was so soap opera and spoiled it for me.
4*, will definitely be reading more by this author.

Leah's niece, Amy was drowned in the lake, near the villa in Italy where Amy's parents own. Leah then moves to Italy and to the villa one year after her niece died. But to her surprise, Amy's parents and Leah's niece Olivia seemed to have erased off memories of Amy. The Leah meets Amy's friend Francesca who gives her a SIM card, where she tells her that Amy before dying had called her. As Leah listened to the voice message, Leah realizes that there are some secrets that are lying in the villa.

Meanwhile in Derby, Joanna a university councillor is dealing with a student's suicide. While at the bar she meets a handsome stranger who introduces himself as Callum. When Callum gets into the accident, and Joanna agrees to look after him. But soon, she realises that she doesn't really know Callum much who might be running away from the past.

The story is told from the perspectives of three women--Leah, Joanne and Amy, hours before the sunset, the time when she drowned in the lake. From start to finish, I was engrossed into the book. In the beginning, you wonder what does Joanne got to do with Leah and Amy though towards the middle, you feel the connection between the three women through one man. The story is fast paced though not much twists and turns. Despite the lack of twists and turns, the story is unputdownable and a page turner in my opinion. However, the ending was a bit predictable but then overall, I actually enjoyed reading this thriller based in northern Italy. The descriptions of northern Italy made me feel like I was in Italy. I also like the slightly family drama mentioned in the book, Amy's relationship with the bartender Nate and the mention of how Olivia may have been sexually abused by one of the guests all made a juicy unputdownable thriller.

If you like a thriller baded in a holiday villa, then this book is one for you. Looking forward to read more books from this author. Worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Ooh now this book pretty much kept me guessing right up to the end and on numerous times I thought I had guessed correct but No it was one big mystery up to the end x

A very intriguing and twisty book with a unique setting that had me enthralled from the start. I struggled to stay engaged with the plot in places and I felt that some of the characters were lacking in dimensionality, but it was a satisfying read on the whole.

Completely loved this book! The pacing is perfection - drawing you in to the lives of the fascinating protagonists as the tension builds and builds. Absolutely masterful! Cannot recommend this highly enough.

Nine months ago, Leah's twenty-one-year-old niece, Amy, mysteriously drowned near her family-owned luxury resort on the shores of Lake Garda. Now, Leah is returning to Italy for the first time since Amy's death. But what she finds upon her arrival shocks her: her sister, brother-in-law, and surviving niece, Olivia, seem to have erased all reminders of Amy, and insist her death was an accidental drowning, despite murky circumstances. Leah knows she must look beyond the resort's beautiful façade if she is to uncover the truth of that night. The plot is perfectly paced, holds your interest, and keeps you guessing. It’s a page turner, for sure!

Leah is trying to come to terms with the death of her 21 year old Brice Amy who drowned near their family home on Lake Garda in Italy.

Leah isn't sure that the death of her niece was an accident and sets out to find out some answers as to what happened on that fateful night. So Leah decides to return to Italy.

Upon arrival she sees that her family has erased all reminders of Amy, like she never really existed in the first place. Leah is even more determined to get to the bottom of what exactly is going on.

Thus story is told in a duel narrative so we also meet Joanna who is a counsellor at her local university. Joanna has recently got into a relationship but doesn't think everything with her new boyfriend is as Rosey as it seemed to be at the start.

What is really going on in both of these women's lives and can they somehow be intertwined.

This is a very good physiological thriller. It has lots of twist and turns to it and has you guessing right up to the very end.

A great mystery focusing on the drowning of the protagonist’s sister and it’s confusing aftermath with parallel storylines that come to a deeply satisfying conclusion.

It took me a wee bit to get into this as it was a but of a slow burn to start but I'm really glad I stuck with it and it was sheer perfection in the way that it all eventually connected up. Such an intriguing premise for the plot and it didn't disappoint. I flew through this in a day and once I got past the initial slow start, I loved every second of it. Luckily it most definitely paid off and was a really enjoyable read

Love a book when all the stories come together. Bit of a slow start but picked up realty well and finished perfectly. Great story. Well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was a slow burner read that increased in pace and tension as the story continued. It was welll written with a good storyline and well develop characters, however those that like their books with a fast pace may find this a struggle. Overall I enjoyed it.

Read through netgalley. Bit of a mixed bag of a book. First half was very slow and I couldn’t work out why the two stories linked. Towards the end, I did want to see what happened and it wasn’t a bad story but more like a channel 5 afternoon thriller (not a terrible thing). I did enjoy the second half and the story did all pull together at the end.

Wow, this was a fast paced novel- not expecting such depth of story or characters! Loved the dual story lines and enjoyed jumping from one to the other, constantly being left in suspense, before returning to the other story line. This worked well and keeps you reading – even when you should be doing something else. I was hooked; I did not try and guess what was going on which often happens with thrillers and just went with the flow. Full of twists, a stunning setting and believable characters. A great thick holiday read!
Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for allowing me to review an advance copy.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

#ThePtherGuest #NetGalley
Sinister suspense.
Leah's feisty twenty-one-year-old niece, Amy, mysteriously drowned near her family-owned luxury resort on the shores of Lake Garda. Now, Leah is returning to Italy for the first time since Amy's death. But what she finds upon her arrival shocks her: her sister, brother-in-law, and surviving niece, Olivia, seem to have erased all memories of Amy, and insist her death was an accidental drowning, despite murky circumstances. Leah knows she must look beyond the resort's beautiful façade if she is to uncover the truth of that night. Meanwhile, in Derby, university counsellor Joanna is recovering from a surprising break-up when she is swept off her feet by a handsome bartender. But when she invites him into her home, Joanna quickly starts to realise that she doesn't know him as well as she thought.
Read this blasting novel to know more.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straughten for giving me an advance copy.

Another Facade…
What lies behind closed doors? What really happens behind perfect facades? When Leah returns to Italy following the death of a family member, she realises that secrets lie behind the wealth and privilege of the luxury Lake Garda resort, whilst back in the United Kingdom another woman is seeing behind another facade. Straight talking suspense which is compelling from the offset, and throughout, with a well crafted narrative. A satisfying read.

Two storylines, interesting characters that have empathy yet a healthy dose of suspicion. The Other Guest is a solidly built book without too much inner dialogue, double bluff, so-called jaw-dropping twists and turns that makes you wonder or even doubt what's going on. A relief to be reading a triller that's gotten me hooked from the start.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.